Hi everyone. My name is Elle & I'm a fat chick. I've been up & down on the weight ladder & right now I'm up & can't seem to get myself the umpth to climb down. Quick bio: skinny kid, gained weight after college & some hard life stuff until my early 40s when I lost 120 pounds through exercise & portion control. The life stuff got even harder & I'm now late 40s & have put back on 70 pounds.

I used to go to the gym regularly & liked it, but some relationship issues have sucked the joy of that from me. I'm trying to find the will to work out at home, but it's a daily struggle. I have also taught myself to use food as a substitute for loss & pain. I know it, but still often seem to fight the urge. I'm hoping (hoping with a lot of hope!) that I can find some accountability & encouragement. My closest friends are super fit & have never struggled with weight. It's actually started to cause some distance in our relationships. My goal is to learn healthy eating habits, not just diet & to rediscover my enjoyment of working out.

That was a bit long for a drive by introduction. Sorry! It's nice to have a place to come & I look forward to "meeting" folks.

Welcome Elle!! Nice to meet you

We'll it looks like you have had success before with eating and working out. It's also good that you have fit friends, they tend to be the peer pressure and can help motivate you,

So many weight gain stories on this board tend to focus on emotional eating, all the way from eating from boredom to relationship problems, to a tragedy in ones life.

It's time to realize you're worth it, and it's time to take care of yourself. If you liked the gym, maybe you should consider going back. We exercisers on this board all agree that it's important to like the exercise routine, otherwise one probably won't stick with it.

As far as your eating, what types of healthy foods, etc. it's all right here. Make a plan based on your goal weight, calories needed per day to get there, and you're on your way. Don't get discouraged, stick with it and you'll get there.

Welcome

Good luck with your efforts!!