New to the community here...

hi y'all.

I'm Laura and I've again started a journey to change my life. I've tried many times in the past and have achieved some success (still 38lbs down from my heaviest) but I struggle a lot. My metabolism is extremely sluggish (my physician of 15 years likens it to a snail on ketamine) hehehe. I show all the signs of hypothyroidism but the blood work always comes up empty in that regard.

I'm 46 and I live in Nevada with my amazing husband and son. (Originally from Michigan)

I run two small businesses from home and my lifestyle for the last several years up until recently has been mostly sedentary. While I keep house and do many things, I am not a very physically active person and am somewhat of a hermit.

As of today I weigh 312 lbs (down 8 from 2 weeks ago) and I am trying my damnedest to stay positive even though my scale hasn't budged in 6 days.

I joined a gym for the first time in my life about a week and a half ago. It was a huge step for me as exercising in public is something I have always been afraid to do.

I hired a fitness trainer for my first week and he is extraordinary. I will (as I can afford to) hire him again as needed. He is always available for me though when I have questions or need support. He has the right balance of compassion and realism and I know he will push me like I need to be pushed.

As of now i do 60 minutes of strength/resistance training 4-5 days a week and 30 minutes of cardio 5 days a week.

I'm really good when it comes to calorie counting. Scales and measures and logging EVERYthing. I am a good and creative cook and so I am able to create healthful and low calorie meals to help me in my journey.

My biggest hurdle has always been when I perceive a lack of progress and hit difficult and lengthy plateaus. I am impatient at best and if a week passes and the scale doesn't reflect what I've done, I am easily discouraged. I am more determined than ever this time however, to not allow that to derail me.

As for the less health related aspects of my life - I love art, drawing, painting, creating jewelry, glass art, writing, reading, photography, guitar, piano, singing, bass, percussion, listening to good music, cooking, sculpting, working, good coffee, intelligent discussion, learning, Red Wings hockey, the mountains, camping, collecting, marksmanship (pistol), the Great Lakes, good people, and love. I really love love.

So yeah - there's me in a nutshell.

Nice to "meet" y'all.