Yikes. Sorry...

I haven't been skinny in 18 years and 23 days.

But seriously though, I'm getting there. Last winter, standing at 5'2, I used to weigh 190 pounds. DX The reason I became so heavy is because I come from a family of excessive eaters. Seriously, anything and everything that's really bad for you, is well-stocked in my house. We have things like ice cream and snack cakes in the house at all times, eating meals nearly double or triple the size of a healthy portion, full of starches and unseasoned meat. For those of you who don't know, eating foods full of flavor will help you feel full faster, while bland foods will leave your taste buds (blah blah, psychology and digestive system link) feeling unsatisfied. Also, most of the healthy things that my mother actually buys, like yogurt, I can't eat because of my lactose intolerance. Finally I just got to the point where I said enough was enough and took the liberty of buying myself my own healthy snacks to keep in my room. I'd take half or two-thirds of my dinner plate and put it in the refrigerator, or cook my own dinner if we had burnt, unseasoned, dried-out pork chops. It's my own health, and I'm old enough to where it can be my own responsibility.

Doing all of that, by this past December, I weighed 150 pounds. My mother, while I do love her, is 5'4 and about 240 pounds with no intentions of eating healthier or getting out of her recliner. For a very long time during this whole ordeal, she believed I was going anorexic, while in reality I had my friends and several adults aware of the changes I was making to becoming healthier. Over time though, my mother has gotten used to the idea that I am not going to eat such large portions or consume most of what she buys. Now she supports what I'm doing and gives me healthier portion sizes at meal times, and has realized that buying all of that junk food is just an enormous waste of money (but she still eats it-- A LOT of it).

My goal is to lose another 30 pounds, but I will probably not be able to do that until I get to college and have more independence on my overall eating habits and exercise routine. The university I'm going to has gyms open to all of the students for free, plus it's a huge campus so you have to walk everywhere.

Also I will never give up soda. Nope, not happening. I love my Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, and Coke too much. We all have our vices and soda is mine. Soda is hardly ever available to me anyway, so it's not really an issue.

~

I enjoy McDonald's mostly for their beverages. Cheap soda, the most amazing sweet tea, and mocha frappes are where it's at. Other than that I enjoy a simple, 99 cent cheeseburger, chicken strips (I hate chicken nuggets, by the way), chipolata wraps, salty fries, and sausage-egg wraps in the mornings. Also I love M&M McFlurries, but I can't order it bigger than the snack size or it will make me sick. Heck, I can only eat about half of the snack size.

Oh and hey guys, I'm back after a few days. It's been hectic!

Uh...

McDonalds: I like it, but don't eat it much.

Soda: Will never give it up. I did for lent one year and was ready to kill someone by the end of it. I love my Sprite.

Weight: I'm a healthy weight, but I wish I was stronger. But that can wait until after High School.

My family has a tendency to buy food for me (especially my grandma). My mom and my grandma are into clothes and home decorations, and I'm not as into clothes as my sister and I don't have a house. Seeing as my interests aren't as easy to understand, my grandma tends to default to food as a way to show kindness to me. Which would be great if I weren't watching my weight.I'm also jealous of that.Soda is dangerous because it has a lot of calories, it's easy to drink in large quantities, and it's not remotely filling. I've actually doubled my planned weight loss rate during Lent 'cause I'm giving up soda and that alone could compensate for eating more unhealthy again. That wasn't meant to sound cold! I know my name is Sleet, but jeez... D:

Don't get between Sleet and Sleet's McChicken! I Kidd, I Kidd though Sleet, did I forget to mention that you're the nicest Mod on the forums!?

I'm going to work shortly, but I thought i'd share something:

I'm convinced foods are not a great deal of a reason why weight gain happens, but i'm not flat-out denying it either. I still eat cereal, drink soda and cook my own soup and egg sandwiches and i haven't had trouble with weight at all. It's when i noticed i started getting hooked to my PC and staying at home i started to gain my weight.

One of the most effective exercises i think that works for losing weight is pull-ups or hand stands. I use to be doing these when i was young just for simply passing time when me and my mother shared a television, but it was fun to do to pass the time.

