Introduce yourselfs
Replies
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*Waives* Hi everyone!
I'm Kjrsten, yes, that IS a 'j'. (Said like "KER-S-TEN" - yay for Norwegian heritage and their strange way of spelling things) I'm 25, will be 26 in less than 2 weeks, and I live in Spokane Washington. I was at my heaviest last summer, and then I met my boyfriend, who is so active it's not even funny. I lost about 10 lbs or so, and 'thought' I knew what my weight was. Well when I went into the Dr. to get started on BC, I was in tears when I left because of what the scale said. It was about 70lbs higher than what I thought. I was so sick to my stomach, and so sick with myself. I went into the whole "I'm not going to eat because I'm so depressed" phase, and my weight just stayed the same. Earlier this summer, my grandfather passed away from a heart attack. I hadn't spoken to him in about 12 years, but it was still very sad. He was heavily obese, and had diabetes. That was kind of an eye opener for me that I need to do something about it. Sad how tragedy makes your eyes open. I slowly started to change my eating habits, but not enough I suppose. Weight wasn't coming off, but it wasn't adding either, so that's good. Around the end of July, enough was enough and I just snapped. Something in me clicked and on August 1st, I went out and bought the dreaded evil scale, and have really changed my eating habits. I cut out soda completely, I've added a lot more fruits and vegetables to my diet, I for a walk every night, that ranges from 30 minutes to an hour, sometimes even longer. The toughest thing for me has been finding the motivation to go out and exercise. But each day gets a little easier. My boyfriend's parents have a stationary bike that was just sitting collecting dust in their basement, and they offered it to me to use. I gladly accepted the offer, and we've had it for a couple of days. I'm hoping that having that will increase / boost the weight loss.
Being on MFP has really helped me see the errors I've made in the past when I've tried to drop weight before, and the support and encouragement I see people providing everyone truly does make a difference. I'm determined to drop at least 100lbs, but am taking things a day and a pound at a time.
I wish you all the best of luck on our weight loss journey, and remember, we CAN do this!!
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Happy belated birthday!!!I may be the oldest so far....I'm 44 years old...
I've got you beat...I turned 52 yesterday!
My name is Teresa and I am 5'3" and currently weigh about 220. I say "about" because I suddenly put on 2 lbs on Tuesday and haven't lost it yet...but I have been working on my weight since May and have lost nearly 50 lbs.
My goal is to get to 120, which is what I weighed before I got pregnant with my first child 27 years ago.0 -
Hi everybody, I am Stephanie. I currently way 303. My highest was 314 and I last hit that in early June. I am a single mom to two boys 13 &15, working full-time and taking master's classes. I feel like i I am sitting all the time - at work, driving boys to activities, at church, studying for school. I have to make a conscious effort to get active because my busy life doesn't open opportunities often. I am committed to losing weight and when I way, I accept it and commit to never seeing that number again.0
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Greetings, I'm Sandy (feel free to sing the song from Grease, just not in my presence... LOL :happy: ). I'm a talker, I will admit that personality trait freely and never deny it - so this will be long-winded I'm sure. My apologies to everyone on the thread. LOL
I just recently turned 42... but I'm not sure I actually feel that age. I still remember in high school thinking that 40 was ANCIENT. Now I laugh at that... Whatever! You think! :glasses: I feel better about my outlook on life now than I ever have - and I really believe that a lot of that stems from turning 40, and continuing the journey into my 40s.
I've fought with my weight my whole life, but the worst of it started after I graduated from high school. I was very active in my younger years, playing soccer was my passion - but back in the early 80's it was very difficult to find a girls team to play on (the tiny soccer league that was in my area at that time wouldn't allow co-ed soccer teams after you reached the age of 12), and by the time I was 17, I was already moving towards my first career of professional couch potato and connoisseur of fast food and pasta loaded with cheese. My self esteem was plummeting at an alarming rate, while my weight (and pant size) was going in the opposite direction - at almost the same rate of speed. Having relationships with guys who couldn't seem to see the seriously awesome person I was on the inside didn't help either. I was eating my way through depression, and I didn't even know I was depressed, because I was still hanging out with great friends, partying, laughing and having a pretty good time.
In 1999, I decided to try Taekwon-Do because I'd always wanted to learn a martial art but didn't know which one I would like the best. My best friend was already a 2nd degree black belt in TKD and after taking a 7-year break was starting back up again... so I joined with him. Why someone who weighed closed to 300 lbs would join a martial art that involves a great deal of jumping (flying and mid-air kicks are a staple in TKD) is anybody's guess - because let me tell you... it wasn't fun on the joints and the knees. But I had a blast, found something I was really starting to love, and lost a few pounds because of it. However, because my eating habits never really changed, neither did my pant size. In 2002, I finally quit TKD because my heart wasn't in it anymore and I didn't want to waste my time, or even more importantly, my instructor's time, by continuing.
