My welcome sign says my last log in was 06-10-2005. Man that was forever ago! So much has happened since then. (We will leave that for another time for now let me tell you who I am)

My name is Shawna. Im 35 years old and married to a wonderful man who introduced me to this board many years ago when he came on here for sugar busters. It helped him and he thought it would help me. (I wasnt ready to be helped at that time I now realize) We have a 6 year old son whom we both adore and is our whole life. He is the reason I came back to the board. My son is scared that because im so fat (I weighed 330 at my highest) im going to die and he doesnt want that. (I didnt realize how much this was affecting him till he started talking about it everyday and praying about it at nite or whenever the need hit him. he has been in tears because of this fear) The last thing I want is for my son to live in fear that im going to leave him alone for the rest of his life. (I know how this feels as I too lost my mom at a very young age) I have health problems that are being made worse by my weight and I have to get things under control to be there for my son.
So....... Im back and im going to stay on track this time and Im hoping you ladies can help and support me the way you did for my husband because I cant break my sons heart by staying fat I have already caused him enough fear. I am in pain that im doing this to my son. I took a long hard look at myself and realized Im not the person i want to be. I want to be able to go outside and play with him or ride a bike with him or just be able to breath normal and not hurt as much as i do. I feel like im ruining his life by not being able to be the mom he wants and needs. Im also ruining my life by staying this heavy. Please help me help myself.
Shawna

Shawna!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so glad you are joining this board. It truly is amazing and inspiring. You sound like you are blessed with an amazing son and an amazing husband as well. You are probably very amazing too.

There is a ton of help to be found here. I recommend you think about a plan you want to use. Take a look at the different diet plans on here and find the one you think you can stick to for the rest of your life. For me, it happens to be calorie counting. It sounds tedious, but after doing it for a little while, it's actually not hard at all! I have met a ton of amazing people on that group and there are many who have lost a great deal of weight and have kept it off for many years.

Try to increase your activity level. I highly recommend using a pedometer to measure how many steps you take a day...then, try to increase every day or every week. You'd be surprised at how quickly you can make the change.

Never give up! We all have our ups and downs but it is the consistency that counts in the long run.

See you soon on here!

Hi Shawna!
How smart to focus on your health and becoming the person you want and deserve to be - in doing this for yourself, you will show your son how strong you really are - the support you need is here - we'll all be here to cheer you on.

Glad to have you back with us! There are lots & lots of different groups and forums - I'm sure you'll find some that will keep you motivated and inspired. Try the 30 somethings and the weight loss support forums, they're active and very helpful - also the Success stories are a definite must for motivation.

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 since last fall, 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 going off track or giving up. It has made all the difference in my success so far.

So welcome back - you're in the right place - join in by inspiring us and being inspired!

All the best - good luck with your goals,
Lee

Thank you