Finally ready to introduce myself
 

hi everyone! my name is christy and i've been stalking here a bit for a few years. :wave:

i'm a 45 year old, married woman with two daughters, ages 6 and almost 8. i've struggled with depression, a negative body image and emotional eating issues all of my life. however, my weight was pretty healthy throughout my adulthood. when my husband and i got married, i was 37 years old and i weighed 128 lbs. i was the most fit i had ever been in my life. i was working out 6 days a week at the gym and had healthy habits.

i gained 50 lbs. with my first pregnancy. i managed to lose 40 of those pounds before getting pregnant with my second daughter. again, i gained 50 pounds with that pregnancy and with weight watchers, i lost about 45 of those pounds within a year after my daughter was born. she turns six tomorrow. :celebrate:

my real struggle began 4 and a half years ago when my oldest daughter began preschool. we were all horribly sick most of that year as we became exposed to lots of childhood germs for the first time. additionally, my younger daughter was a much more challenging baby and toddler and her poor sleeping habits were putting a major strain on my marriage. my weight slowly crept up about 10 lbs. that year. the end of the school year culminated with me being diagnosed with mono.

over the last 4 years, i have been on a ridiculous roller coaster ride to nowhere. i diet and exercise in 10 week bursts, it seems. sometimes, i lose as many as 10 pounds until i completely burn out, get injured or get side-railed by a vacation or holiday. then i usually fall off the diet and exercise wagon for about 10-15 weeks and gain back everything i lost plus a couple more pounds. i'm currently at an all-time non-pregnancy high weight of 168 pounds.

i believe that having mono 4 years ago has led to chronic fatigue issues. i have a much lower tolerance for exercise. my metabolism has also slowed WAY down in my forties. depression continues to be something i struggle with, as well. i've been on various anti-depressants continuously for the last six years, which have definitely not helped my weight issues and may have even contributed to some of the weight gain.

with the support of my therapist and all of you here, i want to end this cycle of losing and gaining. i need to get a grip on why i sabotage my weight loss with night time sugar binges. and i want to find a realistic exercise routine that won't result in injuries or total burnout.

any shared experiences and words of encouragement you can offer along the way will be greatly appreciated! i look forward to getting to know everyone better and encouraging you all in your journeys, as well! :cheer3:

Welcome and good luck on your journey!!!

hi jez and mozzy! :wave: thanks for the warm welcomes!

i've tried many different things and i can lose weight successfully if i actually follow the plan. :blush:i used weight watchers after my ydd was born and it helped me lose 25 lbs. of baby weight. i've also tried the 17 day diet, south beach and i've tracked my food with my fitness pal. as far as exercise go, i work out at home using various jillian michaels workouts. (30 day shred, ripped in 30, 6 week 6 pack, yoga). we also have a treadmill and i've started the couch to 5 K program several times. i've run a few 5Ks and 18 months ago, i ran a very slow 10K.

this time, i'm trying weight watchers again. i started last monday and i've pretty much blown it with my points every day but i'm trying to be gentle with myself and i'm using the first 4 weeks to gradually get myself within the points. i can be really healthy with my food throughout the day, but after 9:00pm i struggle with serious compulsive eating - always something sweet. and lots of it. i ordered a few books to read to help me understand the eating thing and hopefully help me overcome it.

i've also registered for my first dirty girl mud run in july. :shock: this is totally taking me out of my comfort zone but i'm actually looking forward to it! i don't have any ideas about trying a new approach to exercise. maybe i need to start up more slowly this time?

sorry, i promise i'm not usually so wordy!! :lol: