Attention Skinny Girls!

Sarah- I know what you mean about happy weight gain. My FI says the weight gain is good, it just means i am really happy. He is sweet but come on! Every girl wants to trim down before the wedding. I am going to start training again for a local relay run. Last year when i started training i lost 12 lbs right before my eyes. I noticed it but was more concerned I was going to be the slowest one on my team so i worked my butt off!

I totally know what you are going through. I maintained a size 4-6 all the way through a few years ago. I became very unhappy at work and started using food as a way to console myself. Plus, I work extremely odd hours in the hospitality industry, and would pick up fast food or eat something processed on my way home at night which was usually around midnight. Slowly, but surely, I gained weight and found myself at a size 10-12 before I knew what was happening. My appearance made me even more depressed and I just couldn't find the heart to change my lifestyle. Last October, I moved to Madison and started a new job which i am very happy with. In December, I started working out for the first time in my life. I stopped eating fast food and started drinking only water, with an occasional glass of wine here and there as a treat to myself!! I also stopped eating large meals late at night. I started out working out 5 days a week. (3 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 1 day off) I won't lie. My muscles were in knots and i had to drag myself out of bed for the first few weeks! I have lost 32 pounds and am back down to the size I started at. I now have to work out only 2-3 times a week to maintain it. The girls advice is totally dead-on. Increase your exercise regiment. At the beginning, cardio is really important. Also, start eating non-processed foods. Raw foods are really good for you! I guess that I really don't believe in "dieting". Losing weight is a total lifestyle change. You just need to jump in both feet first.

Thanks for sharing your story. It is encouraging to see others who have been in the same boat as me. It also looks like there is a common thread- simply eating "healthy" no matter which diet program and exercising more is the answer!

My FI says the exact same thing. He's not very helpful because he always tells me how much he loves me and how beautiful I am (I'm not complaining about that!), I just wish he'd be a little bit more supportive when I try to diet instead of saying, "it's ok if you eat this, it's just one piece of pizza..." etc.

Hey Sarah,

I'm jumping in late here, but I wanted to offer my insight. First, Karla & Janet definitely hit on all the major concepts that are important - so ditto everthing they said. Regarding the body for life program - that is a great program. I did the program formally several years ago & was pleased with the results. One thing about that program though is that you are supposed to eat 6 small meals per day which can be a challenge. I found that when I wasn't able to do that I started to plateau. So make sure you are eating all meals! I'm sure you've read the book...listen to what he says! Also, it is quite possible you are gaining muscle weight, so don't freak out. I like to measure my success by how my clothes fit, not by what the scale says.

Ever since I hit the big 30 I swear my metabolism took a nose dive. It is no longer as simple as adding extra cardio to melt off unwanted flab. I have to do the extra cardio just to stay where I am now. It sucks - it used to be so easy. Like Karla said, it really is a whole lifestyle change. If you transition healthfully into this new lifestyle you will probably feel a lot better than you ever did, and it will be easy to stick to what makes you feel good.

**Thanks to this thread, I have just realized that my habit of having a few glasses of wine every night is probably why I seem to be stuck right now. Booo! I like to balance health & enjoyment, but I want to look smokin' on my wedding day

Wow all those names are starting to confuse me! ha ha

Do not worry about the other girls and what they do. Comparing yourself to your friends will only drive you nuts!

My suggestion is to hide that scale for a bit and just see how you feel. I don't know about anybody else, but just going to the gym regularly makes me feel thinner. I know it's psychological because I feel not so thin one day (I know crazy, bear with me here), I have a good workout and I swear I "look" better in the mirror the very next day... or sometimes that very same night! You know I'm not losing any weight in that short period of time!!

But seriously, it seems like weighing yourself daily was serving as more of a discouragement. Your weight can fluctuate so much during the day, it's not fair to be so hard on yourself just because of what the scale says! Thinking back when I was really trying to lose weight... I think seeing 2 lbs less after a week of tortorous workouts would have made me chuck that thing out the window anyway!!

Karla - I totally know what you mean! I have fat days where I can't stand myself. Then I have an awesome work out & I feel so much better, thereby I look better to myself in the mirror - and like you say, I'm sure I didn't lose any weight or anything. It's totally endorphin related - and so psychological.

OK- the scale is in the back closet as of right now...Back on Body for Life I go this week and we'll see...I think I will incorporate my old Tae Bo tapes too, they always seemed to help way back when!

Yeah, and feeling good is what it is all about anyway.

Ugh, I miss having a glass of wine at night with my FI too.
But seriously, think of how many calories that is!
And that's something that is easy to cut out since it's an extra.... so that's where I started.

And like you say, after 30, I really had to scrutinize what I ate. I worked out just as hard as I did in my 20s and kept gaining weight. Following my FI's eating habits didn't help either.

Seems like everybody, no matter what shape or size, is almost on the same boat huh?

It hurts for me to say wine & the word "extra" in the same sentence! I am a wine lover thru & thru. You are so right though Karla, each 6 oz glass of wine has at least 100 calories. And in all honesty, I don't pour 6 oz glasses...I should give it up for a week & see what happens.

Yes, the 30's have hit me hard. This is embarassing to admitt, but I will. My best friend & I just had a little pants swap...I gave her my 8's and 10's and she gave me her 12's. She's in the middle of getting a divorce. We call my diet the happiness diet & her's the divorce diet.