Hi everyone. I am new to MFP, but have been a Weight Watchers member for years. I started out at 430 pounds and am currently at 347 pounds, so I have lost some weight. Most importantly, I learned for the first time in my life how to be healthy. I'm grateful for the changes I've been able to made, however, I've been on a plateau for nearly two years now. When WW changed their plan to PP+, I stayed on board, but struggled. I finally got frustrated and quit.

I am pretty desperate at this point, because I feel like I've been working way too hard to be stuck at such a high weight. I'm really hoping MFP will help me blast through this plateau and start seeing some rewards for my work again!

'Sup? Single, 43. I like art, writing, and a good joke. Trying to be healthy and not walk around like I am way older than I am. I stand all day and my knees don't like me anymore. The best to you all!

HI there! I"ve lost 73 so far. I started at 336, 5"10", mother of 3 sons, wife, in nursing school and working 2 jobs. School stresses me out very badly so I eat....well, I'm breaking that bad habit and working to become a fit nurse who can get the job done when called on. Thanks for having me. :-) I'm currently on week 6 of Les Mills Combat and using Shakeology.

I need help! I am 28 yrs old obese women, and I need support! I have two handsome little boys ( ages 6 and 2 1/2) that I am living for. They are my heart and soul.

I am a stay at home mom, also a college student. I have been over weight my whole life. Today, I am unhappy with how I look and feel all the time. I feel embarrass going to stores or eating out because I feel I am being judge. I am tired of my lower back hurting, to where I can walk for long or do what I use to be able to do.

I am doing this for myself, because I can't keep living like this. But I am also doing this for my boys. They need a healthier eating habits. Which I have been establishing to them, I been buying more fruits and veggies.

I have support from my family & friends, but I am lacking support from my main person. My husband. He is gives me support in the wrong foods. When I know I should have the will power to tell him no, I don't. I go along with him. Sadly, he is obese too.

Please, I need help and support.

Hello *^.^*

My name is Jenn and I can't remember when I joined MFP. I just know I didn't really start logging my food until about a month ago.

I have always been overweight and I guess I just hit a point where I realized that if I want to have kids someday, I want to be in good health.

I have a new baby sister who is 28 years younger than me. She's 14 months old and I want her to grow up having a big sister she can play with. I don't want her to view my size as something she wants to be like. I never want her weight or health to hinder her the way mine has hindered me.

I'm an artist, an animal lover, a gamer, a photographer, and I love being outdoors.

I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease in July of 2012 and am still undergoing treatment for it. I'm not able to exercise right now but I've made changes to the way I eat.

Just one day at a time. One choice at a time.

Hi all.

My name is Maura and I've been using MFP for about a month. I'm a professional student from the US, living abroad in the UK since May.

I tipped the scales in March at 370 after avoiding the scales like the plague. It was a huge eye-opener. I have struggled with my weight my whole life. I was a big baby and kid, and my parents made weight a big issue from the time I was 4 or 5, even though I was active and healthy. There was a lot of emotional strain and dark places in my childhood, and food became my escape and how I took control. Whether or not I actually was, I spent my childhood and adolescence as the fat kid. I was probably around 270 in high school. I was able to loose a lot of weight when I was 17 or 18 while in counseling with an ED specialist, and went down to 230 or so (which is a reasonable weight for me, really). But in the past ten years, while all the while denying my food problems and avoiding scales, I've slowly put on nearly 140 lbs.

My food/weight issues have stolen most of my 20s, and have prevented me from having the confidence and ability to do a lot of the things I want to do. I feel completely unloveable in my body, so I have avoided intimacy even though I have so much love to give. I want to be able to walk in a room and not feel ashamed and let a wall come up between me and everyone else because of weight. I don't want to obsess over food during every waking hour.

