Losing lots of weight sensibly, looking for MFP friends!

I'm brand new to the site and really impressed so far. Most people here seem to have a sensible attitude to weight loss and exercise and I haven't seen foolish fad diet nonsense when browsing the forums. Am I the only one who thinks that most weight loss adverts seem to assume that fat people are morons who will believe anything? "Lose 30 pounds in a week!" Yeah, maybe if you cut off your feet. :noway:

I plan to do this the slow, healthy and effective way: counting calories, making healthy food choices, and exercising--all to create a average calorie deficit of 500-800 per day. I have a lot to lose (about 100 pounds to get to a weight where I feel comfortable) which means a journey of 1.5-2 years at least.

I've tried to lose weight once before, and had success with this exact strategy. I lost 45 pounds in 6 months and felt great. Sadly, life interrupted (as it so often does) and sidetracked me with a big change. Things have settled down and I've recommitted, and now I need to figure out a way to regain that lost progress and lifeproof my healthy habits so I don't fall off the wagon again.

For me, motivation is key and the way I keep motivated is (1) track everything, because I am a giant nerd and I like hard numbers to measure my progress and (2) be part of a community with the same goals and priorities. The blog feature of this site looks awesome and I'm planning to use it, and I'm also hoping to find people here with whom to share successes and setbacks. Together we can keep each other accountable! Well, probably. :laugh:

I like to keep a sense of humour about weight loss, and about everything. I'm 30 and I've lived in several different countries. I'm a gamer and a reader, and I love the outdoors (camping and the like) and I take pride in being a tough broad, as they say. I love languages and travel and all sorts of music. I also love to cook, sometimes.

Happy to meet you all, and good luck to all of us on being better versions of ourselves!