Hi, I'm Allison (New-ish) -- looking for support!

My name is Allison, and I'm from Pasadena, CA. I've had this app on my iPhone for a loooong time now, and I have failed to utilize it the way I should...until now. I've been yo-yo-ing with my weight for the last few years, and I've finally hit my breaking point. I have hit the 160s - the most I've ever weighed - and I hate looking at myself in the mirror and feeling sad. I realized that I have taken it too far when I couldn't fit into my bridesmaid's dress for one of my good friend's wedding in July (2012!). This is when the light went on in my head.

I would say the biggest problem I have is eating the right foods. I go out a lot - with friends and/or family - and the central point of these hang outs always seems to be - you guessed it - FOOD. Most of my friends and pretty much my entire family are obese. With the exception of my brother and sister, every one I love and care for is unhealthy in their eating and exercising habits. For me, I've been pretty active and healthy most of my life, but since I graduated high school, I've lost control of what I eat and how much I exercise - and it's starting to affect my health and the health of my boyfriend too. We were both pretty thin at the start of our relationship, but over the last five and a half years, we've both gotten bigger, and if we don't do something about it - I'm afraid we'll both be unhappy: with ourselves and possibly our relationship. I do NOT want it to get that far!

The reason I chose to put a profile picture of myself in the most frightening state possible is to remind myself that I let myself get this far and that I must do something about it. That goes for a lot of us on our journey to healthiness: we have nothing to hide behind, because everything we have done to ourselves is visible for every one to see (fully clothed or not). Whatever we chose to eat in front of others, or in the privacy of our own homes, becomes obvious from the way our bodies look and behave in every day activities. This is why I am here. I am here to try to keep track of my habits and to keep myself responsible for my actions. My ultimate goal is to get down to 130 pounds, but to be honest, my real goal here is not to lose weight but to lose FAT and gain MUSCLE. If my body ends up being healthier and looking better at 140 or 145, I'd be just as thankful and appreciative of that.

What I'm hoping to gain from My Fitness Pal is support and motivation to work towards my goals, and I'm willing to help support people in their goals too! We can't be here for a short term solution - it has to be a life long change in the habits we form, and that is what we should be striving for. So follow me, friend me, or do whatever it is on here so that we can motivate each other! LET'S DO THIS!