Hi all,

I've been looking at the site for the last couple of days and decided to finally take the plunge, join and post so here's a brief intro to me.

I'm 28 and I'm a teacher in the UK. I've spent a lot of my life feeling like I was a lot bigger than most of my friends - a feeling that began in my teens although when I look back I really wasn't as big as I thought I was. I've always eaten to deal with emotions and to handle boredom and this got worse when I was at uni. When I finished uni I lost a couple of stone and met my current bf 4 and a half years ago. The usual happened, we settled and both of our weights went up (mine more significantly than his!). A couple of years ago I joined Slimming World and lost almost three stone but over the last 18 months I've put two of those back on and I'm really not happy with myself.

At some point in the next couple of years (they haven't set a date yet) I'm going to be a bridesmaid for my brother and his fiancé so I'm determined to be in shape by then - I don't want to be doing a crash diet for the wedding. I'm following slimming world again but without the meetings because of time constraints - we're waiting for Ofsted so work is mental right now - and I know I won't achieve it without support.

Anyway, thanks for reading my waffling and I hope to make some supportive buddies on here!!

Hi! I totally understand how you feel. When I was in high school and college I always felt like the big girl among my friends but when I look at some of the clothes I saved from back then I really wasn't as big as I thought I was. I have a feeling that is a common thing.

Good for you in planning ahead for the wedding! I lost a lot of weight for my sisters wedding back in 1999 but as soon as the wedding was over and I didn't have to put that dress on again I started putting the weight back on. I think I was so tired from the crash diet I went on to get there that it left a bad taste in my mouth about dieting. But...once I hit my high weight of 262 a few years ago I realized I better do something about it. I started following South Beach Diet (not sure if that's a big thing in the UK) and have made small changes over time that have really made a big difference. I've lost over 50# now and am about 1/2 way to my goal weight. It's not easy but it's so worth it and I know that this time I will keep it off because I'm doing it in a way that is livable.

Good luck to you!

Rene aka gabby