Welcome to the Group

Welcome! We would love get to know you, so please tell us a little bit about yourself. You can choose any format you'd like, but most of us here share some or all of the following details:

1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

And now just go ahead and make that first post!

I have always been "heavy".  I recall things my mom would tell me as a teenager;  Boys don't like "thunder thighs", or telling me my thighs are taking on a "cone" shape.  I remember looking at myself in the mirror and telling her I didn't look so bad, (I had and still have a nice curvy body), but she was quick to inform me that from the side it is a different story.  :(  I know now that she was hoping I would start to lose weight, but I had no clue about the proper way to eat or exercise, now I know she didn't either.  I remember my mom wanted me to go on a diet to lose some of my torso fat to look nicerin my wedding dress, I probably weighed 150 at the time.   I did fine losing weight since I was in love and excited it wasn't hard to go without eating.  Once I was married I put the weight back on, and then some.  I was 182 by the time I was married for 2 years.  :(  I didn't really think much of it at the time but I alwaysfelt fat.  Hubby was in the Navy on a Submarine and would go out to sea every 3 months.  I met a friend who was married to someone else on the sub and we crash dieted together when the guys left for sea, trying to look great for when they got home.  I actually got back down to 145 and was so happy.  Of course it started to creep back on after returning to my regular eating.  Not to worry the guys were leaving for sea again and we would resume or normal dieting.  Luckily the next time they were heading to sea a hurricane hit and we had to leave the area, I went back home to my family to finish out that patrol and any dieting would have to wait.  It ended up that I was pregnant so lucky I didn't crash diet.  (I had odd periods so it would have taken a while for me to know I was pregnant and I could have done some damage to my baby by then.)  I was in my 160's after my first pregnancy and by the time I got pregnant again 2&1/2 years later I was 211 pounds!!  I just continued to gain from there and ended up in the 230's before I decided to make a change.  That was a little over 8 years ago and I lost about 50 pounds reaching the mid 180's within 6 months and have been there ever since.  I quit smoking and started exercising and started to slowly learn about nutrition and health.  It's been a long time but here I am today at 174 on my way down to 140.5 by February 14, 2009.  Oh I forgot to mention that hubby and I started our romance on Valentine's weekend 1986, so this date holds a lot of meaning for me and reaching my goal by then will just be the proverbial"icing on the cake"!

I have been on CC since May 2008 and I am doing good, lost 20 pounds since May 1, so I can't complain.  :)

I want to be here with people that are aiming for the same goal date, which if I didn't express enough earlier is very, very special to me.

I am a stay at home wife & mom, loving every minute of it.  Unless I get ticked off..lol  I like to read, crochet, workout & play online at POGO.com!  I am on the boards here all day checking in to log my food and keep track of my burn.  I like to exercise a couple times a day to keep my metabolism going strong.  So now that I just sat here for so long typing I am heading for a walk!  :)  I am looking forward to getting to know each of you!

1. History with weight loss:

I yo-yoed starting in high school, continuing until i had babies. then it would not go back down. stuck at 175 after the first baby then gained 10 or so more before getting pregnant again and breaking 200 for the first time ever. 215 was my weight the day i gave birth and then i could not get lower than 205. Right before my 2nd anniversary i found this site. proceeded to learn HOW to eat and with this site lost over 65 pounds to get down to about 143.

About a year ago i got off track somehow and gained 10-15 back. so now im back on the wagon lol and determined to reach a lowest ever weight of 135 by the time i turn 30 next Feb 4th.

2. History with Calorie Count:

Love it. been here 2.5 years, and boy has it grown! i mostly hang out in my journal and friends journals but i ventured out to try out this new group thing since i have this whole new determination thing going on lol.

3. Reason for joining this group:

To keep strong and help others stay strong -- and offer advice if you want it.

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

I have 2 girls (5&2) been married 4.5 years, 15 credits from my BSBM, and i am a store manager. im generally crazy-busy between these things. i will have a little more time on my hands after graduation. well then i will be looking for a new job i guess...

Hi guys,

CC put me in contact with this group and am more than happy to join to share my experience and hopefully gain motivation from all of you.

I started my reformation just on a month ago when I stepped on the scales at 102.4kg (225lb for you Americans). Enough was enough. I had decided to take some positive control of my sedentary lifestyle that to that point had been wallowing in years of neglect. Fast food, beer, no exercise yes guilty as charged. I was a sorry sight as I could no longer recognise the young man that had once looked back from the mirror. I am 185cm (6'1" again for my poor brethren) and borderline obese. Action was (is) needed.

