Welcome to the Group (Part 3) - May 1, 2009 to present

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!

1. History with weight loss: I have been dieting probably since I was 10. I started gaining weight at age 8 and at age 12 I had anorexia for 2 years.  Since then it has been a roller coaster for me.  I am currently under 215 (haven't weighed my self in a month since then), and would like to be 140. My over all lowest has been 98, which is way too low, I am 5'9.
2. History with Calorie Count: Joined CC last month and I love it so far! I have never stuck to a diet, I mean life style change this long before and it is all thanks to CC.
3. Reason for joining this group:  I am a Christian and would like to connect with other Christians for motivation.
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:  I work at a Dr.'s office, I am 25, and I love to shop and hang out with my friends.  I love helping people, and would love to work in an orphanage some day. 

History with weight loss:  Well, in high school, I ended up gaining 20lbs my jr and sr. year, getting up to my highest of 149 (I didn't have a scale for a few years).  I stopped drinking Starbucks Frapps and eating Taco Bell every day and lost most, if not all of that weight.  After I graduated, I wasn't running around a football field every day (i was in color guard) and I wasn't really eating right so the pounds started coming back.  I got down to I think 130 with hiking during my first two years of college but started eating out constantly again.  I ended up, just going right back up to where I was when I started, well, 145.  So I decided it was time for change.

History with Caloire Count:  I joined on June 3rd but didn't really start using the site or the tools until June 10th or so.  Since then, I have lost about 6 lbs.  I am exercising regularly (about 30 mins a day) and eating less. (I think that was my problem, my portion sizes had gotten HUGE and I would go back and eat more!).  My current goal weight is 120 and I plan to re-evaluate when I get there to see if 115 might better suit me.

Joined this group because: I think it would be good for me to have more Christian influence in my life right now.  I am a part of a Bible study group that isn't meeting during the summer and I rarely make it to church in the summer because I am out of town almost every weekend so I'm starting to feel almost lost even though I know what I need to be doing.  My family, as well as my fiancee's are Christian.

Interesting Facts: I'm 22 years old, live at home, work for my parents as accounts payable and other desk duties.  I've finished my 4th year in college and still have about three semesters.  I'm enguaged to my wonderful fiancee of whom I've been with for 6 years as of this coming Saturday.  We are getting married just after I graduate.  I have a cat, my family has a dog, and my fiancee has a dog as well.  I love to SCUBA dive in my free time.  I also love houseboating (that's where I am every weekend in summer!), i've pretty much grown up going to the houseboat as much as possible during summer.

- Jenna

1. History with weight loss:  I  have lost a total of 108 pounds so far and am trying to make it to my goal weight of 150.  I have 12 pounds to go, but can't seem to get it off, I'm stuck!!!  After I get that last 12 pounds off I will go into maintaining mode, which is the hardest for me!

2. History with Calorie Count: I have been counting calories since 2007, but am a new member on this site, hope it helps!!

3. Reason for joining this group: To connect with possitive Christians : )

 4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:  I am 25, a preachers kid, and sunday school teacher.  I work at a family owned business.  I  married the love of my life in April of this year! I love to shop, (trying on clothes burns a lot of calories) ; )  Looking for new friends...  

~ JANA ~

Hi  Jana, Jenna and Annie - Welcome!  

Jana - congratulations on your 108 lb loss so far.  There are several of us on that journey to 100 (or more) and it's great that you have the biggest part of that behind you now.  

What would you say was the #1 factor for making that happen?

It was God,  I prayed for years that he would help me to get the weight off, I had low will power, self-esteem, high blood pressure and  I thought I would be stuck being overweight forever.  But God had a diffrent plan for me!   He sent a wonderful christian man into my life who encouraged me and helped me everyday on my weight loss/excercise journey.  Having someone to talk to and who will be there for you means so much!  I not only wanted to do it for him, I actually wanted it for myself...   I fell in love with that man and married him !!  GOD is Good.     

~ JANA ~

1. History with weight loss: I used a daily dialaog with the Holy Spirit and focused visualizations to finally lose the 88 extra pounds I had carried for the last 15 years. I am grateful.

2. History with Calorie Count: I used Calorie count to figure my BMI and also to look up calorie information about foods I was eating. (Monitoring calorie consumption was part of my program.)

