3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Hello everyone. I've been enjoying this forum for some time now, decided it was time to join in the fun.

I won't go into the story of how my weight got out of control, what's past is past!

I have been making small changes in my lifestyle over the last year:
- I quit smoking
- I changed the food that I eat. I am basically following the abs diet philosophy of 5-6 meals per day. I watch out for "white"/processed foods, trans & saturated fats, high fructose corn syrup (Omg it's in everything! :fr:) ... you know the usuals. My diet consists of turkey, chicken, fish -- rarely red meat anymore, protein shakes with berries, salads & veggies (I like to call them "scrubbies"), quality fats, fruit, whole grains (pasta, bread), raw nuts and all that other good-for-you junk. I can honestly say that I no longer feel a slave to food cravings -- I make choices based on health rather than emotion.
- I am working out! I do so from home -- I have a gazelle, a wide variety of DVDs (the biggest loser and winsor pilates, etc.) and most recently, the push.tv program. WHICH I LOVE.
- I signed Oprah's bootcamp commitment over 3 weeks ago -- I have eliminated alcohol for the next three months and am commited to getting quite a bit of vigorous exercise each week.

A few months ago I had a hard time taking the garbage out. And I didn't want to show my face in public for fear of bumping into somebody I know. I was in a bad place, really bad. Rock bottom I guess you could call it.

But I now I feel fantastic. I can hardly describe it really -- mentally, physically, emotionally -- I am a different person. My body has responded to all of these positive things by healing which AMAZES ME (more to do, but progress is progress!) -- and in turn, I thank it every day by treating it as well as I can.

I am positive and determined, but still learning. That is why I am here. For now, I am focused on learning as much as I can. I still need LOTS of support on this journey. I've found that this is indeed the secret weapon -- admitting that I need to reach out and ask for help once in awhile.

So many supportive and smart cookies (made with splenda of course!) here, I look forward to learning from you and contributing what I can. Sorry for such a long post I really didn't mean to do that. :D