Just starting my journey..........:)

Hi Suzie. I am also new here and am thanking God for leading me to this site. I have 50 to 60 pounds to loose. My thoughts and prayers are with you as we enter this journey.

We all need encouragement and support - feel free to add me! Good luck :O)

:flowerforyou: Hello Susie and WELCOME to MFP.. Add me if you wish..:drinker:

Hello! My name is Carolyn. I just finished my first full week tracking my intake, and lost over 1 #. I am so thrilled that this site exists! The food journal really makes me stop and think about what I am eating. My husband is also using the site. I have about 30# to lose, he wants to lose about 40. I have used this and other sites before, but never for more than 1-2 days. This time, it's for good. thank you myfitnesspal!

Great to have you. Couple of things I have learned myself and from folks on MFP.

Check with your doctor before getting very far into this. She may have some helpful advice along with any cautions unique to you.

When you first start, it is not easy. You have a sugar addiction no different that any chemical dependency. It takes some will power, but it gets a lot easier. Those hungry little fat cells have very loud voices. They want to remain just as they are.

Often when you feel like you can't live without that handful of potato chips, you are thirsty, not hungry. Drink a tall cool glass of water and wait ten minutes.

Don't buy what you don't want to eat. It is easier to walk past that high calorie snack in the grocery store than to walk by it in your pantry.

A pound of excess body fat is 3,500 calories. To loose one pound per week, you have to use 3,500 calories more than you eat. That is a bunch. Don't expect to lose a huge amount every week. Slow and steady wins.

Like any on line social site, there are some mean people out there. Ignore them. The monitors of the site jump on any really abusive stuff. But people can make some hurtful comments. Just ignore them. Helpful people on this site out number them 1,000 to 1.

The recipe building tool works good for home made foods you eat often. It saves a lot of time.

Get the app on your smart phone if you have one. It makes recording daily food and activity easier. Put it on your work computer too if allowed.

You cannot drive by a fast food restaurant without gaining weight let alone buy something in one of them. My opinion is that you have to cook for yourself more including your lunches at work and get really smart about it. MFP can really help with that.

I started in August 2011. I'm 65. I have lost 47 pounds. I am able to ride my ancient bike for miles more and a lot faster than when I started. It was slow, but having MFP watching and encouraging you will help.

I have learned that I can almost starve myself, and without exercise, I don't loose weight. Walking sometimes is ok for me. I don't like jogging. So I started riding my bike. I keep track of my routes and times and try to better the results every time. What ever you choose to do for exercise, it is essential I think for steady weight loss.

Good luck

Hi! My name is Michelle and I'm a 37 year old stay at home wife and mother to 3 little ones ages 5, 3 and 4 months. I've always dealt with weight issues my entire life. I was the chubby child, awkward teen who was uncomfortable in my own excessive skin, self-concious adult with self-esteem issues. I thought I would be destined to the single life forever because who could love someone that looked like me, and then I met my now husband of 7 years. We became friends and within a year it blossomed into romance that I never dreamed possible. Four and a half years after we met, we finally got married. He loves me for me! All of me, even the parts of me I find hard to love. He always encourages me to look at myself in a more positive way and is my biggest motivator.

Two years ago I started on a journey to lose weight and had some great success. Yes, I had my struggles along the way, but I remained on track. My goal was to lose a pound a week and I was well on my way to achieving that until I found out a year ago that I was pregnant again. My pregnancy was a very pleasant surprise and I knew it would be my last so I "enjoyed" it, a little too much, actually a lot too much. I began my journey to get healthy at a very unhealthy weight of 283 pounds on October 14, 2010. I was at my lowest weight since high school, which was 241 pounds on August 26, 2011 and found out I was pregnant on September 4, 2011. I quickly started eating whatever made me feel good and whatever I craved. On piled the pounds and I hit 298 pounds the day before I delivered my daughter.

My pregnancy was complicated by gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, hormonal headaches and water retention/swelling, all of which I attribute to my gross food intake and lack of self control. I had gained over 50 pounds and felt every ounce of it straining on my achy, tired joints! To complicate things, because of my gestational diabetes I was told I was having a "large" baby. They induced me 3 weeks early because my daughter was HUGE for dates and my blood pressure was beyond control. Needless to say, baby didn't tolerate labour well and her heartrate dropped. They were worried about cord compression, so off to the OR I went for an emergency c-section after my water broke and her heartrate didn't pick back up. If any of you have ever experienced a c-section, you'll know about all of the lovely water retention and swelling. I came home 20 pounds heavier than when I went into the hospital to have her! In 3 days, my body retained nearly 35 pounds of fluids and I felt like a water-balloon about to burst. My legs were like tree trunks from the knee down and I no longer had ankles. My skin was so tight if felt like it would burst open and tear with the pressure. My toes hurt and walking was nearly unbearable. Once home I wore compression stockings and the water literally poured off of my body between the night sweats and compression. I lost those 35 pounds of fluid in 2 weeks!

Fast forward 4 months and that brings us to today. Since losing that water weight, I've struggled to lose an ounce more, in fact I'm up 5 pounds from that. I re-joined the TOPS group that I was a part of before I was pregnant and hoped that would keep me accountable and encourage and motivate me to watch the scale move in the right direction. Instead, it has embarassed me to weigh in because I've gained, not lost any weight in the past 4 months. I didn't want to go and have other see that I was moving in the wrong direction. I'm an emotional eater, who craves salty and sweet things and I'm addicted to fast food. I'm sick and tired of all of my aches and pains, of feeling sluggish and tired, of having no clothes that fit me in a way that is flattering or make me feel attractive.

Yesterday an online friend of mine from my daughter's May birthclub introduced me to My Fitness Pal. She had posted how she's lost nearly 20 pounds since her daughter's birth and weighs less than she did before she got pregnant. I congratulated her and asked her how she was achieving her success and making the differences she needed to lose weight. That's when told me about this great site! I checked out the tools that were available and decided it is exactly what I need to get on track and to hold myself accountable. I need to keep track of my food, every morsel I put in my mouth. I need to see just how much I move, or rather needed to move to make the difference.

I still plan on attending TOPS, but instead of being embarassed, I'm going to go and hold my head up high and proudly step on that scale each week and I'm going to be my biggest cheering fan when I step on the scale and see the numbers drop!

Thanks for letting me introduce myself and for sharing my story.
Michelle