3. Reason for joining this group: Helps to hear what other Christians are saying and doing that works.

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests: I am a wife, mother and grandmother of three. I am a writer and wrote and published a book about my weight loss efforts that included nightly talks with the Holy Spirit (www.thinkingskinny.com if you are interested). I blog, and I find that writing about my experiences helps keep me focused as I am now in maintenance. Having reached my goal does not mean I get to "stop" and that is where I need God all over again. This is a lifelong journey and He helps keep me up for the challenge.

Thinkingskinny ~ your profile pic is fantastic! But better yet, your reliance on God to get you through the journey. Thank you for sharing. For whatever reason, your photo is very very motivating to me. Stay on the path ~ maintenance is a true struggle!!

Congrats!

dawn

1. History with weight loss:

For most of my life I have been overweight. During my senior year of high school my mom and I joined a gym and I lost 28 pounds. However, going to college gave me more than just the "Freshman 15". I got the Freshman 25. Then, my husband joind the NAVY and I decided that I needed to get into shape as well, I couldn't have him looking better than me! In the following year and a half, I have lost and kept off 30 pounds. However, I have plateaued and cannot seem to get the weight loss going again.

2. History with Calorie Count:

I have just joined and am excited about this new tool.

3. Reason for joining this group:

I have recently moved to join my husband and have not yet connected with a Christian group. I hope to find someone to connect with to share weight-loss tips and spiritual motivation.

4. Interesting details about myself:

I lived my whole life in Georgia until I moved to California in June. I love dogs and currently have a Chihuahua/Corgi mix. He's adorable! I love my husband with all my heart. We've been married for seven months. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education but am having trouble finding a job.

History with weight loss:  I've been at least a little overweight since as far back as 5th or 6th grade, but things didn't get badly out of control until I was in an accident in high school.  I got knocked off my bike by a pickup truck, and I spent about half a year unable to do much, because my back took a long time to stop hurting.  Before the accident, I used to enjoy riding my bike.  Not counting transportation to and from school, I would ride about 3-4 miles a day 3-4 days a week.  The sudden drop in activity along with the bad eating habits my whole family has just let the weight pile on.  It wasn't long after that that I hit about 250 pounds.  Regretfully, I've only seriously tried to lose weight a few times since then.  I've tried low carb diets, and they work temporarily, but I have gout, and once the hightened protein triggered an attack, the diet attempt goes out the window.  I tried going mostly vegetarian (not vegan) for 4 months, and I did it in a way that I actually felt a little better, but I wasn't losing weight.  The weight grew until I had trouble breathing if I lay down, and my joints ache a lot (a problem not helped by the connective tissue disorder we think I may have).  I've been feeling bad about the weight for a while, but it was only in May of this year that I made my most recent complaint to the doctor about it and he said he'd suggest lap band surgery if we could verify that the connective tissue wouldn't cause problems.  At that point, I weighed in at 392 on the doctor's scale.  I didn't even have a scale that went high enough to weigh myself at home.

History with Calorie Count: The doctor told me to start a food log to get a good idea of what I'm actually eating so we could determine what changes to make to try to lose weight.  My mother-in-law found Calorie Count and sent me a link, so I signed up.  I've always been better at tracking things if I can do so online somewhere.  Before I learned about Calorie Count, I started to create a spreadsheet on Google Docs.  Calorie Count is much simpler for me than what I was going to try, and I think that might be a contributor the the success I've had so far.  I tried to eat "normal" for the first few days of logging, was horrified to see that I ate about 4000 calories a day (and I'm sure it was higher when I wasn't trying to track it), and I started to scale back.  I've not posted anywhere in the groups until this post, but I have read around to see what other people are going through.  Reading the forums helps me to remember that I'm not the only one fighting with weight problems.

Reason for joining this group:  I'm a Christian, and it helps me to work together with other Christians.  I find it easier to keep my focus on Who is most important (Jesus) and what is unimportant (just about everything else) if I hang out with more people who are also focussed on Him.

Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:  I live in Phoenix, AZ with my wife (10 years in October), two boys who we adopted as older teens (they're 22 now), two dogs, and 8 cats (sadly, that "8" is not a typo).  I'm a professional software developer, and on the weekends, I alternate between singing on my church's worship team and running the church sound system.  I'm also currently a full time student working towards a business degree with a focus on information systems, so my schedule tends to be rather full.

With God's help and my dedication to getting myself healthy, I weighed in at 345 pounds this morning.  That's a 47 pound loss in about 2 and a half months.

