400+ Members!

merph518

I just wanted to take a second to recognize the growth we've had here over the past six months. When I first joined, Novus cautioned people joining that we were a new group and that he hoped it wouldn't fail like a lot of other groups did. Well, it didn't fail -- I see it thriving.

I appreciate all of you that I've come to know better on here -- and look forward to getting to know more of you. Having a little corner of MFP full of people that I can relate to is wonderful. The general forums are full of folks who are trying to lose weight starting from a "high weight" that I'd kill to be at... and while I believe that everyone should be welcome on the site, I just can't connect with folks so far outside my own experience all that well.

Thank you to Novus for putting this group together, championing it on the forums, and doing his best to encourage all of us. And thank you to all of the members here who make LL a great place to frequent.

NovusDies

It is very surprising that a new MFP group has done so well. I went through a large part of the MFP group listing before I created this and the number of dead, dying, or never lived forums was incredible. Hundreds of pages of groups just waiting for a database administrator to finally get around to deleting them.

I assumed I would be wasting my time but then a buddy suggested that I do it anyway because it was not a financial commitment and if I understood it would probably fail I would not invest too much time into it.

400 members... wow. I am not sure how many are active but the ones that are, are outstanding.

I am like @merph518. I have fought back the urge to tell a few people that thought gaining 40 pounds was devastating that, at the time, I was envious of their problem. I didn't of course. 40 pounds was devastating to them. I had 300ish to lose and I wouldn't appreciate someone with 600 to lose doing that to me.

This was never about us vs the main forums. It was about the fact that there is not a lot of guidance anywhere for people with a lot of weight to lose and I wanted people to talk to that faced or did face similar problems and have similar thoughts, fears, hopes, etc. I want to share victories and, yes, my failures with people who could really relate.

Thanks to everyone for giving me a virtual home. Special thanks to @merph518 and @Jackie9003 for volunteering to be group leaders. They get a 20 percent paycheck bonus for us hitting 400 members.

bmeadows380

wow, if I'd known there were that kind of perks, I'd have signed up back when openings were available! lol

I know what you mean about groups dying off. I like to be able to connect with folks who are dealing with similar issues to me as well, and I've been in several groups that have started strong, then was completely silent by year's end; they always cropped up in January and were usually finished by August. Perhaps that is what has helped this group - you started in in the middle of the year when all the newbie resolutioners dropped off and left behind the determined to stick it it out types!

jlucas210

I agree. It is different having a lot to lose & is very helpful to have others navigating similar issues. I appreciate every one of you that shares your triumphs and struggles. It is very helpful to have others around to get it. I don't have a ton of those in real life. I have some great friends & family in my life, but just not many who actually understand this journey.

Jackie9003

I don't think I do that much really but thank you.
I find this group incredibly supportive, even if I haven't posted anything, just seeing other people having the same struggles as me really helps keep me motivated as I know I'm "normal" and either it'll pass or I can take advice from real life experiences to help me through them.
I read through the threads daily, especially the NSV one and I'm so chuffed to see everyone's fantastic achievements.

So thank you Novus, Merph, and everyone else for making this group such a pleasure to be a part of. Keep it up!

gewel321

Love this group! I haven't been a member long but I enjoy reading about everyone journey and struggles and advice.
I read some of the main boards and completely agree. I struggle when I read about a person that weighs 140 and needs to loose 5 lbs and their life is ending. I am sure that it feels terrible and that I will feel the same way when I get low but I just can't relate to them at this point in my journey.

Thank you guys for all you do to keep this group going!

NovusDies

Why do I love it when @Jackie9003 says "chuffed" so much?

maureenkhilde

This is a great group and it is so helpful to read tips, updates from others that walk the same path. Because for anyone losing weight I think we try some things that work well, and some well that we are like um that was a total waste of time.
So I enjoy yes enjoy reading what others have found that helped them or even have not helped them. I view it as part of my ongoing education about finding what works. And this group being about people that have lots of weight to lose, really resonates with me.

Jackie9003

NovusDies wrote: »

Why do I love it when @Jackie9003 says "chuffed" so much?

hansep0012

400 members strong!

I am already envisioning many threads about maintenance, successes, and the lifetime commitment that over time this active group will support.

dishiznice

glad i found this group! thanks for creating and maintaining!

conniewilkins56

dishiznice wrote: »

glad i found this group! thanks for creating and maintaining!

Glad you found us...lots of support and motivation here!