Hi! My name is Sarah. I am a 36 year old married mother of two boys. I have struggled with weight since my mid twenties. It really started to be more of an issue after the birth of my second son. I am tall so my goal weight my seem high, but it is a healthy weight. Good luck to you all

SW & CW: 245
GW: 170

Hi everyone. My name is Helen and I am 53 years old. I moved to the USA from Scotland 8 years ago to marry a Nebraskan. I am at my heaviest ever weight of 253lbs. I need to get a grip and have heard great things about MFP. So, here I am on day 2. I am flying back to Scotland in September for a holiday and so I have motivation.....but I might need more

Hi guys! I am Pat from KY living in AZ. Looking for friends and support from wherever!
SW: 247.5
CW: 244.8
GW: 120 (I'm really short!)

My challenges: Short, I work 12 hour nights / hypothyroid / over 55. Don't like to eat (I was averaging a meal every 16-17 hours).

My suggestions for things that have really worked for me / encouraged me:

Airdyne biking (the one where the arms and legs move). Works up a sweat, burns off inches, can do at home, can find one relatively cheap, easy on the knees.

Look forward to talking with everyone!

My favorite motivational video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26U_seo0a1g&feature=share

Hello! My name is Laura, I'm 43 and living near Chicago, Illinois. I am divorced, with one 11-year-old son who does not live with me (LONG story there). My weight has been an issue ever since college, mostly due to the medications I've been on causing me to have an insatiable appetite (I have bipolar disorder, and the meds for that are notorious for causing weight gain). I hit my highest weight at 255 pounds and kind of hung there for a couple years. Then my doctor changed my medication, and that was the turning point for me. I finally felt well enough to try to take control of my health. I started MFP and joined a gym in January of this year and haven't looked back. So far I have lost just over 40 pounds and have made huge gains in my mental health.

SW 255
CW 214
GW 150-170 (haven't decided yet)

Hey guys, I'm Maddy from Melbourne, Australia. I'm 31 and a graphic designer. I cycle quite a bit but several uterus surgeries last year has seen me tip the scales at the highest I've ever been. Have still had niggling health issues since the surgeries and feel that my weight has definitely been a factor.
Finally doing something about it with a month gym challenge and calorie counting.

SW: 220 (100KG)
CW: 213 (96.5)
GW: 165 (75KG)
Height: 5'9 (174.5)

My Achilles heel is definitely beer! No beer for the month and I'll see what difference it really makes. I'm one week in and going pretty strong so far.

Hi ladies!!! I'm Karen and I am from a place called Hervey Bay, it's in Australia and I have the unfortunateness of being surrounded by beautiful skinny girls wearing bikinis all day.
I work as a personal carer in a nursing home and i'm studying nursing. I have three kids and my husband works away.
I found that it was so much easier to buy take away and eat crap than it is to make the time to cook healthy foods. Hence the weight gain.
Over the last 12 months I have learnt the awesomeness that is Food Prep!!! Total time saver, cash saver and weight loser lol.
My bipolar has made me and my healthier eating a bit tricky. Now that i'm medicated and stable, I am looking forward to losing weight and gaining friends

Hey everyone, my name is Ashley. I'm from Texas and I just joined the group. I am 30 years old, married but no kids yet. That's why I'm here. I became so heavy that my periods stopped and I no longer ovulated. I've gone to the doctor and the conclusion was, unless I started losing weight now, I will never have kids. I walked out of the doctors office, diagnosed as pre-diabetic with little hope for the future I wanted. I just sat in my car and cried. I don't think I've ever felt more defeated than I did that day.
I went home, prayed and cried, then I talked to my husband, the most amazing man. He looked right at me and said he'll do anything it takes to help me. So, I put my big girl panties on, wiped my tears away and started researching successful weight loss tips and lifestyle changes. I am constantly learning and growing. I'm finding what is best for me, what my body is responding to and how it makes me feel.

I signed up for MFP a couple of years ago but I never really looked into it. I recently started logging everyday and reading the forums for inspiration and motivation. I am so happy I came across this thread as I have a lot of weight to lose. It's nice to see I'm not the only one in this position. I feel we can really motivate each other.

SW: 336 lbs
CW: 318 lbs
GW: 160 lbs

Height: 5'6"

Welcome ladies!