Hi, everyone!

thisberichard

I started about a month ago on what is my first really serious effort to lose weight and (secondarily, while I'm at it) eat healthy.

I'm one of those people who, in my younger years, not only didn't struggle with keeping weight off, but was actually perpetually underweight. It wasn't on purpose, and I'd frequently eat ravenously, but nothing ever seemed to stay with me. Then, as adulthood decided to start poking its nose into my business, by metabolism plummeted, taking me from an unhealthy 120 to a healthy 150 in one year... and then past 200 in the year that followed.

Medications have played a role in the changes, but they can't take the entirety of the blame:
At my heaviest, I reached 265... but within a month of switching to a different anti-depressant, I'd dropped under 220. within a year, I'd made it all the way down to 180, which was great while it lasted. The medications weren't the only reason I'd been packing on the pounds, though, and with a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits, my weight crept back up, bit by bit, until it had well-passed the 200 mark.

I did all manner of little things here and there with my diet or activity level to help with my weight, but none of them were enough on their own, and I more-or-less knew they wouldn't be. About a month ago, though, I finally resolved that it had to change... even if the experience would be more than a tad uncomfortable.

I'd used MFP before, but it's only this time that I've really made a serious effort to bring my diet under control. And, so far, it's been going pretty well. It's difficult, of course, and often emotionally challenging... but it's been working and I intend to ensure it continues to do so.

So. That's who I am.

I look forward to meeting you all!

eblakes93

Nice to meet you, and good luck on your health journey!