Welcome! Introduction

Welcome to MFP Polynesians, People of the Pacific.

Introduce yourself, where you hail from, what you're on MFP for, what your goals are, what you have achieved up to date, and anything else that comes to mind.

Don't be a stranger - enjoy and embrace your journey :)



"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" - Albert Einstein

Replies

  • Hi everyone :happy:
    My name is Charlotte.
    I am a 33 year old Niuean/Cook Island and I live in New Zealand.
    I have 4 beautiful children (2 boys and 2 girls) and a loving supportive husband.
    Recently married in December 2012.
    I am on a mission to change my life style and the way i look. Im sick of looking in the mirror and not liking what i see.
    I am not getting any younger so i really have to stick to it now, especially for my family.
    Im on MFP to help motivate me with my goals and what i want to achieve and to also make new friends who are also on the same sort of mission as i am. :happy:
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Hi Charlotte!

    Welcome and thanks for being the first to post :)

    Good news is that you're still young. Take it from someone on the brink of 40, haha. You can do anything you put your mind to and it's wonderful to discover new limits you never knew you had as you go through this journey.

    I hope we can really support each other and share what works and what doesn't with the whole group. I'm a great motivator. I always see the positive in any situation and try to connect with people with the same mentality. I will help you as much as I can and give some tips I find along the way.

    Thanks again for having us along with you on your journey :)
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Since I started this thing, I should at least make an intro so here goes :)
    sorry for the novel lol

    I lived and worked in one of the most fast paced and energetic cities in the world, NYC. I was a Banker by day, and a hula dancer during off hours and weekends.

    I was constantly active and my lifestyle had me all over the city working, dancing at different venues and events, meeting friends for dinner, boozing and drinking 4 nights a week and brunching every weekend. It was a whirlwind of bars, clubs, restaurants, happy hours, brunches, events, birthdays, and so forth.

    My Facebook was full of pictures of me in different bars with loads and loads of alcohol, food porn, and generally of me living the high life. I was thin and beautiful, my fabulous wardrobe changed every season, and I felt on top of the world. I also found less and less time for the gym.

    The lifestyle I was living led me down a path of self destruction. Partying eventually took it's toll on my body. The weight slowly crept up. Then in 2011, unhappy with myself and my current state, I decided I wanted to leave my job and travel the world - go anywhere but where I was. It felt like I was going through a midlife crisis. Soon I quit my job of 15 years in what was a stupid and rash decision. Six months later I was unemployed, and living with my sister in Pennsylvania. To top it all off, I put on even more weight from non activity and low self esteem.

    By late 2011 i finally got my act together and took a trip to visit family in New Zealand and Samoa for a 2 month vacation. The change of scene was just what I needed. Reconnecting with family was the ignition that sparked my move to Australia 6 months later.

    And so here I am, in a whole new life and environment, trying to counteract the unhealthy lifestyle I lived for so long.

    With that said, I hope to to be inspired, encouraged, and motivated by others. Most importantly, I want to inspire, encourage and motivate others each and every day.

    Paying it forward gives me the greatest rewards.
  • tallulahalice
    tallulahalice Posts: 19 Member
    Hi all,

    I'm 35 and living in Australia, Kiwi by birth and of Samoan/Maori/European descent.

    My family has a sad history of obesity and type 2 diabetes, heart disease, to name a few. And why?? Many of them are genetically blessed with sturdy, healthy bodies and natural athleticism. It doesn't seem right to me, so I'm starting with myself.

    I am here looking for balance, looking to achieve a lifestyle that allows me to have fun, enjoy what I eat and do, feel healthy, and be happy with the way I look. I originally joined up just to drop 5 kgs, but it seems to be turning into something a bit bigger than that.

    So... lovely to meet you all, look forward to hearing more of your stories!

