Well, my ask box tends to be flooded with similar questions all the time, so I decided to make a nifty little FAQ for everyone!

If you’d like to see anything added or explained more, juuuust: ask me!

aww, here goes -

How long have you been on this diet?
I’ve actually been batting weight issues since I was very small, suffering from an eating disorder at 14 and having compulsive eating issues much before and after that, but I set off on a mission to lose this weight on New Year’s Eve of 2010. No, it wasn’t my resolution — I drunkenly stumbled into the bathroom to pee and decided to weigh myself. I WAS HORRIFIED.

If you’re wondering, yes, I’ve slacked off quite a bit since then; there were days when I totally binged or neglected exercise, and months when I just disregarded my diet altogether (hello summer). However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel — I have lost 45 pounds since January, (but I’m aiming for a goal of 125/120).  :)

What have you done to lose all this weight?
Long story short, I eat around 1000 - 1500 calories on a normal day, but sometimes I ~go crazy~ and eat more or less. (Tools here to help you figure out how many you should eat.)

I also work out pretty regularly. There really is no other way to lose weight, and maintain it. My weight used to slide and fluctuate up to 20 pounds throughout the month until I stopped binging and fasting and really just buckled down. I read A LOT about health and I found a few supportive communities of people on similar journeys — like tumblr! :)

What kind of exercises do you do?

I try to do something active every day. Even on “rest” days, I make an effort to find things to keep my body busy. I actually feel quite bad if I don’t get some form of exercise in daily!

At university, I enrolled in a weight training class that meets three times a week. Squats are my favorite. You can look at this for a mock-up of good weight training exercises.

I pick a different set of body parts to work on each time I go to the gym, so that everything has a chance to heal. It’s fun, and it makes sense to have one part of you be sore while you’re working on the other.

I also like to do cardio. Running and spinning are both great. I feel much stronger and superhero-like after lifting, though!

For the most part, my friends are all very supportive of (and impressed by!) my dedication, so they love going on “walkabouts” with me where we just walk around somewhere and talk, or bike rides. For me, it’s like effortless exercise to just walk around hanging out and killing time with my friends. :)

What is a typical day of food like for you?

I eat anywhere from 2 to 6 times a day, depending on when I am hungry and what my time schedule is like. 

Some of the foods I’m a fan of can be found here, here and here (:

I eat a TON of veggies (usually about 3/4 of my plate), fruit, eggs, and whole grains. I also love greek yogurt and oat groats! I do like meat, but morally I prefer not to support the meat industry. If I do eat meat, I like to choose locally-raised stuff. Because this isn’t always easy or affordable, I will often opt for meat substitutes like tofu or tempeh, or eat fish.

In general, I do not eat very many refined carbohydrates. I do, however, really LOVE bread — I just don’t eat it unless it’s of the totally righteous, tempting variety. No Bunny bread for me!

UNRELATED TO DIETING —

Where are you from?
Well, I grew up in New Orleans, LA and I moved to North Carolina after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I currently live in the mountains, which is awesome, but admittedly waaaay different than NOLA.

Do you have a personal tumblr?
~Shameless personal promo, y’all~ … I DO! Ask me for it and I’ll send it to you, since I don’t necessarily want all of the tumblr-universe to be able to find it.