New here, exploring all MFP offers!

Hi all--

I'm Sheila, and I downloaded the MFP app at the recommendation of a friend who had been using it. Since then (2 weeks ago) I have been tracking my food and water, but haven't taken the time to come to the full site and poke around. I'm here now and excited to see so many people using this!

I hit my "DONE, DONE, DONE!" point in September 2012, after having to go into the orthopedic surgeon's office to get a cortisone shot in my "good" knee because I had worn thru the cartilage on that side too. I knew things were out of hand but his comment of "Wow...if this is your GOOD knee, with all the arthritis and bone spurring and bone-on-bone contact, I don't think I want to see your bad one!" really stopped me cold. At that point, I weighed 293 lbs--the most I have ever weighed in my 44 years of life. I am too young to get artificial knees, don't want to have to have repeated injections just to be able to walk and was sick to death of not being able to move freely, to fit in airplane seats, to shop wherever I wanted....

My younger sister had joined a weight loss center (NOT WW) in January and had lost 70 lbs in 9 months. I started talking with her and, because I was not making any progress at limiting my sugar binges or kicking my several-a-day diet soda addiction, I decided it was time to hire help to keep me motivated and on track. I joined the same weight loss center and in approximately 4 weeks have lost 18.5 lbs and more than 28". I'll likely pass the 20 lb milestone next week--and I am looking forward to seeing how many more inches I have lost since we measured 2 weeks ago.

One of my strongest goals is to begin riding horses again. My husband and I own and operate a seasonal trail riding company and I have not been able to go riding for several years. To achieve this goal, I need to get down below 250 lbs, increase my muscle strength and flexibility in my legs and hips and be able to swing my leg over the horse's back to get into the saddle. I'm confident I'll get there by the end of 2012, which means I'll be able to go horseback riding in the snow for the first time in my life (another long-time goal!).

I welcome any and all who want to be MFP friends--the more support we can share, the easier our paths will be!