Welcome and Guidelines

Mawskittykat

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each one for joining our group. We would like our boards to be fun and informative but please keep all posts clean and appropriate for all ages. Please introduce yourself as you join by letting us know a little about you and your weight loss journey. But before you tell us about you, I would like to tell you how our group got started and about our logo.

We actually have a real support group in Collins, Ms. Our group is a specail interest club of the Covington County Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers. We currently have 11 members. But this is how it all got started..... I began my fitness journey 14 months ago tomorrow. After losing about 50 pounds, the weight loss began to slow down, and as usual I became discouraged. I wanted to do something to help others, plus get my mind off of my own troubles. I thought that if I was helping others the time would pass alot faster, and my journey could be just that, A Journey. Have you ever felt like everyday was a struggle, and your "DIET" seemed to be getting old. When thoughts of quitting came my way, I would tell myself, "you need to find something to interest you so that you will quit thinking about how long it has been. I knew there wasnt any type of support system within close driving distance. And most support groups charge fees that are too high for the average person to be able to afford them. Losing weight can begin to cost a lot of money, Have you ever noticed that it cost more to eat healthy than it does to eat Junk Food. LOL So I thought that I would just try to see if there was an interest from the people to have such a support system. I ran an add in the paper and notified people of a meeting place and what my desire was. At our first meeting we had 12 people to show up. We meet once a week to weigh in, discuss our weight loss trials, victories, and what exercises we do and enjoy. We exercise together for about 30 to 40 minutes. Our time together is well spent, and we have become one big family.

Four of our group members are also members of MFP. When MFP started allowing group forum boards I realized that we could reach out to other Ms residents in this way. This would be a great way to meet others within our beautiful state who are facing the same struggles and have that common bond with them. We can do this together so lets get started on our journey to a heathier lifestyle.

I would like to thank bobbye95, one of our group members, for doing such a wonderful job designing our logo. We hope everyone likes our "little scale man". We should not consider the scale our greatest enemy but our greatest witness of all our accomplishments. Even when it seems that we are stuck at the same weight forever, take courage because eventually your scale will give you the "thumbs up" and "wink" at you, proving to you, that you are moving forward in your quest for better health.

Mawskittykat

My name is Merry and I live in Collins, Ms. I have been overweight since I was in my early 20's. I would like to be healthier so that I can feel better physically. I would love to be able to play with my grandkids without being out of breath. Getting off of some of my medications has been my greastest reward so far.

JayLe81

Hi I'm Julinda and I live in Hurley, Ms. I have been overweight since the birth of my first child, but steadily got bigger as my other two children came along. After the death of my Dad ( I was a daddy's girl) I put on an extra 36 lbs in 3 years. I have always been a tomboy, I would rather play ball, hunt, or fish rather than shop. I lost all that after I gained so much weight. My oldest Son is 11 and I can't remember the last time I have been able to keep up with things he likes to do. I also have a 6 year old daughter and a 4 year old son. I am working toward a goal of being super active and have challenged myself to each day burn more calories than the day before.

ABetterBalance

Hello, I am Mary-Catherine and I currently live in Meridian, MS. My husband and I grew up in the Jackson/Brandon area and spent the first year of our married life in Biloxi, so I feel like I've been all over the state!

I have been married for 9 years and have two children (an eight-year-old son, Sean, and a six-year-old daughter, Fiona) I am trying to balance family, work (I am an administrative assistant), school (I am attending Holmes CC online), with health and fitness, and it's not always easy!

mandygal13

Hey guys! My name is Mandy and I live in Meridian. I have been overweight since I was about 10, when my parents divorced and I found my comfort in food. I've lost and gained over the years, and I believe this past year I was at my highest ever. After my marriage ended in divorce, I decided it was time to take back control of 'something' and made that my health.

I have a desk job (legal assistant/office manager) and that makes it tough on my rear - which is my problem area. However, since I joined MFP (June 2011) my exercise has helped that start to look better. Besides working full-time, I am going to school full-time to obtain my Bachelor's (Bellevue University on-line program) and am very active in my church. I also sing with the local symphony chorus. I love to laugh, sing and read.

