Sounds like a great idea!! (:

My name is Amber and I am 20 years old, turning 21 on May 7th! I am currently going to college, but I have no idea what I wanna major in. I'm thinking about like web design or anything to do with the internet since that's what targets my interest. I am a lesbian and I'm almost completely out. I still have to tell my dad and my sister and the rest of my family. However, all my friends know and with new people I tell them if they bring up sexual orientations. I am currently in a long distance relationship with this amazing girl and we have been dating for 6 months and 10 days (:

I have been struggling with weight my whole life. I was taught as a child to eat whatever I want until I am full. So, I was never taught portion control or healthier foods. However, I do love my fruits and vegetables so I ate them anyway. I was always the kid that was picked on due to my weight all through school. When I was 12, I had gallbladder surgery and they found out that I have scoliosis. And it's too far bad to where I can't have the brace to correct it. I will have to have the surgery one day or I will end up paralyzed and that scares me to death. They didn't start talking surgery until I was about 13 or 14 and they said at that point that I will have to lose 100 pounds before they even think of doing it. At that time I think I weighed about 250ish. So, I gained a lot of weight since then. Main reason I think I did is because in high school this one girl controlled my mind and told me I can never lose weight and that I'm worthless and a bunch of other things. I'm still reeling with depression because of this, but now I'm trying to actually better myself. I want to be able to know I can walk the rest of my life, so that right there is a big motivator. The last time I saw the back doctor he said I have no restrictions since I have no pain and to this day I'm thankful for not having any pain. I mean here and there I get back aches, but who doesn't? Other than my back problem, I'm very healthy according to my doctor.

I just want to be better than I have been my whole life and I know I have the control to do that. My main thing is keeping me motivated and I'm pretty sure this challenge will keep me competitive and motivated to want to keep going!

My name is Becky,
I'm 25 and a student studying applied psycholoy, which I absolutely love

i was always quite petite until I was around 15 and after a rollercoaster few years, I began to gain weight. My diet until recently has been controlled totally by my emotions rather than anything else. Back in 2010 I lost around 3 stone to go on a trip to Vegas. The weight stayed of for a while and I felt amazing. Then last year I had a rough few months and the weight crept back slowly at first, then bam i was 250lb at christmas. I was devestated when I stood on the scale as I'd never weighed so much!! So Jan 2nd was the beginning of my new healthy eating lifestyle and here I am 24lb lighter

Outside of Uni and being on this journey to a new and better lifestyle I love to read, hang out with my friends and spend time with my fabulous little nephew who always manages to bring a huge smile to my face everytime I see him

My name is Rhenee' and I am 47 years old. My husband and I have 5 children, the youngest being 18 and the oldest 27. We are on the home stretch!!! I live in Georgia and have for 25 years but I was born and raised in Pennsylvania (Go Steelers). Only one other time in my life did I have problems managing my weight and that was after having kids and what motivated me then was standing in front of a full length mirror butt naked just stairing at myself until I broke down and cried. I worked hard and lost about 60 pounds and managed to keep it off with no effort at all. When I turned 43 I started slowly gaining weight but in the last year, since becoming premenopausal, I rapidly gained about 30 pounds. As of yesterday I weighed 171.8 and though I lost 15 pounds a while back, I managed to put most of it right back on. When I started MFP I was a little over 174 pounds and got to 160....yes, I am angry at myself for giving up so easily or for not having better control. I hate feeling the way I do about myself, I hate how I look in pictures, I hate how I feel when I bend down to tie my shoes (hate even more the little grunt noises that come from deep within me - hahaha) I am ready to get my mind focused and take control! I am looking forward to being part of this group and can't wait to see what we all accomplish!!

Funny piece of motivation. My friend says that every time she wants to eat something she knows she shouldn't she goes in the bathroom strips down stands in front of the mirror and jumps. It cures her every time.

My name is Jennifer, I'm 38 yrs old. I'm married and have two amazing kids aged 11 & 12. I've never really been "slim" but I've never been this big either. I gained weight with both pregnancies, losing quite a bit after both, but not all of it. Too busy was a great excuse, too busy with the kids, with housework, with work. I didn't see the weight, avoided mirrors, no pictures that showed my whole body. I've decided that it's time to be healthier for me and for my family. I want to be around for kids kids and maybe even theirs! I also want to look great at the beach this summer! (have to have a small selfish reason in there too lol). I'm so glad to be part of a group for this journey!!