    Ciao :)
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    That's awesome. I was also just doing this to journal my food but it's turned into something more. Thanks for sharing :)
  • primalperson1
    primalperson1 Posts: 21 Member
    So nice to meet you all!
    I live on Oahu. I just moved here a year ago from LA, where I lived for 35 years. I love the tropics after traveling around to many islands around the world, but Polynesia remained my favorite. I needed to work and I wanted to live in the US, so Hawaii was a good choice. I love it here.

    That said I also love Australia and would've moved there had it not been for a few barriers to it.

    I use MFP primarily to track food and to see what others are doing who are trying to eat right. I am learning about paleo/primal
    eating. I really like the people here.

    Carol
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Hi Carol, and welcome!!

    I've been to Oahu several times and have many close friends there. I agree, it's one of the most beautiful and serene places in the world. It's definitely a good place to start in Polynesia :)

    Thank you for posting in and introducing yourself. We're all here for the same thing and encouragement and motivation is one of the key factors of support during this healthy journey. Please feel free to share some success stories, or recommend ideas that has worked for you. If anyone has great advice, please don't hold it to yourself. Sharing is caring :)

    I wish MFP had group notifications, I don't even get notified if a new member joined or posted :( but I do regularly stop by the group page to check :)

    Have a great week guys!!!
  • HELLO EVERYONE!

    My name is Lei. I am a half Samoan, French, & Asian mixed chick. I was born and raised in Hawaii, but moved to Oregon about 3 years ago. Growing up in the islands, I was a chubby kid, but as an adult I was mostly in shape. I was always doing something outdoors, dancing hula & tahitian every week, fishing, hiking, swimming etc. Then when I moved to Oregon with my boyrfriend, we were cold all the time, so we stayed inside the apartment, under the blankets, and ate fast food about 5 times a week. >__< The only places we would go is to work and home. Then BOOM! After 2 years, we went back home to Hawaii for a vacation and I realized when I put my tank top and shorts on, that Ive gained AT LEAST 30lbs!!! Needless to say my Samoan grandmother was not pleased to see me get chunky. lol. I am trying to live a more active and healthier lifestyle here now. Ive lost some weight so far, but I have a reunion coming up soon and I want to so DESPERATELY lose the fat still clinging to my body. So Im currently juicing, eating clean and trying to burn 500 cals per day. :)
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    HELLO EVERYONE!

    My name is Lei. I am a half Samoan, French, & Asian mixed chick. I was born and raised in Hawaii, but moved to Oregon about 3 years ago. Growing up in the islands, I was a chubby kid, but as an adult I was mostly in shape. I was always doing something outdoors, dancing hula & tahitian every week, fishing, hiking, swimming etc. Then when I moved to Oregon with my boyrfriend, we were cold all the time, so we stayed inside the apartment, under the blankets, and ate fast food about 5 times a week. >__< The only places we would go is to work and home. Then BOOM! After 2 years, we went back home to Hawaii for a vacation and I realized when I put my tank top and shorts on, that Ive gained AT LEAST 30lbs!!! Needless to say my Samoan grandmother was not pleased to see me get chunky. lol. I am trying to live a more active and healthier lifestyle here now. Ive lost some weight so far, but I have a reunion coming up soon and I want to so DESPERATELY lose the fat still clinging to my body. So Im currently juicing, eating clean and trying to burn 500 cals per day. :)

    Aloha Lei,

    Thank you for sharing this. I know how crazy it is to have life slip by and one day you're looking at yourself and realize you put on weight. It's going to be a great journey for you especially that you're juicing, eating clean AND exercising. That's a recipe for success. Best of well wishes on your journey, and so glad that we're all here to do it together. Take care and see you around :)

    Mahalo nui loa,
    Liz
  • NZAilsa
    NZAilsa Posts: 11 Member
    Hi everyone

    Ailsa here from Scotland. Home now is Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

    Had a few healthy scares that made me think it was time to do something about my weight and my health overall.
    So started on the exercise bike at home. Lost a bit of weight doing that. Then decided to join the local Snap fitness Gym.
    Really enjoying that.
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Hi everyone

    Ailsa here from Scotland. Home now is Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

    Had a few healthy scares that made me think it was time to do something about my weight and my health overall.
    So started on the exercise bike at home. Lost a bit of weight doing that. Then decided to join the local Snap fitness Gym.
    Really enjoying that.

