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Welcome to the Group (Part 2) 11/25/08 to 4/30/2009

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!

Hi , My name is Stephenie.

I live in Northern Ohio with my husband and three children. I have 12 year old twin boys and an 8 year old daughter. I am a night shift nurse at a hospital in the area and have an amazing husband. Thankfully we are all healthy and the children are in many sports and very tall  and lean. My husband and I love to eat, we love to try new food and experience life through food. He unfortunately is also gaining weight but doesn't see it as a problem, hopefully he will loose along with me by my changes in eating and routine.

I am 35 years old. I have high cholesterol and a high blood sugar but not yet diabetic. I have the buid though, the weight is all in my middle. I want to loose weight badly. I tried Calorie Count in Oct 08 but it seemed like I was entering food so much to the counter and not being as active by doing so. I hope that this time will be more effective and that groups will also help.

I like this group because my family and I are new to a Christian life. We have just started going to church in the last year and we are learning to live a life in God. I know that my job is toset a good example for all of my family. I fear setting the wrong example with dieting for children that have so much stress on their physical apprearance and I am the one pushiing for a proper life. I am hoping that this group can help with both of my areas I am struggling and trying to grow.

I have been working out on the Wii Fit that we got for Christmas and I like it much better than videos and I can't afford the cost or time to join a gym. I have been counting calories for about 2 weeks this time and have become more conscioius of what I am eating. I lost almost 5 pounds last week and I feel much more confident that I am moving the right way.

Hi Stephanie!

Welcome to the group! I too have a new WII fit and would like to get with others to compare notes and maybe a challenge or two between friends.

I joined CC yesterday.  Since joining I have been excited to see other believers - brothers and sisters in the Lord are also a part of CC.  As followers of Christ we know we cannot do anything without Him and that means losing weight and maintaining weight.

I have been a Christian for 32 years.  I became a Christian my first semester in college at the age of 18.  I have never been married.  I have one cat.  I teach Sunday School - kinder & first - they are such a blessing.  IMO I have been overweight by 10-30 lbs. most of my life.  I have always used food to meet my needs instead of turning to God.  I eat when I am sad, worried, angry, lonely, bored, feel rejected by others...  I have exercised most of my adult years.  

In 6 months I lost 20+ lbs. and have basically maintained that loss for 3.  All honor and glory goes to the Lord.  This time my focus was not on losing weight and getting thin, but on honoring God with my eating.  I felt God had convicted me of the sin of gluttony & not honoring Him with how or what I ate.  Food has been an idol in my life. 

I was doing a Bible Study over the summer.  It was only a 60 day study.  I am ashamed to say I have not finished it.  I am also ashamed to say I struggle with my quiet times.  My desire is to have God first in my life - to be the most important thing in my life - to truly glorify Him in ALL things. 

I am new here and have realized in my many years of struggling with my weight that I cannot do it myself. Christ has gotten me through many things in my life, some not through any help of my own. I know this is one battle that I need to put in His hands. I need strength and a willpower that I sometimes cannot pull up on my own. I will be the first to admit that I have not been the best christian that I can over the years. I don't study my Bible like I should, or pray like I should, but I need some major changes in my life and I know God is the only way. I think I have done enough to screw things up myself.

I am 40yrs old, married with 4 children ages 3,5,11,and 14. I started a photography business a year ago and want to start my life over fresh and new.I am excited to join a group of like minded people who will be there for me as well as I for them. I need people to push me and guide me not only through my weightloss journey but also spiritually. I hope to find comfort here.

Shellie

I am so excited about finding this group!!!!!Ive been on CC since november of 08 but serious since feb.  I have been a christian all my life and love the lord so much.  I have a wonderful husband and 2 beautiful children and 1 in heaven.  I work from home doing childcare.  and in the evenings i work out at the y.  I am on the dance team at my church which is my passion.  my desire is to loose weight so I can dance without feeling self-consious about myself.  i dont know if that is a selfish ambition or not but i want to be free of this excess weight. a word keeps coming to me and that word is SURRENDER !! so my prayer is that I would surrender all to Christ.  and i know he will bless my and your efforts too.  May the Lord bless you all and give you the desires of your heart.  love in Christ, Aimee

Hi, My name is Ann

I live in London United Kingdom with my Husband and 4 Children.  I have 9 year girl, 5 years old girl and twins 15 months old both girls.  I work as an accountant with  a Mental Health Trust here in London. I am 36 years Old

I weight 170lbs and looking to get down to a target weight of 143lbs.  I looking to change my eating habits and exercise more.  My reason is mostly to keep healthy and my resent revelation that my body is the temple of God so I ought to take care of it with all I have.

