Hello all.

I am 30 years old. I had weight issues all through early adolecense, and was definitely a heavy kid in 7th-8th grade. Then in 9th grade, I started running, and eating well. It was a lot easier when we lived overseas with my dad being stationed in Germany. I was thin and active as a teenager, and I walked (or ran) absolutely everywhere.

The problems set in when we came back to the states after I graduated. I had grown up without easy access to Taco Bell, or Pizza Hut, McDonalds. I never even had my first DQ Blizzard until I was almost 19. I had no idea how many calories were in all those foods, either! This was before any of the restaurants had to publish their nutrition information, and I had no clue that a roasted chicken sandwich at Burger King had twice as many calories as I thought. On top of this, I got my driver's license and didn't live in a walkable town. So I gained over a hundred pounds in less than two years, a source of deep worry for my parents and a heartbreaking frustration for me.

I went through all the stages of grieving: Denial for over a year (These pants just shrunk in the wash!), anger (Don't talk to me about my weight!) And eventually despair, which lasted for over two years.

When I'm not busy thinking about starting another diet, I am a registered nurse and I actually work in a cardiac catheterization lab, of all places. I live with my fiance and our cat, and I love to write. I have read through this forum a little bit, and I love the irreverant approach to weight loss. I look forward to sharing this journey with all of you.

Welcome!

Welcome! You are wonderful and can accomplish anything!!

Welcome and good luck on your journey!!!

Hello!

Put the past behind you, let go of your feelings of shame and move forward. You're starting a new chapter, no more looking back--on to the new you.

welcome!!

Welcome and good luck !

I wish you the best of luck! I am going to school for the medical field as well... I am worried how I will be perceived because of my weight issues, did you ever have this feeling?

Reading this actually made me feel better. I have been in a similar situation where I was fit and at a much healthier size and then I put on weight. I'm happy to say that I took most of that weight off. I began at 235 pounds and got down to 175. My goal was 155 pounds and I was so happy because I had lost so many inches and I was so fit. I kept this weight off for years and then I got pregnant and put on 100 pounds! I've taken off some of the weight, but for the last 5 months I've basically been maintaining and I feel so ashamed!

I understand getting into trouble with fast food too. That's what did it to me in the first place. I went from eating healthier meals to fast food and having a desk job made me gain weight like crazy!

So don't lose heart. I know I've done this once and I'm sure once I buckle down I can do it again so I think you can too! Hope that helps.

Good luck on your journey! xx

Welcome and good luck! It sounds like you have made some mental changes that should help you stick with it this time! I know you can do this!

I work as a nurse on a cardiac floor where we have patients who frequently have Open Heart Surgery, heart cath's, pacemakers, etc. I'm trying to use this to motivate me to eat better because otherwise one day I will be in that bed!

Welcome. You'll quickly find that you are not alone and the support this forum offers is tremendous. My one rule I have during this journey is that I absolutely must read the posts every day. They keep me focused and centered and give me the support when it's not there otherwise. Good luck on your journey.

Hello!

I understand living in a city that is unfriendly to walkers/bicyclers. I gained a lot of weight when I moved to the city because I had to drive everywhere. All I can say is that you can persevere and overcome.

Cini

Your post basically confirmed my thoughts on obesity. The biggest problem Americans have is their lack of movement and we make it HARD to move in natural ways. We drive everywhere - if we just walked more, we could eat more and would weight less. I doubt many of us would walk to McDonald's, right? but driving by when we are in a hurry is so convenient!