I'm a 22 year old F who is 5'8" and weighs 142 lbs. I know I'm not fat, but I want to lose weight, and gain 130. Has anyone else done this?

[clbbig]

Hello girls!

I'm just looking for a fitness buddy. I feel very insecure talking about my fitness journey with friends because everyone says "But, you're not fat." I'm tired of telling them that I'm doing this because I want to, and I don't have an eating disorder. I'm simply taking action and making a change.

I'm currently making lunch my biggest meal, and sticking to the 1/3 plate rule (where veggies take up half of your plate, meat and whatever else only take up a fourth each). I also eat my vegetables first!

I am thinking about introducing running into my day, but this month I started Yoga, and I'm really enjoying that. I started on the first of the month, and my down dog was pathetic. It's so awesome how my feet can touch the ground, now!!

I'm eating healthier in general, my only rule is that I cannot touch soda. It's been hard, really hard, but I think I have cut the habit for good. I've felt sick too many times to justify to keep drinking it.

I don't know if this is the right place for this kind of post. All I know is, my co-workers (who I spend most of the time with) are mostly heavier than me. One of them has even decided that she is going to get gastic bypass surgery (she's going to the initial appointments and everything). I feel bad telling them about how good I feel after a day of healthy/clean eating. I don't like talking about it.

So, I'm here to talk to like-minded people. HELLO!

TL;DR I'm not fat, but I want to lose weight. I also want to talk to people.

EDIT! This is awesome. Thanks for the responses, ladies!

 

[diananwshiro]

@clbbig I'm kind of with you on the whole office mates don't understand page. I'm 5'8" and 160 lbs, so not as fit as you, but I'm waaay better off than my office mates. I exercise daily with either HIIT, pilates, or barre. My 2 office mates are on "diets" and don't exercise regularly AND are significantly obese. Their fitness plan includes taking Phentermine, Atkins with all the fatty meats and cheeses (no veggies other than iceberg lettice, no grains, no fruit) and occasional Zumba on Saturdays. When I whine about my abs not being where they need to, they sigh and basically tell me to shut up. I want to bring them over to the side of modest diet and exercise, but they just won't hear it. They want quick and drastic fixes.

 

[clbbig]

@diananwshiro All my coworkers are on "diets". They'll eat half of a wrap with a bag of chips and a sofa.

I wish that nutritional education was better in america. A wrap is not that different from a sandwich, and dieting doesn't count if you drink all your carbs for the day. Gah.

 

[diananwshiro]

@clbbig Yep. Our office is within 15 minutes of an In and Out burger (but much closer to Subway and other healthier options). A routine lunch for them is a double burger with cheese but no bun, a huge soda, and then they split fries. It smells up the whole office. I'm not a small lady, but if I ate like that I would vomit.

The Phentermine they are on is also not a healthy weight loss option. One of them is doing just fine, but the other is an emotional wreck. She started bawling in a meeting the other day and I had to come and escort her out.

I wish they would both just eat like a normal person (if they know how) and do a little exercise every day. I'm not trying to fat shame, but the cause of their weight issues is obvious to me. Neither is very old, yet they both have so many knee and back problems. I've quit trying to recommend exercise ideas to them because they have excuses for every thing I offer.

 

[clbbig]

@diananwshiro The woman in my office who is getting gastric bypass eats 5 bags of chips a day. Anyway, I don't want this to turn into a "we're better than them, and they're disgusting"...so I'll stop right now. I know what you mean, though...trying to offer little ways of helping. They still ignore the honey, and put 5 bags of sugar in their coffee/tea.

I have to worry about myself. And, I think I'm doing pretty well. Today I had a wrap with some garlic aioli, sprouts, tomatoes, avocado and lettuce. I also had a pickle. And, I snacked on half a cookie. I've been drinking water and green tea all day. I don't know what I'm having for dinner.

I might go swimming since I got off work a little early. My bathing suit is too big, though (success?!) so I'm very self-conscious going to the pool. I don't want kiddies to see my titties.

