This is a great idea, Holly!

Call me Paula
From the San Francisco Bay Area of California (where the fabulous weather is causing a horrible drought)
I'm 5'9 and 61 going on 42
SW (starting weight) 317 in March 2013
I had weight loss surgery in June 2013
CW 189 (just dropped into the 180's today for the first time in decades)

I've been very happily married for many years. We currently have three feline children. [But I cotton to all animals (human and otherwise) - you should see my husband grin and tap his foot when I stop to pet dogs on our walks.] Our home is in the rural area of the Santa Cruz mountains. Deer sleep in our back yard and the vistas are spectacular. (The picture on my ticker is the view from our deck.)

I work full time in bookkeeping, in a great job, in a great city and with a lot of amazing coworkers.

I'm somewhat of a nerd and philosopher, and find it fulfilling to help people (love Holly's maxim). That's what I like most about this group. Everyone is so supportive and it REALLY helps. :flowerforyou:

It's always nice to have a refresher to remind us who is who! Plus there are lots of new folks. Thanks for starting this, Holly!

What to call me: I typically answer to most anything - Jess, Jessica, "hey you with the face!", etc.
Birthday: October 24th - I'm currently 25.
Where I'm from: Eastern Washington state.
Weight loss goals: I don't really have a goal at this point weight-wise, just to be more healthy, more active, and hopefully, as an added bonus, quite a bit smaller.
My maxim: "Don't give up. One day, you'll look back and be glad you didn't."
A little more about me: I'm a full time college student, I live with my wonderful boyfriend, and we have two fur babies - a cat and a dog. I'm a writer, an avid reader, and a bit of a nerd, though everyone is always surprised by that last part. I watch more T.V. than I probably should, but since I'm getting my Bachelor's in creative writing for entertainment I get to pass it off as "research". I'm hoping to be able to start a family within the next few years, and I know that I need to get down to a healthier weight in order to do so safely, which is my biggest motivation other than the fact that my best friend is getting married in New York City this Fall and I want to be able to enjoy the trip without worrying about my lack of physical endurance getting in the way.

Hi, my name is Chuck and I’m an alc…… oops, wrong group.

I am 69 years old born Aug. 15, ’44 in Louisiana. I lived in Southern California for seven years and in the East Bay of the San Francisco bay area for the last 54 years, except for a few years in Uncle Sam’s Great Canoe Club.

At my highest, I was a well rounded 332 pounds and have had my ups and downs over the years. My goal is to stay healthy and to get to 180 pounds through healthy eating and exercise.

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something, because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” Randy Pausch

I’m married (2nd time) and have two girls (and two sons-in-law), one son, three grandsons and two Cocker Spaniels. I retired in 1999 after 30 years of public service and my wife in 2012 after 39 years of public service. We enjoy spending time with the family and traveling to the United States and to foreign countries to experience different cultures and explore their history.

Chuck

As usual, Holly, great idea!!

What to call me: Tara, T, T-Dawg (but that was my across the hall neighbor from freshman year of college who called everyone *insert name here*-Dawg

Birthday: October 15....I'm 35 and loving it. Each year is a gift.

Where I'm from: Born and raised outside of NYC, went to school in DC, then grad school in Rochester, NY. Since then I've lived in Washington, Alaska, California, and now we're in Delaware.

Weight loss goals: I'm not proud, I'll take what I can get! That being said, 379 was my highest weight, I had VSG on 7/15/2013, and I'd like to get down to the 160 range, if possible (given that my lowest weight in high school was 180, that would be a huge accomplishment).

My maxim: Persistence, not perfection.

A little more about me: I'm a teacher of the deaf by day and a sign language interpreter at night and on the weekends. No kiddos of my own yet, but I have 32 honorary ones that I get to work with everyday (I'm so lucky to work in early intervention). I live with my best friend and soon-to-be husband, Mike, who is an incredible artist and the most wonderful man I've ever met. We're getting married on June 29th and cruising to Bermuda with our family and friends. I love to snorkel and can't wait to take pictures of the fishies.

