NAME: Amber

BIRTHDAY: December 30th

MARITAL STATUS: Married (on August 8, 2010)

TOP WEIGHT: 304

CURRENT WEIGHT: 304 :/

GOAL WEIGHT: 125

HEIGHT: 5'1"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Flaming Red

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Crocheting, Reading, Singing, Blogging

PETS: Two cats, Sadie, and Willow ; Two Gerbils, Mario and Luigi ; Two little shrimp, Jordan and Taylor (Unisex names lol)

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Upstate New York

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple and Green

FAVORITE FOODS: Bacon :/

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Biking

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): House, Chuck, True Blood, The Big Bang Theory, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Bones, Parenthood, and No Ordinary Family
(I'm a DVR junkie)

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: Green Day!!!!!! Also, My Chemical Romance, Ludo, and MANY MANY Showtunes

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Motivation (or lack there-of)

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: Hopefully Gastric bypass Surgery will give me the kick in the butt I need.

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: Roux-en-y Gastric Bypass Surgery (not yet, but in my future)

RELIGION: Eclectic Pagan/Wiccan

POLITICS: Democrat

PIERCINGS: 6 lobe total, conch, and nostril. I've retired my lip but it might be re done soon (or might be one of my rewards along the way)

TATTOOS: Well, I'll just post a picture:
It represents Jason Mraz's I'm Yours which was my first dance song at my wedding. The Notes on the staff are the actual "I'm Yo-o-ours...." from the song.

my tattoo healed by Amberann1011, on Flickr

NAME: Brooke

BIRTHDAY: July 6

MARITAL STATUS: Single.

TOP WEIGHT: 250ish lb

CURRENT WEIGHT: 220 lb

GOAL WEIGHT: 150 lb / whenever comfortable

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Currently black, changes at least once a month.

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Photography, Body Modification, animals, smoking, movies, music, concerts & typical college girl stuff.

PETS: At home I have a white Persian with one blue eye and one brown eye, Louie, and a while short hair cat, Fiona, and a cocker spaniel mix, Camille. In my dorm I have two hermit crabs, St. Elmo and Crip

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Minnesota, close to twin cities

FAVORITE COLOR: Red

FAVORITE FOODS: Hummus on pita bread.... mmmm...

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Walking, yoga, stairs (I live on floor six, and vowed to only take the elevator when I'm carrying a load)

FAVORITE BOOK(S): Soooo many, Ellen Hopkins is a favorite author.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Again, so many, anything with Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): Weeds, Six Feet Under, Desperate Housewives, Teen Mom, Jersey Shore

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Eyedea & Abilities, Eminem, pretty much anything you throw my way, I'll be able to throw lyrics down.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I'm hyped for a week, then lose interest.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I have a very strong personal motivation this time, it is also the first time I have searched online forums and joined a couple websites with people in the same boat as me.

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: Eating healthier, using my free gym membership on campus.

RELIGION: Non-denominational Christian

POLITICS: Independent, leaning towards dem.

PIERCINGS: 5/8" stretched lobes, 14g second lobes, industrial bar, two left lip piercings, right nostril piercing, left anti-eyebrow. Planning on piercing my nipples half way to my goal weight, and belly button and hips at my goal weight.

TATTOOS: Large right forearm piece of a cherry blossom branch, with my friends innitials 'carved' into it, she passed away suddenly in a car accident at 17. & I have a butterfly on my left wrist, but the wings are skulls, a bit of an optical illusion, most people do not see the skulls at all.

NAME: Tammie

BIRTHDAY: December 20

MARITAL STATUS: Single

TOP WEIGHT: 232 and miserable over it!

CURRENT WEIGHT: 232 and miserable over it!

GOAL WEIGHT: 165ish

EYE COLOR: Hazel

HAIR COLOR: Currently it is red, but that changes ever couple of months.

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: OMG VIDEO GAMES!, reading, writing, animals, theme park junkie, and did I mention video games?

