wanting to not be fat anymore.

[Mojo]

Ok, I just noticed today how pudgy Ive gotten since freshman year.
I can see it in my face, mostly. My dimples arent as big ;~;

Like.. ok.
I want to look like this:

(me freshman year)


and not this:

(me this year)



I wanna be skinny again.
Anyone have tips?

I dont have a favorite kind of exercise and my mom buys the food, and gets pissed off when I ask to eat healthier.
So I'm kind of SOL there.
But idk, I could maybe spare some cash to buy my own food if I knew what to go for...?
I need help. And a workout buddy.

[Cath]

Food is everything, trust me.
Even if making a ton of exercise, if you don't eat healthy, this is all going to waste.

When you are hungry between meals, try to eat a fruit or something. This way, you will take lower portions when eating meals, and it will stop you from eating any dessert after. Be sure to have vegetables/fruits in your plate, not only meat or cereal products (that's basically sugar and won't help).

Then, all you have to do, is exercise everyday if possible or a few times a week and keep having good healthy habits.

[Owl]

- If you can't immediately trace back the first ingredients, avoid eating it.
- Eat only when you're hungry- lots of green, lots of lean.
- Lots of tiny meals throughout the day > few big meals (You wanna' keep your metabolism runnin')
- Get moving (even if it's just walking/biking around the neighborhood
- Try counting your calories, watching what you put in your body (Myfitnesspal is a fantastic tool)
- As far as your mom being a Negative Nancy about eating healthier, screw that bad attitude of hers. Try sneaking it in. Be all "Yo mom, I'm craving a huge salad with some grilled chicken." or "Hey, doesn't some fish sound swell, you grumpy downer?"

ps you're totally adorable no matter what weight you are~

[Skol]

You look very pretty in both pictures! The most important thing, about anything involving self image, is confidence! It's very important to have a positive goal and not fall into the trap of a negative self image. Remaining positive and optimistic is the most important thing!

Alright, so now that we start there, lets talk about calories. First things first, you are in control of what you eat. It's totally understandable if what is available to you is limited, but the freedom is in what you do with it. It is very possible to lose weight and be healthy without going vegan or purchasing all organic. It's very important to eat healthy, but there's different ways of doing so. If you want to be extremely controlling, you can count calories. Having a general idea of your caloric intake is obviously good, but some prefer to measure it exactly when trying to lose weight. You can do this easily by checking nutritional facts or, if it's a food you're not totally sure of (like a few slices of pizza), you can look it up at a site like this (you need an account to see links). If you do go for counting calories, it's good to keep track of it on the computer, like excel or word, or in a journal. Keeping track is also a great way to look back in see your progress, or what has been working well or not very well for you. Counting calories is only important if you know how much you're burning, though. For that, we need to start with your BMR, or base metabolic rate. This is how much your body burns just being you, breathing, pumping blood, thinking, etc. You also add some for how active you are day to day, and obviously this varies person to person. For a general idea, I recommend this (you need an account to see links).

Got it so far? Let's actually talk about the food. There are certain things you want to avoid at all costs: Transfats, enriched grains, highly processed foods, artificial perservatives and high-fructose corn syrup (which is unfortunately widely used) for certain, along with generally bad things like not exceeding your recommended daily intake of saturated fats, sugars and sodium. What does this mean? It means you can eat chips (though they're bad) and still maintain a healthy, weight loss diet. You just have to be aware of what you do. There's no great secret to losing weight, no one food that will do it for you, you just need to take in less calories every day than you burn. What is important to note here, is that you still need to eat! It's generally advised to reach around 2000 calories a day, but obviously this varies from person to person depending on physical stats. If you starve yourself, or binge and purge, your body will only self-destruct. When starving, your body will go into reserve mode and try to conserve and retain as much fat as you can, even burning muscle. With vomiting, you'll see the terrible effects from the stomach acid attacking your throat and mouth as well as unsafe weight fluctuation and more. Both starving and purging are dangerous and sometimes fatal, malnutrition being obvious but many other symptoms are possible. Now that we have the lecture out of the way, what do you want to look for? Vegetables are AWESOME! Broccoli is great for you and doesn't taste terrible, peas, spinach and salads rock (just avoid the shockingly fatty dressing). A healthy amount of protein, along with fruits (especially those richly colored, like blueberries, blackberries, watermelon is excellent) will put you on the path to success. Watch your sugar, and stay away from deserts, they're pointless lol. Indulge LIGHTLY once in a while, but remember what you're working for and stay motivated to avoid temptation! If you can, avoid excessive wheat and starch consumption, whole grains are great but most bread is pretty heavy (don't even get me started on white bread lol). As long as you maintain exercise and healthy diet, it's okay to have a big meal, I love Italian dishes myself, but I realize that I have to do more to keep my caloric intake lower than my burn. Just make sure you get the vitamins and nutrients you need, someway or another, and you're good to go. Multivitamins, and those drinks that aren't mostly sugar or sodium are great. NO FAST FOOD. It's GARBAGE even if it tastes and smells delicious. Just remember that it is full of nasty stuff and prepared in unsanitary conditions most times, and stay strong. Another good idea, drop the soda addiction. I was terrible with it, there's a bunch of crap in it too. If you still want soda, look for those drinks made with real sugar (the Pepsi company makes "throwback" versions of some drinks which are made without shit).