 

[yozefel]

@clbbig Hello! I am 23, 5'6", 140lbs. I have recently lost 12 pounds and 7% body fat. People would always tell me I wasn't "fat" and I didn't need to lose weight, but now that I have everyone tells me how much better I look. People suck. But I feel sooooo much more confident and am starting to love myself like I never had before.

Anyways- I am still looking to lose 10 more pounds to get to my ideal body weight. Would love to chat!

 

[marke2]

@clbbig Hi! We are stat buddies - I'm 5'8 and about 140 lbs (haven't weighed myself in a few weeks.) When I talk about my fitness goals with other people who may be judgey about my "losing weight" I focus more on non scale goals and victories. I talk about how I want to get stronger or have a bigger ass. Or how certain conditions run in my family and I'm taking steps to try to combat those conditions.

One important thing I find with my coworkers is to be equally as encouraging about their goals as they are about yours. One of my coworkers is a 67 year old woman who's lost about 60 pounds and 9 inches on her waist. When she tells me about how she figured out a new snack that fits in her weight watchers diet, I get excited with her, because she's seeing success in her journey. She gets excited with me when I add weight to my squats.

 

[virtuevirtuous]

@clbbig Yo girl. I'm a 21 year old who is 5'6" and 145lbs. I am not fat, and I'm lucky enough of a person to where my fat evenly distributes on my body, so when I gain weight, people don't really notice.

Because of that, people do the whole "But you're not fat..." thing to me. Esp. my boyfriend. (I think he thinks I have a complex.) I just respond and say that I am eating better and working out because it makes me feel better. I feel livelier and more focused when I do, and I like feeling strong in my body.

I lucked out because my sister and I started lifting and swimming at the same time, so we can compare notes, and my best friend is augmenting her diet and running more. None of us are overweight. We just want to cut down our BF% and get more in shape.

It was really hard for me to quit drinking soda at first. I worked in a bar, and we got free soda, so that was my constant go-to energizer when I was at work and my blood sugar was low. It's no question why I gained 20lb in a year. However, once I quit for a couple of months, I've found that I don't crave it at all. My new office has a free soda vending machine in the breakroom, and after indulging a couple of times, I just found that it made my stomach hurt.

Stick with it girly. Feel free to pm me and compare notes if you want someone to talk about how awesome you feel! Congrats on your progress.

 

[pupscout]

@clbbig YES PM ME!! I'm 19F 5'8", 138 lbs trying to go back to 125-128. So essentially the exact same, no eating disorders, just trying to look better without just getting skinny fat. I'm a serious runner though so I run like 30-40 miles a week. But I really want a fitness buddy!

 

[omoijiade]

@clbbig Hello! Plenty of people here aren't fat, but are still trying to lose weight, maybe gain muscle, eat less crap food, and feel better overall, so you're in the right place. You don't need to advertise your fitness journey to your friends - studies even show that you'll probably be less successful if you do.

I think giving up soda and starting yoga sounds like a fantastic start! It'll definitely keep getting easier too (with the soda, I mean). I know exactly what you mean about your co-workers. You don't want to accidentally put them down by sharing your own victories. Naturally. The thing is - them being unhealthy doesn't make your victories shameful or less awesome. They won't change unless they want to, the way you want to. A good solution, I think, is to not really talk about it much unless they bring it up... then answer their questions enthusiastically, and maybe you'll be an inspiration to them. No need to reiterate their bad health, obviously, but if they ask you about it, just be nice. If they make rude or belittling comments like, "Oh, I see you're just eating salad again today.. sssooo healthy," (which, hopefully they are cooler than that), it's easiest to be like, "eh, I like salad." and leave it at that.

As for your fitness buddy - this sub is a good place to start. There are always folks here looking for someone to message back and forth with and keep accountable for going to the gym/running/yoga/whatever. If that's not really what you're looking for, a good way to celebrate your fitness is to help others celebrate their fitness, by being helpful and supportive (like even in this sub). Also, keeping a fitness journal could be good - a place for you to record your victories, set new goals, track your workouts, etc.

Anyway, welcome and congratulations!