HI! Ill start sharing Im 28 years old, a mom to 4 kids 2 boys ages 11 and 4 and 2 girls ages 8 and 2. I am married to my high school sweetheart. we have been together for 13 years married 10 of those. I am currently 195.8 lbs and 5 foot 2 so as you can imagine im a little bit rounder than i would like.. I have always struggled with my weight. In high school i was anorexic and weighed 80 lbs and was hospitalized after passing out at my dr checkup.. I thought i was going to die. I vowed that day to never be that small again. After having my first child i lost weight 3 days after he was born i was in my size 3s and was like wow! After my second baby I developed Post Partum depression and took to food to make me feel better. i gained weight and gained and couldnt lose it. Since then I have had 2 more babies and the weight just kept coming. I have been diagnosed with a number of health problems all of which my diet has no effect on but if I dont lose weight I could die alot sooner. So here I am on a weight loss journey to make me healhtier for my children, my husband, and myseslf. After all we deserve it!! Good luck to everyone who is doing this 52 lb challenge

I am a single 25 yo who works in Law Enforcement. I love my job but crazy hours make it difficult to follow a diet and exercise plan, not to mention a sleep pattern. I work with the most amazing people! I moved away from everything I have ever known about 2 years ago to come here and it has been a challenge. I actually feel like I am in a giant rut in my life right now and hoping that working on this goal will help with that. Can't wait to read about everyone else!

Hi, I'm Michy. I am 25 years old and from Texas. I have been overweight since I hit puberty, but I can only blame a bit of that on hormones, the rest is from chocolate. I have tried many times to lose weight, but always failed and went back to eating junk food. I have been married for four years and my husband can be both my biggest supporter and my worse enemy. We both have gained weight since being married because we would let each other indulge in our cravings. I have two cats, Ronin and Teyla, and a black lab named Adria that would definitely like to be walked more often. In 2010 I was diagnosed with CIDP, a neurological disease similar to MS. I take a infusion medication monthly to keep my nerves in working order, but I am hoping to be off the meds soon! I know getting both my weight and my general health under control will do wonders for every aspect of my life. I look forward to this year and what it has in store for us all!! :-)

I am 47 years old and a nurse. I live in San Antonio Texas. I am also a grad school student,so I stay pretty busy! I am really hoping to work past this horrible weight loss stall I am on! I am looking forward to sharing everyone's journey over the next 52 weeks

Hi! I'm Lisa, 44 years old, married to the same wonderful guy for almost 24 years. We only had one child, a daughter that is 21 and is married now. Hopefully one day she will give us some grandbabies to spoil! I stay at home with my yorkie baby, Zoey. I also have struggled with my weight off and on all my life, I have lost over 100 pounds at least 3 times in my life and have gained all or most of it back two of those times. This last time I was able to maintain my loss for almost 2 years and thought I had it licked but then I just slacked on the exercise until I wasn't doing any, just started eating things I shouldn't and before I knew it, I had gained 40 pounds back!! I can only blame myself and all those trip through the buffet lines!!

On a good note, I am back and I am determined to get this weight off before I put all of it back on. Love the friends and support on this site!

Hi
I am a 50 yr old mom of 5 (at the moment) kids, 16b,14g,8b,5b,4g, I homeschool the youngest 3, so I am an at home mom, but I also run a bookkeeping/tax business, a hobby farm (sort of, not too active right now) and have recently signed on to a new business venture which I hope to get rolling in 2013. I have been with my partner for 19 years now and 11 years ago we became foster parents to what are now our 16 and 14 yr olds. The other 3 kids we have fostered and now have adopted (all done about a yr and 1/2 ago). Since then we have fostered 2 others short term, hence the (at the moment) above:happy:

I have been (or thought I was as a teen - know better now) overweight or battling my weight since I was a teen, there were times when it was all ok, but I still felt not quite there. The last 15 years or so I have been battling this high weight that I started with on here (263.5) and have lost and regained 30-40 lbs over and over. This time I think is different. Just a few days before I turned 50 in Aug 2012 I made a decision to get serious and I have stuck with this (except for the few weeks around Christmas when I definitely slacked a bit) for 145 days as of today. With the new year and this challenge I hope to make it to the end of 2013 at goal, which is 160.

