Hey everyone

Thought I should introduce myself after a few days on these boards!

I'm Emily, 26 years old from Melbourne, Australia. I have been using the MFP app since late October 2013.

I have struggled with my weight as long as I can remember. My main problem was emotional eating/binge eating. I used food as a comfort when I was growing up with a brother with severe Autism, as a way to cope with the stressful impact on my family. From then on I continued to use food in this way to cope with life's stresses, to commiserate and also to celebrate. I knew it was the reason I was a chubby kid, and overweight teenager, and in my 20s, severely obese. But it was like an addiction. I just felt I couldn't break out of it.

Last year though, I reached my heaviest and my Dr asked me to get a blood test. The results came back that I had high blood sugar levels and my Dr warned me that if I kept going the way I was going, there was a high chance I would develop type II diabetes. She sent me off for a Glucose Tolerance Test to make sure I didn't already have it.

Thankfully, the test came back negative, but it was a huge wakeup call. I knew I needed to change my eating habits and develop healthier ways of coping with stress than binge eating. I started seeing a dietitian as well as going to a support group for women with various mental health issues, where I learnt coping strategies, relaxation techniques, and had a supportive network of people to talk my issues through with.

During my first session with my dietitian, she showed me the MFP app on her phone and recommended I download it. She did also talk through portion sizes, exercise, etc with me but said the app would help me keep a track of what I was taking in and burning off each day.

Well, since starting with the app, I have lost 28kg (61.72lbs). I have done this through cutting down my portion sizes and exercising regularly. I walk for 45min-1 hour at a time 3-4 times per week as well as doing Zumba and Sh'Bam classes at a local gym. I still have a long way to go but I am seeing results I never dreamed possible, feeling fitter and more energised, and more in control of my eating. I never want to go back to where I was!

Thanks for reading this and I look forward to getting to know you all better!

Emily. :-)