Introductions? :)

quietasariot

Should we do introductions? I'll start... I am Kelly, I'm 27 years old. I have been married for 8 years to my wonderful husband, Brandon, and we have two daughters. We are both full time students (he was a Marine for 9 years and got out in 2010) . I have one semester to go until I earn my AA in Social Science, then we'll see where to go from there....

I have been overweight (...obese, according to BMI) for all of my 20s. I got married at 19 and weighed about 175 pounds. I put on weight pretty quickly after that; especially once I got pregnant and had my daughter. I didn't know how to treat my new body nor did I care for exercise because it seemed too hard... or too daunting, I suppose. I was always extremely thin, how should I know how to exercise or eat right?!
I'm also an impatient person, so when I didn't see 20 pounds come off the first month I would give up. Rather absurd, lol.

I guess the "a ha!" moment came when I realized I had lost a little weight simply by being less sedentary and not eating fast food as often. I had also weighed myself for the first time in a long time, and was horrified that I weighed 230 pounds. Then I learned my high school reunion was coming up (this June, 10 years)... and realized.. I can't go to my reunion 100 pounds heavier than I was at graduation! It's just not going to happen! I knew I had to start exercising and eating better!

My mother in law offered up a challenge for herself, me, and her daughter: lose weight. Specifically, lose 2 sizes in a year and get x amount of money for a shopping spree. Lose 2 sizes, FIRST, and get an extra chunk. To be quite honest I didn't care about the money. Mostly because I hate clothes shopping lol. Well... here we are, not quite a year later and I have lost 3 sizes (4? 20 to a 14?). I have been given the money because I did it first and I did it well. (nobody else really stuck with it).

So in November of 2011 I began slowly. I worked on bringing my mile time down on the elliptical. I would do a mile, then be done. In January I reached an 8 minute mile, on the elliptical, from a nearly 18 minute mile. I increased my time not only on the elliptical but branched out onto the treadmill and stationary bike. I have lifted weights fairly regularly throughout this process. This is by far the longest I've ever "stuck" with exercise and let me tell you, I can't and won't give up. Exercise is my drug, lol. You can see how much weight I've lost on my ticker.

When I weighed in at 230 pounds it was Easter of last year. I am guessing I'll lose another pound by Easter (this coming Sunday).

I have gained a lot from exercising - that is, I have gained confidence, motivation, and happiness. It almost makes me cry (almost, not quite) to think I am now in a size 14 instead of a 20.

I decided to switch things up a bit since my lovely apple waist and hips don't want to budge, and added the 30 day shred in to my workout yesterday. I remember when I first did it a few years ago. I stuck with it but it never felt easy, it was so hard to do and I hated it. Yesterday... it was great. It wasn't awful, it wasn't hard, and I only hated it when the jumping rope part came up . I'm hoping adding the 30DS in will help my tummy out a bit.

I also got Vibrams (five finger running shoes) and for the first time ever my shins didn't hurt during or after a run. I didn't need to ice or heat or take anything... I was simply, and AM, not in pain at all. My thighs are a touch sore because there are muscles that will be worked now that were not being worked.

So... that's it... for now, I think! If you got through that, yay! congratulations! lol.

galaxyhearts

Soooo. I'm Michelle. I'm 23 and I just moved from NJ to Vermont.

I'm a graphic designer/artist

I've been overweight and/or obese my entire life and I am disgusted by it so I am trying to change. I wasn't so bad but the past 2 years I gained a LOT of weight. I'm really short, only 5'3" and I weighted 237 pounds But now, I am down to 210 and still working really hard.

My goal weight is 130 and my ultimate goal is to wear a bikini because I've never been small enough to do that.

Sorry this was so short. LOL

miss_september

Howdy! My name is September, I am 28 and have been overweight/clinically obese for as long as I can remember. I was always quite active in my early years, but got lazy after high school. I was always the “smart kid,” and tended to have a fairly large selection of friends from the “nerds” and other “misfits” of school. I was always attracted to the underdogs =-). I never went on a date or had a romantic interest until a few months before my 21st birthday. I tended to wear my hair very short and dress in baggy jeans and hoodies—always from the men’s department because living in Alaska, there were never options for cute, stylish, or pretty clothes for younger, large girls, so I just wore what I could and hid as much as I could under baggy clothing. Since I’ve always been pretty active, especially being into biking, indoor rock climbing, and figure skating, plus working out with the high school football team and taking sports condition classes, I figured I was just destined to be fat, with broad shoulders, no *kitten*, and no hips. While I had a very low self-esteem, I just accepted it.

