MFP is going to be what makes this stick!

Shann_n

Hi all,

I'm Shannon, 30, mom to a 9 y.o. daughter. I'm married, I homeschool my DD, and I am a total animal lover. For fellow animal lovers who like pet stats, I have an australian shepherd, coonhound x lab, two italian greyhounds, 3 indoor cats, 3 permanent outdoor stray cats, a slew o' backyard city chickens, and I also ride horses with DD, though we don't own any of those yet.

I have never been very *thin*, but I was reasonably fit until 20, when a lot of bad juju hit me all at once, including an abusive relationship and the death of a very close friend who was like a second mother to me. I got pregnant during this time (2001), and gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy, eventually losing most of it with the rigors of an eternally pissed-off, boob-tick baby and a full time job at a big box home improvement store. I lost even more, down to 170 lb. - my pre-pg. weight, when I spent six glorious months walking my butt off in sunny San Diego. But in 2004, I moved back to the Ohio Valley, where the weather is NOT so friendly, and all the emotional baggage I'd been trying to escape was here waiting for me. So I've spent the last 6 years eating pretty horribly, and being more or less sedentary, and definitely depressed. I've had plenty of time to hash out all my BS and stop spinning my wheels on the pity-pot - the 10th anniversary of my friend's passing was May 3, a new moon, and I knew I had to get on with life instead of redigesting past regrets (thank you Eddie Vedder for that line!). So I REALLY feel like this is the time. I feel like I'm making a change in my life, starting with mindset, not just my body/diet/etc.

Just to make sure I'd stick to it, I made a vow on Facebook, visible to all my family and friends, that I would lose 50 lb. by my birthday on Nov. 3, or I'd donate a chunk of money to two organizations that stand for things I am TOTALLY opposed to (and cannot mention here for political/moral reasons). So I'm going for totally distasteful consequence rather than rewards. My health, self-esteem, and improved sex life will be the reward! I got this idea from the Chicago public radio show Radiolab - a lady in one of their stories said if she ever smoked another cigarette she'd donate $5,000 to the KKK. She never smoked again!

My heaviest weight was 242, sometime last year. I did an official start weight last Sunday (5/22) at 236.7 lb. I've been eating healthy food - well let's get real - tons of things are healthier than pizza rolls (oh, how I'll miss thee); doing 30 min. cardio a day minimum, and logging all of this into MFP, which makes this whole process so much more tangible for me! I am planning on weighing weekly, but I had the opportunity to weigh in today and I did - 230.8!! Will weigh in again on Sunday to be official. I still need to take pics - I've been avoiding cameras like the plague for the better part of a decade, but I want to remember where I'm coming from, so I'll never go back.

Glad to be here!!

t_rog

I'm glad you're here, too! I can definitely relate to weight-gain because of emotional baggage :-/ The bright side is that you're HERE and this is an AMAZING website! I know you can do it! Feel free to add me if you need support and/or someone to kick you in the butt when you want to fall off the wagon!