    Hi Ailsa!

    Wow! 26 kgs lost, that's an amazing feat. Thanks for joining and for sharing your story. Hope this group can get together and help each other to share knowledge, inspire and motivate each other. Hope to see you more on here :)

    Cheers,
    Liz
  • chamorita79
    chamorita79 Posts: 35 Member
    Hi my name is Rhonda. I am 33 and half chamorro(from the island of Guam) and half white or part german, irish and who knows what else lol. I was born on Guam and lived there until I was eight years old. I have spent most of my life living in Washington State.
    I joined MFP in January of 2013 because I was tired of being overweight and unhealthy. I also wanted to set an example for my daughter and to have energy to be able to go on walks with her and play with her. I have lost 30+ pounds since I rejoined MFP in January. I have 140 lbs in mind for my first goal and my ultimate goal would be 120-130 lbs(I am 5'4").
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Hi Rhonda, and welcome!

    Hope you are able to get some helpful and interesting information from this site. It's good to have a new member and I would love to know how you lost 40 lbs!!

    If you need anything, just let me know.

    Feel free to add me :)

    Cheers,
    Liz
  • islandguy425
    islandguy425 Posts: 7 Member
    Hi,

    My name is David I am Samoan just joined the group a couple of days ago. I'm glad to find a group like this for islanders.
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Hi,

    My name is David I am Samoan just joined the group a couple of days ago. I'm glad to find a group like this for islanders.

    Hi David,
    Welcome! Thank you for being part of our group. We are all here for support and motivation. Have a read around, I've comprised many things I've taken from many folks on MFP and put it together to share with everyone. Hope they can help you :)
  • Jerkface4
    Jerkface4 Posts: 36
    Talofa from Samoa.

    I've been struggling with my weight since I was young. Always the biggest in pictures. Ugh. I met my husband and weighed over 200lbs. I got involved in some horrible things and dropped down to 165 in less that 2 months. I cleaned up my act and slowly dropped down to 145 the healthy way. I had never felt more fatter before. I started eating more and more especially late at night and I now find myself 20lbs heavier. I checked out some pictures taken about a year ago and was shocked to see that I was beautiful. For once I was happy with what I looked like and right away got confused as to why I felt fat. Now I'm determined to get back to that weight. I have little motivation from my husband so its all on me.

    Hope this goes well...
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Talofa from Samoa.

    I've been struggling with my weight since I was young. Always the biggest in pictures. Ugh. I met my husband and weighed over 200lbs. I got involved in some horrible things and dropped down to 165 in less that 2 months. I cleaned up my act and slowly dropped down to 145 the healthy way. I had never felt more fatter before. I started eating more and more especially late at night and I now find myself 20lbs heavier. I checked out some pictures taken about a year ago and was shocked to see that I was beautiful. For once I was happy with what I looked like and right away got confused as to why I felt fat. Now I'm determined to get back to that weight. I have little motivation from my husband so its all on me.

    Hope this goes well...

    thanks for that story, we all have self esteem issues that stems with body consciousness. For a long time I was in denial that I was gaining weight. It happened almost overnight and I was shocked when I looked at my pics 6 months later. Hope we can enocurage each other every day!
  • tanzz9
    tanzz9 Posts: 37
    What a great idea for a group, :-)

    I'm Tanya, I'm 32, I'm Maori originally from Wellington now in Australia.

    I have two kids (6 and 2), and really packed on the weight after my second child. My 'this has to change' moment came when I realized I couldn't fit into my 'fat' pants which were already a size 18! I was seriously disgusted, I cried and cried then googled weightloss and found my way here in February of this year. Best thing I have ever done! In the three months ive been here I have lost 13kgs (28pounds :-) pounds sounds so much better!! Lol) and I've happily gone from needing size 20 pants to now wearing loose size 16 pants! Still a while to go yet but I'm confident I can do it (without going hungry!!!).