PETS: 127 lb Bouvier des Flandres and a 7 lb Jack Russell.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: North Louisiana...just transferred from Florida and still adjusting.

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FAVORITE FOODS: French fries...especially with cheese. I'm searching for the diet friendly favorite atm.

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Yoga

FAVORITE BOOK(S): This could be a long list. Hands down, absolute favorite author currently is Jaqueline Carey. She can't write a bad book...she's AMAZING! Kim Harrison with her Hallows series, Laurell K. Hamilton (though the more she compromises her characters, the faster she sinks as a favorite), and Naomi Novik's Temeraire books to name a few.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Boondock Saints, True Romance, LotR trilogy and Gladiator to start a long list.

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): United States of Tara, The Tudors (anxiously awaiting The Borgias to fill this void), True Blood and hello my name is Tammie and I'm a Gleek!

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: My all time favorite band ever was the 80s band Big Country. I'm currently stuck on epic movie scores though...Steve Jablonsky, Howard Shore, James Horner type stuff. My music collection however, is very eclectic. I have some of everything.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I have the best intentions but am the world's biggest procrastinator. "I'll start dieting tomorrow." "I'll go to the gym tomorrow."

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I have gotten to the point where I literally hate myself for it, can't fit into my clothes and it's affecting me mentally.

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: 1200ish calories a day, low carb, get off my butt and actually use that gym membership.

RELIGION: Two things I don't discuss, this is the first.

POLITICS: Two things I don't discuss, this is the second!

PIERCINGS: Ears and the long lost belly ring that no one has seen in years (save the man) because I haven't shown my stomach since it was flat.

TATTOOS: Anubis & Horus facing off from my lower back/hip area. Full back piece of horse heads, celtic boar on the back of the neck, kanji on the left ankle, band of latin verbage on the left.

NAME: Melissa

AGE: 28 (Birthday is May 6th)

MARITAL STATUS: Recently single. My now ex-fiance backed out of our life together and I'm looking to get my life back on track.

TOP WEIGHT: 260

CURRENT WEIGHT: 215

GOAL WEIGHT: 135

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Reading, watching movies, cooking, traveling.

DIETING HISTORY: I've always been chubby. Kids called me "Jello" in elementary school. But when I was in the 4th grade, it didn't seem to bother me too much really. However, puberty hits and we all find a way to deal. I dealt by eating. I haven't been under 200 pounds since I was a teenager, but that's all gonna change this year. I've lost 45 pounds so far and only 16 more to go before I break the 100's. I'm very excited!

HEIGHT: 5'2.5"

EYE COLOR: Greenish-hazel

HAIR COLOR: Black right now, but it's naturally a golden dark brown.

LOCATION: Seneca Falls, NY (birthplace of women's rights). It's a small town and quite boring, actually. I have plans to move down to New York City eventually.

FAVORITE COLOR: Black, red, purple, green. I can't pick just one.

FAVORITE FOODS: Buffalo chicken or BBQ chicken pizza, french fries, alfredo pasta dishes, lasagna, turkey burgers, roasted red pepper hummus, sandwiches/wraps, soups, Chinese, Thai, Indian...I could keep going lol.

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Swimming and biking (technically I use a stationary bike at the gym but I bike 6 miles almost every day and I really like it).

SCHOOL: I'm currently a full-time college student studying education, however I plan on changing my major to human services/social work.

WORK: I work part-time as a Therapeutic Recreation Assistant at a local nursing home.

FAVORITE BOOK(S): I love everything Jane Austen and other classic literature from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I also love fantasy series, like Harry Potter, The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings, His Dark Materials.

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): My favorite TV show of all time is The X-Files. One cannot put into words my obsession with Mulder & Scully. I even have their action figures. Really.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): My favorite movie of all time is The Sound of Music. I'm pretty much obsessed with musicals.

