Hi there! I've never really done an introduction post before, so I'm sure this is going to be much longer than it needs to, haha. I'm more of a lurker and not very good at staying on forums, but I'm going to make an effort to post around here. My name is Amber and I'm 21 years old. I've been overweight and on and off diets most of my life.

My highest weight that I know of was 314 pounds when I was 18. I was absolutely ashamed of myself and managed to get down to 265 pounds with calorie counting and exercising. I managed to get a job and being out of the house kept me from eating all day and helped me keep the weight off, but I had to quit around this time last year. Since then, I've been back to doing nothing all day but sitting on my butt and messing around on the internet. That's helped me gain back most of what I lost.

I've been telling myself since December I was going to get back into working out and eating healthy, but I've continuously put it off. What finally got me into gear a few days ago was when I happened to come across of a bunch of pictures of myself from last year and almost cried at how different I looked. I'm only two days in so far, but I'm determined to stick with things. I went on a five mile walk Sunday afternoon, and I'm typing this up right before going for a bike ride.

I absolutely love exercising and being active when I actually go out and do something, but it's very hard to get myself motivated to actually do it. But I'm absolutely determined to keep myself on track and get this weight off this time.

I think that's about it for right now! Thank you all so much for actually reading through all that! I'm going to get ready for my ride now, but I'll stop back in once I get home.

Welcome! You might enjoy the 20-something section of 3 Fat Chicks and we'd love to have you in the monthly Exercise Challenge thread (http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/chic...challenge.html). You've found here a place on the Internet where you will fit right in!

I am like you when it comes to exercise. I absolutely love it when I get past my own hangups and get to the gym. You know, "I can't run because I jiggle," " I can't exercise in front of that hot guy," "I'm pretty sure people are looking at me," etcetera. Now that I'm back in, I just don't care. Yes, I jiggle when I run. No, I do not care when people are looking at me. They can look at me being awesome and improving my health. That hot guy needs to get off my machine, I'm trying to complete a circuit here! This is an awesome place to come for support and motivation, especially when you look at people's success stories. You can do it! Don't give up!

Welcome and good luck with your journey!

Thank you, everyone. I'll be sure to check out the 20-something section, and I'm definitely going to post in the challenge thread later today.

That's the way to think, Brandis! You have every right to go to the gym just like anyone else. Everyone is there for the same reason, so you shouldn't let anything put you off.

Welcome to 3fc! At your weight, I bet you'll be most of the way back to looking like your pictures from last year in about a month!! Especially with doing that much exercise (just be careful not to overdo it and injure yourself). Doesn't that give you something to work for??!!

You got this, keep on going now!