Hi, everyone!

Yikes ---- I am shocked at how hard it is to make this first post. Or to be more honest, how hard it is to admit how very overweight I am and how much I need to change.

So, I am a married mom with one teen-aged boy living in Denver. I am 5'7 and weight a very embarrassing 255 pounds. I gained when I was pregnant, gained some more while my baby was in diapers and never did anything about it. Oh, well, yeah --- there were those little 2 week stints where I ate well and tried to walk more. I really don't think they ever lasted longer than 2 weeks. I have been right about this weight for several years.

But now, NOW I have a goal that just might be enough to keep me on track: next summer is our silver anniversary and we are going back to Australia to celebrate, where we spent our honeymoon so long ago. We have been talking up a storm about the beaches and snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney --- we are both really excited!

So, I have about 50 weeks until the actual anniversary. If I lost 2 pounds a month (which sounds very challenging to me!), I would be 100 pounds slimmer next summer.

See --- a definite goal and a definite time frame! I really, really want to be

~ Skinny in Oz

Welcome to 3FC =)

Do you have an eating or activity plan to help you accomplish your goals?

That is SO exciting! Congratulations on your almost-anniversary, your exciting plans, and your decision to commit to this process.

Losing weight slowly has huge advantages. Can't wait to see you posting in August! I think getting past those first few weeks, when it's really hard to see the advantages (especially when you start out at a higher weight), is a huge challenge. But so worth it.

Welcome! I am so glad you're here, and can't wait to learn from you and be inspired by you as you make progress toward your oh-so-amazingly-cool goal.

and congrats on being honest with yourself and brave enough to start this new journey! How great that you have such an exciting trip to motivate you and your goal are completely doable. So...what's your plan? How're you gonna get there?

I can't wait to follow your progress!

Welcome and yay for making the first step and first post. Keep coming, keep posting, and we'll help keep you motivated.

Don't think of it as losing 100lbs, think in smaller steps. Imagine how cool it will be to weigh less that 250, or to be in the 230s... small chunks that you celebrate are so much easier to face. I was 287+ (scale didn't go any higher) now I'm just sliding into ONEderland (199). If I can do it so can you!!!

Small changes make big differences. Do share your plan if you have one

I think coming here is the best first step you can take , the support and inspiration I get from posting and reading other peoples stories is unbeatable . Welcome and I look forward to seeing pics of you in your scuba gear by next summer..You CAN do it !!!

Congrats and welcome!

I see you have the time frame (50 weeks) and the goal (2 lbs per week loss)

Now what about the plan to achieve it?

A.

Welcome from another Denverite!! what a great trip to look forward to and work towards!!

This is an awesome place with lots of support. I am so glad for you that you have taken your first steps and that you found 3FC so early in your journey.

Welcome to the club! I wish I had found this site at the very beginning of my weight loss journey because the support is priceless (to quote a TV ad.) I am probably older than you - I'm 60 - but our stats are pretty close. Same height, same starting weight. I lost 70 pounds in the first 6 months by counting calories, cutting carbs, eating lots of fruit and veggies, and by joining (and going to!) a gym. You can do this, too. We're all in this together.

Lin

I posted for the first time yesteday, too. It was super hard for me to admit "out loud" my weight (270). I actually joined 3FC in 2009 but only read posts occaisionally. Yesterday, I decided to actually take advantage of this tool for encouragement from all the wonderful ladies here and also to help keep me accountable. I am counting calories and exercising for 30 minutes every day. We CAN do this!

Welcome!

Sounds like you have a great goal in mind... Honeymooning, beaches, snorkeling, bathing suits... it all sounds like a great reward for your hard work to me!

Post often!

Thank you, everyone, for the sweetest welcome! You people are wonderful!

I don't really have a plan yet, but I signed up at MyPlate and have been entering everything that I eat. I noticed several things: First, when I am eating what I think of as "well", my calories are still a lot higher than I thought. Also, I am very lax usually about noticing the amount of what I am eating as compared to recommended serving sizes. And finally, knowing I have to report it (even just to me, but formally and in writing) makes me hesitate to eat those empty, it's-just-habit sort of calories --- and once you hesitate, you can walk away.

So, I have started drinking a lot of water and seriously reduced the amount of diet pop. I am seeing in black and white how many calories (and how much sodium, etc.) I am eating, even when I think I am eating "well." And I am reading all sorts of posts and information here at 3FC.

Next step is to figure out what a good breakfast would be and to come up with a week's worth of good dinner menus (with the right serving size!)

Thank you again!

Well, it sounds like you have your head on straight with this. I have to agree that learning what an individual serving size is can be tricky. Once you get that down, you should have a pretty easy time of judging anything. good luck!

Lin