[FloridaGirl27]

I joined this site in an attempt to meet people who can encourage me in my weight loss journey. I started putting on the weight about 8 months ago and I felt it came on rather rapidly.I thought it may have been birth control, or antidepressants but I stopped both of those and the weight kept coming on. I am an emotional eater and with that said I have been in a 2yr relationship that has been on a bumpy road and whenever things started to go south I would turn to food.I am 27 yrs old and I weigh 222 and I have never been this big in my life, I am a size 18 for the first time and I have always been a 10-12 at the most. This weight gain has caused tremendous stress on me, I am no longer social and outgoing like I used to be and when I go out with the girls I can tell I am not the hot one anymore. I used to get hit on by many guys but lately they turn the other way. I hate the fact I cannot fit into my clothes and I refuse to buy bigger sizes because it will not encourage me to lose weight. I have been isolated and bummed out lately, I dont feel attractive in my body, I went from wearing makeup and stilettos to wearing sweats pants and tshirts.As if that's not bad enough I have my whole family telling me how much weight I put on and offering advice (I am the biggest in my family, no one else has a weight problem). I get angry at my boyfriend because he will let me eat whatever I want and not encourage me to do better, its like he wants me to be fat.I dont recognize the person I become ,I started running at nights and I dont want to go to the gym until I get in good enough shape to. I am thinking about incorporating a good diet pill that doesnt have the jittery effect, if anyone knows of any good ones please let me know. my new years resolution is to get back to me so I can help others.

[Misti in Seattle]

Hello and

So glad you are here. Your post is a good start on your new journey to health and weight loss.

I'm sure most of us here can relate to your frustration with yourself at allowing yourself to gain the weight, especially when you are facing criticism from others. But hey, you can do this. It's hard work but there are a lot of us here who understand completely and are on the journey with you!

Perhaps your boyfriend will be more supportive when you find a plan that is good for you and get working on it; perhaps he just needs to see that you are serious about this, and then will be more encouraging.

And please don't let pride keep you out of the gym! Remember, most people there are totally focused on their own workouts rather than others; and if they did notice you at all, most would be impressed that you are trying to do something about it! But hey, the running at night is a GREAT start so why not just keep that up for now? Changes don't happen overnight and you are well on your way to a super start.

Personally I am totally opposed to diet pills, but rather believe in eating right and exercising, so I am for sure not the one to recommend any of those to you... not in a million years, ha, as I consider them very unhealthful. But perhaps others here who think more positively about them will share with you.

I would encourage you to check around the forum, find some threads you feel will be helpful to you and where you can also cheer others along, and just jump right in. It won't be long until you find yourself with a lot of cyberfriends who care and understand.

Thanks for sharing.

[luckymommy]

Welcome aboard FloridaGirl27! I think it's great that you found this site. I hope you'll find it as inspirational and supportive as I do. Just remember, this is not a sprint. It's a marathon. I really recommend finding a program you can stick to. You don't have to decide right away. There are lots of options and you can cruise through the different forum to see which one you think you can stick to. SOme people combine a few programs...so for instance, they calorie count and they also eat low carb. I personally am a calorie counter with addiction issues so I often check the calorie counters forum and the chicks in control forum.

I also recommend starting with small changes. Add more water, for instance. If you don't feel like hitting the gym, that's ok. Take a walk or put on some music and dance to it. Or rent a workout dvd. I also think that you shouldn't worry about what anyone thinks at the gym. When I first started going to mine I was SUPER self conscious but now, I have a lot of people who really admire what I've accomplished (even though I've been gaining lately, but that's another story) because they saw where I started. I kept telling myself that I have a right to be there. You have a right to be there too.

Take it one day at a time. Try to learn from your behaviors. Take walks, move more throughout the day. Keep a food journal. THat has got to be one of the most important things to do. Don't put anything into your mouth until you've written it down.

Treat yourself with love. Don't hang around anyone who disrespects you. Demand respect from others, but above all, from yourself.

See you soon!

[FloridaGirl27]

thank you so much for the encouragement, I just took a look at your profile luckymommy and it is such an inspiration to see you were once my starting weight and now your my goal weight, what did you do to lose the weight?

[caliyah]

welcome! you can do this! i'm restarting and i'm around the same height/weight as you. you are joining a great forum

[rainydays]

Welcome to 3FC! Diet pills don't work, but hard work, determination, and commitment do. I agree, food journaling has been imperative to my weight loss. You can do this!

[FloridaGirl27]

Tonight is my second night running and this time I incorporated my Pomeranian coco! I went out and purchased a doggy jogging stroller and I must say I am starting to look forward to jogging at night with my baby boy, it was quite fun.

[FloridaGirl27]

That is awesome caliyah, I would like to hear how your routine is going, hear from you ladies is empowering.

[luckymommy]

So sorry for my delayed response, but I didn't realize you had responded to my post.

What I did: I count calories. I like to calorie cycle. That means I eat say 1200 or 1300 calories for a few days and then, I'll have 1800 calories and then go back down the next day. It revs up the metabolism as far as I can tell. The goal is to keep your body guessing. That's why doing different types of workouts is also good....at least for me.

I started out eating a lot of pre-made foods such as Lean Cuisine and Fage Greek yogurt.

I have to workout every single day where I do 30-40 minutes of cardio and I also walk my dog which adds up to about 30 minutes a day or so. I try to park far and move as much as possible, which isn't hard in a 2 story house.

I have a weird eating style. I wake up and workout at the gym. I then have my coffee around 9 or 10 am. Then, I eat my lunch early around 11:30, but sometimes 12. If I get hungry then I'll have a hard boiled egg or an apple or some raw almonds. I keep everything written down. I actually use LoseIt which is a free app on iPhone, but any food log will do. Then, for lunch I'll have an Organic Amy's bean burrito with no cheese and some veggies like cucumber or celery or broccoli. I have an easier time with the veggies when I use Cascadian Farms calorie free Ranch dressing. Snacks can be string cheese and berries or raw pistachios. I also like that Fage Greek yogurt sprinkled with Splenda and Cinnamon. I'm trying to cut down on the splenda. I might sometimes snack on turkey cold cuts too.

Dinner is usually another burrito with veggies or a salad with a protein such as salmon or chicken. It just depends. I love avocado but it has a lot of calories so I watch my portions.

If I fall off plan, the key is to get back on that horse as soon as possible and drink lots of water. Speaking of which....drink lots of water. You need to keep hydrated. I did try a bunch of diets in the past and it's a learning experience. You may have to tweak things every so often, but the key is to never ever give up.

[sontaikle]

Welcome to 3FC! good luck!