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: I love all kinds of music, but my favorite is classic rock & alternative. Around the age of 13 or 14 years old, I discovered alternative rock and it changed my life. I suddenly had a voice or something. Alternative music led to a lot of fun memories, including getting kicked in the head by a steel-toed boot at a Bush concert when I was 15. Good times. When I was a teenager, I was in love with No Doubt and wanted to be Gwen Stefani. She was skinny, gorgeous, and just plain cool. Not to mention she got to sleep with Gavin Rossdale on a regular basis. Haha. My favorite band of all time is actually Depeche Mode. They basically rock my world and I am a proud Dave Slave. Their "Black Celebration" album is amaaaazing! I pretty much love everything 80's, from the music to the movies.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Something will happen in my life that affects me negatively, and I'll turn to overeating and junk food to make feel better.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I feel so much better about myself when I am living a healthy lifestyle. I'm sticking to a routine and I actually enjoy working out and eating right. It's helping me stay sane during a really hard time in my life. For the first time, I'm not turning to pizza and french fries for comfort and I feel so much better.

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: A balanced diet of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy proteins. I try to stick to 1200-1500 calories a day. I also go to the gym 4-5 days a week.

RELIGION: My family are Jehovah's Witnesses and that's how I was raised. I'm not currently practicing, though.

POLITICS: Blah blah blah boring.

PIERCINGS: Two piercings in each ear.

TATTOOS: None.

Butternut squash fries! So so good! You can find a really cool recipe at: www [dot] cookingchanneltv [dot] com/hungrygirl

NAME: Rosita

BIRTHDAY: May 20

MARITAL STATUS: Not married.

TOP WEIGHT: 106 kg/ 233 lbs

CURRENT WEIGHT: 88 kg/ 194 lbs

GOAL WEIGHT: 64 kg/ 142 lbs

EYE COLOR: Grey/Green

HAIR COLOR: Dark Brown

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Bellydancing, needlework, Gardening, biking, DIY amongst others

PETS: None

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Freetown of Christiania in Denmark.

FAVORITE COLOR: Green, yellow and gold.

FAVORITE FOODS: Tofu! I loooove tofu, unfortunetly I've become allergic to it after many years of being vegan (I'm currently vegetarian).... So now I think its soft boiled eggs, pineapple and coffee and cigarettes <3

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Bellydancing and biking (Denmark is a biking nation). I'm also trying to build some muscles....

FAVORITE BOOK(S): Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and anything by Charles Bukowski.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Right now it's Zebraman by Takashi Miike. Other favorites include the first Rambo movie and Fight Club.

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): True Blood! (Although I think the first season was the best)

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: Steppeulvene and hvid sjokolade (danish bands), Wu Tang Clan, Joy division,Nina Simone, old country, folk music, dub, arabic, dancehall and reggae. My taste in music is very diverse I guess..

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Portin control and not believing in my self enough.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I'm older, wiser and i now exercise, where as before i would just eat less....

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: Right now I'm on weight watchers, but I also eat more wholefoods and try to stay a way from processed food. Last but not least loving myself more

RELIGION: Spirituel, leaning towards asa tro (Nordic religion)

POLITICS: Politricks is not for me.

PIERCINGS: I used to have a lot of piercings, but now only my ears are pierced.

TATTOOS: a pineapple on my left forearm, a carrot with a hook on my right leg, a green star in my ear and a green star on my right food.

P.S Sorry if I made any spelling or grammatical errors, but english is not my first language

Hi everyone!

Hope its OK for me to just post? I only found the site yesterday and only found this forum today - is this purely U.S based? Apologies if I have stampeded in in error... this just looked like exactly what I am after :-)

NAME: Angela

BIRTHDAY: 22 January

MARITAL STATUS: co-habiting

TOP WEIGHT: 238ish lb

CURRENT WEIGHT: Haven't weighed myself for a while now, starting afresh tomorrow... I am going to guess still around the 238 lb mark!

GOAL WEIGHT: TBH, I am not too great and knowing the correct weight for my height etc as I have pretty much always been chunky :-( I would just love to go out and buy beautiful clothes from a modern shop in a "regular" siz... even if it was at the furthest end of the rack!!