Happy to report that I have begun well with a very disciplined diet, zero alcohol (only one minor lapse) and a very healthy exercise campaign of over 40km/week (25mi **sighs**).

This has resulted with this mornings weigh in of 95.3kg(210lbs). Borderline obese->significantly overweight. Still a long way to go but hey I am 15lbs (hey I am starting to talk like you guys) better for it.

Goal 77kg (170lb)

Hey all. CC referred me to this group. I specifically signed up for this group as next Valentines Day is our wedding. My fiance thought it would be nice to get family and friends out on that day and at least enjoy it with us. That is part of the reason I'm here.

My history with weight loss can be summed up in one word: yo-yo (or is that two?), but if you want the story, read on. Like many of you I've bounced up and down for many years. I was always a larger boy growing up, big but not too bad. My mom like to throw around the term "husky" at me. It wasn't until I was in my mid 20's that I started to pack it on. When I was working two retail jobs totalling about 75-80 hours a week I weighed around 200 (I'm 6'-0" tall). Fluctuating 15 lbs in a week was not uncommon for me as my job was very physically demanding and if I didn't eat enough, I'd feel it. After I realized I was burning out (due to 80 hrs of physical labor and a wicked Ephedrine addiction - thank God that stuff is off the shelves!), I went back to school, quit the retail and got a desk job. Within 2 years I was 250. I never adjusted for the downturn in activity - obviously. From that point until now I've tried all the fads, all only lasting a month or so. I was most successful on Atkins, losing about 35, but gaining more than that back. Right now I'm 270 after peaking at 282 earlier this year. Being in a size 44 waist pant is no fun, I thought when I was a 38 I was big. Any idea how it feels when a department store doesn't even carry your size? I've had enough and I'm doing something about it.

My history with CC is brief, having just found this community a few days ago. So far, so good. I love it. My future bride-to-be to even joined!

My reason for joining is obvious - health (my last few checkups have been unpleasant, elevated sugars, I'm on cholesterol and heartburn meds). I also don't like how I look and feel. I want to be healthy and fit. I'd like to bend over and tie my shoes without feeling faint.

My February goal is 60 pounds in 6 months. I know that is very aggressive. Everything I've read says its tough and not recommended. 2.5 lbs a week is a tall order I know, but its worth a shot. Realistically, I want to lose as much as I can in that time - it may be less than 60, that is ok. "60 in 6" is easy to remember. My long term goal is 180-200 or so. Once I become a little more comfortable with myself, I'd like to pack on some muscle mass. I know I could rebound, get de-motivated, frustrated, etc... I chose to do it this way because "baby steps" never work for me. Every diet I've been on says, take it slow, etc.. I'm going to try the opposite. Like a "bull in a China shop". "All guns blazing". I quit smoking cold turkey, I can do this "cold turkey". So far so good...preparing for day three.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF US!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi all.

I found this group and it seems to be just what I need.

I am 38 y/o, mom of 5 kids, and live in Canada.

I have always had to watch my weight and have always been dieting since puberty.

After my last child, I was 213 lbs.  I am currently 188.5 and hope to be 159 by Feb 2009.  Feb 2009 was what I felt was a reasonable amount of time (6 months) to lose 30 lbs.  5 lbs per month seems quite attainable and not unreasonable.

I have been on CC for some time...over 2 years I believe.  I was down to almost my goal weight and then, for some unknown reason, I stopped coming here and gained back 30 lbs.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  So, I am back and looking to get going again.

well melba we have a few things in common. i got about 30ish off from atkins before, i hate the term "husky" recently told my mom to stop using that word when referring to my 6yo step daughter. that is such an ugly word. hated it as a child too. who wants to be HUSKY? ugh. and i work retail now and im about done with school.

and i thought i would add that i just read an article about how trying to set loftier goals and change more things at once will actually do you some good. keep your goal of 60, and while you may not be able to hit it you will prolly lose more than if you had set the goal for 40. in studies where ppl set more than one goal to change things (health wise) the ppl who had more goals stuck to them better down the road. the link is on the MSN homepage (or it was a few hours ago).

good luck to you! is your bride to be going to join the group as well??

Hi to you all,

I just so happen to start researching some websites and this happened to stand out to me and eventually signed up to be included on the calorie count site.

I am 39 year old mother of 6 children work out of the home and live in Arizona.