As the Lord lives in me, I want to make sure that the shelther is cleaned, maintained and not run down.

It  is fantastic to see that this group exist so I can not only loss weight but gain spiritual insight while doing so! Best of both.

I must join the chorus," I can do all things through Christ who strenghtens me".

Hi all, my name is Anne. I currently weight 73kg (about 160pounds). I am 5ft 6inches, 27 years old and would like to lose 10kg to get down to 63kg.

My weight is a constant struggle for me and I usually yo-yo. I don't really enjoy exercising at the gym, though all my weight loss successes have either been through perseverance at the gym or outright starvation. I've tried dieting but I usually put on all the weight within weeks. My first experience with CC was last summer. I was quite successful, but struggled to maintain it. Now it's gotten to the point where I am struggling to motivate myself to go to the gym and I'm eating not only for hunger but more as a comfort. I feel this constant need to chew on something. I resent the way I look - nothing fits and its frustrating. The more frustrated I feel, the more I reach out for food.

I'm really pleased this group is available. I have realised that I need to incorporate Christ in my weight loss program ...I can't do this on my own.

Good morning.  My name is Sarah and I am 28 years old.  I have been up and down over the past 8 years.  In high school I weighed well over 220 pounds.  During my fourth year of college I finally hit bottom and woke up.  I joined Weight Watchers and after 1 year I was down to 150 pounds!  My lowest weight since I was probably in 6th or 7th grade!  I hit my goal weight in November of 2002 and for the last six years have gone up and down from 175 as my high, to 145 as my low, which was about a year ago after joining LA Weightloss.  After I hit my goal of 145 I maintained for a few months and then went off the program and gained all the weight back, and more.  Today I weighed in at 165#- which is down 10 pounds in about the last month.  I found Calorie Counter when I hit 175 again last month and realized that I needed to make some changes and fast!  My goal is about 150 pounds.  I am not only doing this for myself, but also in hopes that it will help with the infertility issues my husband and I have been having for the past 2+ years. 

I joined this group for support to lose weight, but also in hopes that I can get support from you guys in my journey to parenthood.  I have a strong faith in God, and always have, but in the past year it has been so hard to stay strong through our infertility crisis.  Each month brings about a haze of worry and doubt that continuously hangs over me.

I know that I am in need of extra prayers and support to help me through this trying time.  I pray that through this group God blesses me with the extra support that I need.

HI my name is Shelle, I am 27 year old mom with two kids 3 and 19 months. I also own a sucessful salon here in my home town and am in the process of opening a new one in june of 09. I am new to weight loss, before I had my first child I had a hard time putting on weight. Then after her birth I had a hard time losing it and keeping it off. After my son was born I could not lose any of the weight I put on. I am not very big so but big enough to feel uncomfortable in my own skin. I don't want to be a size zero, but I do want be able to wear a bathing suit without feel horriable about myself.  I found calorie counter the other day and thought it would be a good place to start trying to get back in shape the right way.  Right now I weigh 133 and want to be between 115 and 120, which is normal for my height.

I decited to check out your group because I have a strong relationship with God, and wanted to find other people who are like me with the same faith as me.

Hi, I`m Linda.  I`m in my mid fifties.  I have two adult children and a beautiful 19 month old granddaughter.  I am a retired primary grade teacher.  I was always the person who could eat anything and never  gain an ounce.  I was 119 pounds when I married at 20 and even after 2 children and three neo-natal deaths I only weighed around 125 pounds.  Then came an early menopause before I was 40 and with the dpression etc. I slowly gained.  I could no longer eat as I had done but started to eat more.  My weight yo-yos between 160 and at my highest point, only once, 218 pounds.  I try to pray when I find myself eating when I`m not hungry.  I was in a church group whcih followed Gwen Shamblin`s teaching  but sadly the group dissolved.  I have horses, dogs and cats(more than my husband would like) and therefore i`m not a sedentary person.  Looking forward to interacting with all of you.

Hello All,

I am just beginning this today. I actually was inspired to lose some weight almost one year ago but it took me awhile to get up and going. . After futile weight loss from March-August I actually got sick with Pneumonia in August and after losing my appetite I did not desire sugar and many other unhealthy things for about four weeks. I lost around 5-8 lbs. and then decided that I was cracking down. When I got back to college in September I began walking three days a week with a friend for around and hour to an hour and a half. After that I started to slim down and notice results. I did not have a specific diet other then that I tried to eat healthier. It has been rather frustrating; however, in January I began doing body pump through the YMCA and working out at the gym 3-4 days a week. Since then I have not noticed a drop of the size of my body, but toning that looks much better.Still my weight has been at a standstill since December so I would like to change that.