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Just dyed brown... which I HATE! I was bright red before but I am growing it out to bleach the **** out of it again to bleach blonde with black slashes :-)

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Photography, movies, music, Japan and anything connected to it, throwing myself around dancefloors...

PETS: Since moving out I have a little lovebird called Bill Oddie. We have a hate/hate relationship.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Camberley, Surrey - UK

FAVORITE COLOR: Red (Could leopard print be a colour??)

FAVORITE FOODS: Roast dinners... especially roast potatos... or indian currys...

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Um... None :-( I definately need help with this!

FAVORITE BOOK(S): Anything trashy really - Marianne Keyes, Jane Green, Lisa Jewell

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Lost in Translation (Japan <3), Bonnie and Clyde (1967) Sex and the City films, anything with Gerard Buter on - even on mute.

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): Sex and the City, Dexter, Walking Dead

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: So many... I have pretty much been in love with Placebo since I was 14 though!

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I get bored, I get lazy and I lose interest. Literally all my friends are like lovely little twigs so I have always felt alone in my (large) shell

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I have something to aim for - My friends hen weekend in a few months. This will include seeing people I went to school with but havent seen since. I want to look great! Also, this is the first time I have joined a forum and "reached out".

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: Going to the gym at work, eating healther and alot less (!), trying to combat my boredom eating.

RELIGION: Atheist

POLITICS: Honestly? Right now I don't know anymore.

PIERCINGS: Lip, tregus and ears. Did have my nose and daith but both have come out over time.

TATTOOS: None as yet. Looking to get either a red lightning bolt, a red "A" (the symbol of Atheism) or a small anchor on my wrist in the very near future.

Name: Susan
Marital status: Married
Hobbies/interest: Crystal/gemstone collecting, collage art
Pets: Mojo (cat), Yoshi (kitten), Max (dachshund)
Geographic location: New Hampshire
Favorite books: Huge David Sedaris fan!! also love Melodies "love is in the Earth" series.
Favorite TV shows: Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Six Feet Under
Favortie Bands/Music:Reggae, The Flaming Lips!, Modest Mouse, The Talking Heads, Sinead O'connor, Neil Young, Explosions in the Sky
Weight Loss: I've been fat most of my life...I have lost weight recently...bought a treadmill and use it 6 days a week. I also eat "healthier" i'm a work in progress.
Religion: I believe we all have a Spirit/soul that lives on after our body dies.
Tattoos: I have 7

Okay, this is me introducing myself. I don't really like talking about myself too much but I think this will help me remain accountable for my weight loss. I also have a blog at thewaifcometh.blogspot.com that I just started to track my progress, but be forewarned that I am kind of a ***** sometimes so if you're easily offended, probably best to not visit.

