New here, hoping I will have the willpower to do this!!

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Hi, my name is Starr, I am a 28 year old mamma of 2 kids. I didn't really start gaining weight till the end of highschool then more and more just kept piling on and then add 2 pregnancys anf you end up with a depressed irritable 248 pound woman. It is hard to look in the mirror and be happy with the reflection I see. Hopefully after joining here I will finally get to that place where I will believe I am beautiful. I saw an article in a magazine about this site so I thought I would try it out. I always have said today i am going to do it then weeks later, I am going to commit to cleaning cobwebs off my treadmil and well two familes of spiders call it home still. I joined so I could hold myself accountable becasue no one else will. I need to, i want to play with my kids and not get winded just walking up a couple steps. Hopefully I can find some friends on here for support. i live far away from my best friends and others well they don't understand or they are just happy with being overweight and well I am not and I want to be happy again.

Replies

  • sportsqueen32
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    HI Starr, you have come to the right place. It takes hard work, and will power on your part, but we are all here to cheer you on and offer advise and words of encouragement. Dust off those cob webs, crank up the music and walk your way to a happier you. Once you have started eating healthy you will be amazed at how much good food you can eat in place of the old way of eating. Add me as a friend if you would like someone to help talk you out of grabbing those cookies and chips. I do have one suggestion for you, utilize the forums here as much as possible, there are some amazing people here where you can pick up tips, recipes and etc from.

    Welcome to MFP and Good Luck!! 1lb at a time is all you can ask!!!
    Jennifer
  • Milliemm
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    Hello Starr,

    I am new too. I just started a little over a week or so ago and had a slow start. I ended up getting sick last week and did not get back on here until Monday. Thanks to the support of my sister who is on here and talks with me on the phone while we are exercising (we live in different states) I have been able to exercise for three days in a row. I am going to repeat to you what my wonderful sister says to me...YOU CAN DO IT STAR!!! Hope to see you in the future on the boards. :))

    Millie
  • fooja
    fooja Posts: 451 Member
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    welcome to mfp!!!! you can do this!! this site is great for support and motivation! add me if u need friends :)
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Throwing in my support, I'm new here too and willpower has always been my problem as well, willing myself to not eat junk, willing myself to cook proper healthy food, and willing myself to exercise, all things I need to get used to doing to get healthy and maintain. You can do it, and you have tons of people here to help support you!
  • MsMoodle
    MsMoodle Posts: 7 Member
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    It takes 21 CONSECUTIVE days to enforce a new habit! You CAN AND WILL DO IT! & so will I! I'm on day #8 and as of yesterday have lost 5.5 pounds. We can do this... just keep saying that over and over in your head, and eventually you WILL believe it! Good luck :)
  • adj10853
    adj10853 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi, My name is Armando. I read your post and let me tell you that you are not alone. At 5'6" and 198 lbs, I had lost hope. Didnt care, knew as I got older, I wasnt gonna get better.

    I stumbled across this app on my iPhone, and figured what the heck. I'll give it a try. I never learned how to keep track of my calorie intake. I didnt want anything complicated or a video of someone yelling at me through my TV. I started keeping track of what I ate, and never went over my alloted calories. I lost 15 lbs in 4 wks. Im 5 lbs away from my goal, and I think Im gonna go for 10 more instead.

    Before I started losing weight and inches, bending over to tie my shoes would make me feel like I lost my breath. Walking up a flight of steps would leave me wheezing for the next 5 minutes.

    You can meet your goals. Keep track of your daily intake. I mean, Everything that you take in. A little smudge of butter or mayo, log it. A teaspoon of sugar.. log it. A chicken mcnugget your child doesnt eat and you decide munch it.. log it. Slowly you will learn what your calorie intake is like, and much to your amazement you will correct yourself and eat better and healthier. Good Luck!!!

    Add me as a friend if you like. We have all started the same way. It does get easier. And you will see results after a short time. Its motivating to see how calorie management works, without having to break a sweat !!!!
  • DominiqueM
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    Hi Starr, I'm new to this site to and am virtually in the same situation as you. I'm turning 28 this year and have a 10 month old son (so I'm one child down). I too started gaining a lot of weight after high school, a combination of not doing as much sport as I had been at school, being away from home at university and just eating all the nice unhealthy food, then of course you add the pregnancy weight. Ten months later and I still don't fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes!!

    I have heaps of trouble motivating myself to get up, do some exercise and get healthy. It's always a case of, I'll start on Monday, but Monday comes around and it never happens. I'm really hoping to be able to stick to this site and for once motivate myself, and get help and support from others.

    I'm about to start a post introducing myself to everyone, but hopefully we can keep in touch and support each other!

    Dominique
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    Hi Starr. This site has been the turning point for a lot of people, including myself. There are some BIG LOSERS here- some have lost well over 100 pounds. I think you'll find lots of inspiration. :)
  • nchaffin
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    Hey there! I've been at it for a week now. Here is what I love about MFP:

    1. the food journal is super easy to keep up -- because MFP has most the food you will consume in its database. Better than others I have used and stopped because I was tired of having to manually input the nutritional information.

    2. the people - lots of friendly folks out there... with the same goals... starting at similar places.... with similar lifestyles... it is a great source of support and inspiration!

    3. The community tab -- lots of great information here... and RECIPES!!!

    Just logging in everyday is an accomplishment...... Good for you! :):bigsmile:
  • emberd
    emberd Posts: 36
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    Welcome, I joined in November but lost my resolve over the holidays. Started back in January and just last week did I start doing it the way you're supposed too. I've lost 9 lbs since January 28th and have a lot left to lose! The support here is great! I like the accountability and I try to stay under my calories (just a little) everyday so that I can see that update! Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like.
  • katattack
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    Hi Ms Starr!! Welcome and congrats on the life changes! The nice thing is that by jumping in and struggling through that initial 'changing habits' phase, you're going to start seeing results in no time. Even better: You're going to start FEELING better almost right away.

    Check out the different support groups that come up on the 'recent posts' feed. You'll inevitably find something that suits your goals, tastes, abilities, and then you're going to find a really strong support network.

    I'm sort of in the same boat as you. Except, many of my friends ARE here in the city I moved to -- but not the 'active' ones. Most of my really active friends are abroad, or across the country! I have maybe 1 or 2 friends with similar (but less intense lol) fitness goals than me, so it's hard for them to understand, "no, i dont want to binge drink. can we stay in and have some mint tea instead? a spirited game of scrabble perhaps? bed by 10 pm? how does that sound?" hahahahaha

    So that's why I come to myfitnesspal! Because there are ppl here that WANT you to practice the habits you need to be successful, and feel you PAIN when you've fallen off track or seen a plateau. Best of luck ms starr!!