I am currently a senior in college, and am excited to graduate in May and go on to get my Masters in Family and Marriage Therapy. Ironically, I am not married but I do enjoy relationships. That is part of the reason I am on here. I have a big family and enjoy them very much, I also enjoy running, photography, Biblical and Theology Studies, and cooking!

So there is my weight loss story. If you have any encouragement, or advice what I might be doing wrong feel free to comment or make suggestions. I am excited to be part of this community! God Bless!

-Maria

Hi my name is DeAnne and I live in central Iowa.  I am 46 and been married 25 years to my husband Ken.  We have two earthly children and one heavenly child.  My sons are 14 and 9.  My daughter would have turned 20 on her last birthday. 

I am in this group because every day, more than once, I pray for forgiveness for putting my need for food above my lord Jesus.  It breaks my heart.  But by the grace of God I am forgiven. 

I am new to calorie count in hopes to keep my self accountable.  In the past I have let myself down so many times that I don't even try to start a new diet knowing in as little as two hours I will talk my self in to eating what I had sworn off of the night before. 

My history with weight loss would take a life time to tell you but I'll make it as short as I can.  I have always been a large person.  I remember my first diet when I was around eight.  I remember eating lunch and it tasted so good I had seconds.  When I found out how many calories was in it I was so ashamed that I skipped supper.  My mom was the president of the local T.O.P.S. club and I enjoyed going to those meeting and rejoicing in their weight loss.  Little did I know I would spend my lifetime wanting that same feeling.  Threw the years I tried the no carbs/no sweets and was successful.  With every success was a failure.  There were other healthy eating habits (diets) that worked from time to time but as always it all came back.  In my early 40's I had bariatric surgery.  I did very well in weight loss to a certain point then it just stopped.  Even though I was not loosing any longer I was happy with how I looked and felt.  I praised the lord every time I looked in the mirror or heard a compliment.  Soon I tried eating some of the things I had done with out for so long.  The weight started coming back on.  Out of the 110 lbs. I lost 70 lbs. are back.  I don't want to be that large again. 

I am hear to ask for your help and prayers. 

Hi Deanne - I'm so glad the Lord has led you here.  I will certainly keep you in my prayers.  I'm adding you to my buddy list. If you add me too you can see my journl posts each day.  There are many uplifting scriptures and postings in the forums - so feel free to comment as you read one that speaks to you.

On the same journey!  Lorraine

Welcome to all the new people!  If there is anything we (the moderators can do) please contact us by clicking on our picture on our home page and send us a message.  We are here to help make your journey successful!

Hi everyone:

My name is Sharon. I have been dealing with weight problems from childhood. I was well over 150 pounds during most of my teen years and went to my heaviest weight (at that time), by the time I was about 21 years old. I was 218 pounds. I actually confimed late (long story), so that my wake up call came when I took a picture next to my sister, who was very thin at the time. The contrast was startling and distressing. I went on an 1800 calorie reducing diet. Although I didn't stick with it after about 3 months, the weight just kept on rolling off, and I dropped to about 140 lbs. That was way too small for me (I looked very unattractive, and I intentionally carried myself to 150 pounds. I kept that weight off for a couple of years, until I came to Evanston to study. I guess I underestimated the calorie value of macaroni and cheese, and exactly how much you can put on by eating from a university food court. I put on 60 pounds during that 2 years, and by the time I returned home I was just shy of 210 pounds. I later went on to gain 63 pounds over a ten year period.

Over the years I had some weight loss success, but whenever I began to lose any kind of significant amount I self-sabotaged because it would cause me alot of anxiety. I tried a spiritual diet for about a year that was very interesting, but didn't really help me to get on track. I took a year off of extra activities to lose the weight last year. Again I tried a spiritual track, but even though the Holy Spirit was doing his work I did a very good job of drowning him out.

Over the years I've had a love/hate relationship with the show "Biggest Loser." I actually stopped watching it for a couple of years because of the game play. Last season was absolutely the worst, so I missed most of the shows, but whenever I did watch it, I really liked the contestant Michelle. I also used to be a big fan of the trainer Bob, and in the last couple of years changed from him to developing a respect for Jillian. The day after I happened to tune in to the finale, when Michelle won, I went searching for some DVDs from Jillian, and stumbled onto her weight loss programme. I joined it on December 18th and am now well on the way to achieving my goal of losing 123.3 lbs. By the way, my respect has grown to love and appreciation- she is truly an exceptional coach. Maybe I needed a physical entity to latch onto, because I have seen great success in her programme, but I continued to want a spiritual foundation to my journey. I worked out to spiritual music. After a short while I found that I was remembering Jillian too much in my head when I was struggling, and that the first name I am supposed to call is God. So I began to work on fixing that. Now, he is the first that I call on and all aspects of this journey is based on him. All of my success I give to him, although I believe he gave me a vehicle that I could use well. Jillian is my coach, but God is the door to every success I have.