I live with my best friend and soon-to-be husband, Mike, who is an incredible artist and the most wonderful man I've ever met.

Oh oh oh, congratulations, Tara!!!!

Thanks, Paula! It was a long time coming, but I feel very fortunate to have found a fellow traveler to journey with in this crazy life

Well, hello

What to call me: Ignaura or Iggy or Ig

Birthday: October 21st, and I'm 31

Where I'm from: The center of the Caribbean, Dominican Republic.

Weight loss goals: Hmmmm... I don't have an actual goal. I currently want to get to 200lb (I'm 220 now) and see what will come after that.

My maxim: "If you don't know what you want, you will end up with a lot you don't" - The Fight Club

A little more about me: Well... English is my second language (that's why I'm always apologizing for it). I live with my boyfriend, we've been together for almost 8 years and have lived together for a year now. I went to Law School but changed my mind after graduating so I've been working in Communications ever since. I currently work on Social Media Marketing and Communications.
I'm an avid reader. Some of my favorite authors are Julio Cortazar, José Saramago and Gabriel García Marquez; and my favorite books are The Double by Saramago, La Voz Dormida (The Sleeping Voice) by Dulce Chacón and 100 Years of Solitude, by Gabo García Marquez. I love lifting weights and running, and want to try boxing and yoga.

Ignaura,

Please don’t apologize for your English. I’m sure you speak better English than most people that have English as their first language can speak Spanish.

What a great thread...loving it!
Congrats to Paula on hitting the 180s. You rock!
Congrats to Tara on your upcoming wedding.
And Hi!...it's nice to meet you all and to have a chance to get to know more about you.

My name is LeAnna, and that is what most people call me. Some family and friends call me Sis, Sister or LeeLee, which I actually think is kind of cool.

My birthday is April 17th and I will be 52 on my next birthday.
I was born in Tennessee, but raised all over the place. My parents tended to be travelers. I guess I must have gotten it honest, as I am also a traveler.
I share my life with The Mister, aka, Mark, who is one of the smartest people I know. We sold all our home stuff and took off in our RV in 2004 to see America. Currently, we are in Arizona, but who knows what's next?
My weight loss goal is 150, but I figure if I live right, I'll get to where I'm supposed to be. Mostly I'm just trying to learn how to live with food.
My maxim is: Don't apply a temporary solution to a permanent problem. I have an eating problem...dieting is not going to fix it. So, I'm learning to live "with food" instead of "for food".

Leanna, living on the road must be awesome!!! I love road trips! The boyfriend and I decided to go out and get to know our country this year... I think it's embarrassing saying I've been to Germany but still don't know places that are just 4 hours from home.

And thank you, CRody44! My dad always says "If you speak some english you are one step ahead of those english speaking people who don't speak spanish"

What to call me: Michelle
Birthday: February 7th, just turned 36.
Where I'm from: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Weight loss goals: 150 and see what happens from there
My maxim: "You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice."
A little more about me: Married, technical writer, mommy of a 2 year old little angel. I started my battle at roughly 340lbs in June 2010 and am excited to be back and getting the ball rolling again. I need to be there to walk my daughter down the aisle and if I'm lucky, her daughter as well.

What to call me: Michelle
Birthday: February 7th, just turned 36.
Where I'm from: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Weight loss goals: 150 and see what happens from there
My maxim: "You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice."
A little more about me: Married, technical writer, mommy of a 2 year old little angel. I started my battle at roughly 340lbs in June 2010 and am excited to be back and getting the ball rolling again. I need to be there to walk my daughter down the aisle and if I'm lucky, her daughter as well.

Woo, another Canadian! (I'm from Sudbury, Ontario!) Nice to meet you!

Laura and Chuck, I don't think I said hello, but hi!...it's nice to meet you.

