Did that 2 years ago - one of the best decisions I ever made.

I feel like me in a fat suit - to be honest. I'd like to get back to being ME.

That's about where I am lately. I've lost a little bit off the old belly, but overall, I just feel like I'm not quite in the right spot...

Sheesh, it looks like the first room to build for the LoT Commune should be the Swank Gym.

No gym. Dance studio!

Or Latin Dance club since I just saw a commercial that claims the swaying hip action of Latin Dancing is the best exercise there is - and how swank is Tango?

jinx

Yoga.

How much do we beat ourselves up over achieving the weight perfection, though? Photos of my ancestors show them with body types similar to mine. Just a few months ago I did an experiment where I limited my calorie intake to 900/day and was doing regular cardio (via treadmill). I gained weight. And not muscle - my pants were in danger of not fitting. I didn't talk about it because the response is generally that I just didn't try hard enough. That I needed to cut calories further and workout longer (time I didn't have back then).

And this isn't to say wahwahwah poor me I can't do it! But people are so quick to say that it's "simple". And the implication is that anyone who isn't successful is just lazy and undisciplined. Which leads further to the permission to treat anyone overweight as sh1t because we're obviously complete losers who can't handle a simple equation like working off the calories consumed, and who should therefore be stoned in the town square as a warning to others and to rid the world of unsightly blobs.

I've reached a point where I truly don't know what to do. In a couple weeks I'll have time to devote to cooking again and working out - except for stupid foot problems. But what if nothing happens then, either? What do I do? The only info I get from my doc is "eat less". Should I just start starving myself? Should I jog 3 hours a day? And if that's what it "takes" to achieve the mandated figure, and I have to keep that up for the rest of my life, is that really what I want? Is it what I'm obligated to do regardless of my personal preferences, and if I don't I'm bad/evil/unethical/lazy/stupid/fatsmellycow? What if a "good" diet and "moderate" exercise result in maintaining my current weight, but nothing more?

This is all hypothetical at the moment, as I still have a few weeks left before exam time, but I get awfully tired of people pointing fingers at me and declaring that I'm doing it wrong, and that clearly if I wasn't such a complete twatwaffle I could comprehend the simple procedures necessary.

Well, one thing I would recommend is to watch 'The Biggest Loser'. That show motivates me. And, they always have tips.

And, I can tell you what happened when you gained weight. You didn't consume enough calories so your body stored them. I can't esplain' it medically BUT you do have to consume a certain amount of calories a day. Adding exercise to that will burn off calories.

Don't be hard on yourself. But, do go to the website, they might have some tips for you. Good luck.