I've been the chubby kid in elementary school that got picked on, the lonely fat guy in high school that's invisible, and now the self-loathing obese guy who untags all the facebook photo's he looks fat in (all of them!).

I've done many diets in the past, crashing and burning in the most glorious of ways. I starved myself for 8 days on the master cleanse, just to follow it up with a week long free-for-all binge. I've done Jenny Craig, eventually stopping in shame after a couple months, when the numbers started moving up instead of down.

I've tried pills, supplements, bars, drinks, shakes, etc; often many in the same serving.

Bottom line, I'm finally ready. Not to give it "the old college try". This time, I'm serious.

Time to buckle down and get the weight off once and for all.

Real exercise, real dieting. Slowly, but steadily.

No gimmicks, no retreat, no surrender.

Oh, by the way, I'm Aaron.

Hello.

welcome Aaron. You'll find this is a great place with really smart people. I'm usually not one of those though

Hello Aaron. Nice to have ya around. You will find you have the same experiences many many many of us have here. Look around there is TONS to help you in our journey!!

Welcome Aaron! I've not been here long myself, but it's a great place, full of support, advice and inspiring success stories!

I'm sure you'll have noticed it already, but we also have a sub-forum just for guys if you feel a bit swamped by the chicks.

Welcome!

Here's a link to our men's forum.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/mens-corner-237/
Make yourself at home. We're glad you're here.

Welcome and good luck.

I too have tried it all: cabbage soup, starvation, pills shakes, WW, cleanse.... I find my issue is sugar and bad carbs (sorry to my giant italian family).
I find that Dr Oz knows his stuff and his book is great! I use it as my guide but I make recipes from everywhere that fit in his plan (south beach, WW, google).

Thanks for the warm welcomes, everyone!

Hi Aaron, be sure to check out the "Made My Goal" forum too for inspiration. There are "lifelong heavies" that succeeded (men too), and the transformation pictures there are miraculous!

Hi Aaron!

That title really speaks to me. I have in the past been genuinely happy with myself 99% of the time. Sure I'd looked in the mirror once a year when I wanted to get dressed up and wished I could just lop off a bit of belly, but I was never actually that bothered.

But this time around I have decided I am genuinely fed up wtih playing a constant game of lose a bit of weight for this treatment, lose a bit for that occasion, lose a bit for this procedure. I want a complete and total, final end to it. I don't want next time I need a medical procedure of any kind to be put on a diet first. I want that if I go and tell my doctors that I have this or that or the other problem they don't say it's probably because of your weight. Basically, like you, I'm finally tired of it. I really, really wasn't before. I don't buy the health benefits argument with BMIs under 28, I just don't think the evidence stacks up, but because I am am forever being forced to buy into it by the fact I need treatments that are based on BMI because of the usual success rate at different BMIs (already proven them wrong by having success at BMI of 32, but there you go) I think it's getting easier to just have done with it once and for all instead of trying to fight against it, losing the same 10lbs over and over. I'm fed up with doing it.

Best wishes for success Aaron! Welcome. I definitely know the feeling. It's nice to have a place to share those feelings and keep us all posted on your progress!

Hey Aaron!

I have been reading the boards and just joined myself. There are a LOT of useful tips out there. I did South Beach about three years ago with remarkable results. I think the secret to staying on this diet (because it is so easy otherwise) is to make sure you ALWAYS have plenty to eat in the house and work that fits the diet plan. I have developed a few fall back meals for when I don't know what I want and/or don't feel like getting things together. For me that is a roasted pork tenderloin which I cut into slices and freeze. These can be thawed and microwaved at a moments notice. Then they can be served with veggies or, served over salad. Frozen pre-cooked grilled chicken breast strips also works well for this.

Good Luck!

This is what it takes, isn't it? To finally be sick and tired of being fat? I'm so sick of sore feet and hurting hips! So sick of seeing myself reflected in the wall of glass in the lobby of my office building! I cannot believe it's me! Anyway, after all the years of yo yoing, I'm finally ready to do the thing once and for all! I think it truly helps to check in here at the website and write a little here and there! Keeps me grounded! I truly believe that, these days, with so much knowledge about nutrition so easily obtained, nearly all of us can actually think in terms of eating for life, rather than living to eat! Sugar is poison. White flour is death! Fiber is key! Fresh, unadulterated foods are all you should put into your body. Clean eating, etc. Exercise as simple as walking is something we can all handle without too much effort. "Effort" itself isn't a bad word, and so on! And all this healthy food is actually quite delicious is you take the time to learn to prepare and enjoy it! But, to finally DO IT - that's personal. You have to be sick and tired of the same/old same/old!

I am tired of being so overweight myself. Obese they call it..Was 85 lbs. overweight.. Am about 75 lbs. overweight now.. I should weigh about 135 at the most.. Don't know if I can get down to that.. Maybe close.. But it will take a while.. Took a long time to put it on.. I am short, so it is just too much weight on me.. My right ankle hurts after a long day of work.. Bad.. All the extra weight.. A work in progress.. Lanee..

Hi and welcome Aaron! I read your post and completely saw myself in your shoes. I am in the same boat, so tired of being fat. We're glad to have you here and I look forward to watching you reach your goals!