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.

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.

Right there with you, Jennifer. I don't really remember being thinner than 200 lbs. (which was in my late tweens/early teens) so it's going to be exciting just to get to that neighborhood again :-) And I also dance with more joy than skill, cause life is just too darn short not to!!

Crystal, it's nice to meet you, and I'm glad for you that you're back on the wagon.

Ignaura, I honestly love the RV lifestyle. We took early retirements when we chucked all our house stuff. We do what is called work camping where you trade skills for expenses...it's a barter system. A few years ago we were offered an opportunity to manage a really nice park in Arizona and we've enjoyed it. But it's time to get back on the road. The Mister and I make jewelry and we're ready to go beyond the hobby stage and do it as a second income. We are planning on re-starting our travels this summer.

Good for you, Leanna! We have often talked about doing this, since I've got a wandering spirit (probably why I've moved so often lol) and it sure would be nice to take our little home with us. If you don't mind my asking, do you find that anything less than Class As are doable for full-timing? I just can't see us driving something that big around, but I've been told by various folks that travel trailers are probably too small for full-timing.

Our RV is a class A, but it's only 26' long with no slides. We've lived in it since 2004. It's a lot like I imagine living on a boat would be. It takes organization, teamwork and patience sometimes. But we love living in our RV and have no intentions of "up-sizing". One of the biggest mistake we see others make is buying more RV than they can handle...both physically and/or financially. The idea with RVing is to simplify your life.

I do have to admit though that we tow a huge cargo trailer. We are rock hounds and jewelry makers and the trailer is our shop. We custom built the shop to store away and make room for our toys...a side by side ATV and two scooters. We don't tow a car so we use all three as our day to day transportation (and cause their fun). RVers tend to be a fun group.

I must have missed this thread but will put something in now.

What to call me: Debbie (Wolfmother also works as it is my Scouting nickname)
Birthday: June 24 and I will be 53 this year
Weight loss goals: My highest weight was 286 and I would love to get down to 135 but anything reasonably close to that will be good.
My maxim: I do not have anything to quote. I say that sounds good and then forget it within minutes. Everyone's quotes sound good to me.
A little more about me: I am Canadian born and raised. Started out on the East Coast but spent most of my life various places in Ontario. Now I live in the Great White North (Iqaluit, Nunavut). I love living in the Arctic but it has it's challenges in proper foods to eat and too cold to exercise outside (I love to just walk). I have been up here now for 3 years and will probably be here for another 8 until I retire.

Leanna - it is really cold at times but it is more of a dry cold so it never seems to hit me as bad as wet damp cold does. In our non-smow months walking is great as it is never too hot. We only get flies about one week in the summer and they do not bother me as much as others so walking still works. In the winter months (many of them) I have a treadmill I use inside and I have just joined the gym here for more equipment. The selection is not the greatest but you make do with what is available.