hi everyone-
My name is Briana. I am 20 years old and as of this morning my scale read 248.8 pounds. I was never a healthy kid-bleeding ulcers in third grade to my most recent episode of pancreatitis( i drink maybe 4 times a year so it was baffling to my doctors) which landed me 8 days in the hospital this past October. Aside from that though i was always a healthy 150lb ( on my 5'8' frame) but i was never happy with myself. It all started when I graduated high school-it just ballooned on me. I hate myself lately. all i want to do is to be able to ride my horses,which i showed on the A circuit all my junior years, without having to stop every lap to catch my breath. all i want to do is be able to dress myself without bursting into tears. all i want to do is to be able to look into my parents eyes without knowing how sad they are for me. I need a change. My goal weight is 140 pounds. I know that is a lot-but i'm serious. The only thing i am scared about is i have a ton of stretch marks all over my body (even my arms =/) and i'm scared i'm going to have loose skin-which scares me more than being overweight. I start my journey tomorrow morning. I am terrified but I know this is the right thing to do. I hope to get to know some of you, and maybe help you on your journey as well. Thanks guys.

Welcome to 3fc briana! Im Honey! I was afraid of loose skin too but I realized that being healthy is way more important than worrying about loose skin. Besides there are plenty of ways to reduce your chance of getting loose skin, and stretch marks can be faded and sometimes they aren't permanent (my mom's weren't, as soon as she lost all of her weight they slowly went away) . and don't worry about how much weight you have to lose just think about being healthy and it will seem much easier! there is a lot of info on this site and a lot of encouraging people here that want to see you succeed. Good Luck!

Hi and welcome to 3FC.

Here is a great FAQ - http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/body...skin-faqs.html

Good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

Hi Briana, although I am older than you, 36, I can relate to much of what you are saying. I hate shopping.

Briana,

You can do this and don't let the concern about loose skin stop you. One great thing about being young is that your skin is very forgiving. Good luck and I'm looking forward to your next post.

Hi Briana! I can relate to some of the things you said. I HATE shopping/putting on clothes. It's so upsetting when I would look in the mirror and even my biggest pair of jeans are too tight and I've got a roll here and a roll there. And the stretch marks! Ugh! I have found with losing the weight slow and steady and exercise has helped mine. They are definitely fading and don't bother me as much! I used to have quite a few on my tummy (where I gain most of my weight) and they are barely there anymore! I think you have a great goal, you're doing something AMAZING for yourself. It's something you'll never regret! What is your plan? Are you calorie counting? A particular diet? Exercise? I might suggest this thread: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...e-welcome.html
It's a daily accountability thread, I started in September this year and have met a lot of great ladies in there and I love that it keeps me in check and the ladies offer great support! Best of luck to you in your journey!!!

Welcome to 3fc, briana! I think being healthy is more important than worrying about loose skin. There are many ways to reduce risk for loose skin!

Hi! & to 3FC!
Hugs and support on your weight loss journey

Judy