NAME: Torri
BIRTHDAY: August 1
MARITAL STATUS: Married to the most awesome man on the planet
TOP WEIGHT: 165, as of right now.
CURRENT WEIGHT: 165
GOAL WEIGHT: 122
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Anything active! I love the outdoors. When I'm inside I'm usually reading or making something; I bind books, make paper, paint, draw, do photography, blend perfume, and write, and then write some more.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: The bloody Bible Belt, keeping a few choice descriptors to myself
FAVORITE FOODS: Anything spicy, especially Mexican food. And sugar... That is my biggest weakness. As I write this I'm mourning the several huge cookies I just ate, despite starting my new diet "today"
FAVORITE EXERCISE: Climbing, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, stuff like that. Unfortunately these days it's just running and yoga.
FAVORITE BOOK(S): Pretty much everything from dry medieval treatises to camp dirty fiction
FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Fight Club, Snatch, the Prophecy, Amelie, anything with "Exorcist" in the title, horror in general
FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): Don't have cable, but I do like the Office (back when it was funny and British especialy), Dexter, Mythbusters
FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: NIN, Tool, Puscifer, Saul Williams, Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murphys, Hexentanz, PJ Harvey, Portishead, The Decemberists, Rage Against the Machine, KMFDM, Machines of Loving Grace, Trance to the Sun, Maduro, Ministry, Nirvana, Primus, Rammstein, Tweaker, Vermillion Lies, Rasputina, and various medieval/classical/folk troupes.
PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Boredom. I have a really low threshold for boredom which often leads me to stop working out. This in turn leads to frustration due to lost progress, which then makes me not want to go exercise. And a weakness for good food... I don't like taking the time to eat, but I sure do love good food. And sugar. Did I mention I cannot resist sugar??
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I weighed myself yesterday, which is something I've been avoiding. I've always been waifishly thin, but I injured my shoulder a few years ago and I packed on the pounds. I absolutely can not tolerate having a closet full of clothes that don't fit, feeling unhealthy, and all the other crap that comes with being 43 pounds over my ideal weight, anymore.
WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: C25k 3 days per week, yoga 3 days, portion control and 1 weekly day of fasting. I already eat healthy (except for the sugar), so for me it's all about portion control.
RELIGION: Left Hand theist, for those of you who know what that means
POLITICS: I'd better not get into that! Let's just say I'm a weird mixture of Far Left and Far Right
PIERCINGS: Used to have nipples pierced, but took them out and couldn't get them back in. Had my navel pierced back in the day... My ears are pierced but I don't really wear earrings.
TATTOOS: Full gauntlets (wrist to elbow)

let's see what else... I'm also a student studying for an advanced degree in an antiquated discipline; I write for various things, almost always under pseudonyms; I want to move away from the South ASAP, but alas, that won't be for awhile; I'm a vegetarian, former vegan; my husband is a better cook than I am; I think that's enough, don't you?

NAME: Maggie

BIRTHDAY: 4th July

MARITAL STATUS: Just a bf.

TOP WEIGHT: 125kg (276lbs)

CURRENT WEIGHT: 106kg (233lbs)

GOAL WEIGHT: 75kg (165lbs)

EYE COLOR: brown

HAIR COLOR: dyed red, changing often, from black to purple highlights to anything that comes to my mind.

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Music Lover, Computer geek

PETS: none

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: GR

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple

FAVORITE FOODS: umm ice cream

FAVORITE EXERCISE: walking.. i rly need some motivation towrds the exercise stuff

FAVORITE BOOK(S): Eleven Minutes (Paulo Coelho)

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Amelie , Snatch , Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): Big Bang , Fringe , How I Met Your Mother

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: Alt Rock/ Indie / Heavy Metal etc etc.. ( Muse , Killers , 30Seconds to Mars etc etc)

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: loosing motivation.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: new found determination with the help of awsome ppl like all of you

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: eating healthy.. and starting exercise regularly

RELIGION: none.

POLITICS: nope.

PIERCINGS: ears all over , nose , lip , wrist.

TATTOOS: the first big gift to myself when i reach my goal. wrist tat.

Currently living in UK , doing my post degree studies (boring stuffz)

Nice to meet all of you

NAME: finny

BIRTHDAY: may 28

MARITAL STATUS: Single.

TOP WEIGHT: 220? ish? i refuse to weigh myself because i would probably cry hysterically for days and binge.

CURRENT WEIGHT: 220 lb

GOAL WEIGHT: 170 - where i was a year ago

EYE COLOR: one green, one blue

HAIR COLOR: Currently dark red

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: sleeping, going out, working out, going to the beach, reading

PETS: 2 kitties, 1 dog

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: FL

FAVORITE COLOR: green

FAVORITE FOODS: addicted to pizza and baked cheetos. i also like to bake.

FAVORITE EXERCISE: running and elliptical

FAVORITE BOOK(S): favorite author - jim lewis

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): anything with robert downey jr, al pacino, ray liotta, kristen stewart, jodie foster

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): too many!!

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: punk rock, ska

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: i started med school last year, and was so overwhelmed with school i stopped working out and my eating got completely out of control. . . i eat to stay awake and to reward myself by pulling all nighters. i kinda zoned out for a year and need to get back on the horse while maintaining the grades.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: every time i have committed to weight loss i have been successful. i need to be able to do this while in school, and I need to figure out how.