Healthwise, until the last 4 or 5 years, I've gotten by. I've been a severe asthmatic since childhood and suffer from depression, but recently I've had a lot of skeletal/muscular problems that have made life pretty miserable. I have disc herniation in S1/L5/L4 along with facet joint problems that make both my job (sitting at a computer, mostly) and activity difficult. This has become chronic pain, along with acute episodes every few months that leave me incapacitated for days. Luckily I have been able to avoid any narcotic pain meds. I have intermittent, but severe, foot and heel pain, and occasionally have knee trouble, especially when I bump up the exercise. I basically feel like an old woman, and I'm only 28. Also, (TMI) I rarely have my period anymore, which is really worrisome to be, since I want to have a baby someday soon more than anything else in the world (and to be able to care for that baby). I don't have diabetes or any heart problems yet, but they are in my future if I don't change.

The last time I weighed, I was 356 lbs. That was in May before I moved abroad. I've been very active here (don't have a car) and have been using MFP for a little over a month. I don't have a scale (which I think is a good thing...I'm one of those people who won't go to the doctor because I'm so terrified of the scale), but I think I have lost some weight. If I were guessing, I'd say I was down to 340ish.

My ultimate goal is to go down to 200ish. I'm 5 foot 11 and really big-boned, so my ideal weight according to all the websites would be 180, but I'd be overjoyed at 200. Right now, I'm just trying to get out of the 300s and give my body a break.

Thanks for listening. It's been nice to read these introductions and know that I'm not alone.

~Maura

Hi, my name is Christine and I just restarted MFP. I was a member in 2011 but stopped when I became pregnant. My baby boy is 11 months old now, and I am just starting to feel like I can take control of my eating habits. I was afraid to start sooner because of breast feeding and I honestly didn't want to be hungry AND tired AND deal with a crying baby. I've been working out a lot lately but not watching what I eat. I feel that I can now handle counting calories, exercising, getting enough sleep, and taking care of a tiny human.

I'm 5' 11" and 333 pounds. My ultimate goal is 200 pounds. I have set a short term goal of being able to fit into size 24 clothes. Currently, I am a size 28/30. I'm not sure what a realistic time frame is to be able to fit into a size 24. For now, I will just try and take it a day at a time, and work on my eating habits.

I would love to have some friends on MFP to help with support along the way.

Hi everyone my name is Izzy and I joined mfp over a year ago but stopped since my "weight loss buddy" quit on me.
Now I'm back, new account, new attitude and with out a weight loss buddy. The only person who truly pushes me is myself and I like that. I love the support from members here! I'm down 2lbs and I can't wait to get out of the 300's. that'll be great.

(I was replying to Heather but must have hit the wrong button cause it didn't quote her post - about the 1300 calories)


I'm new too, but I would say just don't pass out. I think you are over the minimum requirement for a sedentary female (1200 calories) and I think the biggest loser program has their people eat 1500 but I'm in the slow and steady boat meaning that if this is doable for you, fine, but if you are hungry, you might want to eat a bit more or you may get cravings. Just my opinion. I am aiming for what the program has calculated for me but I really like to eat and hate to be hungry! I also have to step up the exercise to build my stamina and to help my knees. I'm about 10 years older than you, though, if that makes a difference.

Hello everyone! I recently joined at 304. I hit my all time high weight a month or so ago at 312. A doctor told me it really is a matter of when, not if I get diabetes. I'd like to try and prove him wrong. I look forward to getting to know you all. -Rob

