@Theo, My goal is to make lifestyle changes, to do planned shopping, buy healthy foods, walk more, gym every day, etcetera. I found that lifestyle is a major factor that caused my weight gain and lack of exercise is a major factor in me being unfit. I do believe if I do the above right that it is a good start. Good luck everyone!

HELLUR! My story is unoriginal: 39yo single female, fat my whole life, emotional eater, yo-yo dieter, got fit at one point, but fractured my ankle playing roller derby and gave it all up, et cetera, et al. Took BACK control of my life recently. Trying desperately to stop buying the same ol' *kitten* my mom bought growing up and figure out a PALEO/Paleo-adjacent diet. Working with a trainer who seems to believe in me, and have familial motivation and support. I want to not only BE inspired by y'all, but also do my own fair share of inspiring.

I talk a lot. Won't you be my (100+) neighbor?

Hi, my name is Michelle. I am 42 years old, I have been overweight about 25 years or so now. I was pretty much resigned to just yo-yo diets and the fact that I was just overweight and I needed to deal with it and accept it. My husband is also overweight (severely) so it was just comfortable and "easier" just to live with it. Well, here recently I've started having back pain and knee pain, not everyday, but enough to notice. Then I started noticing the last couple of years exactly how much I huff and puff going up a flight of stairs. Again, I dealt with it and avoided stairs (big mistake!) rather then confronting my situation head-on. Here I was last week at 353 lbs - the most I've ever weighed in my whole life, tired, uncomfortable, in pain, and just frustrated with life in general - work, my marriage, what I'd become, etc.

So last week I decided to do something about it. I could take the easy way ( my apologies to those that have) and have surgery, my physician has mentioned it several times to me. Who knows, maybe someday that will be the bet route for me - but I have to try myself first. I lost 70+ lbs once on my own and I was much thinner then, so maybe I can do that again. Again, who knows what I can and can't do until I at least try.

I decided to start slowly by logging my food. I cut myself back to 1600 calories a day - a whopping 50% or more than what I would have. I started to incorporate exercise - though painful and off to a very slow start, at least I am doing something. I have managed to get on the treadmill 15 minutes a day. In my first week I lost 10 lbs. No doubt I will lose a lot my first week or two and then I will face the week to week challenges with my scale. I want to lose 180 lbs. I'd be thrilled with even just 100 at this point. Hell, I'd be thrilled probably with just being healthier and not having a number assigned to it - but i am going to do what I can to make a lifestyle change that is permanent here.

I don't have a big circle of support here, my mother -in-law is a great cheerleader, my husband - well while he wants to be I am sure, he's just not committed and not very supportive of me. We started out doing this together, and this week he had many struggles. Maybe he'll get back on board, maybe weeks down the road he'll get it together and see how successful I am being and decide that it's needed for him too, I don't know. I just know that I have to keep looking forward for myself.

Anyway, I've rambled on here enough. If you'd like to message me, please do. I am always open to new friends and could definitely use the support.

Michelle

Hi Michelle, THEO166 also commented a week or so back - and I 100% agree - don't worry about the exercise just yet. I've lost 29.6 lbs since Jan strictly on changing my eating habits and getting control over portions and logging. I've started feeling better about actually losing weight so I am adding a little exercise. Now it doesn't feel like such a chore, not to mention it is less painful. You're in the right place - the people in this group are really great motivators!!

Welcome, Bob! Glad you found us--I have found this group to be very supportive and helpful!

280 is just about where I started at the beginning of February, and I'm under 250 now, and I'm not slowing down yet! You can do it too!

Hi, Kathy! I hope you're with us for a long time!! One of my favorite threads in this group is the Thoughts and Feelings thread--it's a great place to sort out all the tangled emotions we have about our bodies, food, and exercise.

Hi, I'm Tatyana. I have 3 kids ages 7, 5 and 2. I homeschool and currently stay home to take care of them. We are also a military family and new to the California area. I've struggled with an unhealthy relationship with food since a young girl. Now that I am getting older I can feel how the weight is affecting my body. I am ready to do this for good this time. I think I finally understand that this is a slow battle and I need to commit for the long haul! I started February 18th at 270 and have over 100 pounds I would like to lose, eventually! I am happy I found this group. My current weight is 235.4

Hello there. I am a 38 year old woman with 2 children. I have probably like most been on this diet train for a long time. I have to lose 100 lbs and know ots going to be a long bumpy ride. I have never really been part of a community online, so hoping to make friends for much needed support.