I am not only supposed to eat within a certain calorie allowance, but I am also supposed to eat 40% carbs, 30% proteins and 30% fats. I ignored this part of the programme for quite a while, until one day I went searching for a calorie counter. I stumbled on this site and realised it was giving me everything that I needed nutrition wise, to be able to work Jillian's programme.

I joined this group because it will help me to remain anchored in the spiritual aspect of this journey. The glory belongs to God, and after that to the wonderful team at jillianmichaels.com and then to whatever work and committment that I put toward the programme.

I am a marital and family therapist. I have been married for 5 years, but I have no children. I am 36 years old. I love all animals. I usually have dogs as pets, but since I don't have the skill to train them, the last few died when they got out of the gates and was exposed to dangers from outside. Since then I stopped keeping dogs as pets. My husband has hunting dogs, and these days I find myself treating them more as pets. I like to read, but its very specific reading- early 19th century romance novels. I like to watch tv- range of shows, but the types I generally won't watch are horrors, westerns or shows that are too violent/graphic. My taste tends toward the teeny-bopper, I am ashamed to say.

Anyway, now that you all have a book on me, let me just say thank you for allowing me to be part of this group.

Sharon

Sharon - Welcome to our group!  Another Coca Cola fan - yeah! Thank you for sharing from your heart your struggles and the renewal of your healthy journey.  Norma Jean

My history with weight loss is I lost 50 pounds in high school my senior year going from 240 to 190 all by fasting alot. Then I gained weight back through my 20's and 30's until I reached 487 last year at 35, when I was diagnosed with type two diabetes I then lost 100 pounds in about 6 months and have been struggling ever since my blood sugars got under control. I have been using calorie count since febuary and I like all the info. but have not really taken advantage of the people. I am shy and find it hard to keep relationships going. I am married to a wonderful woman and we have a very intersting cat. I joined this group because I am a christian and I thought some support could help me at this time in my life. I am disabled and one of my main focuses right now is my weight but I can't seem to get it to budge but I know why, I eat too much. So if I solve that problem I know I will lose weight again. Another focus of mine is Jesus. By the way my name is Bill.

Hey Bill - I'm so glad the Lord led you to US!  I do believe the Lord gives us each other to encourage.  I hope you will find this a safe place to share and get the extra boost (and motivation) you need along your journey.  I just love this group of people.  I'm still discovering little nuggets tucked inside the forums that I seem to find just when I need it most.

I look forward to getting to know you more.  The bible says a good wife is a "gift" from the Lord - and I'm glad he's given one to you!  - tell her thanks for sharing you on this site as we encourage each other to grow in the Lord and get fit for His service!

Your sister in Christ - Lorraine

My name is Amanda and I am here to seek inspiration in my weight loss goals. I have never really been overweight, but am seeking to live a healthier lifestyle. I want to tone and lose a few pounds before my husband and I take our kids to Disney for the first time this summer. I would like to lose 10 pounds by June 6th. My weak time of the day for snacks is mid afternoon while at work. I'm hoping to replace my snacking habit with posts to this group,prayer, and meditation with God.

My biggest inspriation to lose the weight is to live the healthiest, longest life possible to fulfill the mission God has placed me on this Earth to complete. I have been a Christian all of my life, am married, have 2 children and work full time (in that order). I hope to learn some great tips and inspiration from everyone here!

Hello everyone,

My name is Monique I am 26 and I'm the wife of a wonderful man and the mother of three wonderful children, the oldest is 7 and the yongest is 3 mths. Ever since I had my oldest I have been struggling with my weight. I have tried some of the diet trends between my second and third child, and they didn't work. I am a "jump on and off the Calorie Count wagon" person. I first joined a few years ago and since having my third baby, I have decided that I just need to crack down and watch what I am eating, since working out alone isn't working.

I am very excited to see a group that recogizes that our body is a temple and as such we should and need to take care of it. Unfortunatly I haven't been taking good care of mine and the Lord has been telling me that before I can expect obedience from my family I need to obey Him. So with lots of prayer I hope that I can and will be obedient from now on.