Hey, hey! Newbie here! :D
 

Hi, everyone! My name's Anna. I'm 26 years old and I'm new to the site, but not at ALL new to dieting. I feel like I've been dieting all my life.

The first time I can remember being on a diet was when I was very small; I believe I was around 6 or 7, and my mother told me I was a dress size too big (however, I look back at pictures of myself at this age and just kind of go... wtf? I wasn't overweight in the least). From that point on, I've always been very self conscious about my appearance. I've suffered from an anxiety disorder for many years, and my home life was really abusive, sadly. I've been really doing my best to move on and disconnect myself from the people who hurt me.

I don't mean to sound like a downer: I swear, I'm not! In fact, I'm not on any anxiety/depression meds anymore, and last year, I lost a good 45 pounds! I did so with Jenny Craig, and it was great... until money got tight. I started up grad school, the stress came in, and the weight came right back. I'm definitely an emotional eater. This time, I'm looking to do it myself. Jenny was convenient, but I don't think it helped me stop binging when I get the blues. The major thing I really loved was having someone to report in to and share my progress with. In that case, this place seems like a great alternative. I did it before, I know I can do it again (and maybe even more so this time!).

Sorry if my post is all long/boring, haha.

I'm looking to make some friends and/or diet buddies for some chat, laughs, and support! I'm a graduate student and an instructor (both in art), and I'm at my computer all the time (so AIM/MSN/Yahoo are all cool with me too). I also LOVE video games, so if anyone's got a Nintendo Wii or DS, I'd love to play sometime! :)

Nice to meet you all :hug:

Nice to meet you- good luck with your diet!

Thanks; it's nice to meet you too! Wow, one pound to go for you?? That's AWESOME! :D

thank you!

Gosh, I can't imagine being told that I need to lose weight at such a young age!

You CAN do this, and I think you'll find that the support here is just overwhelmingly good. :) see you around!

Hey, thank you!! I appreciate the warm welcome. :)

Hi Anna! :wave:

I wonder if we did a poll, how many of us with weight issues come from an abusive background? Probably quite a few. I definitely understand stress eating.

What are your plans for food?