Hi! I just recently found my fitness pal, and I think I have finally found the way I want to do this. I was doing weight watchers online for a bit, but this seems to me to be keeping me more in touch with the actual food I am eating and how my exercise affects what I can eat. I have been overweight since my teen years, and I am now 40 years old. I have four children and I realized that if I didn't do something permanent (ie: not a DIET) I would never get fit and healthy and probably wouldn't live to see my grandchildren. I was getting heavier and heavier and saw no end to it. I started this journey february 25th of this year, weighing in at 242 pounds and something like 40bmi. My goal is to lose 100 pounds and get to 142, which I have not seen since grade 10. The difference this time is that I started exercising before I even started to change my eating. Exercise has always been such a huge issue for me because 1) I hate to sweat and 2) I hate to be hot and 3) I live in Georgia. It is hard to exercise and not be hot in Georgia. Well, I joined a low cost gym near my house and just DECIDED I was going to learn to love exercise. I realized that without exercise my volume eater self was never going to be able to lose weight and keep it off. I decided I had to make this a lifestyle change and not think of any of it as a temporary thing. So I started doing the treadmill three days a week, and strength training two days a week. Recently I joined the "biggest loser" challenge at my gym, and I am currently in the lead!!! I have lost 30 pounds since that first weigh in and I have 70 more to go. I keep two giant pickle jars. I filled the one with 100 stones. everytime I lose a pound I transfer a rock to the second jar. I keep them on the mantle and it gives me a daily visual reminder of how far I've come and how far I have left to go. It keeps me motivated. I haven't learned to LOVE exercise yet, but I have learned to appreciate my sweat, and love the way exercise makes me FEEL. I've even craved exercise a few times. I believe I'm getting there! I could really use some new friends on the same journey who understand how hard it is to give up old habits and to change your tastebuds (I'm a sugar addict, and trying to cut back on sugar and learn to taste food differently has been so hard), but who will support my good decisions and encourage me when I make poor ones to get back on track. I want so badly for this to be the time that my lifestyle changes for good, and I don't gain the weight back. Can we be friends and support each other?