Into my 20s, I started to travel outside of Alaska, and found that there were actually places that carried cute, trendy clothes for larger, younger women. How exciting that was! I started to dress more feminine, and while I still kept my hair short, I started to bleach it and make it all spiky and trendy (at the time). I still figured that I would never get married or have a serious relationship, but I finally began to explore the world of intimate relationships…and had a lot to learn in a short amount of time.

I met my husband 8 years ago, just after my 21st birthday. He was the first person I ever met in my life (outside of my family) who told me I was beautiful and meant it. To this day, he still tells me I am the most beautiful woman in the world…and it still makes me blush! He was around 280 pounds when I first met him, and I was probably 215-220. We, of course, gained weight together initially, him getting up to 300-310, me up to 250…but since we did it together, I don’t think it really fazed either of us. About, probably 5 years ago, I decided I wanted to start riding bicycles again, and bought one. So, he bought one too and we started riding…a ton! We’d average between 30 and 70 miles a weekend on our bikes. But…we weren’t watching what we were eating. I’ve never eaten particularly unhealthy, just way too much, and his eating habits got a lot better after we first started seeing each other, but was also terrible at portion control. Anyway, biking turned into other types of working out, and for the next couple years, we worked out but ate whatever we wanted.

Three years ago I decided I wanted to sign up for an all-women’s triathlon event (the Gold Nugget Triathlon). He was very encouraging, and we started training. My only goal that first year was to complete the event, and not be in last place in my age group. I did it, and came in second to last too =-). The following fall, something inside me just clicked and I decided I wanted to try to lose weight, so I started working with a nutritionist. In the first month of counting calories, I lost 20 lbs and we started changing our eating lifestyle and working out again. Our weightloss stopped after that fall, but we managed to keep the weight off over the following year, during which we finally got married =-). After Christmas this past December, I decided to try losing more weight and came across mfp. I started around 230, and my husband was probably around 260-275 when I started counting calories back in January. Today I have lost 23 lbs, putting me at 207, and he is down to 236. Oh, and I am 5' 6", and he is 6' 2" (and also a fellow apple =-)).

This is the only time in my life I have been able to lose weight, keep losing weight, and keep weight off. I am so excited, and looking forward to experiencing my own body thin for the first time in my life.

Sorry this got so long…I guess I just decided to share =-).

kkomar3

Hello!!! I'm Karen and I'm 41 and 10.5/12th....from Winnipeg, MB, Canada...what is my story. Well, I've been overweight (obese) all my life - except for a few years here and there that is. During my 20's I went to the gym, but was was still always overweight - could never seem to lose the big belly. After a failed engagement I decided to lose the weight and went to Weight Watchers - which was great, lost about 45 lbs - but still had the belly urgh - and met someone and got "comfortable." which led to a 60lb weight gain. When that relationship ended 7 years later I found myself nearing my 40's (thank god no health problems) and decided I really needed to do something about this once and for all! So I joined a gym (loved it), and followed WW on my own this time. And I lost all the weight in about a year and a half. Met someone new which was a turbulant relationship which I had ended last summer and found myself up 15 lbs. But I met someone else (still with) and went out a lot, started missing the gym, started not watching what I ate and found myself stepping on the scale this morning weighing in at 184.6. My top weight was 201 lbs, but I am also short at 5'4"....Anyone see a pattern here LOL...So this time I'm trying something new. Getting back to the gym 5x a week, NO EXCUSES!!! I mean I watch The Biggest Loser eating ice cream and I'm wondering why I look this way???? Time to take control again, time to keep in control. The something new is this website and tracking calories instead of Points. Learning to love my body at any size - and my belly/flat butt - and get back to my goal weight of 140 (which I still had a belly at - now if I could just move that belly fat to my breasts I will be one happy camper!!! )

Well that's my story...

Congratulations to all on their weight loss, I know it is not easy and you all will be my inspiration that I can do this!!

Nikstergirl

Hello Apples!!!

