No fear of commitment here! Will lose 125+ lbs to live life more fully at 40!

Hi everyone!! eml298's husband here, lgb1. I'm so thrilled and amazed that we have such an AWESOME group coming together! It's my sincerest hope that those of you that have posted here will continue to do so. This experience is honestly so much richer, so much more meaningful as we all engage with wellness together and help each other to battle with the various demons, or perhaps the "internal naysayer" that dwells within everyone of us. So please, stick around!

We'd also like to encourage you all to join eml298's group, "No fear of commitment here! Daily motivation toward living life more fully". The main advantage to participating in the group is that you can interact with some of the inspiring folks that have commented in this thread, and we can all start some discussion threads in that group to address much more specific concerns and interests.

In any event, I've been watching these amazing posts and have been meaning to write in to share my heartfelt congratulations with all of you. Do you know what a huge step it is just to say that you are ready to commit to a new way of life? It takes tremendous courage just to stop avoiding the issue, and to firmly step into the circle of renewal.

For those of you that are just starting, and have never embarked on this kind of journey before, keep in mind that this is not going to be like being tortured every day for months and years. It is hard in the beginning, but the worst is generally over in the first 3-5 weeks. I swear this to you. Whether diet or exercise (or both) is where you start, you will experience discomfort in the first few days. It will pass. The worst of it will pass, and much more quickly than you might imagine. And as in so many other walks of life, without the suffering that we initially experience in an endeavor like this, we cannot know the joy of being on the other side -- of achieving the goals we set for ourselves in this journey, like being more mobile, or being able to wear certain clothing, or being able to compete in athletic events, etc.

I wish all of you the very best this week, and I will look forward to more of this fantastic thread activity, and to chatting with you all again very soon!

eml298 and lgb1 - its incredibly heartwarming to see that kind of support! I mostly have the "kind/helpful sabotage" in my life. The "I brought you a piece of buttered bread!" "Aren't you going to get a piece of cake?" Even though they know you're trying to be healthier.

I agree with Colleen - if you're happy with the number of active members now you could make it private, or you could wait a little while to get a few more, but close it before it gets overcrowded and too difficult to follow.

I think my daily goal is going to be honesty. I can start by going to that scale, weighing myself, and recording the numbers it gives me - not saying "well, its not that much more than the one I already have logged!" or making any other excuses, just honestly logging it. Then, I can honestly log my food - every bit of it, not the old "its just one piece of hard candy for my throat!" or "vegetables don't count, right?" ALL of it. And weighed out, too, not just eyeballed. And finally, exercise. I won't hook my fitbit to myfitnesspal, because it takes away some of my earned Achievemints if I do that, but I can be more accurate in how my fitbit is used. Sitting in a chair playing games DOES move your activity tracker, but it shouldn't count that as a step. I need to stop lying to myself, because it doesn't do me any good.

Welcome! Been off and on, committed now to doing this daily.
Feel free to add me, looking for motivational, supportive friends. Have a lot to lose!

Add me please!

Group suggestion, maybe create a sticky thread for intros and one for weekly or monthly for those comfortable with sharing?

im pretty much an open book (and since i dont use my real name LOL) i dont really care. i will say i am super good about logging into mfp and tracking and everything but the groups and all.... not always so if you dont see me its not cause im not here its just cauee im not HERE HERE. LOL

on fb im a lot better if yall ever take it in that direction (and would definitely say private group there just cause i dont want my family and friends to see all my posts ) LOLOL

@callsitlikeisee it I permanently deleted my FB account last summer (too much drama and negativity), so my vote is to keep it here on MFP...

@scudderva I started a C25K a few years ago and LOVED it. Unfortunately at my weight it's just not a good idea for my body, but I'm really excited to revisit it when I'm lighter. I love that surge of endorphins I was getting, and don't get that from any other exercise I've ever done. Also, if you need to repeat weeks, give yourself that flexibility. It's a way to get more active, not a race...

@luvforever I like the idea of a thread for weigh ins, and there's a thread in the group where a couple of us have intro'd ourselves already, so jump in and share yours too.

Hi I am a newbie at all this stuff and just joined the group, not too sure how I link myself to the conversations. But I am finally ready to lose weight after a long time of searching for that switch, I found it and it is turned on.! I started at 166.7kg and am now 159.7kg after four weeks, have along way to go but love reading success stories for inspiration.

My nutritional victory is an ongoing one of learning to cook delicious low calorie meals for bot only myself, but also my picky family. We had success with chicken rolatini/ cordon bleu with a side of honey cinnamon carrots tonight!

My nutritional victory has been staying committed to staying under my calorie goals for more than a couple days. Also meal planning and food prepping.