Greetings!

Hello all!

I've used MFP on and off for several years with success (did WW in there, too), but like many people, after a while I let bad habits creep in and eventually fell off the wagon.

I was diagnosed with ADHD last year at 35 and have learned a lot about my relationship with food and exercise and how ADHD plays a role. Unfortunately, my life has been so hectic with moving and starting a new job that I really wasn't able to focus on my bad habits and I routinely found myself eating garbage on late nights at work.

But I've been managing a bit better for the past few months and I am making progress. It doesn't feel like it, but I'm actually almost 25 pounds down from my highest weight ever in the fall (360 lbs).

I had a sort of come to Jesus moment over the weekend when I was at a conference with my students (I'm a biology professor). There was an outdoor field trip at the end of the day which involved a 4 mile walk on mostly paved trail and some inclines. I don't have issues walking in terms of cardio... I'm surprisingly fit for someone so fat. However, I do have arthritis in my knee and issues with muscle cramping in my lower leg sometimes, both of which are a result of being overweight (plus genetics).

On this particular walk, my legs cramped up bad and my knee started popping. I tried to push forward, but I inevitably slowed down and then couldn't walk any further. I was saved the embarrassment of everyone seeing me stop, because the group kept going and didn't even notice I fell behind. But I was pretty upset with myself and this really does not bode well for me and my job. I teach courses with outdoor lab components and do outdoor research. I need to be able to walk far and not have my legs cramp or my knee pop.

So I'm committing to getting it right this time. I'm medicated for ADHD, so hopefully that will help me keep good habits and reduce my need to snack for dopamine. It's still going to be challenging (it is for everyone), but I need to do this.