Hello! I've been waiting to start my journal until I found the inspiration and creativity to give everyone else and myself a really motivational first post. Well, it's been about a month since I decided that and I'm not feeling it. So it's time to start - even if that means a mediocre introduction.

My name is Rachel. I'm a 22-year-old college student living at home. I go to school full time and work part time as a bank teller. I maintained a weight of about 150 pounds throughout high school. After graduation I started slowly putting on more weight. I worked out occasionally and casually watched what I ate for the first few years of college. Then I fell into the boyfriend trap. I've been in a relationship for almost 3 years now, and it seems each year I steadily gain pounds.

Last August, I posted in the Your Very Own Birthday Challenge! thread. That was my last real effort to lose weight. My last trip to the scale registered 158 pounds. I'm now closing in on 170 pounds. And if I'm going to lose the majority of this weight by my birthday, March 21, I'm going to have to get started now. Not next week, or tomorrow, or even sometime today. Right now. This moment.

I have two months. Expect this post to be edited and moved as I add to my journal in an attempt to keep myself motivated. I'd love to hear from everyone else too - especially if you've recently read and/or seen the movie Twilight. I'm addicted to more than just junk food!

Anyway, here's what I'm working with. I'm 5'6", 169 pounds. I'm having trouble getting the pictures to show up in my post. I can't tell if I'm exceeding a forum size limit, if Photobucket is giving me trouble, or if maybe I'm putting in the code wrong. Should just be [ img ] and [ / img ] , with no spaces, correct?

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e7...0119_Ocean.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e7.../01-21-09F.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e7.../01-21-09S.jpg

Damn, girl! You've got a nice curvy body already. You're going to be a knockout by your birthday.

Posting your journal is a fabulous way to kick it into gear. That's why I chose to start one. I need people to push me to lose weight, and it seems like this is a good place to find that!

Anastasia

Thanks Stasia! I loved your journal, btw.

So I was really motivated after my post today, for all of 30 minutes. When my Dad made cookies. In the oven. Whole house. Cookie smell. But tomorrow is a new day, right? I don't have to be at work until 10:30AM so I think I'll hit the gym hardcore in the morning. Goodnight everyone!

Dastardly cookies! Smells get the cravings going like nothing else. Except maybe thinking about the smells on an empty stomach late at night... the heavy, rich aroma of chocolate chips and satan in the air...

Excuse me, I need to take care of this drool.

Every woman's plight. Have you seen the new commercial, I think it's for a gum. She sees the chocolate chip cookies and is thinking something along the lines of, "Just one. No, I had that brownie yesterday. But then I went to the cardio class, so I'll just get the small ones and have a few..."

Welcome to your journal...a day late

...mmmmm cookies!! I'm unfortunatly doing the "pre lent challenge" and sans all sweets....so just the thought of cookies..

Anyways...oh yeah, I'm a twilight freak too..shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. For the longest time I kept picking the book up at stores and reading the back and thinking "uhm no, that sounds stupid" I'm not much into the whole vampire, teen reads...lol...but then a 40yr old at work said she read it and LOVED it...so I thought "eh' I'll give it a try"....yeah, read them all in 2 weeks!! **sigh**

I'm so glad it's not just me, Lynnz. I kept trying to justify the whole teen drama thing with, "Well,...I'm 22, so I'm still pretty close to being a teen...kind of...!" The reality is that it is a way over the top love story that any mature woman in her right mind would be crazy to like, let alone admit liking. But I have no shame, apparently. Because I love me some Twilight. Especially Edward Cullen.

Day One

I did really well today - and it wasn't even difficult. No cravings. No freaking out. It was all very natural, which makes me happy.

For breakfast I had oatmeal with a glass of milk. Lunch was a Lean Cuisine, and late afternoon I had some Campbell's Chunky chicken noodle soup. Peanut butter sandwich for dinner (which sounds pathetic but it just sounded so good)! I hate counting calories but my guess is that I landed somewhere around 1000.

I forced myself to the gym after work, but only stayed long enough for a 30 minute romp on the eliptical and some inner/outer thigh weight exercises.

Anything is better than nothing, right? Here's to hoping tomorrow pans out as smoothly!

Thirty minutes of cardio is great! Don't sell yourself short.

Good morning Be careful not to eat to few calories!! Your body will eventually get pissed off and you'll over eat or your metabolism will slow!

Great job making it to the gym, sometimes I have to drag myself after work, but you feel so much better when its done!!

Definately eating more today. I got my Lean Cuisine pizza ready to go! Very excited (moreso about eating pizza than anything). I wanted to hit the gym today but I don't think I'm going to have time. My best friend is moving to Spain for 6 months and tonight is her Farewell Party. Just gotta make sure I don't have too many Margaritas and spoil my good deeds during the day.

Glad you're gettin' pumped! Haha, I always have little bursts of enthusiasm a couple times a day, and that's when I post. I guess it comes across.

Have fun at the party, and don't do anything I wouldn't do. Wait, that's probably not the best advice. Okay, don't do anything Jesus wouldn't do... damn, now you'll be downing wine and bread!


I know! Don't do anything Sharon Mann wouldn't do! Perfect.

Hi Rachel!

I'm new, and I'm browsing through the journals. I'm 24, 5'5" and 160, so similar stats as you.


That had me

Hi there! Just wanted to wish you success on your WL journey. There are many others on the forum who would be very pleased indeed to look like you do already! If you are diligent with eating right (mostly) and exercising regularly, you are sure to reach your goal.

Cheers
ABBA

Scrambledeggs - Thanks for visiting. You'll have to keep me posted!

ABBA - Thank you! I'm afraid the eating right is the hard part. I read somewhere, maybe in this forum, that for your brain to adapt to a 'lifestyle' change, you have to maintain the change for 21 days. I'm afraid eating healthy is the real struggle for me, so this seems like pretty hard work.

Day Two & Three

I was all set with my Lean Cuisine pizza yesterday, but I ran into a new challenge. During the afternoon, my friend Nina dragged me out to lunch with her. We ended up at O'Charley's, and I am so proud - for the first time, at least intentionally, I ate healthy at a restaurant! Ordeded grilled chicken and broccoli. And it was yummy.

Of course, I spent last night with my best friend for her Going Away Soiree. We had dinner at the Macaroni Grill (Italiano) where she gets a 50% discount. And our server was a good friend of hers, so our drinks ended up disappearing from the bill - which was only $17 for both of us! Anyway, I ate 4 or 5 pieces of cheese ravioli (although I always scrape the sauce off and don't eat that, so no idea how many calories), and 6 Margaritas over the course of the evening. The first ones were made from scratch but the last 3 were pretty obviously "Margarita in a bottle", tons of sugar probably.

Today, day four, was a bowl of oatmeal, lots of water, my poor lonely Lean Cuisine pizza abandoned in the fridge at work yesterday, and some wheat Chex. May have a small snack before 8 PM. I'm definately not starving like I thought I would be and may even have to put forth some effort into adding more fruits/veggies in the middle of the day.

Those margaritas can be killers.