Hello! I'm from a small country in South-Eastern Europe called Bulgaria. I'm a 27-year-old single IT specialist (a female one - yes, we do exist!). My work as you can guess is highly sedentary, but with my Christmas present - a vivofit, I've been aiming to move more while at work. It's helping somewhat. My job is highly stressful as I'm the manager of 50% of the company, and right now most of our projects are nearing their deadlines. I'm not handling stress well if I have to be honest, and as an emotional eater my go-to is sweets. Chocolate. All the chocolate. And cookies. And sweets. Seriously I'm a sugar junkie.

What I've decided to try out is counting calories strictly and working out 5-6 times per week, along with hitting my step goal for the day. Hopefully this will help me lose the weight I've gained the past 5-6 months (nearly 10kgs) since I got my promotion, so that I continue on my journey towards my dream goal, that I've never actually hit in my adult life.

I'm looking forward to being more confident in myself, because my body image has always been a huge hindrance to me. And my weight has always been the perfect excuse to not do things, to not go out and so on. It has also been a big deal about triggering bad episodes of social anxiety. So... yeah... I want to get rid of it, so that I can move on towards a happier life.

Hi everyone! I'm from the southeast United States. I am 24 years old, married, and have three kids ages 4, 2, and

I hit my goal weight right before I got pregnant with number one. After a horrible labor, a scarring c-section, and post partum depression, I gained almost one hundred pounds. I got pregnant with number two after three months of trying, and didn't put much effort in to watching my weight. I ate what I wanted, when I wanted. After she was born (another c-section) I again had post partum depression. I gained about 40 pounds after she was born. In the winter of 2012 I went on hormonal birth control. I had just started going back to school and trying to get myself where I wanted to be. I went gluten free. I did that because I was having stomach issues, and I thought it would help. It did. I was gluten free for 3 months before I got pregnant with number three while on birth control. At first I was really torn up about it. I was very heavy (270), unhealthy, and was just starting to lose weight again. I was a little more careful about my eating this go around, and by the end I delivered at the same weight I started at. After delivery (c-section) I lost another 20 pounds. I did not have post partum depression this time. But after she was born, the winter got really bad. And she had 3 hospital stays for asthma, and life threatening allergies.

My middle child was in OT and ST for delays due to autism. I was stressed to the max, and I ate every bit if my stress. As the year went on, my weight went up. In July I began getting migraines that nothing helped. So I cut out all caffeine. I cut out all soda. I cut out chocolate.

Then in September my father was hospitalized. Me, my sister, and my mother took turns staying the night with him. He was diagnosed with lymphoma. By the time he was released, I was the heaviest I had ever been (315). My father in law had just entered hospice after battling cancer for 5 years and everything just felt like it was falling apart.

In October I decided something had to give. I started making better food choices, opting to stay away from processed foods as much as possible. By November I was counting calories again. By December I had my gym membership going, and was going to the gym 7 days a week.

I'm ready. I know what I have to do. I know what it's going to take. And this time, I'm doing it for me. Only I can put in the effort to make the change. Will I have to get excess skin removed when I get to the magic number, probably. But that's okay.

I have clinical depression, OCD, anxiety, and I'm a chronic over eater. We are all in this together no matter where our journey started. I'm looking at 150, and I refuse to look back.

Hi!

I'm from Espoo, Finland (basically the suburbs of Helsinki), currently studying social sciences at a university in another city in Southern Finland. I'm half English, but I've only lived there when I had a gap year before starting university. I spent it in Manchester, which is where my dad's from. Having two nationalities is a huge part of my identity, and I love it. I'm also a massive football fan (Manchester City!) and a vegetarian, although I sometimes have some meat when I visit my parents - I don't want to make them cook something different for me.

Ever since I was young I've loved carbs, which has resulted in me having a "spare tyre" around my middle which I'd love to rid of. A few years back I started a similar thing and did really well; but in the end work, exam stress, travelling and a busy social life (not to mention my love for beer) caused me to go right back to where I started from. This time I want to take myself further and make it a lifestyle that I can sustain

The toughest thing for is snacking, and to stop myself from eating more and more once I get started - even if I'm full to the point of feeling sick. It's emotional eating, but since I've started here I've been doing pretty well! making myself track everything really keeps me aware of what I'm putting in my body and what foods make me want to crave more.

Hello Everyone!

My name is Anna, currently living in Helsinki, but I'm originally from Hungary. I love food, some days I think it's the only thing that can make me happy. (Fighting emotional eating most probably until the end of my life). Myfitnesspal helped me to get my weight in the healthy range(lost about 50 lbs in a year), and I didn't gain it back in the past year. There is always room for improvement though... I joined this group, so I can lose the last 15 more easily. The motivation and advice of the community always kept me going. You are the best:)

My office has it's own gym, so I will be spending some mornings there, and I already do resistance training 5 times a week. If I have some free time I usually join a pole dance or bikram yoga class. It's the nutrition part I'm having troubles with. I either overeat or eat too little, I can't seem to find a healthy a balance. I just enjoy eating a little too much. So planning my meals and keeping the calories and macros right will be my main task in the upcoming 13 weeks.

Good luck to everyone.