My name is Brittany. I am 22 years old and a college student. I have always had a weight problem but when I was 17 it got worse. I have medical problems that caused me to gain 30+ pounds in a short amount of time. It's hard for me to lose weight but I think I might have finally found what's going to work for me! I've been struggling trying to lose for about 2 years now but in January I finally decided to just go full force with it.

My name is Stacy. I am 43 yrs old and I have been on MFP for 2 months. I started my weight loss journey a year ago March 14, at that time I weighed 324. I have 2 boys and a very supportive husband. I live and work in Illinois.

I want to lose weight and be healthy for myself and my family. I don't want to be the biggest woman in the room anymore. I walked my first 5k this past weekend. I finished dead last in the race and I won my age division. LOL, you do the math! I have at least 3 more races coming up and I don't want to be last again. So I am working really hard to improve my physical condition. I am looking forward to your support during this challenge.

Greetings all!

My name is Allison. Im 39. I'm a consummate smart aleck. I don't take myself too seriously, I feel life's too short not to enjoy every minute of it... And I'd like to enjoy it more with a healthier, fit more active lifestyle. I joined MFP a few wks ago. only really started using it as the tool it was designed to be, for approx a wk. Its been very helpful. I like the food journal. It assigns accountability for the foods I eat and does all the math for me.

My weight has yo-yo'd since my teens. The past 7 years I've had some serious health issues that have contributed to inactivity and a weight plateau. Now that I'm on the mend, I'm highly motivated to get back on track.

I think joining this group will provide that catalyst i crave and promote the extra drive i want to succeed.
-a

Hi there,

I'm Jay 21, currently at university studying IT. I'm planning on losing all my weight by the time I start my third and final year at university in September, however it would be amazing if I could do it before that; hence why I am participating in this.

I am currently about 202lbs and my overall goal weight is about 160lbs. Now I've got all summer to work out and eat right, can not wait!

Hello Everyone!

My name is Kimberly and I am a 52 yo Grammy of 4. I live in Montana and am a Legal Assistant. I never had much of a problem with my weight until about the last 10 years. I guess that is when middle age and menopause set in. I have put on over 40 lbs and I just hate and will not tolerate this "belly fat" any more. I have very high cholesterol as well.

I joined MFP and just starting excercising 3 weeks ago. I am a very active outdoor person and want to eat and be healthy for myself, my children and grandkids.

Good luck to everyone! We can do this!!

Hey everyone!

My name is Brandy and I am a married 28 year old from Texas, USA. ^_^ My wife and I have two puppybear children, Bella and Jake (Australian Shepherds). I've been obese for about 10 years now (I started gaining weight just as I graduated high school) and I'm now at my heaviest ever (360ish). I'm tired of being this way and I'm looking forward to this competition and the contact and support with you guys! I have a blog up with a long introduction to my issues with weight if you care to read it (I won't bore you all with the details here!). I'm trying to motivate my wife to lose weight as well but am realizing I have to do this on my own. I'm new to MFP - downloaded the app last year and never messed with it... started really using it this week and I am LOVING it!

Oh, I'm also a vegetarian (though a very unhealthy one... cheese pizza and bean burritos are about it...) so if anyone has suggestions (that are easy) I'd appreciate it!

Things I like: karaoke, sci-fi shows (Stargate, X-Files, Xena, Babylon 5, Star Trek...), sports (basketball, rugby, soccer, tae kwon do), love watching UFC, love watching anime - I'm a NERD and proud of it! ^_~

Good luck to you all and yay for us! ^_^

Hi, my name is Margaret. I'm 54 and mother of 2 sons, 23 and 19. I live in Ontario, Canada. I have been overweight most of my life but when I started on Feb 27\12 I weighed 233, I have since lost 12.2 lbs. I would like to get to 165 lbs. I love this app and site. i chart everything and count all by calories. Today is the first time that I have really went over and I feel quite guilty, but I had a craving for Chinese food. Tomorrow I will be doing some extra exercising and eating less. I'm losing weight to feel better about myself and because of my health (high blood pressure, diabetes and fibromyalgia. I wish everyone well on their journey.

Hi all. My name is Tracy, I'm 47 years old and I live in Northern Alberta. I am married with 2 grown kids and 2 beautiful grandchildren. I have been up and down on the scale a lot and decided this time I need to change my lifestyle and become more active! I love this site cos it makes me accountable and it's so easy! I decided to join this challenge because I am one month in and think this will keep me motivated, before this I have always quit trying after 4-6 weeks. Looking forward to getting to know everyone better!