Looking for Support! Newbie here!

Hi everyone, I am Marissa.

I am new here and looking for support. And it seems like these message boards are FULL of people who seem fit for the job! There are so many of us here. :-)

Its not like I do not have support in real life with people around me but none of them are on a weight loss journey. So while they are supportive of mine, I want to connect with others who are currently doing it too.

I am 35 years old, 100 pounds overweight, and (obviously) I like to eat. My issue seems to be more of a portion control problem. I do not eat fast food very often and I do not sit down with a bag of chips or cookies like I used to in college. So my issue is snacking at the wrong times (example: at night a bit after dinner) or eating too much at my meal times. So I am not actually eating junk food, per say.

Still, I like food. I grew up in a household with Southern cooking. I lived in St. Louis, MO. But my grandparents were from the south so that is what they knew how to cook. I did not have weight issues as a child because I was always outside playing and pretty active. My weight issues started in college. (Go back to the bag of chips and cookies comment I made in the last paragraph. LOL) Eating out more at fast food places, etc. I also know that my family tends to be on the heavier side so I know that its in my genes somewhere too. But I want to break that cycle.

The foods I cook are rarely Southern though. From time to time, I may indulge. Mainly I eat pretty simply. I am going to list a few things I regularly eat. Breakfast is 2 hard boiled eggs, 3 pieces of turkey bacon, 1 cup of low fat yogurt with flax seeds, water, coffee with a little low fat creamer, and sometimes an orange. 1 Centrum Heart Health vitamin, a packet of Emergen-C, and 2 fish oil pills. Lunch (at least when I am at work) is usually brought from home and consists of a packet of tuna, 1 cup of brown rice, sometimes a packet of miso soup if its cold out, a few crackers, and a snack size packet of something sweet. (I admit I do have a sweet tooth.) Dinner is always random. I really need to meal plan, that is what this is starting to boil down to. I notice that I always know what I am going to eat for breakfast or lunch. So it always keeps it simple for me. I HATE having to think it to death. So dinner is always the sticking point. Dinner is always random. l sometimes have a salad (though I find myself getting burnt out on those very quickly), Breakfast-for-dinner, steamed veggies, rice, tuna, veggie Pad Thai, chicken breasts (not fried), and things like that. (Not all of that in one meal, obviously.) I can see now that I am typing this out that I REALLY need to meal plan. Mainly to get more creative with dinner so I am not having to think about it so much.

So now we get into the naughty bits. Its AFTER dinner that I find myself snacking. Not immediately after dinner, of course. I will have a bunch of sunflower seeds or dried fruit or crackers or candy. I will sit and eat that while watching TV. Now I do not eat all of that after dinner at once or even every day. But I recognize that as a problem. I think I am one of those people that sometimes eats out of boredom while watching TV. I love to snack while on the computer or watching a show. And I know that is part of the issue.

I am not gaining weight or loosing weight. It pretty much stays the same because the part time job I have is pretty physical. I am on my feet all day and constantly moving for the most part. So I think that is helping me maintain. And do you want to know the most irritating part? I have a really nice stationary bike at home in the living room. There it sits but the thought of getting on the thing makes me groan and throw my head back up at the skies and say, "Why me?" A bit dramatic, I know. LOL But I hate working out. No matter how much I switch it up, its boring to me. I cannot afford a gym membership and when I used to go to the gym, all I did was bike and weights which I have both at home. So why join a gym? Ya know? I am a more private person when it comes to working out. I do not want to see all the already fit people around me. I know that could be motivation for me, but all I do is get pissed off that my motivation and will power lets me down every time I embark on this journey. And I do not like workout classes because I can never keep up which makes me feel worse. So I prefer to work out on my own time and by myself. I find it boring either way so, to me, it does not make much of a different where I am when I work out. I cannot afford a personal trainer either. Besides, I am one of those people that does not respond well do them. The thought of being barked at to " GO! GO! GO!" does not give me motivation or drive. It just makes me feel bossed around. LOL

I did Body for Life years ago and it worked. I worked out at least 5 days a week alternating between cardio (the bike) and strength training. I also liked the free day you are giving on that eating plan. LOL Rest of the week was high protein. Yet it was not low carb though. So for me, it was just right. I tried low carb one time and all it did was make me mean and hungry all the time. I am one of those people that has to say to people, "I am sorry for the words I spoke out of hunger." LOL I get crabby when I am hungry.

Anyway, that is me in a nutshell. I know this is a long post but I wanted to get in as much as I saw necessary to give you a bit of a background on why I find myself where I am. I find myself always starting out strong when I plan on loosing weight and then over time, my will power fades, I get bored, or my results are not to my liking and I slack off. I really need to do this and stick with it. I am hoping this time, I can. I have never joined a community like this so maybe that is the missing key. I need like minded people around me to help me through it.

Thank you for reading my novel. I dedicate this to My Fitness Pal. LOL

~Marissa