3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community - lifelong dieter, new forum member.

Hello!
Where to start ...
I'm 5'5 and over the last 5 years I've gained 90 pounds, ending last summer with a high of 225 pounds (give or take ...I only looked the once). Bad diet, settled relationship, too much time sitting on this very computer chair.
Last summer I was completely inflexible and uncomfortable. I liked standing still to keep from knocking things over with my hips because I STILL hadnt gotten used to the girth.
I had stopped going out with my friends a year ago because I was too embarassed to run into people I've known for a long time. I don't think I've ever been clinically depressed but I was definately close to it.
I felt so helpless about it for so long! The more I gained the sadder i was about it, and the more I ate emotionally. The more I gained the more things I couldn't bring myself to do, so I ate out of boredom.

When the jeans I was horrified to need to buy started getting tight on me I took the first step and cut about 10% of my calories. By December I was 10 pounds lighter! OK I was afraid to look but those jeans had gone from tight to just a tiny bit loose.
THEN I got a motivator. I won't bore you with the story but I decided to get focused and really do something about my esteem issues.

There are only two things I can't live without eating, cheese and chocolate. So I figured that would be my diet. Nonfat yogurt for breakfast, banana for lunch, 100 calorie pack snack just in case (why o why are there cheeto machines EVERYWHERE at work) and for dinner fresh fruits and veggies plus cheese and chocolate 1-2 ounces eash). 2-3 "normal" dinners a week with my boyfriend (who is incredibly skinny even tho he chain drinks coca cola) so I wouldn't feel too deprived and just fall off completely.
Yoga, resistence training, and belly-dancing! When I was looking for cardio routines I figured it would be alot more fun than just jumping around, and you learn something new. When I first started I was sooooo inflexible and uncoordinated. I got the pure joy of feeling those muscles loosen up bit by bit everyday.

It's March 12th and the last time I looked (a week ago today!) I'm down to 184 pounds. Even better than the official 40 pound weight loss I feel incredible. It's like the sun has FINALLY come up. All of the dancing has made me limber and coordinated, and the difference in everyday, common movement makes it worth it right now even if i never hit my goal weight again.
I make it a point now to go out with friends at least once a week, and I KNOW I sound a little "over-exuberant" when diet or exercise is brought up. It's probably annoying ... so I typed "weight-loss support" into google and here I am.

It looks like you have built a beautiful community here =) And WOW this post is long. If any of you actually make it to the end of it thanks so much for listening!