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: seriously, ordering pizza ban. for real. hitting up subway a lot, buying tons of those 20 calorie popsicles, more fruit. keep going to the gym as much as the schedule allows.

RELIGION: lutheran

POLITICS: moderate liberal

PIERCINGS: currently just ears. back in college, had 6 ear piercing, 2 eyebrows, one nose, and one lip. took em all out for med school.

TATTOOS: one, the "rock on" devil horns in pink on my left upper lateral thigh

NAME: Emily

BIRTHDAY: February 7th

MARITAL STATUS: Not married, GF

TOP WEIGHT: 265

CURRENT WEIGHT: 265

GOAL WEIGHT: 165

EYE COLOR: Green

HAIR COLOR: dark brown, usually with bleached highlights

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: camping, backpacking, kayaking, climbing, knitting, women's studies, live music

PETS: Currently pet free

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Greensboro, NC

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple

FAVORITE FOODS: Portabella mushrooms, avacados

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Hiking, climbing, swimming

FAVORITE BOOK(S): (I'm going to list Authors) Terry Pratchett, Margaret Atwood, Chuck Palahniuk, Jon Krauker, Jonathan Safran Foer

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Kevin Smith, Darren Aronofosky, V for Vendetta, American Beauty

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): LOST, L-Word, US of Tara, Dexter, Chopped, Big Bang Theory

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: Ani Difranco, Tegan and Sara, Josh Ritter, Angus & Julia Stone

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Sedentary lifestyle

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: New job working OUTDOORS!

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: Eating healthier (less/no fast food), more fish, more vegetarian options, more getting outside and playing!

RELIGION: Belief in balance, nature

POLITICS: Liberal

PIERCINGS: Nose, 8 piercings in my ears (hoping to get an orbital soon)

TATTOOS: Moon on top left foot, Sun on top right foot, 'Everything Adventurous' on left calf, Moon on right hip, Firedancer (DMB logo) on small of back, Mountains on upper back, Infinity motif on right wrist.

I'm looking forward to getting to know some of you!

NAME: Amanda Lynn

BIRTHDAY: November 8th, 1987

MARITAL STATUS: Boyfriend of 1 month

TOP WEIGHT: 160

CURRENT WEIGHT: 140

GOAL WEIGHT: 110

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: (constantly changing), currently dark with red, blond chunks.

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Drawing, painting, fashion, makeup, reading, writing, web design, modeling, photography

PETS: None

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Rockford, IL

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple, Turquoise, Gold, Black

FAVORITE FOODS: Potatoes, steak, fish

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Zumba, running

FAVORITE BOOK(S): Sookie Stackhouse novels, Harry Potter, Scarpetta novels

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): Repo! The Genetic Opera, Mean Girls, Casper, American Beauty, etc.

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): Queer as Folk, Dexter, True Blood, Project Runway

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: NIN, Stabbing Westward, Orgy, Hollywood Undead, the Used, Type O Negative, Tracy Chapman, Black Light Burns, Slipknot, HIM, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, Cradle of Filth

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Motivation, food convenience

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I want to change my life and I'm not getting any younger!

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: Exercise 5 times a week, eat healthier, be more active in general.

RELIGION: None

POLITICS: Apathetic

PIERCINGS: Both sides of nose, septum, ears, cartilage, tongue.

TATTOOS: Daughter's name "Ashtyn Reilly" on right foot, lightning bolt and water droplet on right side of neck, tribal in middle upper back.

I'm always that "weird, shy" girl with the funky hair. I'd love to meet some other people that share my interests in music, fashion, and lifestyle! Any suggestions on weightloss are greatly appreciated! Nice to meet you all! xox;

So. Hi and stuff! The description for this thread made me too happy to pass it up.