I have always struggled with my weight as a young child the only daughter of 3 children but did not realize that I was going to battle my weight again as an older adult. I wanted to think that since I was "active" with jogging and working with weight lifting that I was doing the right thing and eventually the extra weight was going to melt off. Yes I did take that nutrition class in college and stayed active I was 125lbs, but after starting married life and then  bearing children the pounds started to pack on especially with my 6th child my pregnancy weight was 185lbs. I started to dislike my appearence and had a sour attitude towards the hubby and children. Over the years I tended to everybody's needs and basically forgot about me I guess what we mother's do. Now I got the stamina back and heard a nutrition seminar and refocused my thoughts with taking care of myself and looking forward to seeing the REAL me underneath my extra weight!! I am currently changing my eating habits and rehydrating my body with good old water and back into jogging and weight lifting with a personal trainer and seeing the results with the sweating and soreness afterwards! I am currently 156lbs from 172lbs and working towards my ideal weight.

 

Hello everyone... My name is Ashley, CC referred me to this group because I would also like to meet my goal of 150 by 2/14/2009...As for many of you that date is very special me because it will me and my B/F 8th year anniversary....if I lost the weight that would put back around how much I weighed when we first met..... I am 5'9" 197lbs 26 yrs, I've been a little heavy most of my life but this is the heaviest I've ever been.... I just joined CC a few months ago and love the support so far.....I just recently graduated from A&M with a bachelor's in Marketing and moved to League City TX (outside of Houston) I like the area but I still haven't found a job which is stressing me out!!! ...I joined "anytime fitness" which is right across the street from my apartment and have been working out 3-4 times a week my B/F has to travel alot with his job so that leaves me stuck here to eat alone....I will admit I've been out of control with my eating the last few weeks but I have realized that it's stupid not to be healthy when there are so many in the world with out that chance..so starting this week I've vowed for the last time to stop throwing my health away.....I look forward to seeing where this new re-commitment will take me....GOOD LUCK to all of you!!!!!! WE CAN DO IT!!!!

My name is Lisa. I've been on cc since 4/07 and watched my graph go down and up and down and up. I'm a very slow loser and if I don't keep track of my intake and my burn, I'm a gainer. I'm 5'6" and was up to 150 lbs. Used to be 135 and would like to get back to that. I'm 145 now. I had jaw surgery last December and had to be on a liquid diet for 6 weeks afterward and I lost about 8 lbs. Then I gained it all back and more once I could chew. So I KNOW its just a matter of not eating so much. Being on cc helps me feel part of a club and not so deprived while counting calories. I like the activity feature too, if I want cookies, I have to use the elliptical machine for x minutes first. I'm a dayshift med/surg and OB nurse at a small hospital, we're constantly feeding our patients and sometimes the food smells make me so hungry! Of course, other smells can be a real appetite killer. I plan to get to my goal weight in February. Trying to lose a lot of weight is especially challenging for me through the winter with the Holidays, darkness and foul weather. I know we can do it.

I joined this group because CC told me too.

 

ON December17th of 2007 i went to the doctor and found out I weighed 377 lbs.  I really had no idea that I had got that big.  I enjoy being a big guy so I never really worried about my actual weight.  This was an eye opener and I decided that I needed a way to tie my weight loss needs with my need of obsessively checking my fantasy football website several times daily.  with the NFL regular season over I decided I needed to find a web site that would give me this fix and allow me to obsess over it and pour over statistics daily.  I had no idea such web sites existed.   So I ate well through the Christmas Holiday and started calorie count on January 2nd 2008.  My goal was to get down to 270 by my 30th Birthday (Feb 2009).  I weighed 270 in high school and I just wanted to erase  college and the late 20's that lead to my explosion on the scale.  Today I sit at 292 lbs and only have 22 lbs to lose over the next 6 months or so.  I am starting to think I need to make a goal of 250 because I would actually be shocked if I am not at 270 by the end of October.  I have also decided that I will try and get down to 230 for a little while so I can get the best possible life insurance coverage at the lowest possible price.  If I need to get down to 210 I will.  Eventually I will keep my maintenance weight at 250 because if I have not lost too much muscle during the process I will be very happy at that weight.

My history with weight loss has been a yo-yo thing...but that is changing right now.  Um my history with calorie count, just started today...i somehow stumbled upon the site and joined it.  the reason why I joned this group is because  I should reach my goal in February of 2009..that goal would be to lose 24 pounds.  I love to read and spend time outside.

Hi everyone!