Pushups aren't that great for losing weight. Generally cardiovascular exercise is the way to go.Aww, you flatter me. :3

Until I become mod, than it'll be someone else because I'm a horrible horrible person.
Ps. What?

try apple juice. I think I could cut out soda completely if I had access to enough apple juice.

I actually try for about one soda a day. I usually have chocolate milk with lunch and apple juice with dinner.


Same. but looking at myself in the mirror last night I thought I might actually be fairly attractive. then I took of my shirt and the gut just ruined it for me.
so I need to get rid of my butt 'n' gut and I'll be hot.

Luckily, My parents (mostly my mom) are dieting, so I actually don't have all that much access to unhealthy snacks. there are a few in the pantry, but I always have access to cereal (Honey Graham O's, which are healthier than other cereals) broccoli and apples. my only problem is with portions, and that's all my fault. except at dinner, but my mom usually doesn't make things that can't be served in smaller portions.

also, I agree with Cobra on food. exhibit A

that's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson eating pizza, pancakes, and something else I can't quite identify. If you exercise enough, you can work off your unhealthy eating habits. but if you live a sedentary lifestyle, you've gotta watch your portions.
back when I saw a nutritionist and ran on a treadmill a few times a week, I managed to lose weight even though I had the mentality that I could over eat once a week and still lose the weight.

Yeah losing weight is all about calories in/calories out basically. You can eat just about anything you want as long as you work out enough its why people like The Rock and other athletes can eat like complete pigs and still look great. I mean it really helps if you actually eat healthy things but its more about calories then anything. Also one thing people do wrong (due to the mentality that its about something other then calories I would guess) is they don't let them selves have any kind of guilty pleasure food (ie fast food, soda, candy ect.) at all when they are on a diet, so when they finish their diet they tend to over eat on the things they didn't let themselves have so they gain it all back.

I 2nd this notion, this is exactly why I still eat sinful food every now and then. For most people it's very hard to go cold turkey.

on another not, cold turkey is delicious

I prefer chicken.

Soda is actually not a problem for me because it makes me sick to my stomach, so I can't drink it. Yay?

My sedentary lifestyle has yet to be a problem for me, due to my naturally high metabolism. However, if my dad's any clue, I'll have to watch my gut in the next few years. *Sigh* genetics.
(He has a picture labeled "not pregnant" just to be sure )

Note to self: Never let Yehoshua become a mod.

I feel like my life is going to get alot less sedantary when I finally get a car. Once I have my own means of conveyance I plan on becoming a rink rat and playing as much drop in hockey as possible.



Turkey might be the only food I like more as a a leftover.

Working at a mexican restaurant, when I finish for the night the only things available are McDonalds or food from the restaurant. I got stuck on McDonalds for a while that way and went from eating mediums to a large with a cheeseburger and a sundae. I'm serious, you build up a tolerance to that stuff, you just keep wanting more!

I've been chubby my whole life despite us eating healthy as kids. My asthma meant I never really participated in much sport though. When I got to high school I started eating less healthily (the cafeteria made the BEST hot chips) but my weight didn't change. After I finished though, I think my metabolism dropped off because I actually started to gain weight and now I want to get rid of it.

You only need to control two things in order to lose weight: portion size and activity. If you eat small amounts and stay active, not even exercising just constantly moving, you'll lose weight at some rate. If you want to lose weight faster, you'll need a few more things. For example, proteins require 25% of the energy they provide in order to be broken down in your stomach compared to 10% for carbs and fats. So, eat more protein and less other stuff and you'll not only burn more calories before you absorb them, you'll be feeding your muscles to grow bigger which, incidentally, require more energy to simply exist than fat does, thus burning more calories while you do nothing.

I spent a good portion of the last five years collecting information on nutrition and exercise but have yet to apply any of it and now I feel like I'm at the stage of I don't know where to start (plus I'm lazy, can't bear to not eat a lot and am virtually addicted to hot chips).

@IceKitsune: If you want a good tea I'd suggest Hibiscus. You can get nice blends with other fruits and herbs which are mild, sweet and have the most beautiful red hue. Another thing is coconut water. Vitamin waters are generally sweetened and don't actually have that many vitamins but coconut water, if you get a good brand, is just as is. It's better than gatorade after a workout and you can usually find it with different fruit juices for some extra sweetness.

