[peaceful]

Hi everyone!

I have lurked pretty regularly for over a year, and it is time to start posting. I'm 30 years old and I live in Texas with my partner. She is an attorney and I'm a graduate student. I have been overweight since I was 7-8 and I've always kind of enjoyed the built-in detector of shallow people that the weight provided and reasoned that it wasn't bothering me, but now it is! My energy and stamina are almost nonexistent, I'm grumpy and/or tired all the time, my back and feet hurt almost all the time, I've been avoiding social situations and I'm miserable. According to the charts, I should lose about 150 pounds but I'd be more than happy with 100. I lost 30 pounds on WW a few years ago, then fell in love, graduated from college and regained it all, plus 20 more.

Besides all of the obvious reasons for losing weight, I have one other big one. Last August I was diagnosed with infertility and after 6 roller-coaster months of medical visits, injections and dashed hopes, we decided to take a break and try to lose some weight since the doctor thought that may help the drugs work better. I have been so frustrated that so much of that is out of my control, but in six months, I've managed to make zero progress. I have decided it's time to let go of what I can't control and instead of focusing on what I don't have, I want to be positive and work on what I can improve! I'll also be on my feet 8 hours a day starting in the spring (teaching), and I need to be in better shape for that.

I did well on WW before, so I'm trying that again. I'm not going to meetings, so I will probably be posting here for support. I am ridiculously out of shape, but I have a couple of WATP videos that I've been doing. Today I made good food choices, and at dinner we talked one another out of larger portions. I think Day 1 is a success!

I know I can get very longwinded - if you made it this far, thank you! Everyone around here seems so supportive and I'm looking forward to being part of the group!

[blondie728]

to the world of posting. You'll feel much better doing some talking, and everyone here as you know are great listeners. Good Luck.

[ChocLabLover]

to the group! Post often so we can get to know you!

[Heather]

Welcome! While things can seem overwhelming at first, taking control of your life (even if you do it with baby steps) is soooo worth it!

[BreakingFree]

Welcome from a fellow ex-lurker from Texas! Being here has really re-energized my resolve to lose the remaining weight I want to shed. I hope it does the same for you!

[u2girl]

Isn't it something how being happy and satisfied can lead to weight gain? That was the beginning of the end for me.

I have found WW to be the most effective weight loss method for me and it sounds like it also worked well for you. This board has offered so much support. Welcome to the forum. Hope to see you around often.

Elycia

[Amany]

Welcome, welcome!

I'm sure you'll love posting here. These ladies are just fantastic. I lurked for about 2 or 3 months before posting and I regret that it took me so long. If you want, pop on over to the Winning Losers thread. We have a really good group over there and you'll find lots of support. The entire forum is great though. I love it here.