Hello

Jason_7784

Hello everyone. My name is Jason and I'm new to this site. Found these forums and thought I would introduce myself. A little about me:

I'm 29 years old and have been struggling with weight issues for a few years now, more so the last year. Some health issues cropped up recently that got me started on the long trek to lose weight. First I started having issues with my right foot. Turns out I got micro tears in my Achilles tendon. Not 100% sure that it is related to my most recent bout of weight gain but odds are it is. After 3 months it still hasn't gotten better and my podiatrist has scheduled me for surgery for the end of this month.

I also got bad news from my doc about high cholesterol and now my blood pressure is much higher than it should be, near dangerous levels even. The final straw for me was stepping on the scale one day and realizing that I was 308 lbs. I started my diet on June 1st tracking my foods on a website run by the USDA. Between June 1st and July 1st I lost 17 lbs. I started to notice some issues with that site though. To make a custom food on that site you have to base it off of a food that they have in their database. You can then customize it with the info from your nutritional label.

Problem is, the site doesn't seem to reflect all of your changes. It seems the nutritional information, namely things like empty calories, are hard coded in and will not change no matter what. I finally decided to find another site after having a meal of broccoli and having the website tell me that I had eaten 66 calories from it but 86 of those calories were empty (no nutritional value). With math like that it tends to make one wonder what other information is off. So I found this website and I like how everything works here. Long story short, I'm hoping this website can help me reach my goal of 250 lbs by January 1st.

GrouchySprout

Thought I'd be the first to say hi and welcome. You're welcome to add me if you want

Jason_7784

Thank you for the welcome. I have added you as a friend. These aren't the kind of forums I am used too, lol. I am an avid gamer (probably part of my weight problems) and the forums for the games I play are riddled with trolls and just all around unpleasant people. I usually avoid posting in those forums like the plague. From the post I read on here though it seems like this is a very supportive community. It is a very refreshing change to say the least.

_HeartsOnFire_

Hello! Feel free to add me!

Laac68

Hi Jason. I am starting out afresh too. You can find almost any food in the database here and also create your own recipes. I wish you well on your weight loss journey.

michellechawner

Of you'll find trolls here too darling. And random posts... and mean people... they're all in here

But once in awhile you will find a real supportive person, or someone who can give you that WTG right when you feel like losing hope. I've connected with a good amount of people and feel safe with my friends list and like I'm not being judged for one reason or another.

Anyone can feel free to add me - i'm near the end of my journey... but maintenance is going to be the hard part for me, so I'll still be here logging away and still working on getting healthy after some health issues the last few months

TheCaren

Hello and welcome. You're in the right place. We are all on a quest for health. You'll find that no two of us are doing it the exact same way, or for the same reason, so read all you can and then do what feels right for you. And don't let the occasional bully chase you off the forums (they're out there, trust me).

I started on here last September when I decided I was wearing the biggest pair of pants I was ever going to own. I have been at goal weight since March (I'm fortunate that I only had 40 or so pounds to lose, but then I'm only 5'4" so that's a lot on a shorty like me).

Feel free to add me as a friend. I don't comment on stuff as often as I did in the beginning, but I'm on here every day checking in.

If I were to be so bold as to offer any advice, it's this. LOG EVERYTHING YOU EAT, EVERY DAY, WITHOUT FAIL. Now, that doesn't mean you don't have days where you eat birthday cake or a piece of pie or whatever. But if it goes in your mouth, you should log it. You'd be amazed at the stuff you're willing to pass by when you know you have to put it in your log and look at it later.

My food diary is open to my friends, but I'm no longer logging every day (most days, but not every). But for the first 6 months I logged everything, every day. And having it open to my friends helped me with accountability. You'd be amazed at how easy it is to kid yourself when you're not documenting what you're eating. And in the beginning, weigh and measure everything. There's another way I lied to myself. 'THAT'S A SERVING? HOLY CRAP I'VE BEEN EATING THREE SERVINGS OF THAT EVERY TIME I EAT IT!!!'

Feel free to ignore my "words of wisdom" as you wish. Just throwing out a few things people told me when I was new that really helped me out.

Best wishes on your quest for a healthier lifestyle.

Mikeys_Girl

Hello Jason, I just started 5 days ago loving it so far Add me if you want

willowstregaraven

Hi Jason
Feel free to add me :0)
Been here about six weeks now , . Lost over a stone
I also write a blog on here
It's about growing up with deaf parents and a morbidly obese parent
It's about being bullied and the abuse I suffered as a child
So it's not related to the here and now but related to food
It's my journey , and I hope to share it with people here on mfp
Good luck with your new journey