Fed up of being Fat at Uni! Aiming to lose weight for graduation!

[sophie1]

I have been on this website a few times and have so far always lost motivation. I have had enough now, this is my last shot to lose the weight for graduation. I am so fed up with my weight it impacts my life and all the decisions I make. I want to take charge and feel like myself again!

So im 23 and in my final year of uni, over the past 6/7 years I have put on over 6 stone. This has mainly been due to drinking and student food! I went away to college at 16 and since then I have been living the student lifestyle of nights out, takeaways and hangover food.

Every now and again i try and be good but it only lasts for a few days until temptation kicks in! I live with two other girls. One girl can eat whatever she likes and stay a size 10. The other is a size 16 and also struggles with her weight. We will try and diet together but it never works as one of us always caves in and then the other gets tempted haha!

I joined the gym just before Christmas but I hated going because i was so self concious infront of everyone from uni who goes there. I have just brought an exercise bike so hopefully this well help when im at home.

I am going to my boyfriends for Easter and his mum is really good with healthy cooking etc., he also lives on a farm so we will be out and about helping all day so im hoping this will give me a much needed boost.

Im planning on walking/sitting on the exercise bike while revising in the build up to summer exams when we get back. Hopefully i can lose 2 stone for my friends wedding on June 1st. This sounds like a big goal but it is my pre-uni weight and although i'll still be fat it will feel really nice knowing I look how i did before I went away. A lot of the people there I wont have seen for 3 or four years. Im hoping to be able to treat myself to a nice size 16 dress, without having to stuggle to find one that suits my shape.

Shape wise i have quite small arms, big chest, big belly, wide hips, small bum and big legs..... i think im really hard to dress. I have always had wide hips and a big chest even when slim, so i tend to just put on weight in these areas.

I weighed this morning I was 16 stone 4, I would love to get down to 10 stone. My first goal is 14 stone for June 1st, then 12.5 for my birthday in mid-July. I will be graduating at the end of September so maybe 11 stone by then, which will give me only 1 stone to go to goal!

Sorry for the massive rambling but it feels so nice to get off my chest. I tend not to talk about my weight as i think other people will notice it less! Thank you for any advice/success stories and good luck everyone!

 

[lauralozzle]

Hey, good luck. I'm graduating in August and I'd love to be a little slimmer by then (main goal is October because I'm bridesmaid for a wedding).

 

[Agent Shagwell]

Hey, fellow students! I reckon we can all do it. Welcome, sophie1 and hello lauralozzle. Just wanted to pop in and say YES WE CAN! I am a student too and I understand the temptation to eat junk sometimes...I was at uni with a couple of slim friends who invited me to share pizza with them the other lunchtime. I just thought of whether I want to look the same as I do now in six months or not...so I got a sushi instead which had the calories listed on the container

One of the things with being a uni student, is I find that for some it kind of creates your whole lifestyle. There are certain things about being a student that other people don't necessarily have...such as many not having a heap of money and also being around people who party a lot. I think, to change your weight you also have to change your mindset. Look at aspects of your life (such as the friends you party with) and say 'is this helping or hindering me?' - set up your lifestyle so it supports your goals. It might mean spending less time with some people...or, altering *how* you spend time with them. I got really inspired when I was lucky enough to be in a sharehouse a few years ago with two girls, whom, although I was the eldest, they were both a bit more mature and independent than me - one a lot more so. And even though she didn't have a lot of money, she used to make her own, healthy meals, often bulking them out with frozen veggies and she also made sushi and seafood things a lot and went on the wiifit every day. Seeing her take care of her body and exercising inspired *me* and I lost 16kg by doing what worked for me, but being majorly inspired by her!

You could be that person for your size 16 friend, sophie1! When she sees you eating well and being in inspired and happy, she is going to look at you and say 'wow, look what's possible' and then feel better about her own weight-loss aspirations.

One last thing...when we're at uni or in some short term thing (short term I mean, you don't have to live with it for the rest of your life, maybe just the next year or so), there's the temptation to do what everyone else is doing. But, when I feel that, I look at the other students and think 'I probably won't see most of you in a year or two...but I'm going to have this body for the rest of my life!' - that helps when I want to distance myself from a group who are going to eat lots of junk if I'm worried about being seen as anti-social. It's sort of...'my allegiance is to my body, not to these other people'. Many uni friends are transitory...

Good luck all! Remember to set up your life to support what you want to accomplish!

WE CAN DO IT!!! We're all gonna look GREAT in our graduation photos!!!!!

SG

 

[sophie1]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me a pep talk, its really spurred me on. I am doing this for myself now, I want to get my life back and feel happy. I see this year as the first year of the rest of my life, as there are so many new things happening.... in 4/5 months time i could have a job anywhere in the UK and be living in a new place. I want to be able to enjoy it 100% and not lose opportunities because of my weight.

Im sure you will doing really well, you sound like you are in a really great mindset!

thank you

 

[Emmaline]

Hi Sophie.. Hope you don't mind an old codger posting on your diary? ..

Glad that you are going to be more determined to get rid of those extra pounds.. you will feel soo much better for it. Take it from me ..the older you get the harder it is to get the pounds off!

Keep posting all those things that you find are getting in the way of your resolution, it all helps to get things off your chest and you can then see a pattern of how things are going. Don't feel that you are a failure if you have a bad day as we all have them now and again.. even the best of us! Just be determined to get back to it and on the band wagon a.s.a.p.!