Hey Everyone! I recently rejoined fitpal, creating a whole new account. I realized my old account had so many successes and failures that it wasn’t going to work for me. I was ready for that fresh start. I am married with 1 son and 1 step daughter. We are active camping, visiting festivals, and swimming. I have recently came to terms with the fact my quality of life is being effected due to my weight. I am 6’0 and closer to 400 then 300. In September of 2008 I have bariatric surgery, specifically a Lap Band implanted. I quickly lost 120 lbs. I also quickly became pregnant. By the time I had my son I was more than ¾ the way to my pre surgery weight. After having my son my Lap Band began to act differently. I suffered many of the bad side effects that you may have heard of. This included pain when eating and basically forced bulimia. I couldn’t eat anything remotely healthy for me or it would become “stuck”. I began binge eating when I was having good days and on bad days I ate bad foods that I knew I could get down. I became a real bad emotionally issue for me. I felt trapped and my insurance would not take it out. I continued to gain weight steadily. In May 2012 I want 4 days without oral hydration or nutrition due to complications from the band. I was then transferred to a specialty hospital where my band was removed. I was instantly relieved, but I also made bad decisions. I was being able to eat things I hadn’t eaten in years, steak a lot of steak. I passed off the ice cream I was eating to sustain for BBQ, pasta, bread, vegetables, and so much more. I gained quickly. At this point I am at my highest weight I have ever been. I am 24 years old and I can barely get out of bed from pain. I have to force myself and medicate to keep moving. I want that to change. I want to change. I have been walking at work for lunch instead of sitting at my desk. Today I hurt so bad, I just kept repeating to myself, that no one else feels pain like this for walking short distances. I finished my way, and I am ready for the next one. It can only get easier from here.

Hello,

I'm Jessie and I'm 29, turning 30 on Halloween. I am studying to be a marriage and family therapist. I believe that taking care of your mental health is also important to being physically healthy. All of my life I have always been big but I was always active and healthy. As long as I stayed in the 200-250lbs range I could run back and forth across a soccer field, walk everywhere, do multiple hours a day at the gym, etc. I always had low cholesterol, low blood pressure, etc so I was basically healthy. Had I been surrounded by awesome body positive people from early on, I'd probably still be maintaining that lifestyle. However, I grew up with my grandmother, who always used to tell me that I would never find love or be happy unless I was thin. For years she beat into my head that my happiness and future love was tied into how much I weighed, since I already suffered from depression this just made things worse. About eight years ago my weight just started climbing, I was just getting unhappier and dealing with so much stress, pain, etc.

Anyway, long story short, two years ago I met the love of my life. A truly incredible man that makes me feel amazing inside and out. He has been such an incredible support and he is proof positive that my grandmother was wrong. I could find love and happiness without having to be thin. Our relationship has made me realize that I need to get back to my 200-250 weight range. Especially, since I want to have a baby with him, look and feel great in my wedding dress when we walk down the aisle October 2014. But losing weight for me has been more than just about eating better and exercising, I've had to work on my mental health and dig deep into a lot of whats prevented me from maintaining health.

I'm here to make new friends and build a support network, losing weight is always best when you have supportive and amazing friends.

Hello everyone, my name is Ann-Marie and I joined MFP last week. I'm from Leeds, England and a high school science teacher. My husband and I have recently found out that we are unable to have children after trying for over four years. I need to lose around 10 stone/140lbs to qualify for fertility treatment, but having been overweight all my life I have no idea what this will feel like or even what I will look like so this is a leap into the unknown!! I've embarked on a clean eating plan, joined the gym and hired a personal trainer; so far I've lost 18lbs over the last 5 weeks. I know there is a long road ahead but I am positive and excited about what the future holds. If anyone has any tips or advice it would be great to hear them. Thanks for taking the time to read my post and the best of luck in achieving your goals

I'm Mik, I'm a 30 woman and married to a wonderful man. I joined MPF a while ago but it didn't stick. I am re-comitting, so that I can be healthier overall, but figure this time I need friends to keep at it. Please feel free to add me and encourage and I'll try and return the favor.

Hey ya'll! I am Glen. SW-477, CW-429, GW-190. I am new to the group. I am 38 yrs old, married to a hot and sweet woman and have 2 outstanding young boys that I am so proud of! I am starting a new job in 2 weeks and am very grateful as I have been out of work for a few months.
I have been using MFP for about 2 and a half months. I love it! I appreciate all the motivation and support I get from the friends I have made here. I look forward to making the journey with you all. Never turning back. Not ever!


Glen