Hey everybody! I've been struggling to stay motivated and slipping up with my diet a bit recently (mocha lattes & granola bars!) so I figured it was a good time to make friends on a similar path. Hopefully we can help each other stay on track and share ideas/recipes/stories to get through challenging times.
I've lost a lot of weight so far intermittently over the course of about 3 years. I'd get really motivated, watch my diet and make sure to do some light exercise on most days, then lose focus. It takes a lot of bad choices to maintain an extra 100 lbs, so I was able to slowly lose weight without trying terribly hard. just going for more walks, using the elliptical machine a few times/week, and saying no thanks to dessert made a big difference. My biggest weakness was creamy, sugary coffee drinks and I'm still tempted by them now on occasion.
As far as food goes, I've had the most success when I've stuck with a paleo/new evolution diet kind of approach. LOTS of green leafy veggies, lean animal protein like chicken breasts, seafood, egg whites, some fruit, mushrooms, and nuts. Without grains and refined sugar, I feel like my mood stays even and I'm less likely to *want* to stray from the diet or eat something unhealthy just because I'm sad/happy/bored/whatever.
I also got a Planet Fitness membership, which was really hard for me at first because I'm so shy, but now it's fun to go there 6-7 days/week. Once you get used to it, and start seeing results, it's such an amazing feeling. Plus, I've gotten so much support, information, tips, and demonstrations from the other regulars and staff. Once you become a regular, people start to expect you to be there and notice when you're not so whether you ask for it or not, you've got people counting on you. They are fueled by seeing your progress and how hard you work, and vice versa, even if you hardly know each other. This is a good thing!
One thing I would do differently is take lots of before photos. I was so depressed and embarassed about the way I looked that I avoided being photographed, especially body shots, when I was at my highest weight. All I have is one face shot for an ID when I weighed about 250. Better than nothing, but I wish I had known that things would get better and just snapped a few pics. If you haven't done it yet, go take some! You'll be glad you did when you're ready for your after shots. I'm not quite there yet, but almost!
Good luck to all of you!
100 down, more to go
We're happy to have you here! And way to go on losing 100! That's amazing!!! 