Original Post by kkluvsdacross:

I lived my whole life in Georgia until I moved to California in June. I love dogs and currently have a Chihuahua/Corgi mix. He's adorable! I love my husband with all my heart. We've been married for seven months. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education but am having trouble finding a job.

 Welcome to California.  Is your husband stationed in San Diego since he is in the Navy?  My son was just there last week for the Comic Con Convention.  I live in Moorpark just over the hill from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley.

May you be blessed in this group on your healthy journey, as I have been for almost a a year now.

Original Post by kfeingold:

I've been feeling bad about the weight for a while, but it was only in May of this year that I made my most recent complaint to the doctor about it and he said he'd suggest lap band surgery if we could verify that the connective tissue wouldn't cause problems.  At that point, I weighed in at 392 on the doctor's scale.  I didn't even have a scale that went high enough to weigh myself at home.

History with Calorie Count: The doctor told me to start a food log to get a good idea of what I'm actually eating so we could determine what changes to make to try to lose weight.  My mother-in-law found Calorie Count and sent me a link, so I signed up.  I've always been better at tracking things if I can do so online somewhere.  Before I learned about Calorie Count, I started to create a spreadsheet on Google Docs.  Calorie Count is much simpler for me than what I was going to try, and I think that might be a contributor the the success I've had so far.  I tried to eat "normal" for the first few days of logging, was horrified to see that I ate about 4000 calories a day (and I'm sure it was higher when I wasn't trying to track it), and I started to scale back.  I've not posted anywhere in the groups until this post, but I have read around to see what other people are going through.  Reading the forums helps me to remember that I'm not the only one fighting with weight problems.

 kfeingold - I could relate to your story - read my bio.  I would like to refer you to another supportive group on CC which I belong to - 300+ Group .  If you read some of the testimonies - the weight can be lost.  This is what encourages me instead of any surgery.  The Founder, Jayne.  was at 465 two years ago and today she is 160.    We just need to find the right combination to make it work,  Glad you found us!  ~ Norma Jean

1. History with weight loss: Whoops forgot to finish this part! I was a skinny kid growing up, tall and fairly thin. At age 12 I weighed 130 pounds. Moved, had a few bad things happen, became depressed and made my life's goal to be as massive as possible (in order to be ignored/not have friends). Age 15, I weighed a little under 200 pounds. By 18, I was 245. Went off to college, lost 25 pounds. And now 2 years later, here I am, hovering around 215.

2. History with Calorie Count: In the past I've used CC simply to look up calories! Only recently have I started using groups/forums, and some of CC's tools. I've had an account since 2008.

3. Reason for joining this group: I don't know. Support? Caring people? Understanding?

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests: (this is gonna sound like a real downer) I'm 21 and I live at home. I'm on disability. I'm in therapy. I've been in and out of mental institutions for the past two years. I've tried to kill myself 10 times. I used to self harm through alcohol and other more direct means, but I don't do that anymore. I swore that I would never attempt suicide again, January 1st 2009, and so far I've kept to that. I have multiple personalities (dissociative identity disorder) there are about 40 of us living together in one body. It's complicated. At age 14 we moved from small town Oklahoma to our current home. Never made a friend after that move. Also between age 11-13 I was r*ped. The combination of those things sent me over the edge, and I decided to set a new goal: become as massive as possible. I was following the logic that if I was unsightly, people would keep their distance.

(HAPPY STUFF) I have four pets: a dog Lily, a hermit crab American, a guinea pig Theo, and a fish Simon. I like to paint, draw, write, and read. I play violin, although I haven't in a long time and I'm sure I suck! :) I'm a loner by nature. I'm painfully shy at times, even online. Bit of a perfectionist too.

-Lisa

Welcome to the group fiddler.  I am already in prayer with you. May I say that you have come to one of the best sites and groups online.  There are many people that are very caring, loving and supportive here. 

I would ask that you continue to come back more and more and read the posts of others in this group and look at the forum prayers and praise, and also the bible study group. 

I would like to give you a bible verse Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the Lord, God of all flesh, is there anything to hard for me? 

I would like to email you and talk to you outside the room with your permission?

God bless and welcome to what you will find out will be such a blessed place you will not be able to wait to get back online to the loving ones on this site.

You did not come back here by accident.