AVOID ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS! There are quite a few studies that show that they're no better for losing weight than regular sweeteners.

By the way, if you drink, alcohol is rich in calories xD.

Drink lots of water! Drinking a glass at the beginning of the day is a great start, and the suggested daily intake is about 1.4L. Avoid over-hydration as much as being dehydrated, some call it "water poisoning" but there is such a thing as too much mater.


YAY, EXERCISE! Find what works for you. Some like running, I'm not really a huge fan but it is good. Swimming is excellent exercise that works your whole body, rowing machines, biking, stairs (master or not), whatever you're most comfortable with. Actually, don't be afraid to push outside your comfort zone. It's tough to lose weight, so you have to work hard. I've taken up Gatorade's saying of "ONE MORE!" to think to myself to keep going, motivate. If you're counting calories, gym machines will help you out, newer ones will ask your height, weight, age, favorite color, vocation and more and help you accurately see how much you're burning. There are some awesome machines, I've seen a bike and a rower, that have this little screen on it, and you actually run a course or can race the person next to you lol. I like to watch the news or listen to music, helps either with motivation or distraction. With exercising, there are some schools of thought that say monitoring the perfect "burn zone" of heart rate can accelerate weight loss, here's (you need an account to see links) if that interests you.

That's all I can think of at the moment, sorry, been a loooong day at work... Let me know if have any questions, and I'll try to help you out. I wonder if I should make a guide in general...


Good luck, stay positive, a gym buddy is helpful or just let us know and we'll cheer you on!

[Jolz]

@(you need an account to see links)

Please please please do not think I am being horrible.

Most of the time I have seen you on webcam on TC, you are eating/drinking McDonalds or what looks to be one anyways.

Fast food and soda, cut them out and you will more then likely start to loose weight without actually doing anything.

I'm not talking like dropping 5 sizes and getting a six pack but you will start to lose some weight and loose "excess flab"... also will clear up your skin, I'm not saying you have spots, I'm just saying it is a positive side effect


Something you can bear in mind to help you. Most people have heard the diet advice "eat till you're satisfied, not till you're full" well that, but the human stomach is roughly the size of your fist and you only need to eat a fist size worth to have a full meal. More small meals is better then a few large ones.

Also, even slight dehydration can causes the feeling of hungry, when you are feeling a little big hungry, drink a glass off water and give it 15 mins and you will find your hungry will probably go away.

[Mojo]

Omg I'm such a fatty you're right ;;
Problem is, no one likes to cook in my fam so fast food is pretty much a necessity. So I guess I'm doomed to be "fat and happy" as my mom calls it.

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll read it again when I'm less upset. <3

[Maths]

I think you're prettier in the second picture and to be honest I've always found you really good looking.

If you really do want to get skinnier it is your choice and I completely understand but you have my opinion right here.

[Jay]

@(you need an account to see links)

I put on 50 pounds since freshman year 6 years ago and i lost 20 pounds of muscles along with gaining more fat.
You are not the only one (; ^

[jena]

@(you need an account to see links)

Wow, you made an account just to bully a lovely person. Kudos to you, you're an A+ asshole.
Jo is fucking beautiful and she has something that you will never have, and that's a kind heart.

No matter what you look like physically, you will always be an ugly person because of how you treat people.

[Jules]

I ate healthy for a month once and lost 15 pounds. I just bought bags of lettuce and had salad every day for dinner, oatmeal and a piece of fruit for breakfast, and instead of lunch I'd have 2-3 snacks throughout the day depending on how hungry I was, I normally had something like carrots or fruit. I didn't even work out at all which was the best part. Sadly, I gained it all back because once summer started I went out to eat with my friends a lot which basically ruined by whole eating schedule. Personally, I've found that I've lost weight when I stopped eating red meat, snacks, and only drank water and occasionally fat free milk