Hi everybody. I hope I'm posting in the right place to say hi, tell a little about my story, and hopefully get some much needed encouragement for the challenges I am facing. If not, I'm sorry!

I'm here because I have 100 lbs to lose. I never thought I would say those words again, because a few years ago, I almost did it. In 2006, motivated by a near-fatal illness I had recovered from, I decided I wasn't going to make excuses anymore and was going to change my life. At the time, I was fresh out of college, wasn't working, and had few friends in the area I was living, so I had 100% free time. I went to the gym 5 - 6 days a week, changed my eating habits, and over the following year I lost about 75 pounds. I was in the best shape of my life, felt fantastic, and was actually happy! Unfortunately, things came up. Work, going back to grad school, and starting a new relationship seemed to take up all my time, and I stopped going to the gym altogether. My eating and drinking habits also gradually went from healthy to terrible. Over the past 2 years I have gained back all 75 lbs + a few extra. It's funny how easy it's been to stay in denial. Telling myself, "I haven't gained that much," and avoiding scales and mirrors worked well for me! Yesterday I saw a nutritionist and was honestly shocked when I stepped on the scale.

I never realized how hard it would be to cope with undoing all the weight loss I had worked so hard for, but it is extremely depressing, which makes things seem so much more hopeless, and I am struggling to find the motivation to do it again. I tried, over the last year, to get back into exercising, but the person I am dating discourages it. We drink too much and eat badly, and this cycle of behavior has been very hard to change considering I am the only one who actually WANTS it to change. Fortunately for him, what we eat, drink, or how much never seems to actually effect his weight. I don't want to blame him, because I know it comes from a place of insecurity (it is not a bad or abusive relationship), but it is also very difficult to feel like I have absolutely no support from the people in my life and like "changing" myself will negatively effect my relationship. I looked around today and realized I don't even have anyone to call who can encourage me and help me in this. So I started to look into online communities to see if maybe this will help. I have stopped drinking (I was mainly drinking red wine but definitely too much and too often), and am going to try to change my eating habits. I am re-joining the gym TODAY. But its a long road and I just feel like I need some help here.

I'm sorry this is long and kind of depressing! But I look forward to talking to some of you and I promise I'm a lot more positive in general.

Thank you for reading,

Kris

You are absolutely in the right place! We move a lot of pounds around here.

Do you have a food plan in mind?

Congratulations for making the first step and I look forward to reading more!

Welcome!! You've done it - you know it can be done. Congrats on taking the first step to putting yourself first again.

Angie

Welcome, you are in a safe place here.

Welcome! You seem to be off to a good start. With the nutritionist, the gym, and the commitment, I have full faith in you that you can do this.

WELCOME! I just started the journey on March 1st.....so I am not too far ahead of you.

This please is AWESOME, so much great info...just remember one step at a time and maybe like me, you feel THIS TIME is the time.

Hello and welcome Kris! You are definitely in the right place! Congratulations on taking the first step to a healthier you. Just remember it is a long journey, but well worth it in the end. Only you can make these changes, to live a better, and fuller life. I know it is hard when you do not have family or friends to encourage or help you, but you are not alone. We are here to offer any type of support you may need.

Hey! Wow, you guys are fast! Thank you all so much for your encouraging words! I think this place will be very helpful!

I don't have a "food plan" exactly, which is somewhat difficult for me because I need structure. I have a lot of info from the nutritionist, but it's hard for me to "calorie count" and those sorts of things. She wants me on a 1400 - 1600 calorie diet to begin, with just balancing my food types. Mostly, it's the encouragement/motivation that is my biggest obstacle, but food management is difficult too. Any suggestions would be awesome.

I'll tell ya, my day was off to a rough start but I feel better already!

Thank you, I wish you the best of luck too!

WELCOME! You will find so much support here and if you're anything like me, you'll love it and feel "at home" here very soon!

Welcome, Kris!

I know how hard it is to lose a lot, be happy, and then gain it back. I did it with about 130 pounds 10 years ago. It is so frustrating and sad to see yourself undo all that hard work and it's really hard to find it within yourself to do it again. I wish I had tried again sooner than waiting a decade!

You've got to dig deep, but all the tools you need to do this are still in you. And 3FC is a huge help!

Welcome to the group!! I agree you can feel safe here and find the support!!

Take one day at a time. It gets easier. Meal planning is key. I plan my meals one week in advance. Normally, I make extra for dinner, and eat leftovers the next day for lunch, makes it a lot easier. You will find lots of great info, support and recipes here. Take your time checking the different threads out. We are happy to have you here!

Welcome! I bet there are many of us here who can relate to your experience. I know I can many times over. We just have to take it one day at a time and lose the weight again.

Welcome & remember you did it before & u can do it again! START STRONG & STAY STRONG!