[tpanisiak]

Why, hello there! ^^

I figured it was about time I should step in the door and say “hi!“ I’ve been lurking on these forums for over a year now, and all the heartfelt inspiration from the whole lot of you has helped me lose 87 pounds thus far!

I wont bore you with my entire fat story, but I will give you a couple of numbers --and tidbits-- to munch on: (just don’t eat a lot, ha!): …

I don’t know what the apex of my weight was, but I recently came into possession of some before photos that a friend of mine collected. I certainly looked closer to 350 pounds.

I attempted dieting of many forms, and I somehow lost a few pounds here and there. Nothing big, but very slowly I was ebbing from that 350(ish) pinnacle. This is when I discovered these forums; a daily dose of text spewing from this corner of the Internet helped me conjure a much needed lifestyle change.

Unfortunately, I never stepped back on the scale until I was confident I was losing something. Until I could SEE change progressing throughout my body. 321 pounds the scale read September 30th, 2008. Three months after I began my weight loss trek. Oiy!

But I’ve kept with it, and now, today, I weigh 234 pounds.

Certainly I’ve a long ways to go, still. Honestly though? Even during bouts of disappointments, I never feel the urge to give up as I did in the past. It’s so much easier to eat unhealthy, truly. But it’s also harder to trudge through life 80+ pounds heavier. The loneliness, curt remarks, and ill health is more than enough reason to never want to go back “there”.

Also, before I close this already long-winded greetings, I wanted to say something that I feel is important: Please, please, please! Even if you have the thought to begin your own weight loss journey, even if you’re not too sure how, or when, be sure to take a “before” photo, and step on that damn scale!

I’ve probably lost over 100 pounds already, but I will never know because of my initial fear of what those three digits would manifest into! And I tossed all my before photos away, but thankfully a friend of mine kept some for “just in case!” Whew!

All right, now I need to continue perusing these forums before I collapse into a much needed sleep!

Thanks so much guys!

- Tanya

[yossarianlives]

Welcome! I'm glad you joined to forum, even just to gift us with that picture of your lovely doggy!

It wasn't until I finally just stood on the scale and took the hit of my actual weight that I took weight-loss seriously, so I agree with you completely.

I hope you carry on your success!

[tpanisiak]

My doggie has been a constant inspiration for me, yossarianlives!

This summer has been full of hiking and fishing in the back country, and he's been my most faithful companion throughout my many escapades.

My family provided him -- Aspen -- as a gift to me. Little did they know, they gave me not just a dog, but a best friend. I love him dearly.

And yes, once you conquer that silly little fear of seeing your own weight displayed in numbers, the ball certainly seems to get rolling.

Thanks for the warm welcome.

[Onederchic]

Welcome to 3FC and good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

[leeway]

Hi Tanya (and Aspen)!
Congrats on your success so far - what an achievement - good luck with your goals - we're all here to cheer you on!

Glad to have you join us, officially! I also lurked around, reading, before joining. Like you, I don't know exactly where I started on this particular journey but I guess what matters most is that we're on it. I'm confident that you'll meet your goal soon, given your determined spirit and focus.

There are bunches of people here with more to lose and some with less - the bottom line is that we all have to do it a day at a time. The good thing is that we'll have lots of company along the way.

I've only been here less than 2 months myself, having NEVER been part of an online forum. What has been so eye-opening is how much it has helped me. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or defeated, I just log on and read some of the success stories, complete with their before & after photos - or read about others still dealing day to day with their challenges - and before I know it, the time has flown by and so have all the thoughts of getting off track or giving up.

So welcome - now that you've introduced yourself, join in by inspiring us and being inspired!