By December 2005, I'd reached my highest (recorded) weight of 316.7 lbs. I was standing on the scale, just staring at that number in disbelief when the tears started...:sad: and they didn't stop for 45 minutes. I was curled up in a ball on my couch, sobbing my eyes out at what I'd allowed myself to become. It was a wake-up call for me, and I ended up begging my Mom (angel that she is) to help me.... that I didn't want to die (because that's exactly what I felt was going to happen to me if I didn't take the weight off). She helped me pay for a membership with Medifast - and I took off 45 pounds in 4 months. I felt amazing - but I changed jobs and ended up working around people that either one, didn't care what they ate, or two, could eat pretty much whatever they wanted and not gain an ounce. Not an excuse, but it sure didn't help my weight-loss efforts to constantly be around people who were eating greasy cheeseburgers and french fries while I was eating (or drinking) and 8 ounce cup of food. 6 months later I joined Nutri-Systems... much better choice, as you're actually eating food.. and pretty good food too. But I quit that too (I was great at quitting and starting stuff... but I'm getting better!!)... mostly because it's pricey, and I'm not made of money.
In 2009 I found that I really wanted to get back in to TKD... the need was there again, and this time around, I felt like I would stay for good. Because my best friend had his own TKD school by then, and was a 5th degree black belt, I decided to ask him to be my instructor, to which he readily agreed... he was really excited and happy that I was returning. The aches and pains that accompanied my decision were just awesome. :grumble: Advil, Aleve and I became best friends. Chad (my best friend and instructor) was my hero though because he let me get "back in to the game" so-to-speak, at my own pace. He's always been a huge support for me, never judging, always encouraging. Probably why he's been my best friend for almost 20 years now.
He did push me in 2011 though - when he told me, in no uncertain terms, that I would test to my black belt by August of that year. I freaked out. Then I joined Weight Watchers (very good program, by the way). Where our TKD school was, we were working out 3 nights a week - I was starting to help teach the beginning classes, and working my butt off (literally and figuratively) during the 90-minute advanced classes. On August 27, 2011, I took my physical test for my black belt. Earning a black belt, at least for me, is an amazing accomplishment. I can't kick anyone's butt, believe me! I'm slow (at least, I think I am)... but the fact that I worked so hard to get that belt - I went through a 3-hour test (short test for some martial arts!), didn't pass out from exhaustion, and managed to complete all of the hand and foot breaks that were required of me (including a flying kick, thank you very much) was such a personal high and I can never really explain how emotional it was for me. My self-esteem sky rocketed - I used to let people walk all over me, and that doesn't happen anymore... not because I think I can kick their butt - remember, I'm slow... LOL... but because I truly understand what I'm worth now. I'm a nice person. I treat my friends, family, and others with respect and dignity. I am fiercely loyal and too giving at times... I have integrity, and I'm courteous. But I will never, ever be someone's doormat again... at least, not in this lifetime. :noway:
We lost the place where we were working out in September 2011
(only 2 weeks after I tested for my black belt to be exact) and everywhere we've looked to hold classes since have been really pricey... but we do have a place for 2 hours on Friday nights where we hold classes for our little school. The lack of those 3-night a week workouts, as well as an October vacation, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and whatever else seemed like a good excuse to eat took their toll on the weight that I lost last year and I've gained 25 pounds back of the 40 that I lost. I joined MFP in April but didn't really start logging in until recently. Then I found this lovely group this week and I plan on sticking with my weight-loss goals for good now. I don't want to gain any more weight back - I want to keep losing... and losing.... and losing. :happy:
2nd degree black belt and beyond, here I come. Good luck to all of us that are fighting this battle - and thanks to all of you for telling your stories and reading mine. The weight-loss journey will be different for each one of us, but I hope with each others help and support we'll never give up... and together, we will succeed beyond our wildest dreams. Cheers to all of us!! :bigsmile:
*Edited for typos (long-winded and can't spell - not good. LOL ) 0 -
Whew.... just read through everyone's introduction before me and WOW! So great to meet you all! Interesting how many of us in our 30's... or round thereabouts... not ALL of us, just interesting how many of us.
I'm 33 myself... will be 34 in October.
I've struggled with my weight ever since I hit puberty and whoa nelly that happened early for me :-) I did NOT have good role models when it came to nutrition and only so so when it came to fitness... I was raised by a single father... he did the best he could... TRULY. Heck... it's amazing I didn't starve... guess that's why I learned to cook so well... which was, has been, my downfall for a long time... on top of that... I had a grandma that I love ever so dearly, but talk about mixed messages... would constantly push the crash diet thing, super conscious about her weight AND mine... and yep... I ended up TURNING to food... which it's taken me HOW LONG to figure this out??? I now REALLY see it... my grandma is 86 now... works out with a personal trainer three days a week... but then wait... comes home and snacks on crap... and I mean CRAP.... it's nuts.
ANYWAY.... sorry this will get long... BUT... here goes...
