124chicksinger - Here's a hug :hug: for you and for all of us who are doing this together.:grouphug:

Lin

I say JUMP ON THAT SCALE and know that's the last time you'll ever see that number! Getting a handle on poor eating/exercise habits when you're 23 is a way to save your life and sanity, speaking as someone who didn't get her crap together til 40 LOL Make the new habits set in stone, and you won't have to think about it again for the rest of your life - they'll just be HABITS, what you do, how you live. Best of luck to you, I know how hard it is to be discouraged but this is just one little facet of your life, it doesn't define you as a person.

I'm also 5' 8", and was around 250 pounds at your age. And because I ignored my weight and was too scared to face it head on, it become the elephant in the room. And because of that, within five years I weighed 360. The only way I got a hold of my situation was to face it. The scale is just a number, just a tool to guide you in the right direction toward health. It doesn't define who you are, or dictate your worth as a person.

So don't be afraid, it's just a number. And once you've lost more weight you'll be happy to look back and know what your starting point was. :)

Thanks and back atcha!!! :):hug: