AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
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On the left was 2014, just turned 21, senior in college. Literally ate Taco Bell, or some kind of fast food, once a day, sometimes twice. Drank often. Had a lot of unhealthy habits, that I just chucked up to "being young". I got a job that required me to be TB tested, so I saw a doctor for the first time in about 7 years. Got on the scale and I was 168lbs. At 5'5", that's definitely not proportional. My doctor talked to me but it all went in one ear and out the other.
I was working 3 part time jobs (long story) while trying to graduate college in four years... not an easy task. I knew I wasn't going to magically have time to prep tons of healthy meals and work out four times a week for at least an hour each day like the doctor prescribed.
So I took little, baby steps. Seriously. I lost maybe a pound or two a month, and sometimes gained. But I was consciously making decisions instead of just leaving it up to future-me to figure out. I walked ~1 mile to go get Starbucks instead of drive my car. I would do different challenges every month (like having no soda, or not having fast food, etc).
Fast forward to October 2016 (picture on the right), I went to the doctor again for a regular check up and for the first time in my adult life, I was no longer considered overweight! I weighed 132lbs.
Now that I've graduated college and am working one full-time job, I have a lot more time on my hands. Now ALL my meals are home cooked. I try to do something active or physically challenging at least three times a week. I worked on my posture by taking up some at-home yoga. Over summer, I hiked almost every weekend.
My mother got me a scale for Christmas (super exciting, right? Haha thanks mom!) and I was a little nervous to pull it out of the box because this winter has kinda put me in hibernation mode... But I weighed in at 133lbs!
I know this isn't a super spectacular story or transformation but I'm proud so I'm putting it on the internet! Still have habits to break (like cigarettes :( )and some pounds to go, but I'm very happy with how far I've come.
Poobert
Little known fact, OP does what she wants, like loses weight or wears cute dresses.
HeyWhaddaya
Congrats to you! Keep it up.
Theoldredeyes
Awesome story keep at it youre doing good.
SearchingSylva
Well done OP, consistency is the key. keep it up!
Lostariel93
Currently 23 and 168lbs at 5'5. Starting meal prep and gym just twice a week at the moment. This is good motivation!
NoIdeaWhatUsernameToChoose
you were tested for Taco Bell? were the results positive?
JAKEdaSNAKE413
You look great @OP, keep it up!
JimB0bsCooter
Nicely done.
Darkivan64
Did you cut your head to lose weight?!
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
Hahahahahah
MotoRider67
Soooo you're good looking and know how to cook....sign me up!
GreenKnoweDemonTree
Chalked up, right?
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
Yes I made a mistake.
Melkbos
Well done. As an aside, pretty sure the expression is "chalked it up"
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
Omg haha you are definitely correct.
Tildisp
Good job
shepardcommander07
You were around my weight/height, and are at my goal weight. Nice job op!
bananafrog
same here
dadof2as
Lose the scale and just eat healthy. ????
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
That is what I've done for the past 2.5 years and that's what I hope to continue to do!
dadof2as
Rock on!!
KingBifurious
Very whelming.
sc1onic
Cigarettes and sugar! As little as possible. I wish my gf understood that.
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
Sugar in moderation ;) but definitely eliminate smoking. Easier said than done.
BigAZNMan
I would have taken either. Good job OP!
KyloSolo
Congratulations!
iusedtowantsalmon
RIP your inbox.
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
Actually isn't too bad! One dick pic, the rest really motivating or insightful conversations.
orlousy
GapingHeadwound
Congrats & well done. Also, this is totally going to get stolen for a weight-loss scam ad.
Cambriane
@op What kind of yoga stuff did you do for posture? Trying to fix mine.
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
I did "yoga with Adriene" on YouTube. Looks like she just started a 31 day challenge so it's a good time to get started! 30 mins a day.
Cambriane
Awesome! Thanks :)
TimeAndMemeLordOfGallifrey
Ithinkmynamemayberelevant
Nimin
As someone who has lost weight AND quit cigarettes. Quitting is easier so you should be able to do that no problem.
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
Thanks! I'm workin on it. I have quit for months at a time but always go back. Right now I'm focusing on smoking less and less each day.
Nimin
I tried that. I managed to cut it down to just post meal and prebed like that. You're on the right path.
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
Pre-bed and post meal were the first ones I cut because I wanted to break the routine. The past two nights I've spent about two hours toss
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
-ing and turning because I didn't have one. Post sex is probably the hardest one I'll have to give up tho.
Nimin
Have you tried taking melatonin? Oh man post sex is really hard(hur hur) , especially if your partner smokes too.
Imagetap
Looking great @OP ! 30y/o dude asking: is it worth getting into yoga for agility and fitness? I'm as agile as a brick right now
ANightAtTheCocksbury
31y/o dude here: I dunno about agility, but yoga really helped me with muscular endurance. Holding my 200lbs in awkward poses is hard.
ButYouAintGotNoLegs
My husband and I do (er, did. We should start again) yogalosophy. It's yoga mixed with calisthenics. So for example, you'll do warrior pose
ButYouAintGotNoLegs
for a bit, then go into lunges. Each yoga pose is paired with squats, push ups, v sits, etc. it was great fun and honestly more difficult
ButYouAintGotNoLegs
than I expected.
Imagetap
Sounds like fun as well!
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
The lady I used to watch is called "Yoga with Adriene" on YouTube. Looks like she started a 31 day challenge yesterday.
Imagetap
Cheers :)
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
1/2 I did it solely to work on my posture and it has done WONDERS for me otherwise as well. I started by finding a YouTube vid I liked
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
/2 that wasn't really "spiritual" or earth-y, if you know what I mean. And now most of my routines are just self-guided. You get very limber
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
And builds strength too! Core, arms and legs. I'd recommend it.
Imagetap
Guess i'll have to try! Now to find one of those non-hippy videos or i'll break down in a laughing fit halfway through
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
I will pm you the one I use tomorrow when I'm on my laptop! Best wishes on your yoga adventure!
dujvvbkifssjn
As an Asian, being fit w/o workout is super easy. absolutely NO SODA, NO FRIED/FAST FOOD, NO CHEESE, NO SWEETEN. Simple but hard for Americ
herppavitunderrpa23
it doesn't really matter what you eat or drink as long as you use the energy, there might be other health problems like caries etc though.
dujvvbkifssjn
Most , I would say 95%, Asian does not exercise for the purpose of getting fit or muscle. They do sports for fun, or for heath for elderly.
ConsumerGradeLove
Sooo getting fit
thelonepig
I was just in Singapore and the food was so fattening. No cheese, but everything was greasy and carb loaded.
CrackedActor
Not even fried rice? :(
dujvvbkifssjn
Yes I know, Asians do eat fried food regularly, that's why there are fat people in Asian. But people can easily avoid it by getting steam.
CrackedActor
I was hoping you'd make an exception because I love fried rice.
parksAndRings
Why no cheese? Everything else makes sense.
contextuallyrelevantphantompoop
I agree the ones other than cheese. I like a high protein feta cheese next to almost everything, and im definitely not fat
forestfinagle
Low fat cheese is... bearable. I like the happy cow light or babybel low fat cheese. Cheese is seriously like pure fat.
parksAndRings
If you say no cheese you might as well say no red meats...
parksAndRings
Fats aren't all bad. Plus protein, vit D, and calcium. It doesn't seem nearly as awful as the rest of the foods listed.
dujvvbkifssjn
If you look at what's inside cheese and it's energy, you will know. Pathetically, cheese is a MUST-HAVE in almost every meal to Americans.
parksAndRings
I have no idea what you're talking about, but those tasty videos aren't a representation of standard American cooking...
PastaPriest
It's "energy?"
dujvvbkifssjn
Yes, calorie is an energy unit, am I right?
ButYouAintGotNoLegs
I don't know why you were downvoted. You're right, it is both simple and hard (for most people) The idea is simple, and cutting one or two
ButYouAintGotNoLegs
of those things can be pretty simple. The problem comes about when someone regularly consumes all of those things. Changing your entire
ButYouAintGotNoLegs
eating habits can be very hard, especially if it's all you've know. The withdraw symptoms can be very difficult for some people. A lot
ButYouAintGotNoLegs
of people find the organization and time it takes to meal plan/prep difficult, either because it's a new concept for them, they lead very
ButYouAintGotNoLegs
busy lives, or they may not even have the some of the basic supplies due to not "needing" them before. The overall concept is simple, but
sassynpretentious
Take it from a 10+ year smoker - stop now before you get wrinkles. Seriously. It's tough but so worth it.
chazol
I am 8 days without a cigarette after 15 years smoking, l only stopped because at 28 I finally got wrinkles, good a reason as any!!
gripsniffer
I've been smoking for about that long and I still look 22. Just stopped yesterday though because it's a waste, and 30 is approaching.
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
As of today, prices went up to $10 a pack so that's the best deterrent for me. Only had 4 today, opposed to the 10ish I normally have.
StarBurstExtra
$10 a pack for home many? A pack of 40s here in Australia is $35
taiyed
HOLY SHIT! $35 for 40 cigs??? I would have to quit at any cost @ that price, I have rolled my own for years b/c it's only $1/20 vs $5/20...
StarBurstExtra
Yeah I am in the process now. Reading my quit book and cutting down dramatically. I need that extra money!
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
I am six years in, and putting my best effort toward this being my last year! I'm scared I'll gain a lot of weight once I quit.
Lunakat504
Let me put it to you this way. My mom looked 40 at 30 and now she can't walk without oxygen. You can lose the weight not the lungs.
ITrainAtPewterCityGym
That's reasonable, but being overweight for a bit is way better than maybe smoking for a long time. Also, try getting addicted to lifting.
ChewyChewbacca88
Stop smoking, start lifting. The rush of getting that weight up is the same and you'll be so filled with adrenaline after you won't need it
ChewyChewbacca88
You will gain weight but you'll gain years of your life. You've proven you can shed weight so know you can do it!
ilikepotatoesalot
I quit after 7 years and didn't gain any weight. Just don't replace smoking with cheese/
Feralphobia
Vape the culture around it blows but it works
sassynpretentious
I gained about 8 lbs after quitting. It's more the replacement of cigs w food - but it's so so so worth it.
AGirlWhoDoesWhatSheWants
Wow that sounded a lot more shallow than I meant. But that's my "excuse" for not quitting. I'm actively smoking less and less per day, tho
SteveTypeRs
You have to ween yourself off the compulsion of putting things in your mouth... Seriously.
gtr06
You will find new ways to stay healthy after you are off the smokes. Breathing problems later in life suck!
seoris1
Weight gain is a legit concern when quitting smoking but the damage done by smoking is much worse. You've shown yourself capable of doing
seoris1
What needs to be done to deal with the weight.
hotdognachos69
I gained weight when I quit but I also took up weight lifting. I have some weight to lose but I feel SO MUCH BETTER when doing active things
notagoodexamplebutahorriblewarning
replace the oral fixation with something else - chew gum, suck on a straw, go for a walk or have a glass of water. you can do it!
AlexanderNikopol
Smoking less everyday makes it harder, since it makes each cigarette more worth if you can only have x per day. I quit cokd turkey after 1/x
AlexanderNikopol
10 years. I had a brochure to help me prepare psychologically and timed out with change in my live. New job, new flat, new town 2/2
oceanskysforever
Allen Carrs Easy Way to Quit Smoking. It works. He address weight gain. Basically with your renewed energy you'll be moving more and be OK!
Kremithe
Dont delay the inevitable, though. Any weight gain is well worth imho. Extra fat doesnt make you want another burger at the end of the day.
curiousfoxes
Turn your smoking into a new habit! If you're worried about weight gain, if you have the urge to smoke go for a walk/work out & keep going-
curiousfoxes
-and eat some celery or whatever healthy snack you want!