Even with all its trials, my life has been good and I am thankful. I'm so glad to see other Mississippians looking out for their health. It's great to meet all of you!

bobbye95

Thanks so much for the acknowledgement. I love our group. It helps to know that you are not the only one out there doing this.
Love you Merry

MemphisGirl75

Hi, I'm Liz. I live in Southaven, and grew up on the other side of I-55 in Horn Lake (that's the furthest north you can get in Mississippi without being in Memphis). I just found this group and must say it's a great idea! I've never not been fat. Since March 1, 2010, I have lost 82 pounds. My current goal is to lose 5 more by January 1, and an additional 13 by March 1. I would like to have lost 100 pounds by my two year anniversary of beginning this journey.

I work in IT, which means I sit all day. To stay active, I try to run four days a week, with a minimum of 30 minutes each run. Other exercises I do on a regular basis include: the Gazelle, boxing, free weights, and the kettlebell (thanks Biggest Loser).

Feel free to friend me, as I like to meet other like-minded folks on here!

lesha_cole

Hi, I'm Alesha. I'm 24 and I live down in Picayune, literally a hop, skip, and a jump from New Orleans. I can't remember the last time I was small weight wise [probably when I was in elementary school]. I've only been out of college for about the past 14 months but that was one of the roughest periods of my life with being unable to find work for a year. With other things that compounded that situation, I ended up gaining close to 70 lbs.

Now that things have been turning for the better, I figured that this would be the best time to start my weight loss journey.

SLT01

Hey everyone! My name is Shannon and I live in Biloxi. I grew up in an air-force family and we ended up stationed here for 15 years the first time and that is what convinced my father to retire here. I have always struggled with my weight and am finally wanting to do something about it (at 34 years old), I just recently (5 days ago) quit smoking. I have lost 34 pounds so far and I am determined be half of my size by the end of this year (sooner would be nice). I want to change my life for the better and am so happy to see my fellow Mississippians doing the same!

volsfan083

Hello, everyone. My name is Michelle and I live in Laurel. I have been overweight for as long as I can remember. My weight has been a constant up and down since 2006. In 2006, I lost 60 pounds and over the years gained them back plus some. Stress is a big factor in my weight problem, but I have finally gotten that under control. I am a bad stress eater, but have began to learn other ways to deal with stress in my life. I am determined and finally motivated enough to lose this weight and get healthy. Unfortunately, it took losing my Grandmother to cancer to make me realize I had to start taking better care of myself.

I am so excited about this group. It is great to have fellow Mississippians who can better relate to the issues I am facing. I wish everybody good luck. If anyone would like to add me as a friend, feel free to. :happy:

carolturner123

My name is Carol and I live in Leakesville. My weight loss goal is 15 pounds. I have been struggling with my wieght since the birth of my third child last year.
I want to get healthier and happier and I am happy for this group.

debrapeterson

Hi I'm Debra from Pass Christian. I hope I'm doing this correctly not use to this. I will have to figure out how to post my picture later.
I'm 57 married 17 years with a grown daughter and one grandson. I have been on MFP since February and love it. I will try to start posting my loss when I figure that out. Currently I'm at a loss of 13 lbs with a goal to loose at least 50 lbs. I can't find anyone local who enjoys MFP like I do. I keep track of every day in a note book with highlights for overages which is a lot. But this way really motivates me. I do have Rheumatoid Arthritis and issues with my feet. I'm working on getting those resolved and look forward to the day I can walk. I do take 3 flights of stairs a day whenever possible but thats it on exercise. I struggle with water because I love my black coffee. I look forward to joining this blog and visiting with you

debbiems72

Hello, I"m Deborah and I live in DeKalb, but spend most of my time at work and church in Meridian. I have been "stocky" or "big boned" all my life but my weight has gotten worse since I had kids. I joined Weight Watchers last year and kept it up for about 3 months and lost a total of 15 lbs but most of it was water weight so after seeing a dietitian I realized that I needed to make a lifestyle change that I could manage long term.

inetgirl

Hi Everyone!