I'm Nikki, I'll be 40 in 11 days... and I've been an apple from a family of apples forever. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

I wasn't really heavy in High School, but I wasn't particularly fit or trim either. I hid in oversized clothes (it was the 80's, everything was oversized, especially the hair!) and just dealt with what I figured was just the way I was. Went to college and gained a ton. I was already engaged to my husband (we met when I was 16, he was 21) in college so I just ate and drank and did whatever I wanted with no regard to "dating" or finding a guy, I already had him and he loved me! So about 6 months before our wedding I realized I was going to be a fat bride. I joined WW and did well, getting about 30ish pounds off before the big day and felt pretty good! After that we got REALLY comfy... I've had two babies (who are now 16 and 13) and two years ago I was again weighing in at 182 (I'm only 5'2") so I knew it was time to do something. My Dad died the year before I was married, mostly from heart disease and also alcoholism and smoking and now my Mom is really heavy and unhealthy and diabetic. I knew if I didn't change soon I wouldn't have the chance, so on Mother's Day in 2010 I started C25K. I did great with that and ran a couple 5k's that year and moved up in distance after that. I wasn't really watching my diet, so I only lost about 15-20 pounds until I rediscovered MFP last year in Jan 2011. Since then I've lost another 30-35 pounds, added strength training and have gotten in the best shape of my life!

Monday I'm starting P90X and I can't wait to see if I can finally get this tummy gone. It's my one big hurdle left to having the body I want. I know I'll never be that curvy womanly figured girl, but I can do the best I can with what God gave me. Muscles will have to be my thing!!! I currently love my legs, and my arms are coming along, but this darn belly won't go anywhere! Don't get me wrong, I'm loving my size (I'm wearing a 4, started at a 16) but this tummy ruins certain outfits!!!!

Good luck to us all... apples can be sexy... we are going to prove that!!!!

quietasariot

Hi Nikki!! A 4 from a 16, that's inspiring!! Awesome reading everyone's intro posts

Celeigh12

Hi all! I'm Ceci and I am 40. I am a tall apple (6 ft) and come from a long line of apples. My mom described it as being shaped like a potato on toothpicks, but apple is a bit more flattering, isn't it? I've battled my weight since high school, but way back then it was a skirmish and now it's a full on war.

I have lost over 100 pounds twice before in my life. I'm embarrassed to have regained so much weight twice and never wanted to be "that person", but determined this time to make lasting changes. My mom died suddenly about a year ago and it was a wake up call for me (well, after I gained 40 pounds emotionally eating). She also struggled with her weight for years and never did anything about it. Her obesity was a factor in her death at 69 and I realized that while I was still relatively healthy (minus the weight of course), I was fooling myself if I thought my body could withstand the impact of this much extra weight for many more years. A couple of months ago I turned 40 and I was hit with the realization that it was not going to get any easier from here. And I also have PCOS (a plague a lot of apples suffer with) and I know my symptoms improve upon losing weight, so there is that motivation as well.

So, I'm doing things differently this time. I'm eating more for one. 1300 calories a day is not sustainable for me long term, nor healthy even short term. It's going to take longer, but my hope is that I can eat like this forever. I'm exercising daily too (with my beloved Fitbit).

I really dislike being an apple shape and the only way to fix that is to lose the weight. I'll never have a waist or a chest or a rear, but I would be happy to be a healthy and fit ruler!

fourluvbugs

Yay Apples! I can tell already that you are an amazing group of women and I am so excited to get to know you. Thank you for starting such an awesome introduction thread Kelly.

I posted a little bit about myself earlier, but since everyone is sharing their stories here I want add mine as well.

Let's see..... I'm Becca and I'll be 40 in December. I haven't always struggled with my weight, though I've rarely been happy with it, if that makes sense?

I was a competitive swimmer in high school logging many miles a week and with the body to go with it. After I went to college I stopped swimming and took up drinking as well as managing my own eating plan for the first time ever instead of eating whatever my mom cooked. My parents are both heavy. Their parents are/were all heavy. We love food. So now that I was choosing my own foods for the first time, I was just eating what I liked.... oreos and coke for breakfast anyone? Thankfully I did a lot of walking and that helped combat the horrid choices. I think I was around a size 8-10 all through college though I thought I was fat, partly due to my tummy and lack of waist definition. I never had the body I wished I had.

After college I went to law school. Wash, rinse and repeat the habits that I set in college and add on a few more pounds. When I graduated I was a solid 10 and wearing 12s for fat jeans. No idea what I weighed at this point because, obviously, it wasn't important to me.

I got engaged right out of law school, bought a scale, and tried Atkins to lose a few pounds for the wedding. I lost a few, but was oh so sick the entire time since my Atkins choices were things like bacon and cheese. Because I owned a scale by then I can tell you that I weighed 147 when we got married. Which was when the trouble truly started to set in. The hubby and I gained weight together. I would eat when he was eating whether I was hungry or not. We'd often split whatever it was despite the fact that I'm 5'6" and he is 6'1". Plus I got a high stress job in a law firm where someone was always having a birthday or a dish of candy and I was always sharing whatever it was. Lunches out? Count me in! Drinks after work? Yes please!