My late husband was SUPER thin, had some allergies that affected his nutrition... but aside from foods he had to avoid, he could eat and eat and eat and it was hard to keep him UP to a healthy weight... I on the other hand... am quite opposite and to be honest... he loved me no matter how I looked... was awful about enabling me turning to food... etc.
Then he was killed in a car accident while driving our kids to school... I had a LOT of anger... and I mean a LOT... it's a long drawn out story... but through it all I used exercising as a way to work off my aggression... because thanks to a complete idiot... I almost lost my whole family... yeah... that can make a person VERY angry... but I have two girls to raise... can't exactly LOSE it... Got to keep on.
I became COMPULSIVE about exercising... but never really did get the eating "right" thing down ever.... I was just exercising like a FREAK... and I mean that. Yes I was trying to eat well... but I see now that I was delusional about that too... LOL
All the same I lost a LOT of weight and was probably in the best shape of my life... which was great... and I ended up meeting another phenomenal man... and I remarried. (I have to say... I count myself as the most blessed bride... WHO on earth meets and marries TWO amazing men ever??? Yep... THIS girl! LOL)
SO... onward... well... our "Brady Bunch" (which we are literally in the sense that I brought 2 girls, a dog and cat... to his two boys, dog and cat home) also came with stress... and what did I do INSTEAD of continuing to exercise compulsively??? I turned BACK to food... old habits die hard....
NOW.... my husband... he is more "fit" than I am... but admittedly also LIKES to eat... so we were not good for each other there for a bit, but THANKFULLY this one DOESN'T enable me with turning to food... at least MOST of the time... we've had our moments where as soon as *I* get serious THEN he seems to want to pick up doughnuts... but HE also gets serious... and he's currently on track to run a 5K in October... he runs three times a week min etc.... so yeah...
On top of that I had HUGE "issues" after meeting his model thin sister... and mother and so on... and talk about a complex... I'm like wow... I'll NEVER live up to these ideals!!! A, I'm only 5' 3" on a GOOD day... and B, I've NEVER been that thin... ever.
Don't ask me why I have these issues... who the freak knows.
Anyway... I don't like being heavier than my husband... that really bothers me. It always bothered me with my late husband... but with him there was a REASON... like... no way COULD I be thinner... as in his issues... which kept HIM so thin... but my husband NOW??? Um... he's 5' 11" and "stocky" though not FAT... and it's like... NO I should NOT be BIGGER than he is... and that's REALLLLY been bugging me.
SO... why am I motivated NOW??? Several things... my girls are getting older... 14 and 11... I started seeing my older daughter doing the SAME things I was doing... O M G... talk about eye opening... BUT she decided that she SERIOUSLY wanted to play Volleyball in high school... and I told her that IF she was going to try out she had to commit her last summer to these training camps, because this is very competitive now and it's a cut sport. She did it... got in GREAT shape... lost over 2 dress sizes AND she made a freshman team! WOW!
I began this journey of losing weight at the beginning of the summer... as I said to myself... how can I ask my daughter to do these things that I'm not doing MYSELF??? On top of that I was already starting to feel a lot better after some weird "girl issues" early in the spring... but after having my girl part blow torched (no more periods! YAY for the Novasure!) I was getting better.
Then there's my younger daughter... she's 11, has Epilepsy... and given some medication she's on... is heavier than she should be for her age and height etc... yet she LOVES to be active... this poor girl... so when we go to this path and she jogs... how could I NOT be inspired???
I want to be sexier for my man too... let's face facts ladies... I don't care how many times I tried... I never ACTUALLY felt that I was/ am "sexy" at my size...
But regardless of all of that... I'm doing this for me first and foremost. Life is way too short... I proved to myself in the past that I could do the sweating... I think I needed that kick in the rear... the need to get out aggression and I'm thankful that I KNOW I can survive the sweating... LOL Trust me... there was a time that if I even thought the word sweat... I would have said HELL NO! Now though... it doesn't scare me so much... but I don't think I would feel that way without having had that experience.
What's the difference THIS time? I'm way more focused on nutrition... that's something else that was inspired by watching my kids... but I've taken enough interest to START researching... and I have to admit... now that I'm focused on healthy food... yes the exercise helps... but truly it's amazing how I feel... I never felt like this before... ever. I honestly had no idea. I never thought I would be able to kick the soda habit... but I did... and it's changed my whole outlook... food tastes better... I can hardly believe it!!!
Ok... that's probably enough for now... I'll talk about anything and everything... I'm also a talker... just glad to be here. So glad to meet you all!
Here's my stats before I sign off for now...
Start weight: 242
CW: 216.4
GW: 145
I've got it broken down in goals for myself...
200 or less by October 21 my birthday!
Thanksgiving goal weight is193
Christmas goal weight is185
Valentine's goal weight is171
Easter goal weight is161
Mother's Day goal weight 150
Last day of school May 29th goal weight is my ultimate GW of 145! That's how I want to kick off summer... but it doesn't stop there...