I'm Susan, I moved to MS in 2005, left in 2010 and moved back in 2011. Currently live in North MS.

I was 225 when I moved to CO and boy was that a culture shock. I quickly decided to lose weight because everyone there is fit. I lost 35 pounds with WW and kept is off. I came back to MS and gained 18lb. Not because of MS but because the old eating habits kicked in. I restarted my weight loss journey January of this year and so far have lost 14lbs. My goal weight is 150-155 however, it really depends on my body fat. I would like to be between 20 - 24%.

I'm 32 , married, and have a 4-legged child who happens to be a shih-tzu. Would love to add MS MFP friends!

awmejia

Hi everyone, my name is April and I live in Fulton, ms. I have been overweight or obese my whole life. I found out last November I weighed 310 lbs. I have been working hard at losing it and like most i need additional support

mossyoakcowgurl

My name is Sara and I'm 28 years old. I live way up north in Senatobia. I'm married with one daughter. I have been struggling with weight since my teenage years and really put it on after my daughter was born. I have been on weight watchers on and off, and Jenny Craig also and neither kept the weight off so here I am

sherry9300

I'm Sherry and I live in Hamilton MS. I am originally from Texas, but have traveled and lived in various places over the past few decades, mostly living in my native Texas and Georgia before moving here in 2008. I have always had a weight that fluctuated and I have lost the same 25 pounds or so over and over again over the past 20 years. What I've discovered is that now that I'm in my 40s, the weight does not come off so easy anymore. I am finally at a good weight, but know that the hard part of this journey is keeping the weight off, so I'm trying to make this my way of life. I also have an eleven year old daughter who is going to struggle with the weight issues, as well. She is beautiful and healthy and I want to keep her that way.

I'm hoping the activity on this board picks up. Would love to learn from you all.

Sherry

katiebeth811

My name is Katie and I'm from Ridgeland! I'm a nurse in labor and delivery. I had a gallbladder attack on memorial day, and had an emergency cholecystectomy. I had to make a major lifestyle change very quickly! I have since started eating much healthier, mostly because I have to. My body, for some reason, can't handle more than 5-6 grams of fat per meal. So I'm trying to branch out in variety, but stay within my allowable limits. So far, I've lost 28 pounds, and I'm down 2 dress sizes and 1 scrub size. I'm very excited about this turn in my life. Sometimes, the world just makes sure that you HAVE to get healthy!

Glad to see so many fellow Mississippians here!

lcumberland

Hello Everyone! My name is Lyndsay and I live in Columbus, MS. I was chubby in middle school and I started cross-country in High School and became slim and fit. I began college and of course, I began to gain weight due to my terrible eating habits and lack of exercise. I went through a bad break-up in college and got back down to my high school weight. I met my wonderful husband during the last year of college and we have been happily married for a little over three years. When he met me, I was 138 (which looks great on me) and by the time I got married two years later, I was 148 (which still looked great on me because I love having curves)! However, today I weighed myself and I am officially at the 200 mark. This morning, my scale said 201. How have a I managed to gain over 50 pounds in three years? I've known about MFP for a while but I am officially getting started today after my terrible weigh-in this morning. I look forward to the encouragement from this group!

Wingnut755

Hello Everyone, my name is Chris and I live in Saucier, MS. I was never a over weight until I crossed the magic 40 number. I'm very athletic, played high school and college ice hockey and still play but in the older bracket. Used to hang around the 180-190 weight now pushing 250. Im tired and sick of my body. Its time to start burning the calories and sweating again. I look forward to the encouragement from this group.

mdsb2012

Hi All,

I'm Melissa from Gulfport. I found myself at 36 divorced and a parent to two girls. I I have being using MFP for over a year now. The first 20 lbs were easy. I stopped for a while and now I'm back. It is past time to make a difference in my health.