Well collegiettes, it’s my final blog post! Can you believe it? While this post may be my last one for the Lose the Freshman 15 program with HerCampus.com and SELF Magazine, it is definitely not the end of my weight loss journey and road to a healthier lifestyle. I am proud to report that over the course of this program, I was able to lose 14 pounds to bring me to my current weight of 156! Just one pound shy of the full freshman 15, but I am confident that I will be able to achieve my goal weight of 140 by the end of this summer. This program has taught me so much about myself, losing weight, and being healthy.
Unfortunately (and fortunately), I got a new phone the other day and lost most of my before photos (which I guess may be a good thing), so I would like to apologize for the poor photo quality. After I had gained a lot of weight, I absolutely hated being photographed. I was extremely self conscious and did my best to avoid all cameras. To be blatantly honest, I hated looking in the mirror because I did not want to be reminded of all the weight I had gained. I think this time at college was the most self conscious I have ever been in my life.
Now that I have lost a bit of weight, I am becoming more comfortable with my body. One of the biggest things I learned from this journey is that a change like this one don’t happen overnight. I kept waiting to see that drastic drop on the scale all of a sudden, but it never happened. The changes are gradual and in the end, they add up to something amazing. However, it’s hard to say motivated without seeing the immediate huge drop in number. This slow process makes it very easy to just give up and go back to that unhealthy lifestyle of overeating, eating junkfood, and being lazy. It’s easy to just think, “Why bother?” Because it’s totally worth it. Even though the changes won’t be clear right away, once they are apparent, you will be so happy and proud of yourself. There are countless mental and physical health benefits to weight loss and being healthy. While everybody (including myself) has their slip-ups and makes mistakes, it’s important to stay on track and stay focused on your end goal. You will get there!!! DO NOT GIVE UP!
This summer, I am going to stay committed to losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle. In addition to the summer plans I talked about in a previous post, I recently started Bikram yoga classes with a friend at a local yoga studio. That should be a fun activity to add to my list of things to do.
I would like to thank Her Campus and SELF Magazine for this wonderful opportunity. I would also like to thank New Balance for the awesome workout gear, ZICO for the coconut water and other cool stuff, and Diet Bet for their weight loss game. I would also like to give a shout out to all of my friends and anyone who has been reading my blog. I really appreciate your support!!! Really, it means a lot! Special shoutout to some of my fellow students at Amherst who have come up to me to talk about my blog– those make my day! It feels great to know that I’m not alone and that I have a solid support system.
Although this post is my last one for Her Campus & SELF Magazine, I will be writing articles this summer as an intern for Get Fit Get Life. Stay updated with my Twitter (@Nicole_Yang12), Instagram (nicoleyang1), or Pinterest (nyang12)!
I will miss you guys! Have a great summer, eat healthy, and stay active!
xoxo
Nicole