Then my goal is to get TONED and IN SHAPE before my 35th birthday 5 months later... that way I can be in truly the best shape of my life.
Setting these goals has helped... I've NEVER done a "timed" goal before... and it started for me with joining a group here to lose 50 Lb's by Christmas... I joined a long while back and it's been motivating for me... but when I truly mapped it out with what is POSSIBLE that is when I started SEEING the dream... it's losing less than 2 Lb's a week... completely reasonable. So I asked myself... IF I could do this... how would I feel come the start of summer??? OMG... I can't even fathom it yet... but I want it SO bad... SO BAD! So... doing what I can.
I guess what I would ultimately say to any of us... is your dream IS possible... your dream IS worth it!
So nice to meet you all... God BLESS you if you made it through that intro... LOL and let's rock this shall we???0 -
Hi my make is clarissa but people call me clari or reese. I'm 26 and like all of you I have always struggled with my weight. I've tried anything from cayenne pepper and syrup to the grape fruit diet. ..hcg,diet pills,u name it I tried it. Im currentlwasy at 217 and my goal is 180. I was there about 8 years ago and loved it! Im currently getting out of a bad marriage and hope that I don't try eating to happiness but instead exercise my way out. Im5'7 and I just want to b happy. Not for anybody but me: ) feel free to request me for support0
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Hello everyone! My name is LeAnna Zimmer, and I am from a little town just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. I am 32 years old, and have an AMAZING daughter, Karma, who is 3. I am actually well over 200lbs, weighing in at 305 (down from 318 about 2 weeks ago
) I am hoping to just get back under 200. Once I am there, then I will decide on my goal weight. Thinking in the 150-160's.
This is actually my second go-round with weight loss. 6 years ago, I had lost 130 pounds (going from over 300 down to 185) and felt flippin amazing!!! I met my boyfriend (of 6 years now) and had a little girl, and slowly but surely the weight came back. I don't blame it on my pregnancy, or my daughter. This is all me. I got lazy, stopped working out and stopped caring for myself. I put everyone before myself, and that is a fault of my own.
I now look at my daughter with the fear that she will follow in my footsteps.
And it breaks my heart. She is the most beautiful angel, and such a sweet soul. I don't want her to go through the same journey as I have. Also, I don't want to cut my own life short, and miss out on so many wonderful years with her and my family. I also want to get in better shape so we can have another baby. (OMG I have baby fever like no other!!!)
My boyfriend, Jaime, has been so supportive of my, never once being negative or mean about my weight gain. He will let me get anything I want fitness related. He bakes my food and cooks veggies while he fries his own. Now, HE is the kind of person that can eat anything he wants and never gain a pound, and is just pure muscle. He actually tries to gain weight. And no, it won't catch up to him. His grandpa and all of his uncles are the same way. I just call him a punk.
I also want to feel attractive for him. And right now, I sure as heck don't. I look at him and find him so attractive, so sexy still after all these years, and I want him to feel the same about me. (He might, yes, but I don't feel like he does.)
My journey began on 8/19 - started logging my calories and working out EVERY day. I am now down about 13 lbs. It's a start.
Sorry for rambling! Add me if you like! I try so hard to respond to as much as possible on here, but I don't always get to. It doesn't mean that I don't care, or don't read it. Probably like a lot of you, I work too much and the child keeps me busy at home. Sometimes I don't even look at my phone until I lay down for bed at night! But I promise I try to motivate and support as much as I can.
AW MAN! My ticker reset!0 -
Hi everyone! I'm Vanessa. sew, I make things and I live in Los Angeles. I am 276 lbs, 5-3, I love clothing design and make a lot of my own clothes. I don't particularly care about changing my body to get into clothes because I have become pretty adept at making my own, but I want to get to a healthier weight where I feel amazing. I joined MFP at 182 lbs. when I found about it earlier this year. Life stress (unemployment) became a distraction, I had lost 10 lbs in about 6 wks, but then when I needed to do other things, prioritize other things, I gained back weight. but also I was a bit compulsive about exercising daily and logging it all. This time around I feel like I am more relaxed. I am getting major burn from a bootcamp I have been attending twice weekly that accomplishes my exercise goal for the week. The rest is gravy. I also am excited to be a part of a group that also has a big task ahead and ready to make it happen! Excited to be a support to each other! 0
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Hello!
My name is Lauren. I am 26, I have 3 great kids and I have been married to my highschool sweetheart for 7 years. I just had my daughter 6 1/2 months ago and started the pregnancy out at 228 and ended it 251. I am currently 232, and would love to be around 150-160 by Christmas. I know thats a lot of weight to lose by then but I am determined to do it.
One of the reasons I want to lose weight is because we went on vacation this year to Lake Michigan and I was so embarressed of my body I refused to have any pictures of myself taken. That wasnt fair to my kids. When they look back at pictures I want them to be able to see me in them too not just their dad with them or just them. I want to set a good example for my kids to stay active and healthy.
