Well, seeing as how I just finished my nightly workout, I thought this would be as good a time as any to introduce myself here.

I'm Lacey, nice to meet everyone! I've been a lurked here for quite a while, but just recently joined in order to look at the amazing photos in the goal section. A few people wanted to hear about my weight loss journey so far, so here it is! (I hope to be posting this in the 'Goal' section one day, along with many photos!)

I'll start off by saying that I'm only 21, but I've been morbidly obese for most of my life. As a child, I was very active, but always very large. Doctors ran test after test on me to see if a disease was making me grow too fast, but just wrote it off as genetics. They never raised any alarm about my weight, perhaps because my parents are also obese.

By the time I was 13, I was already over 250 lbs. A friend of my mother's took me to WW meetings, but I wanted to be able to eat like my pencil-thin sisters, so I began sneaking food into my room. My weight only continued to go up from there, and the WW meetings were soon stopped.

There's really nothing much of interest that I'm sure hasn't been repeated here hundreds of times. I went through the normal stages of self-hatred, even self-harm and chronic depression. But, despite my size, I always led a very active social life, including a sociable dating life. (though I can't bring myself to go beyond friendship, my self-image isn't good enough) So I was okay with being unable to stick with 'diets', as long as I had my friends and parties.

I have health problems that go along with my weight. Severe back pain, hormone imbalances, irregular (or missing) TOM's, along with other things. But, again, I simply put up with it, telling myself that there was nothing I could do about it.

Until 2010.

Early this year, I went to the doctor, and again my weight was not mentioned. I knew I was the heaviest I had ever been, after my latest attempt at Nutrisystem had crashed and burned. But when I got on the scale, it wouldn't show my weight. I was too heavy.

I had to walk down a full corridor of people to a gigantic metal scale, and when I stepped on it, I thought I was going to burst into tears. 368 pounds, at 20 years old.

After that, it seemed like everything changed for me. Suddenly, I began wondering if people were embarrassed to be around me. Were my friends disgusted by my size? Were they talking about how huge I was as soon as my back turned? I nearly drove myself mad for two months.

And then, the fateful month of June came along. I had plans to go on a week-long trip with a huge group of friends, as we do every year, to see other friends that live a few states away. But, all of a sudden, the thought of going made me sick. I was terrified, and I couldn't figure out why. To make a long story short, I backed out of going. Something I had looked so forward to doing, and I skipped it.

That week was spent thinking, and it took a few days for me to realize why I couldn't go. I was the largest person in our entire group. I just couldn't bear the agony of being so worried of what they all thought of me.

That was the breaking point.

For the rest of the week, I tried looking up fad diets and surgeries, but I knew what really had to be done. I had to change my entire way of living. On July 1st, I exercised for the first time in years. I slowly began changing my eating habits while researching nutrition. Now, my way of eating is almost completely opposite to the fried, grease-soaked diet I lived on before. And I actually look forward to my nightly round of P90/P90MS!

I'm still new to healthy living, and my journey has just only begun, but I take it one day at a time. If I eat a unhealthy meal, I know it's not the end of the world. But, my guilt makes me just instinctively reach for the healthy things.

I'm sorry for this (incredibly long) life story! I hope you all help me stick with this, as I watch all of you reach your goals!

Hello and welcome...I am sorta new here myself. This is a great place to get inspired and learn all kinds of valuable information to help you with your journey. I think that it is wonderful that you are taking charge of your life at an age when most people are trying to figure themselves out. I know how difficult it can be and I wish I had the courage to get healthy when I was your age, rather than spend the next twenty years suffering and destroying myself. You are off to a great start and remember that nothing can hold you back except for you...it's taken me years to learn that!

Welcome, Lacey. Sure sounds to me like you have your head on straight about this adventure and I know you can do this. I wasted basically 25 years of my life overweight, so am glad to see that you are nipping this in the bud, so you can have a fantastic life!!!!! Come back and post often, you will find unmatched support here and all the chicks (and some guys) will become your new found family!

It sounds like you're doing great! 41 lbs is nothing to sneeze at! I think you're going to do just fine as long as you stick with it Welcome

You have so many, many, MANY years of happy, healthy living awaiting you.
I hope you keep us posted. It's exciting to take this journey with you!

Nice to meet you, Lacey!

Thank you for sharing your story. Losing 41lbs really does speak volumes of the strength and resilience you have. I hope you continue to post. I know you have wisdom to share and you'll inspire us all.

I love Power 90! I have a question for you. I used to do P90 when I weighed less. The power yoga segment was hard, but doable. Now, being over 300lbs, I find it really, really hard to do. Did you modify the yoga? How do you get through it?

I have such respect for you for doing P90M. I have never been able to complete a P90M workout. Please tell me about how you approach your workouts.

Welcome, Lacey! What an eloquent young lady you are. And GREAT going on the weight loss! Your story is very inspiring and well told. I think most of us can see a little of ourselves in it. I'm excited to see you here and hope you'll stay awhile so we can follow along on your journey. BTW, I love that you have already picked out rewards for yourself along the way! You go little chicky!!!

@Wendy: Hi! As far as the Power Yoga goes, I'm afraid I can't be of much help. I skipped it entirely. Still do, infact. Maybe I'll learn to enjoy it one day, but my arms are incredibly long, and it was terribly awkward for me to do. And, when I first started, the modifications made me too tired to really get into the workout. I think I made the right decision, but who knows?

And as for the Masters Series, I've never had so much fun working out! I still do Sculpt 3/4, but for my Cardio, I switch between 'Cardio Intervals' and 'Core Cardio'. I don't feel I'm quite advanced enough for UML, but I'm thinking about trying out Plyo today. I really just do my best, and modify when I'm afraid of injury. I also modify jumping jacks for running, as I live above others, and I'm afraid they'd think their roof was going to collapse on them with all the noise it'd make.

lala989: Thanks for the reply and for giving me insight into how you approach your workouts! It's a really weird thing--there's no one who says you can't modify a workout and make it your own, yet when you can't do it exactly as show, you feel like you're doing something wrong (or, at least, I feel that way). I appreciate how you have gotten creative with your workouts and are having a good time doing them!