Welcome!

Hi everyone! Welcome to my site. I've started this blog primarily as a way of tracking my attempts to lead a healthier lifestyle through diet and exercise, as well as discussing various hobbies and interests, which include reading, cooking, travel, and photography, among others.
A little about me... my name is Lindsay, I'm 27 years old, and I currently live just outside Indianapolis, Indiana. I live with my boyfriend, Adam, and our two pets, a 4-year-old bunny named Chloe and a 1-year-old cat named Rose. I attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where I earned a B.A. in history and an M.A.T. in history and secondary education. After deciding that the teaching profession wasn't my cup of tea, I'm currently working as a supervisor at a large national retailer.
To understand the reason why I'm starting this blog, you need to know my history of struggling with weight. As a child, I loved riding my bike, being outside in the yard, and playing sports with the neighborhood kids, but as I got older and my interests shifted toward reading, writing, and spending time on my computer, I gradually stopped being active and slowly packed on pounds. By the time I was 17, I was already wearing a size 16 in women's clothing and by the end of my freshman year of college, I was easily a size 18/20. And have I mentioned I'm only 5'3"? I stayed at that weight for a few years, until I graduated in 2004 and moved back home. That same year, my dad was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and my mom was also diagnosed as prediabetic. We didn't know it at the time, but my younger sister was also showing symptoms of what would later result in a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Given my weight and family history, I knew it was time to make a change. My entire family went on the South Beach Diet at the recommendation of my mom's doctor, and over the course of that year, I dropped about 40lbs., taking me from a size 18/20 to a woman's size 12.
In late 2005, I returned to IU to attend graduate school, and over the course of the next two and a half years, through a combination of poor diet, lack of exercise, and the stress of school, I gained most of that weight back. I found myself back at a size 16 and not very happy with how I looked or felt. At that point, I decided to try Weight Watchers, which I felt would fit my lifestyle and be better for long-term maintenance. Again, I dropped the weight and got back down to a size 12, and felt so much lighter and healthier, despite being disappointed that I could never seem to get over the plateau I'd inevitably hit when I got to that weight. Around that time, I met my boyfriend, changed jobs, and over the past year I've moved *twice*, so by last fall, I was back up to a size 14/16. Adam, being the great boyfriend he is, suggested we do Weight Watchers together. We followed it strictly for three or four months until I got down to my current weight, 175 lbs., which I've managed to maintain since last December. While I'm proud of myself for maintaining (IMHO, that's harder than the actual weight loss) and I still feel pretty good, but I know I can do better.
This time around, Adam and I have decided to try the South Beach Diet. While I'm extremely happy with how well Weight Watchers has worked for me in the past, I find that their points system allows for too much temptation to cheat and to eat foods that are still bad for you, since no food is expressly "forbidden". For me, my "trigger" foods are... carbs and sweets. The South Beach Diet explicitly tries to break cravings for bread, rice, pasta, sugar, etc. and encourages eating lots of fiber, protein, and healthy fats. While Adam was curious about trying Atkins, I decided we'd likely be more successful with a program that's not anti-carb, just smart-carb. Our goals are to not only lose weight but to change our overall lifestyle. In all of my previous weight-loss attempts, I've never been able to get under 170 lbs. or wearing any size under a 12. Ideally, I'd like to lose about 35lbs., which would put me at 140. Since Adam is already at a pretty healthy weight for someone who's 6'1", his goal is to lose the little bit of a tummy he has, so I'd say he only has about 10 lbs or so to lose. We'd also like to get into a regular exercise routine so that we strengthen our bodies and so when we reach the point of maintaining, we'll have developed healthy habits to be able to do that successfully.
For now, Adam and I have committed to taking walks after dinner every night except for when I'm at work (which is usually once or twice per week). As we improve our speed/distance, we'll push ourselves to try some new activities, including weights and strength training. We're going on vacation in a couple weeks, so the plan is to start Phase 1 of the program as soon as we return. Sometime before then, I'll be back with a post with our "before" stats, including weight, bmi, and waist/hip measurements. If I'm feeling motivated, I may even add pictures. Until then, thanks for reading and I hope you decide to keep following me on my journey through weight-loss.