    I have also discovered a love of exercise, I bike,walk or do c25k 5/6 days a week. Never thought I would like running but it turns out I'm enjoying it! I've also met some of the most supportive people here and I'm really enjoying my weight loss journey!

    I'm very interactive here, log daily, and look forward to getting to know more people :-)
  • oceanicpearl
    oceanicpearl Posts: 5 Member
    Talofa one & all!

    What a great initiative setting up this forum!

    I'm a likeminded Samoan/Niuean Kiwi-born teine who after looking at some reality check pics in November 2012, decided enough is enough and challenged a friend who was wanting to lose weight also to join me in my meltdown with an incentive firmly in place to keep us motivated of an hour long massage at the Hanmer Springs Spa for whoever lost the most by Christmas 2012 ... long story short, I enjoyed my well earned massage and that was just the beginning of great things to come!

    Since then I examined the pitfalls of previous attempts, closed the gaps on them, got REAL (by not trying to be superwoman taking off with a hiss & a roar with eating clean, quitting smoking and shrinking intake of food to one lettuce leaf a day only to bomb out on day 5) and engaged others to share the journey with me.

    Since November I've dropped just over 30kgs with a further 50kgs to goal and training towards shaving off at least a further 10kgs before my big 40th bash in NYC in October so would love to connect with likemindeds and stay motivated together!!!

    Take care, feel free to add me as a friend and if you're in the south island of NZ like me, keep warm!

    Marina :)
  • mznoma6
    mznoma6 Posts: 1
    Hi everybody! My name is Noma & I live in Washington state. I'm Tongan, white, and east Indian. I have 2 children & am twice divorced. I never lost the weight with my youngest child (who is now 9 years old) and I thought it was time I did so. But it's not all about the weight for me. I want to get dressed in the morning & not feel the need to wear spanx. I want to walk up a flight of stairs & not be out of breath & not having my legs touch when I move would be lovely. lol Plus working out makes me less depressed & gives me more energy. I want to be an example to my children so they grow up & don't have the struggles with weight that myself & my family do.
    I've not gotten very far with this though. I work long hours & being a single mother takes a lot of my time as well. I joined to see if I could find people like me. I mean, I can't be the only person trying to find the time to do a 100 things at once. lol
    Well, I'm not sure what else to say but I hope you all have a great day!
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    What a great idea for a group, :-)

    I'm Tanya, I'm 32, I'm Maori originally from Wellington now in Australia.

    I have two kids (6 and 2), and really packed on the weight after my second child. My 'this has to change' moment came when I realized I couldn't fit into my 'fat' pants which were already a size 18! I was seriously disgusted, I cried and cried then googled weightloss and found my way here in February of this year. Best thing I have ever done! In the three months ive been here I have lost 13kgs (28pounds :-) pounds sounds so much better!! Lol) and I've happily gone from needing size 20 pants to now wearing loose size 16 pants! Still a while to go yet but I'm confident I can do it (without going hungry!!!).

    I have also discovered a love of exercise, I bike,walk or do c25k 5/6 days a week. Never thought I would like running but it turns out I'm enjoying it! I've also met some of the most supportive people here and I'm really enjoying my weight loss journey!

    I'm very interactive here, log daily, and look forward to getting to know more people :-)
    Hi Tanya! Good thing we're friends on here it's great to see everyone's personal journey :) thanks for sharing!
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Talofa one & all!

    What a great initiative setting up this forum!

    I'm a likeminded Samoan/Niuean Kiwi-born teine who after looking at some reality check pics in November 2012, decided enough is enough and challenged a friend who was wanting to lose weight also to join me in my meltdown with an incentive firmly in place to keep us motivated of an hour long massage at the Hanmer Springs Spa for whoever lost the most by Christmas 2012 ... long story short, I enjoyed my well earned massage and that was just the beginning of great things to come!

