Howdy y'all! =)

FoogooFish

I'm FoogooFish, and I'm determined to get healthy and fit!

When my now-husband and I first met over eight years ago, I had just returned from a six-month stay in England where I did little but eat Thornton's Vanilla Fudge. I was the heaviest I had ever been in my life when I met him. I started college, lived at home with my parents while doing so, and I slimmed down doing walks at a local community track with my mother (despite still eating her wonderful Southern cooking!) When I graduated with B.S. in Management and moved a couple hours from home to live with my now-husband, I was slim, trim, and healthy - even though at the time I still thought I was "too fat."

Pre-married life changed my routine, and now I was cooking almost all the meals for myself and my guy. I didn't make healthy choices, and we consumed a LOT of unhealthy things. Eating at restaurants was the norm for us. My now-husband can eat and eat without gaining anything; I cannot. Fast-forward to today, and even though we've been home-cooking and eating at home for the past year, I've been cooking more traditional Southern-style instead of healthy-style. (Paula Deen, you butter-loving wench!)

A few months ago, around the eight year mark of when my husband and I first met, I knew I couldn't fit into some of my usual clothes without discomfort and the usual 'lay down on the bed and suck in the gut' routine. I dusted off my ancient bathroom scale, and then I wept at the number I saw. I was heavier, by ten or so pounds, than I had been when my guy and I first met.

At first, I went through the usual stages of grief. I blamed my time of the month; I blamed headache medicine I was taking at the time. I blamed the nasal surgery I underwent a few months prior. But when I finally faced reality, I knew that I did this to myself, and I would be the one who would undo this to myself.

Since my husband works as a city employee where we live, we can get a discounted membership to the city-operated Sportsplex and Aquatics Center, which is only three years old and has all sorts of nifty things. I started attending Zumba classes sometime in November, and at first I felt sore, then great, then mad. I experienced that initial weight gain that often accompanies new regimens, and I had to will myself to continue. The will worked, though, and I've been making slow progress in my endurance if not my weight.

Then, by happenstance, I came across this site and my mind was blown. I looked through the food database for the nutrition info of the things I like to cook, and the proverbial light bulb went off. I understood why my progress was hindered, even though I already -kinda- knew. Black and white facts smacked me in the face, and I committed to change. After all, I'm going to tour Europe for three weeks with my mother (who is German) for our birthdays in April, and I can't be another "fat American" getting judged by all those skinny Europeans, can I? ;-) I decided to "manage" myself using MFP, and I'd love to help / be helped by others. I've never been very big into social media; I'm more of a lurker, really, but when folks need encouragement, I like to think that I'm a good cheerleader.

TL;DR

I'm new. Want a supportive friend? I'm your supportive friend.

prgirl39mfp

I am your new supportive friend, Marta. We can do this. MFP is a great tool. Slow progress is progress. Remember that.