What to call me: Maelyn
Birthday: December 17
Where I'm from: Springfield, MO
Weight loss goals: As I am ditching numbers for a bit...My weight loss goals are to be able to do Yoga without ninja-like modifications, be able to sit comfortably into a movie seat, and to no longer be told I need to lose weight but shouldn't expect to by my doctors.
My maxim: If it does not affect us, then our arts have no effect on the world.
A little more about me: I have schizoaffective disorder bipolar subtype, BPD (borderline personality disorder), PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), and EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified - anorectic traits). My struggles with becoming mentally stable has resulted in a lot of medications that have resulted in a lot of weight gain as my body has never really had a chance to truly recover from medication since I was 15. My spirituality is a huge part of my personal life, even though I don't share it very often with others as I have been accosted over it via a Bible thumped into my head.

Because I become obsessive with numbers, probably why I do trig and calculus to calm me down, I have decided to go without measuring for awhile. My main problem I face is not really my weight but the fear of my weight. The fear of being physically hurt or rejected for admitting that I am a practicing Wild/Celtic Witch. There is the fear of being alone and separated from those that give me love due to losing those people to death. There is the constant fear that I will somehow screw everything up by doing something so innocent at the time but with earth shattering consequences.

The way I have decided to deal with all this fear is to simply clench my fists, stomp my feet and dare it to push me over. For my body I am going to eat without counting calories, trusting in my ability to make decisions not based on a number printed on the side of my food. I am going to exercise without thinking about how many calories I am burning as much as admiring the beauty, that by the gods, at 300+ pounds my body can jump, shake, bend over till my hands are folded on the floor, and do this activity for an extended period of time without just dying from the stress. I am formidable. I will move forward despite this stink of fear that has crawled into every crack of my life. It is time to do some cleaning.

What to call me: Brigitte

Birthday: December 24th, 1966..[47]

Where I'm from: The Bahamas..The Island is Marsh Harbour, Abaco

Weight loss goals: My first goal is to get below 300-2nd goal to get to 250- 3rd goal to get to 200lbs. I began at 352lb-& now at 322lb

My maxim: "Take action! An inch of movement will bring you closer to your goals than a mile of intention." Steve Maraboli

A little more about me: I was born and raised in the Bahamas, I am a single mom of a son[19] and a daughter[9]. I am determined and confident to reach my goals, I want to get to the place where I can bend and walk without pain, to look for shells on our beautiful beaches, and grow a garden of veggies. Over 3 years ago I had cancer and needed a hysterectomy which left me in a very dark place for 3 years.Finally made some changes and I am moving on!..

Add me as a friend!

Serenityshores!

Hi, Brigitte. It's nice to meet you. I like your maxim...it's a good one.
I'm going to send you a friend request.

This is a really great thread. It's nice to 'meet' all of you

What to call me: My name is Jennifer, so that's a good start I get called Jen a lot online (though not offline). If you don't remember that, Singularity is fine (or just Sing for short).
Birthday: December 3, 1984. I'll be turning 30 at the end of this year.
Where I'm from: I've lived in Iowa for my entire life, with the exception of the two years I spent as a volunteer in Philadelphia right after college.
Weight loss goals: I've always been the fat kid. I weighed 200 pounds when I was 12, so at this point, I would really just love to weigh less than that. Once I get there, we'll see.
My maxim: "If you don't get serious about this, I'll kick you." Also, "Don't forget to be awesome."

A little more about me: Let's see...I am single, no kids. I have an older brother, a younger sister, and two little brothers, as well as two super adorable nephews. Despite the fact that my sister is 10 years younger than me, she is one of my best friends. I work as a social worker with adults with mental health and substance use history, and really enjoy my job, for the most part. I am also a huge nerd, with a plethora of nerdy interests. I really love dancing, even though I lack a lot of important things like coordination and grace, so in August, I joined a flash mob, and have successfully learned and performed four routines since then.