3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community - The obligatory introduction post

Hi everyone.

My name is Sara, and I was born and raised here in Texas. I've always been overweight, but I was always the "happy fat girl". That all changed a few years ago, when I hit the adult world; I started being looked on more and more because of my size, and it stung but I wasn't really motivated at the time to do anything about it.

What's got me going this time is my desire to enter nursing school. As part of admittance criteria, you have to have a physical done, and I realized that I'm nowhere near healthy enough to want to go have a physical done. I have about a year of pre-requisite courses before I have to have that exam done, and I don't expect to drop all my weight in a year, but I know that in a year, I can accomplish a lot if I put my mind to it. I've never tried to lose weight before, but after reading many of the success stories here, I just know that I, too, can be one of the success stories.

I have other reasons for wanting to lose weight as well. I've been with my boyfriend for a little over a year, and I know he loves me in spite of my weight, but I want to be someone he can be proud of. I don't have the physical strength or cardio endurance to do a lot of the things he wants to do, and I'm tired of holding him back, or seeing him go alone. I want to be able to shop in the "normal" stores, where I can actually find clothes that look like something a 20 year old would wear. I want to feel at home in my own skin, more than anything. I want to to be strong and healthy and be able to do absolutely anything without having to think about my weight limiting me.

I live with my mom and my aunt, and they're both supportive of my decision to start getting healthier. They are both nurses, and I think we all recognize the risks involved in being my size; it's scary to think about, but it's something I have to use to motivate me to do this. No one wants to think about their mortality, but when I really sat down and thought about what I'm doing to my insides, I realized that I have to get a handle on this now, not tomorrow, not next week, not the 1st of the month.

I feel fat. I'm lumpy and lethargic, I don't have any energy, I find myself wanting to spend more and more time in the house, I don't have any strength, my muscles hurt after doing everyday things, my knees are crunching, my hips pop when I get up in the morning. I feel like I'm falling apart, and I'm 20 years old! I just smoked my last cigarette, no more. I just dumped all of the soda in the house, no more. All that leftover pizza and takeout in the fridge? Gone, no more. I have to do this for myself, and I have to do it now.

Wow, this went on longer than I expected it to. I guess I just had a lot I needed to get off my chest. I'm looking for friends, but more than anything, I'm looking for people who will support me through the good times and kick me into gear through the tough times.