2012 update:

I wrote the intro below in early spring 2009, when I first found SparkPeople. I did great on the site, and in less than a year lost almost 40 pounds....20 of which I've regained in the 2 years since I stopped counting calories. I still want to lose another 40-50 pounds, and have a deadline of potential graduate school interviews next spring as my new motivation. I'm in a great relationship, which I was not when I first found SP, and while one might think that would ...

2012 update:

I wrote the intro below in early spring 2009, when I first found SparkPeople. I did great on the site, and in less than a year lost almost 40 pounds....20 of which I've regained in the 2 years since I stopped counting calories. I still want to lose another 40-50 pounds, and have a deadline of potential graduate school interviews next spring as my new motivation. I'm in a great relationship, which I was not when I first found SP, and while one might think that would give me greater motivation, it's hard to count calories when my girlfriend is a big foodie (and doesn't have to worry about her weight)! While I don't think counting calories is sustainable forever (at least for me), I think I need to do it for a while again to remind myself of what a proper serving is, and why it's okay to not finish every bite on my plate. As I wrote below, I completed the C25K running plan, and have actually managed to maintain my love of exercise and even running over the past few years (I've completed over 10 road races!). I successfully battled a knee injury that kept me from running from Nov 2011 to July 2012, and am back on the roads and have even run another race since. However, I am in retrospect grateful for the knee injury, because it forced me to join a gym, where I discovered a love for swimming laps, strength training, and mindless zoning out on the stairmaster watching Netflix! I've made some more progress, but I've got a ways to go! Thanks for stopping by!

2009:

Just a girl hangin' out in the city...

Hey everyone! My name's Sophie. I'm a college student, and I've been overweight as long as I can remember (longer, if my childhood pictures are any indication!). I've always tried diets, but nothing's been effective at helping me lose weight. I've been an active yoga-practicer since the middle of high school (about 5 years now), but that wasn't enough to really do a lot for my weight since I was still eating badly. In February 2009 I decided that I needed a serious overhaul and started using SP (heard about it through my roommate). I'm now exercising 5 days a week (too busy on the other 2!) and have started the C25K running plan, with the hope of registering for a 5K in Summer 2009 (right now I'm looking at a few in early June) and completing a sprint triathalon by the end of 2010.

In terms of food, I'm a pesci-vegetarian (I eat fish sporadically), and am working on eating more unprocessed foods. I do eat some "diet" foods (Splenda...I'm trying to get rid of it!), but I would like to cut out as much of the fake and processed stuff as I can. I really enjoy cooking and baking when I have time for it, and love trying new recipes.

Read More About MIXED_MEDIA (Updated September 23)