Im glad that im not alone on this journey and I cant wait to see everyones success stories We can do this!!!! 0 -
Hi there. My name is Jenna, I am 37 with 3 kiddos and a wonderful partner and 1 family pet, a beta fish named Al. In 2010 I was diagnosed with lung disease and my doctors put me on steroids for long periods of time (not the kind athletes abuse, I took prednisone) and I was able to maintain my 145 pounds for awhile. The meds finally caught up with me this past October and I started gaining weight. I now weigh 194 pounds, give or take, and although I'm not exactly over 200, I once was.
I have body image issues no matter how much or how little I weigh. My best friend is helpful and so supportive as is my boyfriend. They are the most influential people in my life and they keep me above water on my down days. I have gained 49 pounds due to medications and since I am now done with the steroid therapies and they are officially out of my system, I am on this journey to come out the other side of my life impacting illness and do whatever I can to get healthy again and stay that way. My time of being sick is OVER. I'm done with it.
In addition to lung disease, I have severe asthma attacks when I do cardio, even light cardio so I'm trying to lift weights and walk. I'm glad this group was formed and thanks for the invite.
BTW, I am a daily logger so I will often lurke in the groups and keep up on what the latest talk is. If you are looking for supportive friends feel free to add me by request.
ETA: I am in Vancouver Washington (the state, not the country/province)0 -
Hello every one !! Sorry it has taken me so long to introduce myself. By the way I LOVE this group!
Anyways my name is Victoria I like to be called Vicki. I am 22 years old I work for the sheriffs office I love it but I sit at a desk 8 hours a day so you can bet your bottom I am not active . I am 5'3 and I currently weigh 226. Two years ago before getting with my fiancee I weighed 150-170. I have never ate correctly and I have had self image problems for as long as I can remember. Finally meeting the love of my life ( DJ my wonderful fiancee we live together in a lovely town home with our lovely pup Kilo) I got comfortable I could finally look in the mirror and be ok with me and who I was and instead of changing I just settled ( not truly being happy just ignorant bliss for a bit). MY fiancee is the nicest guy I know so when I started packing on the pounds and wearing sweat pants out on dates he would not say anything. One night he asked me to wear jeans and that he loved me and jeans and sweat pants were only ok in fast food joints. Sooooo I went in the closet and non of my pants would even come over my hips. Big wake up call there walking out of the bedroom to tell the man that means the world to and supports you no matter what that you cant fit in any of your clothes is hard. A major breaking point into depression of course he said it was fine and I was still gorgeous and amazing and the only person that meant anything in the whole world. OHHH and did I mention I am also a binge eater I can eat well for breakfast, lunch, and snacks but when dinner hits or I am alone ( because my fiancee works nights) or something happens to upset me I eat and I can eat up to 2500 in 20 minutes. Embarrassing and horrifying. I am hurting myself badly. So here I am telling you my story and telling you I need to change I want to change. But unlike everyone keeps telling me it is not easy its hard. I guess anything worth having is supposed to be hard though. My goal is to be at least 150-190 ... 0 -
hi, im julie. im a 34 yrs old staff nurse from northeast england. im 313lbs and 5' 6'' so have a lot to lose. i have joined mfp due to my future sis in law sareyezz23 who is doing sooo well.
im aiming to lose the majority of my weight before may 2014 when im getting married in greece i cant wait
im also losing the weight for my son i want to be a mum that gets involved and doesnt have to sit on the side lines.0 -
hi, im julie. im a 34 yrs old staff nurse from northeast england. im 313lbs and 5' 6'' so have a lot to lose. i have joined mfp due to my future sis in law sareyezz23 who is doing sooo well.
im aiming to lose the majority of my weight before may 2014 when im getting married in greece i cant wait
im also losing the weight for my son i want to be a mum that gets involved and doesnt have to sit on the side lines.
Thanks juls!!! Love how ur getting involved and it's ur first day! And thank u.
We are all doing well and lets help each get that bit further 0 -
Hello every one !! Sorry it has taken me so long to introduce myself. By the way I LOVE this group!
Anyways my name is Victoria I like to be called Vicki. I am 22 years old I work for the sheriffs office I love it but I sit at a desk 8 hours a day so you can bet your bottom I am not active . I am 5'3 and I currently weigh 226. Two years ago before getting with my fiancee I weighed 150-170. I have never ate correctly and I have had self image problems for as long as I can remember. Finally meeting the love of my life ( DJ my wonderful fiancee we live together in a lovely town home with our lovely pup Kilo) I got comfortable I could finally look in the mirror and be ok with me and who I was and instead of changing I just settled ( not truly being happy just ignorant bliss for a bit). MY fiancee is the nicest guy I know so when I started packing on the pounds and wearing sweat pants out on dates he would not say anything. One night he asked me to wear jeans and that he loved me and jeans and sweat pants were only ok in fast food joints. Sooooo I went in the closet and non of my pants would even come over my hips. Big wake up call there walking out of the bedroom to tell the man that means the world to and supports you no matter what that you cant fit in any of your clothes is hard. A major breaking point into depression of course he said it was fine and I was still gorgeous and amazing and the only person that meant anything in the whole world. OHHH and did I mention I am also a binge eater I can eat well for breakfast, lunch, and snacks but when dinner hits or I am alone ( because my fiancee works nights) or something happens to upset me I eat and I can eat up to 2500 in 20 minutes. Embarrassing and horrifying. I am hurting myself badly. So here I am telling you my story and telling you I need to change I want to change. But unlike everyone keeps telling me it is not easy its hard. I guess anything worth having is supposed to be hard though. My goal is to be at least 150-190 ...
