Hi everyone. After reading this forum for a couple of months I'm finally 'brave' enough to post my pics. I've always had problems with my weight for as long as I could remember. The earliest memory is grade 7 (I'm 25) where the kids used to tease me and ask me if I was pregnant. I've also been called fat and told to lose weight by various members of immediate and extended family (our culture is very outspoken and will tell you things to your face that I find Canadians are pretty polite about . Anyway, to me I think that I've had the opposite of anorexia. I always thought that I was a little chubby but looked good. I wasn't really concerned and it didn't bother me what others thought of me. I was fine with my body ... just a little bothered with my belly but I always sucked it in and wore lose clothing...so no biggie really.

UNTIL THAT IS....

I asked my little sis to take some pictures of me 4 days ago and I was SHOCKED. I couldn't blv that was how I looked. The image I had of myself is very, very, very different from reality I was grossed out because I knew it was something that was all my fault, preventable and I could do something about it, if I wasn't so damn lazy.

Anyway here are the pics. I'm 147 lbs as of today.







I am not pregnant nor have I ever been pregnant



Back rolls


Goals:
- Diet change: THE HARDEST. I started and quickly quit eatingy healthy many, many times over the years. Between work and school - I just don't have time -- it's so much easier to grab something from the cafeteria.

- Exercise: Also started and quit the gym numerous times. Right now I'm not going to start going to the gym. I want to lose some lbs by walking first. I love parks and will walk the trails. I just wanna know how much walking really works in weight loss? How much have you lost just by walking and how long did it take? I want to make realistic goals ... I don't want to be overwhelmed like before and just give up and stuff myself with donuts. *sigh*

- Take more pictures: That was a real shocker.

Any comments and tips will be appreciated!

walking is great... low impact, mind-clearing, and if you make it a daily thing, it can definitely help you lose weight!! i'm NO doctor, nutritionist, or dietician, but in my experience, eating right is about 80% of losing weight. get on a website that can help you calculate how many calories you need in order to reach your goal weight (just google "how many calories do i need?), and try and get those calories from healthy, natural foods. drink lots of water. i'm sure you've heard all this before, but that's because it all works!! my advice on not getting burnt out too soon is to TAKE IT SLOW... this is not a quick fix. sure, people may lose weight fast, but the goal should be to get healthy, and becoming healthy does not happen overnight. make changes you can deal with for the rest of your life. if you can't do it forever, don't do it at all. GOOD LUCK!!

Hey Fawzia,

I think you've got a good body frame to make some really progressive results. But what you are willing to put in is what you are going to get out of it. This means preparation, structure and planning.

I totally get how hard it is when we have a hectic lifestyle - but preparation is the key in making these lifestyle changes. Without restructuring how we did the things to get us here we can't expect to get to a different destination. We must do something different than what we're currently doing now.

With that said, start planning your meals out ahead of time. Pack lunch and snacks the night before or in the morning to take with you to school and work. And only eat what you've taken. Make sure you eat 5-6 small meals per day and never, ever skip a meal.

Why is it that you don't want to join the gym - and why have you quit it in the past? These are important questions to help you change your mental attitude towards exercise. Walking is not going to help you with weight loss - not long term anyways. That doesn't mean don't walk - by all means do it. But you need to challenge your body and stimulate your metabolism. That doesn't mean you need to be in a gym, but it means you need to do more than going for a stroll in the park.

Walking is a great form of exercise. Sure, walking isn't the same as running, sprinting, or cycling but it's a great place to start. The key to any exercise is to challenge yourself. You can start out slow but when you think that walking is too easy, either walk faster or start jogging. When that's too easy, start running. Right now you may say 'I could never run that far,' but you will be able to. And about eating healthily, you should prepare your food before hand. It'll require more effort on your part but it's for a good cause. And if you're really busy, there may be some hidden healthy foods in the cafeteria - salads with no dressing, veggies, tuna wraps- all it takes is a little effort to find them. Although, you should prepare your meals beforehand because then you know exactly what's in them
Good luck, and I'm sure you'll accomplish your goals. At first it may seem overwhelming, but you just gotta keep going at it. Stay motivated and work hard at it and you'll accomplish your goals in no time