I desperately need some support...

I live in a town with my boyfriend, and I don't have any friends here. I work in an adjacent town - have some friends at work - but they don't live near me.

Last year I ran 9 5Ks, the result of taking a 5K class through the local community college. In the 8 months I ran and trained and crosstrained and counted calories, I only lost 9 lbs.

Because I was so unhappy with the result, I gained it all back. I went to the doctor yesterday, and we decided I'm gonna move nice and easy -- shooting for 5 lbs. in the next 6 weeks, and every tiny goal is going to be cause for celebration.

Here's my current goals:

• Keep track of calories daily (which is why I'm here)
• Exercise daily - take a 15 min. walk at work (at least once) and take another when I get home
• Start biking this summer (getting a bike in 2 weeks, yay!)
• Make smarter decisions when it comes to food

Pretty simple, right? OK, well I need some buddies -- does anyone out there want to help me through this? I need words of encouragement. I'm battling severe depression and anxiety, too, which I just got new meds for so hopefully that sees an improvement. But I could sure use some shoulders to lean on as I start this thing.

Much love to all of you - thanks for your inspiring stories.

you would be a good fit for the forum called "goal by halloween 2012" come join us over there we are pretty awesome

I wish you all the luck in the world. Everyone deserves a little support :) Have you asked your boyfriend for his help? If he would eat healthy and walk with you it would make it a lot easier for you. And it might be fun :)

Wow your story is exactly mine, I posted a help forum but no one answered, i also suffer from depression and anxiety and at times because of my depression and low self esteem feel like I'm wasting time at the gym, then I give up maybe we can encourage each other you can tell me your feelings and your obstacles and vice versa...... Take care and wish you well

Good luck to you!  Would you like to be my support buddy a well?  Im trying to find the motivation to get back to what I know to do as well, but just seem to be on a mental block right now.........

I will definitely be your support buddy! I need it! :)

Let's do this together! Let's be support pals!

Go you! It's challenging to get back on the wagon after falling off, but you also have the knowledge from your previous efforts. Just because you didn't succeed as much as you'd liked the first time doesn't mean it won't help you go the rest of the way this time. When I was in a similar situation, I found that not stressing about a goal deadline as much helped me stay motivated in the long run. You can only do so much to speed up what your body can do. It's too bad your mind doesn't get to decide how fast you lose weight or else i would have wished all this extra weight off ages ago, haha. As long as you keep working at it, it take as long as it needs to. Anyway, I look forward to seeing you post about meeting your goal soon!

Two things I have learned recently - that muscle weighs more than fat, so how fit you are and how your clothes fit are better indicators about how you are doing.  Second, good food choices make the difference between losing consistently or not losing at all.  These include watching your sodium intake (stay away from gatoraid and drinks like that) and keeping track of how much fat you eat.  If you are very physically active, you need a little more fat in your diet to use up your fat-soluable vitamins.  Not eating enough can also keep weight on.  As Mr. Ripley used to say 'believe it, or not...'