Name: Jacinda (my derby name is Nikki Trixx)

Age: 31

Location: Battle Creek, MI

Weight & Height: Currently 230lbs. Working my way down to somewhere between 115 and 140, depending on where I feel good. Oh, and I'm 5'4".

Job: Assistant to the CEO for a nonprofit. I adore my job.

Music: I like everything... Even a little country (but not a lot). The Clash, the Ramones, NIN, Ani DiFranco, Moldy Peaches, Kimya Dawson, Tegan and Sara, Sleater-Kinney, Tori Amos, Eminem, U2, Motley Crue, Poison, GnR... The list is basically endless.

Books: Again, I'm a fan of everything. I LOVE Neil Gaiman.

TV: How I Met Your Mother, Grey's Anatomy (it's a guilty pleasure), Glee (what can I say? I'm a singer), Eureka, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Buffy, Monk, Psych, Veronica Mars, The L Word, Pushing Daisies, AbFab, Family Guy, Heroes... A few others I can't think of at the moment.

Interests/Hobbies: Roller derby, playing bass guitar, singing, reading, writing (poetry and flash fiction and random things), surfing, scuba diving, knitting, photography... Tons of other things. I really love trying new things.

Goals: Complete my MA in Public Policy at Northwestern University. Obviously, get to a weight where I feel healthy and strong.

Religion: I don't know. There might be something, there might not. I just focus on living my life without douchebagging others.

Politics: Liberal.

Pets: Two dogs (Zoe and Lupo), one cat (Pele).

Relationship Status: Living with my boyfriend.

NAME: Lizzy

AGE: 31

MARITAL STATUS: Happily single

TOP WEIGHT: 272

CURRENT WEIGHT: 262

GOAL WEIGHT: Not sure. For now, I'd just like to be in the 220s, then I'll reevaluate when I get there.

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Spending too much time online, over-thinking things, volcanoes, feminism, photography, sleeping, accidentally slamming my linen closet door on my head (you'd be surprised how often it happens).

DIETING HISTORY: I've not dieted THAT much in my life, especially considering my size. I've done WW twice before and dabbled here and there with other things, but due largely to my cynicism, I avoid diets.

HEIGHT: nearly 5'4"

LOCATION: Central Florida.

FAVORITE COLOR: all of them (save for yellow).

FAVORITE FOODS: chocolate, cheeseburgers, American Chinese food, mashed potatoes.

FAVORITE EXERCISE: Bikes!

SCHOOL: Graduated last year with a BA in Humanities, minor in Women's Studies.

WORK: errr, yeah, about that ....

FAVORITE BOOK(S): I'm a sucker for creative non-fiction and essays, so David Sedaris is my fave.

FAVORITE TV SHOW(S): Veronica Mars, Project Runway, Sifl & Olly.

FAVORITE MOVIE(S): I'm not a huge movie person, but I really love The Apartment.

FAVORITE BAND/MUSIC: The Shins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sam Sparro, The B-52s, Daft Punk.

PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: My mental health. My anxiety disorder drives me to eat in order to avoid boredom. I am also ADHD inattentive. One of my symptoms is impulsive eating. I have the ability to feel what my body is craving and when it's full, but I have an inner 8-year-old that just sort of grabs the chocolate and jams it in her face until she's sick.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: Let's get real, it might not happen. If it does, it's due to my maturity and coping with my mental health weirdness. Either way, I'm working on loving what I have, regardless of size.

WEIGHT LOSS PLAN: Doing WW again, but have recently been reading a lot about Health at Every Size and intuitive eating. I'd love to try that sort of eating habit as it seems most effective for long term health and weight loss.

RELIGION: Agnostic. Since birth pretty much.

POLITICS: Liberal.

TATTOOS: I'm so not into them. None for me.

Right now I'm really torn between my feminist roots, fat activism, traditional health beliefs and what I want for myself. I suspect I'll also be using these forums less as a way to garner support for my weight loss and more as a way to study how people view weight loss, their bodies and especially how people's personalities dictate their approach to health and/or weight loss.