How I lost 5 sizes without even thinking about it
 

When I hit 18 I moved 2 states away to live with my sister. I weighed 160 pounds and was very. very. lazy.
Then, I was on my own. Dirt poor and trying to survive. I had a job 3 miles away but no car. I would bike to the bus stop. Bus to work. Bus back. Bike home. If I wanted to see a friend I would bike it or bus it or if I wanted to go to the store I would bike it or walk it. I learned fast what was an approriate distance for walking, biking or taking a car.
Listen, this is what I learned and I think people should understand.
Everyone seems to want to lose weight. But that means nothing. That does nothing. You can want all you want but until you WANT the lifestyle that is required to lose the weight you won't lose it. I was suprised how much of a difference this change did.

Have a good job? Have a car? Ditch the car! Enjoy the weather and bike to the store for the bread you need to pick up.
Have a bad job? Have a car? Save MONEY. Go places without your beloved mobile.
This is what I learned:
What is an appropriate distance to ditch the car and walk to where you want to go? About 2, 3 miles. If you are driving places that are closer than that. You have nothing but excuses.
What is an appropriate distance to ditch the car and bike it? 3 - 6 miles.
You might be worried about time when it comes to getting to work and stuff. Hey. Stop. I held a very crazy scheduled job that changed all the time by biking to work.

Then. My life changed again.
Okay, so within that year and a half of putting a little effort and not even CARING what the F I put in my mouth I lost 10 pounds. That might not sound like alot but let me put it into better terms.
In that time I lost 5 pant sizes! 5!! I might not have lost alot of weight but that is because I gained MUSCLE! Muscle weighs more than fat and also, when you have more muscle you burn more fat just by LIVING. and I did this just by not having a car!
Okay, so as I was saying. After that year and a half I moved back to my old home. It was a little harder to get places without a car but by the time I had done all that and returned to the "old grind" I had so much more energy and a LOVE for activeness. I began to LOVE rollerblading, hiking and biking. I loved it! So I will continue now to lose even more!
Then I became a vegetarian and now I'm losing even more weight. O_O

Okay so I am going to stop gloating now. This is what I want you to know the MOST. I'm not trying to frustrate you or put you down but I am hoping my story will tell you something.
It might seem nearly impossible to lose the weight you want and it might be really really difficult AT FIRST but it will change... for the better.
You can't just want to lose weight. Understand that it is your lifestyle that has put you in the weight that you do not like. You're lifestyle will HAVE to change to lose weight but... this is probably a good thing.
By trying to.. force or push yourself into doing alot exercise you might reject it but I will promise you this. If you find a few active things that are fun. Do that a little more and push yourself a little less. Your relationship with exersice will definately change and then... the pushing won't seem so... well.. pushy. o_O

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...g?t=1286928304

congrats on your weight loss, but I'm not ditching my car. :cool:

Nice camera BTW... canon, nikon?

Oh yeah, muscle and fat weigh the same, muscle just takes up a lot less room.

Nice abs :D And I agree, it's amazing what simple walking can do. When I was in college, I walked 4 miles a day just to get to and from the "cheap" parking lot to class, plus wandering around campus whenever I had downtime between classes, since it was about an hour's drive one way to get home. Walking is a lot harder now with the kids in tow, but every little step adds up.

Amazing,congratulations :)
I know one person who, after she bought a car, actually gained 35bl! Before she was commuting to work (1hr walk in total plus some time spent on train), walking to shops etc and after the car, the only distance she walked was from the house door to the car door. Very sad....

Nice job. and I absolutely believe you did lose this much without dieting and just by walking. Thank you for sharing your inspiring example!

congrats on your progress...but ya. im not ditching my car. lol

but then again it doesnt hinder my lifestyle.

I'm so 200% in agreement with you on the bike front. Since I was about 19, I've been riding my bike pretty much everywhere. I have actually never applied for a driving license, let alone owned a car, so it has just always been my way of getting around. I'm now 24 and it's really become a way of life for me. I don't even think about it. I started riding to work (about 45mins each way) when I was 19, as it was the most direct way to get there without a car. 5yrs later my weight is still sitting steadily around the 60kg (132lbs) mark, and despite the fact that I have pretty crazy yo-yo eating habits, my weight only ever fluctuates by about 2-3kg either side. And I'm 5'10", so that's a pretty ideal weight. Cycling has been great for my circulation & cardiovascular health, too.

My man & I are both avid riders & our relationship has only strengthened our enthusiasm for it. He now commutes on the bike also, and I have developed a passion for mountain biking. In fact, we're flying to Kuala Lumpur in August 2011 to spend 6 months cycling throughout South East Asia. :D