I am a major binge eater too! I dred my days off where I know I have nothing going on because I don't attempt to make something healthy half the time because it's too much effort so I don't eat for ages then
I get hungry and go for a food hunt and it's usually something in a packet full of sugar or fat to give me the quick energy boost. A habit I'm trying to get out of. Haven't don't it in a few
Weeks though. Thank you for sharing ur story takes a strong person to open up like that so I can already tell u have the determination! Also thanks for loving my group. Makes me smile knowing I've done the right thing 0 -
Whew.... just read through everyone's introduction before me and WOW! So great to meet you all! Interesting how many of us in our 30's... or round thereabouts... not ALL of us, just interesting how many of us.
I'm 33 myself... will be 34 in October.
I've struggled with my weight ever since I hit puberty and whoa nelly that happened early for me :-) I did NOT have good role models when it came to nutrition and only so so when it came to fitness... I was raised by a single father... he did the best he could... TRULY. Heck... it's amazing I didn't starve... guess that's why I learned to cook so well... which was, has been, my downfall for a long time... on top of that... I had a grandma that I love ever so dearly, but talk about mixed messages... would constantly push the crash diet thing, super conscious about her weight AND mine... and yep... I ended up TURNING to food... which it's taken me HOW LONG to figure this out??? I now REALLY see it... my grandma is 86 now... works out with a personal trainer three days a week... but then wait... comes home and snacks on crap... and I mean CRAP.... it's nuts.
ANYWAY.... sorry this will get long... BUT... here goes...
My late husband was SUPER thin, had some allergies that affected his nutrition... but aside from foods he had to avoid, he could eat and eat and eat and it was hard to keep him UP to a healthy weight... I on the other hand... am quite opposite and to be honest... he loved me no matter how I looked... was awful about enabling me turning to food... etc.
Then he was killed in a car accident while driving our kids to school... I had a LOT of anger... and I mean a LOT... it's a long drawn out story... but through it all I used exercising as a way to work off my aggression... because thanks to a complete idiot... I almost lost my whole family... yeah... that can make a person VERY angry... but I have two girls to raise... can't exactly LOSE it... Got to keep on.
I became COMPULSIVE about exercising... but never really did get the eating "right" thing down ever.... I was just exercising like a FREAK... and I mean that. Yes I was trying to eat well... but I see now that I was delusional about that too... LOL
All the same I lost a LOT of weight and was probably in the best shape of my life... which was great... and I ended up meeting another phenomenal man... and I remarried. (I have to say... I count myself as the most blessed bride... WHO on earth meets and marries TWO amazing men ever??? Yep... THIS girl! LOL)
SO... onward... well... our "Brady Bunch" (which we are literally in the sense that I brought 2 girls, a dog and cat... to his two boys, dog and cat home) also came with stress... and what did I do INSTEAD of continuing to exercise compulsively??? I turned BACK to food... old habits die hard....
NOW.... my husband... he is more "fit" than I am... but admittedly also LIKES to eat... so we were not good for each other there for a bit, but THANKFULLY this one DOESN'T enable me with turning to food... at least MOST of the time... we've had our moments where as soon as *I* get serious THEN he seems to want to pick up doughnuts... but HE also gets serious... and he's currently on track to run a 5K in October... he runs three times a week min etc.... so yeah...
On top of that I had HUGE "issues" after meeting his model thin sister... and mother and so on... and talk about a complex... I'm like wow... I'll NEVER live up to these ideals!!! A, I'm only 5' 3" on a GOOD day... and B, I've NEVER been that thin... ever.
Don't ask me why I have these issues... who the freak knows.
Anyway... I don't like being heavier than my husband... that really bothers me. It always bothered me with my late husband... but with him there was a REASON... like... no way COULD I be thinner... as in his issues... which kept HIM so thin... but my husband NOW??? Um... he's 5' 11" and "stocky" though not FAT... and it's like... NO I should NOT be BIGGER than he is... and that's REALLLLY been bugging me.