    Since then I examined the pitfalls of previous attempts, closed the gaps on them, got REAL (by not trying to be superwoman taking off with a hiss & a roar with eating clean, quitting smoking and shrinking intake of food to one lettuce leaf a day only to bomb out on day 5) and engaged others to share the journey with me.

    Since November I've dropped just over 30kgs with a further 50kgs to goal and training towards shaving off at least a further 10kgs before my big 40th bash in NYC in October so would love to connect with likemindeds and stay motivated together!!!

    Take care, feel free to add me as a friend and if you're in the south island of NZ like me, keep warm!

    Marina :)
    Hi Marina, I hear you on that. Going on 40 too so it's high time to get my body in order before its too late. I'd be happy to recommend some spots for you to visit in NYC, that's where I'm celebrating next year too, it'll be good to go home :)
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Hi everybody! My name is Noma & I live in Washington state. I'm Tongan, white, and east Indian. I have 2 children & am twice divorced. I never lost the weight with my youngest child (who is now 9 years old) and I thought it was time I did so. But it's not all about the weight for me. I want to get dressed in the morning & not feel the need to wear spanx. I want to walk up a flight of stairs & not be out of breath & not having my legs touch when I move would be lovely. lol Plus working out makes me less depressed & gives me more energy. I want to be an example to my children so they grow up & don't have the struggles with weight that myself & my family do.
    I've not gotten very far with this though. I work long hours & being a single mother takes a lot of my time as well. I joined to see if I could find people like me. I mean, I can't be the only person trying to find the time to do a 100 things at once. lol
    Well, I'm not sure what else to say but I hope you all have a great day!
    Hi Noma,
    Good to have you on here. I'm happy to see more of our people on MFP and getting healthier. It's a great site to support each other and share in our journey. Welcome :)
  • oceanicpearl
    oceanicpearl Posts: 5 Member
    :smile: TGIF!
  • oceanicpearl
    oceanicpearl Posts: 5 Member
    Talofa one & all!

    What a great initiative setting up this forum!

    I'm a likeminded Samoan/Niuean Kiwi-born teine who after looking at some reality check pics in November 2012, decided enough is enough and challenged a friend who was wanting to lose weight also to join me in my meltdown with an incentive firmly in place to keep us motivated of an hour long massage at the Hanmer Springs Spa for whoever lost the most by Christmas 2012 ... long story short, I enjoyed my well earned massage and that was just the beginning of great things to come!

    Since then I examined the pitfalls of previous attempts, closed the gaps on them, got REAL (by not trying to be superwoman taking off with a hiss & a roar with eating clean, quitting smoking and shrinking intake of food to one lettuce leaf a day only to bomb out on day 5) and engaged others to share the journey with me.

    Since November I've dropped just over 30kgs with a further 50kgs to goal and training towards shaving off at least a further 10kgs before my big 40th bash in NYC in October so would love to connect with likemindeds and stay motivated together!!!

    Take care, feel free to add me as a friend and if you're in the south island of NZ like me, keep warm!

    Marina :)
    Hi Marina, I hear you on that. Going on 40 too so it's high time to get my body in order before its too late. I'd be happy to recommend some spots for you to visit in NYC, that's where I'm celebrating next year too, it'll be good to go home :)

    Hey Liz
    Just booked tickets to climb Lady Liberty in October up to the crown - excited!!!
    Would love to get some tips on must do sights & experiences in NYC please :)
    Will be doing the usual tourist attractions but also keen on experiencing a day in the life of a New Yorker away from the usual tourist traps :)
    When are you celebrating your 40th up there? Imagine if we're there at the same time ... would be rude not to catch up for a virgin cosmopolitan hehe!
    Keep up the great workouts :)

    Hope everyone else here are going hard & keeping it clean (as can be)!
  • eag264
    eag264 Posts: 116
    Hey girl, wow that's awesome news!!! So excited for you :) NYC is an awesome place to be. There's so much to do not to mention foodie spots to visit heheh. I'm gonna send you an inbox soon!!! ciao :)