So glad to be on this journey with all of you.

Hi Everyone. I'm 41 and have no children. One of the reasons I want to lose weight is to hopefully be able to concieve. I have always been overweight for all of my life as long as I can remember. My whole family has a weight problem but I was the worst of all. I'm on a different track now and I know things are going to be better.

I've been battling surgery complications for the last 6 months and just these last 2 days I feel almost normal again. Just hope the strictures don't return again. (praying)

This winter I have been planning my garden. Last weekend my husband and I planted 2 apple and 2 peach trees. It will take a couple of years for them to produce but the idea of living off the land appeals to me. In the spring I plan to put in asparagus, spinach, green beans, cucumber, summer squash and of course some tomatoes to can. We thought we might try our hand a watermelon also to see how it goes. Even more I want to eat these veggies so all better for the strictures to stay away.

Well, i'll be 36 next week and I am a working divorced mama. I actually was always very thin for most of my life and never felt that I had too much of a concern. Ever since I turned 30 my body no longer liked the food i was putting in my mouth and let me know! All the weight slowly started creeping on. In my mid 20's I was at the gym almost every day and I had just made it apart of my routine (after the divorce). I had already started going to the gym a little less once my son started going to school because I hated taking him to the kidcare each evening and felt guilty not spending enough week time together. It seems like when I started dating, the guys introduced food that I no longer ate back into my diet and took up time that I used to go to the gym. So I started going less and less until for some reason i rarely went to the gym! I'm so dissapointed in myself for letting that happen because I probably would be doing fine weight wise if I just kept it up or made sure that I squeezed it in. Now that is all going to change, because I am no longer going to make excuses or blame others for my choices. If I want to get back in a place where I'm happy in my skin, I have no choice but to make the right choices in making that happen.

I am a 46 year old teacher and mom. My two boys are both in college now and I have a lot more time now to focus on losing the weight that I have repeatedly lost and gained since they were born. I am excited to have found MFP and this group to keep me motivated and on track. When I don't log my food, I eat too much of everything! Good luck to everyone. We have made it through most of the first week of 2013 already!

Hello friends!!! I am 32 years old. I'm married, 4 years and counting, and I have 3 step sons and 2 daughters. The boys don't live with us, so we don't get to see them as much as we would like too. My girls are ages 4 yrs, and 3 months. I am currently in college at Limestone College where I am majoring in Elementary Education. I will do my student teaching this semester and graduate in May. I am praying that God opens a door for me to start my career next fall. I am looking forward to being a part of this group, and working to get healthy in the weeks and months to come!!

Hi everyone im sarah im 34 from england i am engaged to my soulmate we have been together five years in march. I am 208 pounds and want to get down to 140 pounds i was skinny when i was a teenager then went to high school and have been overweight ever since but as im 5ft 4 i want to have a weight thats healthy for my height.

Hi! I'm Michelle. I am 300+ days on MFP... I just reset my ticker and all my goals. I am 5' 3" (almost). I am a food addict that is trying to change...

I am 36 years old, married to my husband for 19 years. We have 2 boys, ages 11 and 6. The 1 yo has high-functioning autism, and the 6 yo was just diagnosed with ADHD. I am in the middle of my 12th year teaching students with special needs...my 6th year at the current school.

I am a woman of Faith.

Take care!

~Michelle

Hello all -
My name is Heather

I am a sahm with 3 girls 10 yr 2 yrs & 1 yr

i was a stone throw away from my goal weight doing weight watchers when i got pregnant with # 2 & then # 3

& essentially had to start all over again.

only now i am 38-

but I know that we can do this!!

Hi, I am Debbie I will be 58 on Valentines day. I have been married for 39 years next Friday. I work outside at an auto auction. I get plenty of walking but not much other exercise.
I have a very bad body self image and have trouble sticking to my plans for any extended time. It is like I am afraid to finally succeed. The weight loss you see on my tracker has been since 1/2004. I was 306
then lost to 215 regained to 246 and I am on the decline again. I want off this roller coaster of self destruction. My family is great but I have no weight loss support here. I depend on my MFP family to get me thru.

I believe that the key is: "Don't give up" You are worth all the effort for as long as it takes

I just keep getting back on the wagon. Someday I will make it.