SO... why am I motivated NOW??? Several things... my girls are getting older... 14 and 11... I started seeing my older daughter doing the SAME things I was doing... O M G... talk about eye opening... BUT she decided that she SERIOUSLY wanted to play Volleyball in high school... and I told her that IF she was going to try out she had to commit her last summer to these training camps, because this is very competitive now and it's a cut sport. She did it... got in GREAT shape... lost over 2 dress sizes AND she made a freshman team! WOW!
I began this journey of losing weight at the beginning of the summer... as I said to myself... how can I ask my daughter to do these things that I'm not doing MYSELF??? On top of that I was already starting to feel a lot better after some weird "girl issues" early in the spring... but after having my girl part blow torched (no more periods! YAY for the Novasure!) I was getting better.
Then there's my younger daughter... she's 11, has Epilepsy... and given some medication she's on... is heavier than she should be for her age and height etc... yet she LOVES to be active... this poor girl... so when we go to this path and she jogs... how could I NOT be inspired???
I want to be sexier for my man too... let's face facts ladies... I don't care how many times I tried... I never ACTUALLY felt that I was/ am "sexy" at my size...
But regardless of all of that... I'm doing this for me first and foremost. Life is way too short... I proved to myself in the past that I could do the sweating... I think I needed that kick in the rear... the need to get out aggression and I'm thankful that I KNOW I can survive the sweating... LOL Trust me... there was a time that if I even thought the word sweat... I would have said HELL NO! Now though... it doesn't scare me so much... but I don't think I would feel that way without having had that experience.
What's the difference THIS time? I'm way more focused on nutrition... that's something else that was inspired by watching my kids... but I've taken enough interest to START researching... and I have to admit... now that I'm focused on healthy food... yes the exercise helps... but truly it's amazing how I feel... I never felt like this before... ever. I honestly had no idea. I never thought I would be able to kick the soda habit... but I did... and it's changed my whole outlook... food tastes better... I can hardly believe it!!!
Ok... that's probably enough for now... I'll talk about anything and everything... I'm also a talker... just glad to be here. So glad to meet you all!
Here's my stats before I sign off for now...
Start weight: 242
CW: 216.4
GW: 145
I've got it broken down in goals for myself...
200 or less by October 21 my birthday!
Thanksgiving goal weight is193
Christmas goal weight is185
Valentine's goal weight is171
Easter goal weight is161
Mother's Day goal weight 150
Last day of school May 29th goal weight is my ultimate GW of 145! That's how I want to kick off summer... but it doesn't stop there...
Then my goal is to get TONED and IN SHAPE before my 35th birthday 5 months later... that way I can be in truly the best shape of my life.
Setting these goals has helped... I've NEVER done a "timed" goal before... and it started for me with joining a group here to lose 50 Lb's by Christmas... I joined a long while back and it's been motivating for me... but when I truly mapped it out with what is POSSIBLE that is when I started SEEING the dream... it's losing less than 2 Lb's a week... completely reasonable. So I asked myself... IF I could do this... how would I feel come the start of summer??? OMG... I can't even fathom it yet... but I want it SO bad... SO BAD! So... doing what I can.
I guess what I would ultimately say to any of us... is your dream IS possible... your dream IS worth it!
So nice to meet you all... God BLESS you if you made it through that intro... LOL and let's rock this shall we???
What an inspiring person!! I thought i was reading a novel! U ever thought about writing? I was hooked onto ur story. I can relate about the whole emotions thing. My emotions have deffinatly been the reasons for my yoyo weight. I'm only 24 so i can't say I know how u feel with ur late husband and being angry but I can still see it all.
I've been with my gym for over a year now and used to go and hen eat crao like ur nan does. I got to a point where I was like I'm paying money to maintain a weight I don't want to be!0 -
Hi, my name is Tara and I am a 21 year old student. 20 days ago i joined mfp weighing 240 lbs, I am now 220. My ultimate goal is to weigh 130 lbs, so I still have a ways to go! I've always struggled with weight even though i played sports my entire life. I was extremely active and healthy, but always "thick". Senior year i was injured, couldn't play sports anymore, got a bit depressed and gained nearly 100 lbs! I've decided to stop self-sabotaging myself and get my life on track again! I'm done watching myself get bigger and bigger. Also, i am getting reconstructive surgery on my left knee very soon (sept 10th) so i am currently relying solely on my eating habits to lose weight. Once i am recovered i plan to become a beast in the gym again! 0
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hiya everyone!!!
my sister (sareyzz23) has been banging on about this group for ages now and here i am! i think i must be the heaviest person here tho
my name is louise im 31 im the eldest of us 4 siblings! im from reading UK im 176cm tall (not a clue how much that is in feet) and i weigh 358 pounds as of my last weigh in 2 weeks ago. i have a fiance (joel) who is very supportive and is trying to lose weight himself. i have a 13 year old daughter (abigail) from my previous marriage who is tall skinny and blonde so u can imagine how envyous i am of her? haha! the worst part is... she eats twice as much as i do and weighs a whopping 98lbs grr!