Mark

Feel free to, Mark. But warned that I can be a bit of a doofus when it comes to holding a cohesive conversation!

Original Post by fiddler32:

3. Reason for joining this group: I don't know. Support? Caring people? Understanding?

 

-Lisa

Lisa I am glad you came to this group.

(I invited her from the Saturday Weigh-in Group that Rocks - it was the Lord's leading for you to be with us - no doubt in my mind! )

~Norma Jean

I joined a few weeks ago but hadn't made my first post to introduce myself. 

My history with weight loss has been an up and down battle.  The most I have weighed is 192.5 and the smallest 112.  I have been either labeled borderline anorexic or bulemic, never "normal".  I was in an eating disorder clinic for 5 months last year.  I learned alot from them.  I have since been on an "on and off binge cycle" and have gained back alot of weight.  I have 16.8 lbs to go to reach my current goal. 

I joined calorie count July 1 and it has been a great help thus far.

I have strayed per say from Christianity but am trying to get back on track with all aspects of my life.  I felt that this would be a good group to join because I was always taught that you can do all things through Christ.

I have 2 rottweilers and I enjoy spending time with them.  I enjoy showing them at dog shows.  I am divorced and have no children.  It is easy to slip when all you have are your dogs that live with you to be accountable to!  :)

I really am here for support because I have binged the last couple of days and feel I am getting out of control again.  I want to lose this weight and do it the right way once and for all!!

Welcome Moonlightrotts - I hope you do find the support you're looking for. A lot of people have had success with calorie counting and others, such as myself, are still on the journey.  I really enjoyed the success story they ran the other day in the BLOG section.  She told about how it was changing her mindset and gives God the credit for helping her.  I believe too, when I get my thinking straight on all of this, that the weight-loss will follow! 

We have several accountability forums that you might enjoy - so poke around and just jump in when you find something that's helpful.

1. History with weight loss: I started gaining as a pre teen and struggled until I was about 13 then lost a lot of weight and was very skinny for years. My weight has had periods of up and down all my life. Each phase lasting years. After I hit 40 I began struggling a lot. I quit smoking at 43 and bloated up 50 lbs that I have not been able to keep off.
2. History with Calorie Count: I started it about 5 years ago right before some huge changes in my life. I found Christ in a deep way and like He says, He makes a new person out of the old. I lost 40 or so of those unwanted lbs and left a very bad relationship, got a job, a promotion almost immediately, bought a house and car and am living on my own now. Very happily and peacefully. However, I fell away from the calorie counting help and gained back all the weight. So here I am back again and plan to make it a lifestyle.
3. Reason for joining this group: I found that although this site is wonderful and supportive it lacked one thing and that was the biggest and most important thing, it lacked being Christ centered which I think is all that counts.
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests: I love Christ with all my heart. I have two beautiful daughters, two grandbabies I love dearly. I read, write poetry and work long hours. I have two wonderful dogs that bring me great delight.

Welcome Maryann - thank you for sharing with us. Wow what a testament to hoe God changes us. I also agree with you about this site lacking the spiritual side of change. I was so happy when I found this because it has also been there for me in some other difficult times. I look forward tochatting with you.

Ok.  I finally had min. to do this.  As a member I want to do my part to encourage and be encourage. 

History of weight loss:  Sadly I have been struggling with my weight since I was in the 6th grade.  All my life I have been in a battle.  I finally thought I had conquer it in high school my junior or senior year.  Weight came back.  Then in college i went on another diet.  Look good, got married, weight came back, got divorce, loss weight, went back to school gain weight again.  My life have been one yoyo diet after another.  In 2006 I lost almost 50lbs.  I haven't gain all the lbs back yet.  So I trying to avoid going back to my higest weight 208.  I am now 181.5.   

Calorie Count Hx and Reason:  I joined caloire in 2009.  For support.  I did well with a online support group so that why I joined.  I just not a good participate, but I will do better.

About Me:  Well I work in the healthcare fields.  I have no pets.  I lived in area where it sunny and warm most of the time.  I a newlyweds of 10 months God has blessed me with a wonderful supportive husband.  I love the Lord, and I know that he will help me through.  I want to win this battle.  For the battle is not giving to swift but he that endure to the end.  I love to sing, read, and surf youtube.   I curretly trying to read the bible in a year (I'mway behind).  I want to go back to school, and then maybe take piano lesson.

I pray that everyone can reach the jorney to being healthy.