Jeerjeerak

Name: Jeerjeerak Age: 30 Height: 5'3 Was: 130 lbs Lost: about 15 lbs* Weight: 114-117 lbs (oscillating!) As of: 06/06/07

Jeer's Journey from M to XS:
It all started in a January day in 2007, after the holidays. I went on the scale and boom. The scale showed 130 lbs. The number 30 was like a punch in the face. I was in the 20s in past 5-6 years. I had to do something about it. I started dieting, cutting back on carbs and fat, filling up with meat and veggies. At first it was just that. Food tricks. I started eating veggie snacks instead of junk ones, Splenda instead of sugar, also refining food recipes to minimal oil use. I lost 7-8 pounds relatively fast. Then the big big change happened, I started to work out. I had not set foot in a gym in all my life. The reason why, is a whole other story, I might write it later. I think losing those first pounds partly helped me gain a bit more confidence to go to gym. I started with a Cardio-kickboxing class and then weight-training one. By the time the summer came, I started following a regular bi-daily running plan. Summer 2007 was a break through for me in that sense. The only productive thing that I did that summer was committing to my workout, I don't know if I could do it along with a regular work/study schedule... probably possible. Now here I am a used to be gym-o-phobic Jeerjeerak that now has a season pass in the gym :) With eating healthy and working out I not only got back on 20s, but also went down a bit more to create a safe margin and some peace of mind for myself. I work out less now, and occasionally eat regular not-healthy food. But I watch it! Two spoons of ice-cream gives you more pleasure than a full cup of it. Trust me :)

My bullet points to you:

-Substitute, substitute, substitute. At first don't try to cut back on the volume of your intake a lot. Just substitute high calorie stuff with lower ones as much as you can. After a while you find yourself eating healthier in general.
-When you get cravings, make a picture of yourself in a slimmer figure. It helps you remember why you're on a diet.
-After you lost a few pounds, go shopping! You don't need to necessarily buy stuff, get into fitting rooms and try smaller size apparel. You'll see where your sacrifices have taken you. Fitting rooms are your friends; spend your ideal time there!
-For exercise, pick an exercise that you like, or at least you hate less. Keep it fun. Don't torture yourself.
-Learn to throw away the dangerous food, like left over pizza, or cake or the ice-cream in the freezer.... Remind yourself: they better end up in the garbage rather than your waist line. Keep your surrounding safe from tempting food.