And then I got pregnant which was of course a reason to indulge my every whim food-wise. Three months after our son was born I weighed 187 and was utterly disgusted with myself. I joined WW and was successful. I got my weight down to 153 in about 6 months, made it to the holidays and promptly got pregnant again. And gained all the weight back. Rejoined weight watchers but didn't commit. Then two more pregnancies. By the I delivered my fourth baby in six years I weighed almost exactly 200 pounds. Unfortunately, while I was going through all these pregnancies my husband was turning himself into an alcoholic and his alcoholism was raging by the time I'd had the fourth baby. I dealt with the worry and stress of that by eating all sorts of comforting foods. Hold that pattern for just over three years, add a little more weight to me.

About a year ago he stopped drinking to save our marriage. Cold turkey, never once complained. I am beyond impressed with his self control and fortitude. I never thought he could do it. And I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for things to get ugly again, for him to fall off the wagon. But he hasn't. And two months ago he showed me how loose his jeans are. He has lost a lot of weight by not drinking all those calories anymore.

And that was it for me. If he can stop drinking, I can lose weight. Our marriage is well, our children are happy, I feel like I can focus on me now. I don't need to be everything to everyone in order to keep my world from crashing down. So I found MFP. And I bought a treadmill and started C25K. My starting weight was 207, my heaviest ever pregnant or not, but I'll never see that number again. And when I manage to be a size 10 or a size 8 apple, I think I'll be able to do a much better job of loving the body I'm in. I'll never love being an apple, but its who I am and I think I can be ok with that.

Holy long post! Sorry about that, I guess I'm feeling share-y, too. This is the first time I've written it all out and I'm glad that I did.

quietasariot

Becca, that is truly wonderful! All of it. It can be such a struggle to lose weight/change your life (re: alcoholism - my husband went through a period of time where he may as well have just had an IV drip of alcohol...) and it's often pretty hard to do it alone. Glad all of us apples are in this together!

fourluvbugs

@Kelly ****like**** I'm glad we're in it together, too!

Nikstergirl

Ladies, I can tell I'm going to like you all already!!! Yay!!!

fourluvbugs

(fluttering my eyelashes at Nikki) I have girl crushes on all of you already!

brendacs21

My name is Brenda and im an APPLE! Ive never been thin not even in high school . I'm 32 yo and 5'2 at about 156 right now. my heaviest was 187 yikes! and my lowest was 140. For right now my goal is 130 Ive been married for 12 yrs and have an 11yo and a 1.5 yo! I live in Dallas Texas . Mavericks fan all the way! so happy to meet all you ladies!

AmyEm3

My name is Amy and I'm a 5'4" 34yo SAHM with 3 kids (8, 6, and 3). My mom was an apple and her mom was an apple too.

Let's see...I was not overweight until after I started having kids. I was a healthy weight in high school but had a belly then and I know I wanted to lose weight. I didn't gain all that much while pregnant with my kids---I gained more AFTER they were born than during pregnancy. I lost some weight after my 2nd child and got down to about 145. Then I had our third and after she was born I got up to 180. I started losing last May and lost 45lbs by mid-December.

I've been stuck in the plateau from hell since December. Well, if I'm truly honest it's probably more complacency rather than a plateau. I've been slacking with being diligent about tracking calories and eating more than I should. I started P90X two months ago and I've been eating so much and it's sort of an out of control eating almost. I've been maintaining between 135 and 140, usually 137-138.

I want to get down to maintain between 125 and 130.

I also run a fair amount--last week I completed my 300th mile for the year so far. I want to do at least 1000 for 2012. I've been averaging 25 miles per week. I'm going to do a 10k in a month and my first half marathon (hopefully!) in August, the day before I turn 35. While I've been eating so much during these past few months I've made really good progress with my running. I can run my first mile in 7 minutes or a little more. When I run 5-6 miles I can usually average an 8 minute mile. I ran 10 miles recently in 87 minutes and I was pretty proud of that. I can only run like that when I eat a ton though but of course I can't lose these last ten pounds while I'm eating a ton.

I do an occasional Jillian Michaels dvd too. I have a bunch of her dvds--30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, No More Trouble Zones, Killer Buns and Thighs, 6 Week 6 Pack, Extreme Shed and Shred.

