Age: 27
Sex: Female
Height: 5' 10"
Starting weight 8 years ago: 290
Starting /r/loseit and MFP weight: 184
Current weight: 176
Goal weight: 155

I started seriously gaining weight at age 14. After the death of a parent, & subsequent bankruptcy and moving to a new state, I went into deep depression, and began the process of eating my emotions. I also went on anti-depressants that caused additional weight gain. My mom is a mild food hoarder, and was working so much that I was left to feed myself. I gorged. I gained weight rapidly, and went from being a healthy kinda-chubby (never stick thin) at 14, to a very unhealthy 290 lbs in three years. By the time I graduated high school, I was massively unhealthy, and still pretty unhappy.

My first year in college, I spent very little money on food, and lost 20 lbs just on reducing food intake alone, with minimal to no exercise.

The following year, I dropped out of college (horrible grades...not a good environment for me), and traveled. I got a horrible stomach bug and intestinal amoebas (heyyyyyy '3rd world' what's up?). Spent 3 weeks in a rural area w/o a doctor purging myself through all orifices...lost another 20 lbs. But then I spent the last month of my 3 months trip in a buddhist retreat, meditating and doing yoga, and became healthy again - gaining back about 5 lbs. This is where my life changed. I was down to about 245/250 by the time I came back to the states.

The next year, I was motivated by my new found love of moving my body, I tried to start doing yoa at home and jogging (never got to far),and lived with a family (as part of a job) that ate really well, and I learned new eating habits, recipes, etc. Probably about 220 at my lowest here.

After a year with that family, I traveled for another year-ish. Did LOTS of yoga. Got away from the US and the HORRIBLE food environment here. At about 200 by the time I came back tot he US.

A month after coming back to the US, I moved to a country in the south seas. Here I took up running in a big way. I started on beaches, forest trails, and river-side paths, and got to the point where I could run 5 miles in 45 minutes, within about 4 months. I was down at my lowest since high school then, at about 175/178 (this was five years ago)

In 2007, I came home and started university again, this time at a new school. I was an independent student, and supported myself with two jobs while going to a high-stress university. High-stress indeed! Within 18 months I was back up to 212. Darn it!

2009/10: Traveled again, got away from US food environment, went down to 195.

2010: Worked out a lot, ate better, got a cute boyfriend. Got myself down to 183 by graduation, in 2011 (summa cum laude, baby! who would have thought?)

2012: Two years of stable weight! I had been between 178-184 for the last two years. Yay for stability!

Now: I want to lose that last 30 pounds. It's a stubborn 30 pounds, and I think that I was sort of blinded by my earlier success. I was so proud of myself for having lost 105 lbs, that I didn't really think about how I was still overweight. I was still fascinated with the fact that I had gotten to where I was. But now, I want to get down to a healthy BMI.

I am realizing how much experience, tips, and tricks I have in up my sleeve that I didn't realize could be so helpful for people, which is why I have joined this group. I've taken on this "last 30 pounds" challenge, and lost 8 lbs in just under three weeks.

I am relatively fit, and I jog sometimes, bike to work (8 miles round trip) about 3 times per week, and I do 20-40 minutes of yoga about 5 days a week (starting 3 weeks ago). I hike on the weekends. I'm about to start grad school in 3 months, and I want to be at a weight that I can support while I am there, and just not think about it anymore. I'm really excited at the prospect of not worrying anymore. I don't want to worry about my muffin top, about my loose-skin pooches, about my family's diabetes history affecting me, about my ability to climb that mountain with friends, about fitting into that cute new skirt, about being called a "big girl." I'm so over it.

Age: 26
Sex: Female
Height: 5' 7"
Starting weight: 310
Current weight: 310
Goal weight: 150

I live in a rural area in Rhode Island with my boyfriend and our two cats.

I was a chubby child and was put on a variety of unhealthy diets by my parents. Meals that consisted two spoonfuls of cottage cheese (which I hated) and three crackers, things like that. This lead to a habit of sneaking food and getting a thrill out of any opportunity I had to eat junk. I've only realized as an adult how much I love vegetables, when they're prepared the right way.

When she was 42 and I was 20, my mother died suddenly at home from complications of undiagnosed high blood pressure. There were multiple factors that went into it, but her weight was one of them.

I've had a screwed up family situation since then. My father got together with an abusive rageaholic. I developed severe anxiety and a panic disorder. I also now take medication for high blood pressure.

I've spent most of my adult life between 200 and 300 pounds. It really started getting out of control a couple of years ago, after I quit smoking.

One of my biggest obstacles right now is living with my boyfriend. He's tall and naturally skinny, and eats a TON. Naturally, I end up eating what he eats...I might just have to try having smaller portions of it.

I'm finally ready to do something about it. I'm sick of making excuses for myself!

Age: 22
Height: 5'0
SW: 225
CW: 209
GOAL!: 120-140
Location: Texas

I've always been a little overweight but more recently I put on more than 70lbs within the last 3 years. Mostly from having a long distance relationship and sitting at home playing computer games and eating pizza. In March of this year I found /r/loseit and saw peoples progress pictures and stories. This motivated me and really showed me that I could do this also, that I didn't need some special diet or special work out or to spend tons of money on diets or workout equipment. I saw real people just like me and real stories just like mine.

On March 23rd I found some websites with low-cal recipes and I started from there. I downloaded MFP later that afternoon and its been 61 days since I started and I'm already down 16lbs. I'm not doing vigorous workouts or anything just walking/jogging anywhere between 1-3 miles a day and living a more active lifestyle. I try to swim a few times a week maybe even go to the gym. I don't have any workout plan, basically just get off of work and make sure I do at least 1 active thing in the afternoon. To accommodate my newly active lifestyle on March 24th I planted a garden with grapes, tomatoes, watermelons and black berries. As of this morning I saw a bloom for a watermelon (EXCITED YAY!).

Having several failed attempts at losing weight prior to this (trying hcg and any other fad diet/ exercise) counting calories has been so helpful for me. I'm so aware of what I eat now and I actually like tracking the calories. Before I buy anything at the store I always look at the nutritional value and more times than not I usually put whatever it is back and go home and find a healthy recipe to make the same thing.

I know within a year I will be to my goal and I cannot wait! I can't wait to be able to dance without feeling like the michelin man, wear sexy clothes for my husband, buy ANYTHING I want when I walk into a clothing store. Swim in a bathing suit without being embarrassed and above all be healthy, feel healthy and live a much healthier life style.

we got this!

I'm Rachel. Hi
Age: 29
Height: Juuuuuust under 5'2. Barely.
Starting Weight: 251
Current Weight: 202
Goal Weight: 100-115 (I know, right?)

Let's see...I went from 251 to 220 or so over the span of about a year, then from 220 to 205 in a month testing a diet for a magazine. Then I went from 205 to 178 between March 2011 through August, by lifting heavier weights but mostly just not eating enough: like, way not enough.

Unsuprisingly, I gained back 34 pounds, putting me at 212 (my MFP start weight). Since doing a ketogenic diet starting last Friday, I've lost 10 pounds, and I'm hoping to get back to 178 (and then lower!) fairly quickly, since I gained the weight pretty fast. Anyway.
That's me!