Greetings! I've 36.5 pounds to shed

Hi all,

I'm normally not one to join community boards but I've been reading the posts and felt inspired by all of the kindness and encouragement that I've been reading - we are all in the same boat and trying to give it our all to do what is good for us.

I just downloaded the MFP app to my iphone yesterday and did all my measurement today. Boy is it tough to see the numbers and wonder to myself, "How did that happen?". At 21, I weighed 175 after gaining my freshman 15 and then some. I lost it got down to 148 during the summer preceding 9/11. I lived a few blocks away and my community lost quite a number of people so it was an emotional time to say the least, though I didn't register it then. I got stressed by juggling school, a budding relationship and a very emotionally wrought family, and lost even more pounds from stress induced illness. I gradually gained some back at got to a comfortable 155.

I moved to a new country four years ago and since then have climbed up to 184, my heaviest ever. I'm done with the tough parts of moving, learning a new language, and making new friends in a cold country so I am ready to shed this protective comfort skin that I have covered myself in. It's time to take the wheel and go to better places, literally and figuratively.
I look forward to tracking my progress on MFP and to monitoring the unfolding stories of everyone else here.

Blessings and well wishes to us all

Hija