All the very best to you.. :girlpower:

 

[sophie1]

Thank you for the encouragement and well done on your weight loss, you are doing great

 

[sarahmun]

hi sophie

i struggled with my weight in uni but didnt really do much about it until i left uni. after travelling i decided it was time to lose weight i lost weight by being good all week food wise and exercise as well as goin out on weekends with mates. i jus avoided takeaways after drinks and drank vodks diet coke. lost about 2 1/2 stone and was really happy bout it. i was a trainee solicitor at the time so technically still studying.
my point is u can still have fun with mates but jus think and alter the way u have been doing it.

good luck ill be following your progress.

sarah xx

 

[sophie1]

Thank you Sarah, and well done on loseing weight. I would love to go travelling but need to save up money first! I dont have many big nights out planned now because of dissy hand in and exams so hopefully that will help me stay on track.

So far today i have made myself a bowl of porridge with water and some canderel - 144 (maybe less because most of it exploded in the microwave haha)
I have just made one of the ainsley harriott cous cous things to have cold later in the library, i might add a bit of lettuce and carrot to bulk it out. Not sure what this will taste like cold but i figured that a lot of salad buffets have cold cous cous in haha!

Good luck today everyone, it feels so good to be doing this and is giving me a focus.

I weighed this morning and was 16 stone 5 so 1 pound more than i thought. I'm aiming for a big loss this week and want to get down to 16 stone by Sunday when I go to my boyfriends for Easter.

xxx

 

[sophie1]

Taking measurements so I can compare when I get back from my Easter break.... might give me a boost for the rest of the month....

top of arms - 15 inches

above bust= 41

across chest = 47

under chest 38

above hips 40 inches

across belly button = 51

across bum = 50

widest part of thigh 30 inches

widest part of calf 18

How do other people compare which are a similar weight to me?

 

[sophie1]

Ive just checked on the marks and spencers website and it says i should be a size 22 with these measurements. This seems to big usually I am a big 18 or a small 20. Shops like dorothy perkins and next a 20 will come up too big, but place like primark or new look an 18 is a bit tight....

 

[sophie1]

Model My Diet | Virtual Weight Loss Simulator and Motivation tool | Makeover - Women this website is so good.... put in your height, weight etc. and it shows you a 3d model of what you look like and what you will look like at goal... mine was pretty accurate

 

[sophie1]

So yesterday was good up until dinner... my boyfriend cooked a huge roast dinner and made a cake as a suprise (he never cooks) so the evening didnt go great calorie wise.

Ive been trying to keep on track today so far;

Breakfast: cereal bar-111 calories
snack: cereal bar - 111 calories
lunch: cajun chicken on brown bread sandwich with a few chips (estimating about 800 at the most it from from uni cafe so dont know exactly)
dinner: coffee (after a big lunch im hoping i can stay in the library till bed time and just stop for a coffee about 6 ish)

Ive been drinking lots of water all day.

I hand in an essay tomorrow so im hoping I can have the evening free to do some exercise etc.

How is everyone else getting on?

 

[sarahmun]

hi sophie
i looked at that virtual website and its really cool nice to have an idea what i may look like. but doubt my stomach will be that perfect after two kids and a c section lol.
what are you studying in uni?
its so hard to eat normal in uni but stick with it and you'll feel much better for it
sarah xx

 

[sophie1]

Hi Sarah,

Im studying food marketing, its hard to try and stick to 3 meals a day because my timetable is all over the place and im in the library till 11 every night. I have been quite good over the past few days and have had breakfast every morning then a sandwich for lunch and a healthyish dinner. Im not going to my boyfriends until thursday now, so will have 4 days at home on my own. Planning on using up all the random cans of soup and stuff and have a bit if a detox style few days.

How is everyone else getting on?
xxx

 

[sophie1]

Just weighed and I am 16 stone 3, so about 2 pounds down on last week. Not a lot but I am happy with it because I had a big night out at the weekend and a meal at the boyfriends etc. Ive got four days until i go to my boyfriends so im going to be really really good until then. I have a habit of planning food out for the day and eating even if im not hungry so i stick to my plan. Im going to try and only eat when hungry but still stick to around 1200 calories. I think this will be a more normal healthier way of eating, as its eating when not hungry that has made me like this. this morning i made slimming world chips and had half a can of beans, so this was about 350 calories. This should take me through to about 5 ish, when i can have a reasonable sized healthy dinner. xx

 

[Emmaline]

Yay! Looks like you have things under control...well done!

 

[sophie1]

Thank you, and well done on your weight loss!
After i posted yesterday i had tomato soup for lunch and a chicken stir fry for dinner. I had some galaxy counter things in front of the tv but i figured i was down on calories so it would be ok.

I just had porridge and blueberries was lussshhh, and now im heading into uni to try and do some of my dissy so will probably be there all day. Thinking of making spag bol for dinner, with only a bit of pasta and a pile of veg, to use what is up in the fridge before heading away!

How is everyone else doing? xx

 

[Mrs CC]

Hi Sophie, glad to see you're getting on well. When I was at uni (god! Over ten years ago now!), I was the slimmest I've ever been. I was making all my own meals, making healthy things and was exercising almost every day. I also wasn't driving then so I was walking every where. You can do this hun!

 

[sophie1]

Thank you for the encouragement! So today should be weigh in day but there are no scales at my boyfriends house. I feel like i have lost weight,im doing my belt up another notch..... so thats a good sign haha! i have been eating very healthily and out walking and things everyday. Being away from any sugary fatty foods has really helped, im craving apples today instead of chocolate! Hopefully this well help me when im back at uni in a week, so excited to weigh myself.... hopefully ill be under 16 stone.

how is everyone else getting on x

 

[sophie1]

Hi everyone, feel like i have lost some weight...my belt is now on its forth hole instead of 2nd, not sure how much weight this could be?! haha. Ive just found a really good section on the bbc good food website if you search for low calorie recipes there are loads of really nice looking meals all under 400 calories... curries, shepherds pie etc. xx