Hi all, I'm also from Texas, just north of Houston. I started this challenge after the last Christmas challenge was so successful. I loved having so much support and seeing so many other battling weight just like me. I have been married going on 25 years to a wonderful man who has never once mentioned anything about my weight. We have two children, 24 and 21 years old. Not sure when that happened. Anyway in late may I went to the doctor sick with pneumonia in my lower lung and bronchitis in the upper lobe. As if that was not bad enough that is not what the doctor was concerned about. My blood pressure was stroke level. After lots of tests and starting blood pressure medicine I was told I was pre-diabetic, my heart was enlarged and I had high blood pressure. My options were get healthy or I might not be around in a few years. That was what made things click for me. I chose life! I'm 48 years young and I want to be around a long time. This time around I am getting healthy the right way, eating healthy and exercise. In the past I have dropped tons of weight the wrong way, I have done the pills, done every diet you can imagine and I have lived on a leaf of lettuce, 2 animal cookies and tab soda, I also have made myself toss my cookies. This time I am working hard at slow and steady weight loss. I also am not concerned about vanity. While I enjoy looking better, I know this body will not bounce back and I may always have a tummy or some loose skin. The pic below is at my daughters college graduation where I actually had lost some weight and thought I looked pretty good. Wow when I saw that pic, I wanted to cry. Anyway, the bottom pic is from yesterday. I started this process in June of 2014 and have lost 52 pounds, still have a ways to go, but feel better than ever. So glad to have so many people that understand the journey!!

What a wonderfully diverse group. Sending a friendly wave to Adelaide - I went on a student exchange there many years ago and still have lots of happy memories.

I'm from Bavaria in Germany, about an hour's drive from Munich. I'm 28, I'm a teacher and I've got a delightful boyfriend whom I've been seeing for just over three months.

I've always been overweight. Not massively as a child but always enough to feel bad about myself. My mum used to be chubby, too and she often went on diets and tried to make me diet, too. When I was 16 I lost 20kg within one summer by basically not eating, that kinda wrecked my system. I kept it off for a while but gained back slowly. In 2008 I lost a fair bit of weight again, this time healthily. I then broke up with my boyfriend right before the busiest phase of university, gained again. Started dating somebody much, much older which in retrospective wasn't the best idea ever. I lost weight again and gained again and lost again. My partner was very fit himself and often complimented other women who were slim. I felt pretty bad. Last year I finally managed to break up with him. Right before that I had, again, managed to lose some weight - on here actually. But then I gained it back and more because I started working and the ex-partner was being unpleasant and I had to move and had no kitchen and then while working full-time I had to take additional exams.

I am an emotional overeater AND I also love eating in general and I've never enjoyed sports. I've done aerobics, basketball, taekwon do, swimming, running... so it's not like I haven't tried stuff but I really have to force myself to exercise.

However, as of recently I have no legitimate reason of stuff my face for emotional reasons. I have a new partner who, too, is overweight but not massively so. He thinks I'm pretty but is willing to support me if I want to lose weight. But not for him. I've finally finished my degree (got my grade yesterday, so happy). I have a permanent contract at a school where I'm well liked and respected.

Also... my 10 year highschool re-union is coming up. I better lose...

Hi All, just finding this group now, better late than never . My name is Julie and I live in Boston, Massachusetts. I am 41, and I am trying once again to lose back the weight I have gained in the last year. I have two boys, 7 and 8 and recently moved in with my boyfriend of 4.5 years (divorced) prior to that. I am an emotional eater and if my head isn't in the game, nothing will happen. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds as I weigh the most since delivering my first son. I have been going to the gym and doing spin classes, taking Pure Barre classes and eating as cleanly as possible. Scale isn't budging yet and I'm trying to be as patient as I can. I am excited to be part of this group!

Hi, I'm from Ashburton, New Zealand. Married with two children who are primary school age. I've gotten into really bad habits and gained 10kg in the past year and a half when I really intended to lose some.

I've decided that 2015 is the year I'm going to do some of the things I've talked about for the past few years, and complete others. This means I have quite a lot to work on....my fitness is a big one, I have started C25K more times than I can remember, so I really want to finish it this time and who knows, maybe I'll train for an event (not totally committed to that yet). My weight is something I am not happy with, so I am working to change that, and also to have well defined muscles - fitter and stronger is possibly more important to me than the numbers on the scales. Also working towards completing a qualification to go alongside my work experience.

I will be 40 in September, so knocking some of my goals off before then would be fantastic.

Hi All,

I just love how our group is from all over the world. I'm a travel junkie and it gives me ideas and inspiration on where I'd like to go next.

I am Canadian, born and raised - currently living in Nova Scotia, Canada. I am 58 years old and a somewhat-recently retired accountant. I am married with 2 great kids and 3 fabulous granddaughters.

I haven't always been overweight but I have certainly struggled with my weight for most of my life. I most recently got serious about losing weight this past summer. I am not interested in a quick fix - I am determined to follow a regime I can live with on a go-forward basis. I spent 32 years in a sedentary job and I want to become an active person. Some time ago I read an article that resonated with me: There are those who are interested in getting fit and those who are committed to getting fit. Those who are interested in getting fit will do it when it is convenient. Those who are committed to getting fit will do it no matter what. I am determined to be in this latter category.

I joined the Christmas Challenge group last August and I really enjoyed the support of the group. I'm looking forward to working with this group also.

Chelsey2016 wrote: »

Hello! I am from California, however, I have now lived in Washington for over seven years. I also, attend Washington State University and I recently married. After getting married I gained a lot of weight due to many factors and consequently my confidence has been hindered significantly. Now, I am here to get healthy and help motivate others to do the same.