Greetings all!

I heard about the web site through another board I used to belong to & everyone said this is the best place on the 'net for real weight loss support - I can't wait for you all to prove them RIGHT!

A little bit about me...

I'm 33 years old, married (although that may change), and I work as an office manager for an accounting firm. The loves of my life are my dog, Phoebe, and my kitty, Poo - and I have their total support in this endeavor. Well I'm sure I *would* have their support if they understood what I was telling them...mostly they just think I'm a great, soft, squishy place to take a nap!

The photo in my profile was my wake up call. It's sounds crazy but I really didn't realize how big I was, how bad I looked until I saw this picture from a recent vacation. I used to weigh 35 pounds MORE than I do now and I think I've been coasting on "Well, I'm thinner than I used to be" for too long. Heck, I was at a healthy weight a lot longer than I've been fat so you'd think THAT'S what I'd focus on. What can I say? My brain is a weird place.

Anyhoo, I feel like I know plenty about how to eat properly (just like every other fat person who has been on a diet) but exercise is my main problem. I have very bad (and painful) arthritis in my knees (have had 3 surgeries for it) due to sports injuries in my teens that has left me with very little cartilege which is both painful & rules out a lot of activities. (Nothing like bone grinding on bone with every movement of your leg - FUN!!!) My doctor has told me that I'm in a bit of a predicament because I'm not allowed to squat, kneel, go up multiple flights of stairs, run or do any other high impact leg movements and yet I need to find a way to increase my activity so I can lose weight. Rock----ME----Hard place. Ugh. So that's something I'll have to learn to negotiate via trial & error and I'll have to try not to injure myself in the process. At this point, I've got nothing to lose by trying...except those 90 pounds.

So that's the Cliff Notes version of where I'm starting. 90 pounds is just too much to wrap my head around because it seems so impossible right now, so I'm just going to look at this in 10 pound increments. That means - right now - my goal is to lose just 10 pounds. And I'll keep chipping away at it until I've lost that 10 pounds 9 times. It's like the old saying "How do you eat an elephant? One bite a time."

Time to start chewing!!!

Looking forward to getting to know you all & conquering the fat beast together!

Phoebepoo

Hi Phoebepoo and ! You're in the right place, for sure, and we're glad you found us.

I don't have any cartilage in my knees either (just postponing knee replacement surgery) but want to tell you that there are TONS of exercises that you can do with bad knees! My favorite cardio is the elliptical trainer (no impact at all ), but an exercise bike and swimming are also awesome cardio for those of us with knee issues.

As for weight training, upper body workouts shouldn't be impacted by your knees and it's not hard to modify a leg workout to work around cranky knees. I work out legs twice a week (with my doctor's blessing) and am just careful not to go too heavy or to 90 degrees on exercises. I'm guessing that your doctor told you that the more you strengthen the muscles that support your knees, the better off your knees will be?

Check out our Exercise and Ladies Who Lift (bodybuilding) forums for some more ideas on exercise with bad knees. There are lots of us in the same boat!

I have a feeling that 2007 is going to be a great year for you!

Hi Phoebepoo,

to 3FC. I completely understand what you mean when you say that you didn't realize how big you were. I was the same way (and I weighed 100 lbs more than you're starting at. )

Lots of people here set 10 lb goals. Like you say, it is easier to think about losing ten lbs 9 times, than 90 lbs.

There are lots of great challenges, support groups, etc. Look around and join in anywhere.