This is not really my first time trying something similar.  I used to be on weight Watchers, and while that did give me good results, it was, for my taste and low patience level, too slow, so I quit.  i did the South Beach, which did wonders and got me to my lowest weight since 18, which was about 148 pounds.  But I started eating whatever i wanted and gained the weight back within a couple of months.  I have no answers as to why I quit even when I get good results.  But I am what I am and I am where I am. 

I'm 32, and recently, I have developed hip pain, back pain and foot pain.  My gait is abnormal due to a head injury from which I never really recovered fully, and that puts undue pressure on my joints, but I could help things by losing weight.  i am starting physical therapy soon, and my goal is to lose 40 pounds and be back down to 140.  I am really hoping that I can stick with it.  The best i can do is try and be as consciencous about it as I can.  I want to have babies, and I not only need to prepare my body for pregnancy, i also need to learn to set a good example for my kids now.

OK, and superficial reason: I want to look good naked.

I'm 23, going to be 24 in December. I've always been a little chubby around my mid section but don't know exactly how to get the fat off. I'm not chubby anywhere else on my body, just my stomach and hips. I've always weighed around 160-170 lbs. Right now I'm at 172 lbs and wear a size 16, which is the biggest I've ever been so I'm not feeling that great about my body right now. I would love to get down to 130 or 140. When I weighed 150, I was a size 11 and I looked pretty good, but I'd like to get down to a size 10. Honestly, I'm not sure my weight loss goal is possible with my genetics as my mom and dad are both very big people.

I've never counted calories before today and was surprised to learn that my average calorie intake is about 1300 calories/day. I'm on an all organic diet, because the thought of pesticides, hormones, steroids, antibiotics, and additives doesn't sound very appetizing to me plus there are some major health risks in eating anything with the above in it.

I joined this group to hear other people's stories and to hopefully keep myself motivated. I'd really like to lose 30 lbs by February 2009. I've lost 11 lbs in the past 2 months by sticking to a pescotarian diet while detoxing and exercising about every other day. The detox is to flush my body of all the un natural toxins that enter it through the air, water, food, etc. I have one more week left of detox, then I can go back to my regular flexotarian diet.

Some interesting things about me...I have 2 cats, I like to crochet, sew, read cheesy romance novels about Indians, go for walks (in the rain especially because I'm in FL and the rain is always warm), and ride my bike. I work at a realtor association and teach classes about how to use the MLS. I live in FL but my family lives in Indiana and I plan on moving there next March to be back with my friends and family.

My name is Amanda and I am 24 yrs. old.  I am married to my sweetheart Rob, and I have a 7 yr. old step-son named Kaleb.  They are the two loves of my life.  I work at a childcare center in Grand Haven, and I currently attend Baker College.  This summer I got my Assoc. in Human Services, and I am working on my Bachelores.  I am 5'2 and I weigh 157pds.  I want to get down to a healthy weight of 130pds, and then work from their.  I have always been yo-yo ish with my weight.  I have tried all those miricle diets (no pills though), but nothing has been permenant.  I usually loose a couple of pounds and then end up gaining even more back.  This time I am going to try and do it right by counting my calories. I have had a CC account for about 2 years, but I just recently in the last month started to take advantage of it's tools.  I am joining groups for extra support and encouragement.  I think it will help me to reach my goal if I can see that others are reaching their goal as well.  Great luck to everyone and healthy eating!

Hi. I'm Danielle, and I'm 26.  I was a bit heavy around middle school age, but grew into my weight by high school and was at a good healthy weight for most of it.  I was pretty active then - volleyball, tennis and dance.  In college I put on the freshman 15, but while I was heavier it was still within a good range, at about 150lbs.  After college my activity level went to zero and my eating habits changed (I'm one of those peer-pressure eaters, and I worked next to a waffle cafe, in the middle of a trendy restaurant neighborhood.  Nuff said)  The day I got on the scale and saw 170, I decided to walk the walk, and have been battling this weight thing since.  Both sides of my family have a history of heart problems and my parents are both overweight, so I figured I better get into the habit of taking care of myself sooner, rather than later.  I have a hard time with weight loss programs because I really like food, and I'm beginning to think my DNA wants to horde every calorie I give it, specifically by storing it in my bum.   I did weight watchers for a while before my wedding, in conjunction with a fitness program, and that got me down a few pounds, but nothing like what I was hoping for.  Calorie counters has been working much better so far (I'm down 5 from when I started), and I'm hoping to keep it going.  I've only been on it (CC) for about a month, and I think I'm just starting to figure out how my body works.

I've set a goal for myself of 130lbs by Feb 20th, as something to work towards.  I think part of my problem before is that I never really defined what weight I wanted to get to or gave myself a cut-off.  The real battle will be after that, keeping myself at that weight and cultivating the long-term habits that will help me do that. 

