Hey Everyone!

My name is Ashley. I'm 26 years old. I began my weight loss journey two years ago. I was at 315 pounds. I got engaged and decided I needed to lose weight for my wedding. When I got married I was 215 pounds. I turned bulimic for a while and dropped down to 178. I'm not back up to 208 and although I'm bulimia free, it still comes to me in thoughts but I have fought them tooth and nail. My weight gain has depressed me severely and I turned to Timbits and Ice Cream as my comfort. My husband doesn't understand what it's like to be the fat one. He is a tooth pick and when he was younger his Dr's put him on a 6,000 calorie a day diet to help him GAIN weight and he still didn't gain a pound. Me on the other hand just needs to smell food and I'm up one size in jeans. Anyways, I'm new to the city I live in and don't know anyone. My family lives 30 mins away and all my old friends were lost due to a nasty separation with my ex. I'm really looking for some good people who understand my struggles and can be a good listener and a great chat buddy. I look forward to hearing from some of you! Good luck on your weight loss goals ladies!!

Ashley- I'm sure you'll find many people on 3fc who will lend an understanding ear. I've been in a similar position before- I had a few speedbumps at 160, and I remember thinking all through the 170s and 180s about how I had ruined everything, how fat I was, and how I should just give up and eat whatever I wanted. (also, how everyday was "the last day" before I would stop eating like that).

100 pounds gained later, I wished I had stopped at 170 or 180 and looked at things reasonably. Everything seems so much worse when you get caught up in it, but stepping back and looking at things objectively. You're probably eating because of the other stressors in your life, and you need to take a minute to realize that food is not an effective painkiller.

Good luck.

*edit* Also, while you might be looking for a single person to chat with, I recommend trying the forum rather than just one individual person (or both!). Everytime I have a problem, the wonderful people here are always available. It's a very open and nonjudgmental space here, so if you have a problem, just try posting like you just did. I find it's always nice to do that because 1) you get a quick response from whoever happens to be online and 2)we all have our own wisdom and opinions, so opening the problem up to a number of people gives you a wide range of advice.

Thanks for the advice! I understand the whole Today is my last day of eating like this. I say it all the time. Time to get my butt back in gear! with a forum like this I think I will finally get the support I need to rock it this time

Welcome to 3FC =)

You will find an enormous number of people here who understand what it's like to weigh a lot and finally get in control.

You might appreciate the 20-something's section, but there's also an area for those who began at 300+, and a 100lb Club for those who are looking to lose/have lost about 100 lbs, there's even a Chicks in Control section for those who aim to have a binge-free life from now on.

There are a ton of Chat threads that people create to chitchat and update eachother on a daily or weekly basis, don't be hesitant to join -- people on 3FC really want to include everyone.

Take your time in looking around, and participate in any section you're comfortable with. Keep in mind that you're also welcome to join in on more than one area (it's an open forum, and not everyone fits into just one section).

If you hope to have personal chats with people, I believe there's a 20-day waiting period before they can PrivateMessage you. (To stop those spammers.)

In the meantime, settle in and enjoy!

Wow, I'm sorry you've had to go through so much. You can definitely lose the weight though. Look at what an accomplishment losing 100 pounds is in the first place! Good luck!

Hi Ashley,
I'm new here too and I feel for you; I've struggled with my weight and gone through similar emotions.. you can do this, you HAVE done this, and you should really be proud of that. I hate losing weight sometimes because I'm afraid that every pound lost represents a future pound gained back, because that's how it has been for me.. BUT, it's important to not give up and know you're seriously not alone out there!

Hey Ashley! I'm pretty new here too, and the folks here could not be nicer! Look around, see what others have done and accomplished, and ask questions! I've found that you get answers and inspirations quickly.

Do you have a pug? I've got one and she's the cutest dog ever!

I've got a bunch of weight to lose, but have always been depressed about how MUCH I have to lose, like I wasn't going to feel good until it was all gone. Well, I'm 20 pounds down, and the benefits are already showing! I feel better, fit better in my clothes, and it's making me realize that it doesn't ALL have to be gone for me to be happy! It's work and sacrifice of course, but by taking that big goal and breaking it up into small goals, I can enjoy the process well before I'm to my ultimate "goal".