i have always been a 'chunky' girl growing up and i always weighed the same weight in stones than i was age so when i was 15 i weighed 15 stone and gained a stone every year. no idea why or how but i did a 30-45 minute paper round every morning on my bike and i cycled everywhere! i think if i hadnt i would simply be dead by now!
at 16 i had a boyfriend who liked me for me and not for my size. i stopped cylcing everywhere so much when he passed is driving test at 17 and shortly after that i fell pregnant so cylcing in my mind just wasnt an option so i put my bike into retirement and never got back on it again.
i had abi just 4 days before my 18th birthday on the 4th of july and had discovered i went from a size 18 to a size 24 in just 9 months and i was devastated. i got the saggy stomach and boobs and i felt really miserable and the pounds continued to pile on and i tried everything! weight watchers, slimming world x 2, the weetabix diet x 2 and even tried the atkins diet for a week but the food bill was too expensive and i felt like i was about to die so i canned that one pretty quickly.
in 2002 i had a (PE) clot go to my lung and shortly after what was diagnosed with PCOS and i was just 21 years old. i wanted a change but didnt know how or what i could do to make things different.
the boyfriend who i met when i was 16 married me in 2005 but we divorced 18 months later because the marriage part was a fix everything solution only it didnt and thats when i met joel through playing world of warcraft. (yes we are nerds) without him i think i would have gained even more weight through depression and he was someone i could talk to about anything that was on my mind. on my days off i would go visit him in staines and it was a 45 minute walk from the train station to his house so for me it was a bit of a trek but i did it anyways. suddenly it was if my PCOS wasnt even there and i started getting my monthlys back for the first im in over 5 years! this is the change i needed in my life... more exercise and more living! unfortunately after he moved in i gained a little more weight feeling good in my new relationship the weight wasnt what was on my mind.
christmas 2009 was my heaviest weight. i dont know what it was but it was well over 400lbs and it was not feeling nice at all. i couldnt get on any scales without an error message and was frustrated so i bought some scales and kept standing on them once a month during my every other day diet where i would eat no more than 500-750 calories every other day and it worked! i dropped right down 350lbs in 2 years without doing very much exercise. this year tho it wasnt working as well as i liked... maybe it was the food i was eating because it wasnt varied enough? it was basically a muller light for breakfast a weight watchers meal for lunch and another one for dinner. (the calories were right there on the box and they were convenient) so for months i was flailing and had gained another 20lbs until my sister put this app in front of me in may/june time when i got my iPhone.
i want to see my daughter grow up and get married and never have to worry about her weight. i want to get married to a wonderful supportive man who has given me and my daughter everything but most of all i want to live! what im doing right now isnt living its just existing and its only me who is holding myself back!
Start weight: 400+
CW: 358
GW: 235 or lower at least
EGW: 1800 -
well...I think im the only bloke here >.< I am the brother of the group creater, the brother of the previous poster and the soon to be husband of Juls (geordiescot).
My name is Ben, I greqw up in Reading but am now in the north east, have a stunning bride to be, an amazing son but a weight problem. When i was growing up, sports were always a major part of my life! (talking 4 hr football matches lol) but when i hit 16 i discovered women and that was it... down hill from there.
I am trying to make a bit more of an effort to get ready for this wedding in 2014! and ofc being as supportive as i can to my special lady!
Currently weigh 16.1 stone (the heaviest was dec 2010, 19.13 stone) started this properly last week and apparently i have lost 40lbs (7 last week) before i even got going!
Would like to weigh something in the region of 12-13 stone (basically my BMI) so a little way to go yet!
I am very active, walking on my days off and cycling 5 miles a day 5 days a week to work and back (i'm too lazy to walk and busses are boring!) this alone is what im basing my diet around!
and now i can't think of anything else to say..... lol
bai!
Ben0 -
Hey, I just joined MFP yesterday and just joined the group moments ago... I am 23 (days from 24) and married for just a year... I've been stuck around 220 since my second year of college where I had some anxiety/depression issues and never really fixed it. At one point I got down to 189, but then gained it all back just before my wedding. I grew up being the outcast kid, I got bullied, I just wasn't quite the same as other kids and so I always looked down on myself. I constantly called myself fat and ugly until I met my husband. My friends and family always told me how I was wrong, but I never really believed them. By the time I started dating my husband I was at about 185 at the age of 19, having gained about 65 lbs since I was 14. When he told me I was cute or pretty or beautiful or anything like that, I was so broken about it that I would cry. It took months for me to believe that he meant it. He has been fantastic and loves me no matter what I look like and he just wants me to be happy. About a year ago, I started looking at some old pics of myself and realized that I wasn't fat in reality, just in my warped perspective, but that because I believed I was fat, I allowed myself to get out of hand. So, I am going to start working now to become the person I want to be and part of that is being healthier and more active. So, I'm at 218ish right now and waiting for my new scale to arrive to have a consistent measurement... My super end goal is 135, but for now, I want to make it to 200lbs ^_^0