I'm married, no kids, I live in Southern California (more motivation for getting in shape), and enjoy being active and outdoors.  I'm hoping we all get great results by Feb!  The trick will be keeping the progress through the holidays.  It won't be easy, but I think at least with the group support it can happen. 

I'm 35, 5'5" and currently weigh 173.  My heaviest was 182.  I gained about 50 lbs within a year and half after getting married.  My husband loves junk food and especially sweets.  That's what started my lazy poor choices with food along with the challenges of being married.

I joined CC last year and I love it.  Though I have not been 100% faithful in posting my logs because when I stop making healthy food choices, I don't want to record it.  I felt too ashamed to enter in the bad stuff.

No MORE!  I'm back and I'm permanent!  I will forgive myself IF I slip up and I will still record it.  I am no longer "trying to lose weight".... NOW, "I AM losing weight" everyday.

I'm a business owner, so I have alot of freedom with my time, which is a good thing AND a bad thing.  Good because I can eat healthy and exercise any time of day with no excuses.  Bad because I get bored too easily and eat bad stuff and get lazy.  I'm posting journal entries and I think that helps me get out my emotions, fears, motivations, etc.  It's very good.

Hey all,

Im 24 years old and Im trying to loose weight.

My goal is to reach 144Lbs by New years - that was the weight I was before I got pregnant with my second child. I had a baby 3 months ago and im at the haviest at this point now, but I have lost 15pounds sience I had my baby. Now I weigh 158Lbs and im almost there.

Im 5'8 and before I got pregnant with my first child I weigh 120lbs, at that point I was under weight. I didnt have a healthy life style before or after and now I want to live as healthy as I possiably can with my 2 children. I found this site very helpful learning about my calories, eating right with healthy recipies and being a role model to my children eating healthy.

I wish you all the best on your new journeys... 

 

Hey everyone!

I'm very new to this. Just signed up a few minutes ago. I am 28 years old and have had a hard time losing weight ever since I had my daughter 5+ years ago. Eek...Wow that seems like forever!

I am currently going to a weight loss clinic and it seems to be going great. This Thursday will be week 7 and as of last Thursday I've lost 19.5lbs. To me, that doesn't seem like a lot but I guess since you are only supposed to lose 2lbs a week, that's not too bad.

I'm a single mom that works a full time job & a leader of a daisy girl scout troup. I try to (and seem to) keep pretty busy these days. I try and exercise whenever possible by walking/jogging at the school down the street from my house and doing crunches at home. I don't have any equipment so I just make do with what I can.

I am a very stubborn person when it comes to food. I LOVE IT!!! I am on a pretty strict diet which consists of a list of foods that I can and can't have. Plus a diet structure of 2 carbs, 3 protien, 4 veggies and 2 fruits per day. That's it!!! It's actually not too bad but trying to get my favorite food in there, Chinese, seems to be impossible! :O)

Anyway, that's me in a nut shell basically. :O)

HI!

I am finally making the choice to come back to CC.  I was doing very well with my goals when I first started (down to 185ish from 200ish) when I was keeping track.  I have not gained anything since my lengthly absence (just didn't make the time to keep track), but I am still a long way away from my goal of 145-150 pounds.

I was very althetic in school, never overweight until I hit university.  Even then, it was a gain of 20 pounds or so.  Then I took a lot off for my wedding.  Three months later I had gained nearly 70 pounds.  I fought to take it off, chipped away at 20 pounds and hit a plateau.  That is when I first joined CC to get more off.  Well, I succeeded, then left.

February is my birth month.  I would love to hit nearer my goal as a great gift to myself.

About myself: I am a children's book illustrator who is just starting out.  I have two books published with a great local author here in Canada.  My husband is my greatest supporter in life.  I am always busy, so much so that I will neglect my careful eating and exercise at times.

I look forward to meeting more of the group!

Hi, this whole calorie counting is new to me.  I've never done it, at least not like this.  I just kind of stayed away from the obvious fattening food and I avoid processed food in general.  My weight has always been a bit more than I wanted it to be (because I love to eat) but I've always been what the medical charts consider healthy.  But now that I'm 40, things are beginning to change.  I've gained 15 pounds in the last year and I can't seem to get rid of them.  Now according to the charts I'm slightly overweight and that will not do. So here I am.  This is kinda fun. I enjoy reading comments and giving advice where I can.  Being part of a group will make this kind of a team effort.  Go team!!!