I'm pretty happy with my body except for my belly area. I still look pregnant. My stomach is WRECKED in so many ways. My kids were huge at birth and my stomach got ginormous with each one. It's covered in stretch marks and I have this terrible c-section overhang of skin that will never go away without surgery. Still working on chipping away at the belly fat but that skin isn't going anywhere.

Hmmm, what else? I also like to garden---but wow have I been slacking with that lately. Besides running, my other hobbies include baseball and reading.

To those of you you mentioned husbands that were alcoholics/used to drink a lot...unfortunately I can relate to that too. My husband has cut back but it's still an issue for me. I'm trying to be patient and he IS making strides...but has a way to go still. He's lost 25lbs since cutting back and I'm hoping that this weight loss helps him to cut back even more.

Well, that's my book!!

eta: I think I'm going to finish this first 90 day round of P90X and then drop my calories back more to try to lose the last 10lbs.

quietasariot

Amy - I also gained more after my daughters were born! Well - with my youngest, I nursed her for 14 months so I ate basically whatever I wanted and lost weight (I got to about 187lbs, 215 the day she was born) I figured it was being burned off anyway. When she stopped nursing... I kept eating the same and gained all of it back!

Welcome everyone This is so awesome.

fourluvbugs

*waves* Hi Brenda! Welcome!

@Amy, I glossed over how truly horrific it was during the worst of my husband's hard drinking time and I want you to know that I relate to what you are going through now and how difficult it is. If you ever need someone to vent to, a shoulder to lean on, or just want to talk with someone who has been there and won't judge either one of you, I'm here. I love that you are a runner and so far ahead of me on this journey. 45 pounds is no small thing! Be proud! And be proud that you are maintaining rather than gaining. I have faith that if you buckle back under and do what you know you need to, you will get where you want to be.

aprilshowers13

Hi ladies:flowerforyou: My name is April and I'm a mother to a 4yr old and we live in the Dallas area.

My apple journey started when I went off to college. I never had a problem with my weight in high school, in fact I was quite small. I was more of ruler shape with a full chest. But even when I was small I was not satisfied with with my body because I didn't have much booty. I gained the Freshman 15 my first year of college and kept that trend until I graduated.

Before I had my son, my weight fluctuated alot. I noticed when I had a boyfriend, I didn't care about my size. When I was single, it was time to lose weight and fortunately for me it was easy to lose at the time.

I had my son in 2008 and I went back to work soon after. For some reason I thought the weight would melt off since I was on my feet alot at work and nursing. It wasn't until I found mfp I soon realized that my eating was holding my me back.

I've lost around 30lbs since June 2010 and kept it off. Currently I weigh 163lb at 5'8. In my opinion I carry my weight well, but its my midsection that needs work and that's the last place where I lose inches. I'm hoping that when I get down to 150lb I'll be satisfied with my body.

miss_september

@Kelly, Becca, Amy: My husband is a recovered alcoholic (is that the way to say it?), when we met 8 years ago he drank...A LOT. Then, about a year or so after we met, he and his twin brother had a really, really bad night and it gave them a wake-up call as to how their drinking was putting them on a downward spiral, and how it wasn't just the drinking, it was the fact that they couldn't just have a drink, one always lead to more than one should consume...anyway, they both quit cold turkey, and neither has had a relapse since. We all realize it is a possibility any day, but so far so good. All of you are very strong to be dealing with it, and if I can be of any help please let me know =-).

Nikstergirl

Wow, some of you have had to deal with a lot with those husbands... and while I don't have a drinking husband, I can relate. I grew up with an alcoholic father and step-father. It completely sucks and it was hard not to blame my Mom for marrying the second one. I understand why she left my Dad, but when she married my step-dad he seemed ok, but then he got really bad for a long time. Fortunately, now he's been sober for about 10 years and things are much better, but it got really bad there for a while. He's been married to my Mom now for 30 years and those first 20ish were horrible.

Good luck to you all and I really hope those men realize how good they have it to have women there for them who are awesome! Sounds like they do, but it's not bad when they remember just how awesome you girls are!!! Keep strong!!!

JacksonMomto3

So, I am Stephanie (Steph for short), I am 32 years old. Been married to my best friend, Brian, for 14 years on the 12th. We have three beautiful kids; Brittany (13), Jordan (11), and Conner (7). We are from Wilmington, NC., currently living in Hope Mills, NC (outside of Fayetteville, NC), but will be back in Wilmington this summer.