Hi, I'm Kiki. I'm here because this weight is weighing me down. I've been overweight my whole life, but I'm realizing how getting older with all this extra is affecting my health. My HW was 316. I'm down about 40 lbs from there, but that's been in fits and starts over the years. It's time to commit to a healthier lifestyle.

Hi I'm Sarah and I'm 37 years old. Always been big and have yoyo dieted many times. Biggest loss was 91 pounds 4 years ago, now I'm started again at 7 pounds above what i started at last time. Really want to do it properly now, sick of the pain in my joints, getting breathless etc. Plus i have type 2 diabetes (currently diet controlled but not been behaving lately) and fairly bad sleep apnoea and excessive daytime sleepiness which has had serious consequences in my work and paypacket!!! So am determined to sort myself out and improve my lifestyle massively.

SW 296.5
CW 295
GW 168

Welcome, everyone! Glad you're with us!!

I love that this group keeps attracting new folks, it seems like most groups fade away after a few months--but this one is still going strong!

Hello! My name is Alison, I am 22 years old, and 170lbs overweight. I've been overweight my entire life, never been fit or healthy. Started gaining weight around 3rd grade and I would gain weight every year, maintaining it for a while, then start gaining, then maintaining, and so on. Never losing. I'm now at a place where I'm 22 years old, 170lbs overweight, disgusted with myself, feeling so claustrophobic in my own body, and having a body where I can barely walk up the stairs without joint and back pain. It's so terrible. I want to live a fun and full life, but my weight is literally holding me down. So a few days ago I decided I was going to make a change. And using this app as a tool to help me track my progress and also gain new friends who know what I'm going through where we can achieve weight-loss goals together! So I'm really glad someone recommended this group to me and I'm excited for what's to come!

Hi, y'all. I just found this group. My name is Karen. I'm 53y/o, 5'6". Been a member of MFP for years during which my weight has yo-yoed ever upward. However, I had a bit of a health scare earlier this year which caused me to re-evaluate my lifestyle and make some major changes in my diet. On April 1st I decided to try vegetarianism for 2 weeks. When I made the change-over, I decided to start logging again in MFP, so I reset my starting weight and jumped back in. I almost immediately started to feel better, and that, in turn, got me to be more active. I feel like something has clicked for me and that I will be successful this time around. I've logged in and tracked consistently for 55 days, which is a record for me. I'm still a vegetarian/pescatarian. I'm eating 1400-1700 calories/day depending on my exercise level, and I feel satiated for the first time in *years*. I try to drink 90 oz of water/day. I'm working on increasing my sleep. I also want to join the accountability thread. My overall goal is 93 pounds to lose, but I'm trying to focus on about 10 pounds at a time (thank you Happy Scale App) to keep me from getting overwhelmed or discouraged.

Very excited to be here!!

Hi! My name is Lori and I have about 150 pounds to lose. My weight has always been a struggle, but it's gotten out of control. I recently went to the doctor for one issue and found out that my weight was at an all time high and that my blood pressure was also really high. About that time, I also realized that I missed what I used to do - being more active with friends, volunteering, traveling, etc. It was like one big revelation and I'm ready to change.

That revelation lead me to a new mindset. I'm not dieting. I'm changing my lifestyle to be healthier. I'm making baby steps in shifting from unhealthy habits to healthy habits. Nothing is off limits; it's all about moderation. I've accepted that I'm going to have bumps along the way, but it doesn't mean that I have to quit when they happen. I just need to crawl over them and get going again. I need accountability to help make sure that I do keep going.

It's only been a week of this healthier lifestyle, but I already feel more energetic and less tired, something I was really struggling with beforehand. I've been logging my food in MFP and it's been good to really see where I'm at with my nutrition. I have a lot to learn about nutrition and fitness and what works for my body.

I'm really looking forward to participating in this group. Support and encouragement are so important in this journey. If anyone wants help with accountability, I'd love to be friends.