Also, yay turkey! (Although I do love my chicken...)

No, Sleet! Don't hit!

My parents used to do that too. If I made great grades or got some other really awesome news, they'd take me out to have a family dinner. I slowly encouraged them to express kindness in other ways, like helping me pay for my yearbook (which is $60), maybe buying me half a tank of gas, or something else really nice. I don't mind eating at home, and recently my mom has discovered Rachel Ray and other cooking shows. Mmm, Food Network.



Also, other guys, don't let anyone fool you, I'm not a "I have to order a salad" girl. I never have been, and I never will. I'm a band kid at heart; we live off of cheeseburgers, pizza, and other general garbage available to us. You guys are right, it's all about portion size and diets will fail if you obsess over everything you put into your mouth. I want some chocolate? I go get some chocolate. It's just that I really, honestly do not have a taste for snack foods and greasy foods. It really was not my intention to go on a diet; I just grew to hate overeating, and the weight just kind of fell off from there once I started eating to live, instead of living to eat. I've never called it a diet. One day I just got on the scale and I was 177. Then 173. Then 170. Then 163. Then 158. Then 150.

I also used to be very lazy, and while I still am, marching band helped me like physical activity and showed me that it wasn't all that bad. When I noticed I was starting to lose weight, I knew not to try to change myself by going on an exercise craze; I'd end up weighing more than I did in the beginning. So I was just a sedentary being until band. Now I like walking. But really absolutely nothing else. I like being outside to play basketball, going to the park, and hiking anyway, plus I like being around people and I work 18 hours a week on my feet, so I'm not too much of a computer-dweller.

Fast food dieting tip: Go ahead and keep eating fast food, but lower everything you order by one size.

with my sedentary lifestyle and my current diet, I usually find myself maintaining my current weight. So I know that all I really need to do to lose some is increase my physical activity. I guess I'll start going on walks with my mom over Spring Break and Summer. also, try to limit my portion sizes when I eat. and reduce my snacking.

Try to think of a bike as well. I have one and I must say I really saved some money since I'm using my bike instead of trams and buses

a couple problems. I don't own a bike, nor do I know actually know how to ride one(or rather, I never have before. It seems like it'd be pretty easy to pick up if I cared to do so at this point in my life.)

I should probably be more active now that you brought it up. At this point I fear I may start fusing with my recliner.

So, I hate my job, it is boring, the pay is crap, and I hate it. How are the rest of your jobs if you have them?

Don't have one.

But sometime in the next few weeks I should be getting a call back from someone who needs some odd jobs done at his house and a rental property he owns. It sounds like he had quite a bit that I could do. Hopefully I can start working before the summer, as I'm going to need the money before then.

I love my job. My co-workers are tons of fun, the hours are pretty convienent with school, (though I kind of really miss my weekends), we get one 15 minute breaks and/or 31 minute lunches, according to how long our shift is, and my customers are really sweet.

Fast food was terrible for me because my coworkers were gossipers and the customers were rude and left crappy tips. Listen you guys, your food taking too long is almost ALWAYS the kitchen's fault, so don't ever get rude with a waitress unless you personally want me driving to your house to smack you. Depending on the type of restaraunt, the same can go towards delivery drivers, including if the roads are bad or if you live in the middle of nowhere. I /hated/ fast food because of how dehumanizing it can be. The next time before a person can go pirouetting off the handle, remember that that is someone's daughter, or someone's brother who is serving the food that they might be getting fresh with. Whoever is serving you deserves a tip; granted, if a waitress is letting your glass run dy and stay dry for ten minutes or so, you can politely ask someone passing for a refill, but don't leave her a two dollar tip for something that's the kitchen's fault. Also, my goodness, I know this doesn't apply to the 95% of members on this site, but if a guy pays for the bill and the girl doesn't leave the 15% tip (unless she really just doesn't have the change), it urks me. It bothered me when I'd have two teenagers out on a date, because it was a guarantee that I'd had to wait on their beck and call for an hour or more, only to get a $1-$2 tip.

Sorry, I kind of got on a rant there. Three jobs in food service was enough for me. I love my job as a sales associate at a clothing store, though!