I have always been that short/petite person, never had a weight issue, until I got pregnant with my third child. With each child, I gained a healthy amount of weight, and post pregnancy, I was always only a few pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight...until my third child. I went from a healthy 128lbs to 152lbs with him....I went in for my 6 week post appointment and was 146lbs! I was 2 months shy of turning 25 (whereas with my first two, I was 18 and 20 when I had them)...needless to say I was shocked (considering he was 7.4lbs when he was born) that I was so closer to my pregnancy weight, rather than my pre-pregnancy weight like with my other two. From then my weight just took a life of its own.

Between 2007-2008 I went back to work part-time for about 9 months, and I lost 27lbs during that time (165lbs-138lbs), just by working. But once I quit, the weight came back on as quickly as it left. I will say, my 6 month looking belly looked exactly the same whether I was 138lbs or 175lbs (as I was in Feb).

I am at my heaviest now (well I was in February)...175lbs (currently floating between 172-174).....and I am sick of it. I am 32 years old now, and the 30lbs that I have gained in the past 4 years is unacceptable to me.

I am currently in a size 12 jeans and an XL shirt; I want to be able to wear nice tops, without having to worry about my big belly. All my extra weight is in my waist and above; I still have nice looking legs (although I would like my thighs to be smaller)...but because I am so short (5'3) there is no where for the extra 50lbs to go, so its stored mainly in my stomach.

February 15th I started Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred...I completed that March 23rd. No pounds lost, but I did manage to lose 6 inches overall (neck, waist, bust, hips). I started Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 on March 26th, and am currently doing that, although I did slack off this past week with Level 2 (AKA: Week 2). Today was measurement day since we are halfway done, and I have lost 2½ inches off my waist and 4 lbs since starting Ripped in 30. So I am hoping to continue with working out and keeping up with the drive to get my waist smaller, since I am concentrating more on that, than the scale.

curvacious85

I've never responded to ANY discussion/forum/topic dealie ever before, so here goes!

I'm Noël, 27 year old high school social worker and my life is psycho (but I love what I do)!

In high school I was always pretty much the same weight; being 5'9 somewhere around 180ish? I'm not real sure, I never weighed myself, but it was not pretty. Then my senior year I changed schools and thought, "hey, great time to lose weight for new people!" so I did, got down to about 160. I didn't have muscle so I still thought I was fat, and being in an emotionally abusive relationship didn't help. Either way, college came about and I gained... well... more than the freshman 15, and ended up at my largest weight ever: 210. I saw pictures and CRIED and hated myself. Time for a change again. So, sophomore year in college I joined a women's rugby team at THE ohio state university and got back down somewhere between 160 and 170, but I was TONED! oh my was I toned. Well, that lasted a year, I loved rugby but it got pricy, and as a poor college student joining rugby again was not an option. So junior and senior year of college was back to the 180s maybe 190s even.

So long story short, I've been stuck what seems like forever within the same weight range. I would love to be down to 160 again, which is my first goal, but hitting a 150 mark would be amazing! In reality, I just want to wear smaller clothes and feel awesome in them. This is the year!!! I have great support from my amazing boyfriend and close friends. I've been doing MFP on a daily basis instead of before doing it once in a while or lying to myself about what I was eating. Now I've officially got a gym membership and have been working out at least 5 times a week, and if I miss a day I begin to freak out!! I do classes at the gym (BodyPump, Step, Kickboxing, etc) and it is way more fun than just the elliptical that I used to do. I go with friends that are also on MFP and they are my motivation, whether they know it or not. I even recently purchased a Polar HRM to really see what I am burning!

Like I said, THIS. IS. THE. YEAR.

When I was at the doctor last October, the scale said 200. NOT. ACCEPTABLE. so, as of January 4th, I have been living a new life! When I started MFP (again) in January I weighed 190. Now, I'm happy to say my scale said 178.8 as of yesterday morning, and even though it is a slow weight loss, it's still a weight LOSS, and I have definitely been burning inches! The only problem: midsection. That's how I realized I was an "apple" shape! I still have my times where I get down on myself, saying I'll never lose weight or I still look the same as before, but then I look at pictures or the clothes I'm wearing and I put myself back in check.

Reading everyone else's posts gives me motivation, so thank you all for being honest and allowing everyone to share the journey with you! If you would like to be friends with me I'd be friends with you!! I prefer if you have a viewable diary so we can keep each other motivated, but at least be someone that signs in DAILY! I have friends that don't sign in for months at a time, that gets annoying. why be on MFP?!

Anyways, thanks for reading!