Progress, honesty, friends and getting there

Seagoat0175

I started using MFP regularly a little over a year ago. At that time, I had about 50 lbs to lose. About three months in, I quit smoking and I hurt my back repeatedly. The how is still questionable but I've been in physical therapy for about four months. During the time that I quit smoking and hurt my back, I gained an additional 43 lbs. Not only did I feel bad about myself, but I physically started hurting in several areas, my back, feet, ankles and knees. I am 5 foot 3 inches tall and now weigh 228 lbs. This is the biggest and the heaviest that I have ever been in my life.
I decided to take a stand about three 25 days ago. My first four days back on MFP were trial days. I wanted to see if I could do it because at some point I stopped trusting myself and my ability to make the right choices. After those four days, I went full force. As of last Saturday's weigh-in I was down 5.4 lbs. I brought my total cholesterol down from 190 to 164. I can now do 3.5 mph on the treadmill without slowing down or without my heart rate going over 80% of my max. In fact, I had to jog every fifteen minutes for one minute at 4.0 mph to keep my heart rate up. Do you know with all of this progress that I sometimes just don't want to do it. I force myself to do it because logic tells me that it is the only way to get where I want to be. Currently, the gym is not as fun as it used to be because of my aches and pains. I'm hoping that it goes away, in time, with weight loss.
I'm seeking a few friends who will be honest with me when I'm falling. People who can motivate me as well as myself motivating him or her. I'd like us to cross that finish line together and to be able to share in each other's journeys. I have friends who are no longer active, other friends who don't really participate. I think that some may just collect friends? I'm not sure. What I am sure of, is that I need to do this and the road is just too lonely to do it alone. If there are a few people out there who are committed and in this for the long haul, please, feel free to add me as a friend. I still have 98 - 88 lbs. to go..

Thank you in advance,
Jen