I'm working as a waiter (and host on Wednesday mornings) at a diner about ten minutes away from my house. It's actually not too bad so far. My co-workers are all more-or-less friendly people and are easy to work with, the pay--while inconsistent--is probably better than my last three jobs on the whole, and since I'm apparently doing fairly well, I'm quickly being recognized for potential promotions in the future (the upgrade to a day as a host is sort of a promotion in and of itself).

Also, since everyone has been talking about weight and how to lose it for the last couple pages, I guess I'll just toss out there that I have the exact opposite problem. I can't gain weight to save my life. I actually weighed about 10-15 pounds heavier back in high school than I do now. The main reason, if I had to guess, is the difference in activities between then and now. Back then, I played sports, had gym class, and I even went to the gym every now and again (I was actually a regular during my freshman year). Nowadays, the most I get in exercise is walking around at work, doing pushups in my room whenever the mood strikes me, and sometimes I'll do some curls with the twenty-pound dumbbells that tend to get more use as a doorstop for my room than as actual weights. :B

I haven't actually checked in quite some time, but I imagine I'm still sitting somewhere in the realm of 140 and 150 pounds; I'd like to eventually raise that closer to the 175-180 range, though I also want to make sure that it's primarily muscle-based weight, rather than fat-based. For obvious reasons (I think).

Can't believe this is one of my trainers where i work at. Would you look at that? X3

Yeah, my parents only get annoyed at servers in a few instances. If they take an inordinate amount of time to even take our order, if they don't come by often enough and see when our drinks run out, or if our orders are messed up when we get them provided the server didn't write down the order in some vane attempt at impressing us with their awesome memory. Even in those cases, they only reduce the tip by a couple percentage points from the 15, if at all.

When I'm at a restaurant where servers use little pads of paper to write down orders, I make sure to get a look at what they're writing. That way, if my order comes back wrong, I know if it's the server's fault or not.

we usually trust that they can write it down right. It's the ones who try to remember it all even though we know that all the servers have those pads of paper that we don't trust. and we place the blame on them because there's absolutely no reason they should not write it down, and if they had written it we'd place blame on the kitchen.

It's interesting to see just how many people here work in hospitality.

I too work in a restaurant, after trying to avoid working in fast food and the food industry in general, and drinking less alcohol in my entire life than most 16 year olds have, I was asked by my friend's father who owns a restaurant if I wanted to become a bartender. Two years later, I have the skills to run the whole restaurant on my own. I honestly don't know how I got to that after specifically not wanting to work with food. Here in Australia people don't tip but we get paid heaps more so I don't know which is better. People are still crappy to us for no reason. One woman got really annoyed when she called to book a table for two days later and when we warned we couldn't split the bill she went off saying "Well we won't be coming back again. That's really something I need to know two weeks in advance." I felt like saying "Um, firstly no you don't and secondly you called us. We can't call you two weeks ago and preempt your booking." The passive aggressive ones annoy me the most.

I also work at a hospital, organising the uniforms for everyone. You cannot fathom how many problems we have with that. We would switch uniform makers in a heartbeat if there was anyone to switch to. I realised a little while ago that I really love that job though, I can usually get most queries solved and it feels good to help everyone. Everyone else who's done it hates the job though.

I also tutor (which I absolutely love) but only a couple of kids at the moment. I gotta advertise more.

You'd be surprised. Occasionally I'd have a server who I ask something of, they don't write it down, and then, surprise surprise, it doesn't happen.

"All things in moderation."

Once again the Ancient Greeks are right.

I'm pretty much the expert on moderation.

*bans Radio Blue Heart*

Well, you can try to afford some old bike, that is operative enough to ride on it well.
I have an old Hercules which has 40 years. It has big, thin wheels (inch type) and an old type of speed-gear, which is located below handlebar and reminds of a lever. Now I'm saving some money for small reparations, and new tires that are suppose to be anti-piercing, because I was often getting a snake-bite cuz of my thin wheels.

At least you are banning in moderation too. Aren't you down to two bannings a week now?

Nyeh, my feet hurt. Worked all day yesterday and all day today. Thankfully I have the rest of the week off until Friday night. How was y'all's weekend?