New in Florida
 

I just recently moved to Florida and I am having a hard time making new friends because I have PTSD from a car wreck that I had - I have only recently begun therapy to start driving again and thus I don't really go anywhere right now other than to my school and to the gym. I need to lose 100 pounds, and I just lost my first 2 this week. I am temporarily on a medication that's side effect was weight gain and losing any weight while on it is turning out to be quite difficult. :(

I also go to Curves gym on a regular basis. Right now, the gym is letting us bring a friend each week and show them the workout and they are also offering the rest of the summer free to anyone who joins. If anyone is in the Jacksonville, Florida area and looking for a WL buddy, please send me a PM or reply here.

Thanks! :wave:

~Melissa

Hi! I am also in Jax :wave: My dh is Navy and is stationed at Mayport so we are on that side of the city. Feel free to IM me.

Thank God literally - another Christian!!!
And one that posts it on her profile - way to go girl! God would be proud.
I've found that being faithful has been a big part of my wieght loss.
Can you tell me more about your condition listed above. I'm not very good with the acronyms and don't know what the means. How did your car accident happen?
You look beautiful in the picture listed. I wish i looked that good at your weight. I probably wouldn't have bothered to lose any!!!!
Sorry for all the questions --- :)
I see you're a student...I'm 26 and going to return to school next fall. I'm really looking forward to it. I am happily married with one child.
I love this site and the support it brings me in continued / maintenance weight loss.
I used to be 218 at my heaviest. Slowly but surely!!
http://www.3fatchicks.com/weight-tra...6/145/154/.png

Hi Amanda & FL_mom! :wave: I just now noticed that my thread had replies.. thanks for getting back to me! I took two tylenol PM earlier and am about to go to bed, but I will reply with more tomorrow. Goodnight! :)

Well, the tylenol PM didn't work :(

Amanda, "PTSD" stands for "post traumatic stress disorder" - most people have heard of war veterans having post traumatic stress - but things other than war, such as car accidents, rape, abuse, etc - can cause it too. After my car accident, I didn't drive very often anymore, and then, after my family moved - I stopped driving at all. This lead to me barely ever leaving the house for several months. That was last year .. this year I am in therapy and slowly getting back into driving. And I go to the gym several times a week (I have a ride). I don't have as many nightmares anymore (however I am still having trouble getting to sleep at night and staying asleep once I do). One of the other symtoms I had was chronic pain - since I joined Curves' gym the pain has let up considerably and I have weened myself off of perscription pain medications.

I was turning left and I did not see this car that was coming toward us. Honestly, I really do not think that the car was there when I looked, because I did look.. and I started to turn because there was nothing there. The road I was turning onto had a sharp curve so its possible that my view of the oncoming car was blocked. The cop thought that they had to have been going over the speed limit. I did not have any points taken off my liscense/or get a ticket or anything like that although the accident was my fault since I did not have the right of way. I was also in a different car than I usually drove and not used to it. Anyway, so my mom saw the car coming, and I tried to speed up and get out of the way, but the car I was in wasn't like my Jeep, and it didn't speed up fast enough.... and the other car hit us. My mom was not hurt (thankfully). The car, however, ended up looking like a crumpled up paper bag (at least that's how it was described to me; I didn't ever get to see it). My left knee was dislocated and my right foot was broken and I had several other minor wounds - I was in shock when the ambulance got there.

Thanks for the compliments.. my face is OK but my body isn't! What are you going to study at school? You've lost a ton of weight ... I can't wait to be able to say I've lost as much as you! Congrats for your success. I just found this site the other day and its awesome; I'm so glad I found it!

Well its time to try this sleep stuff again :/ Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Melissa - I see you've lost 10lbs, Congrats!! :D I have never been to curves but I have heard a lot of good things about them. I considered checking them out but didn't think I could afford it. Do you know what the free summer deal is? I was thinking there is only a month left of summer since the kids go back to school August 8th, do you mind me asking how much the monthly fee is?

How do you like FL? I think all the rain sucks and it's too hot but my DH loves it.

Angela

Angela, when I signed up (in January) the fee was $29/mon. I'll check and see how the summer thing works out when I go this week. I think its too hot here in FL, too.......... my parents have a pool so I have been enjoying swimming in it (I can be outside and not be roasting!)... but now it rains all the time :mad: Also, here is Curves' website..

http://www.curves.com/

http://www.curves.com/weight_loss/resources.php

I'm so thankful that you made it through the accident even though it sounds that you have lingering affects. I'm also thankful your mother was ok. It sounds like you're making all the right first steps to success not only on your weight loss but also on your PTSD. I wish I had been there for you - I would have made sure to help you through your "first day out". I've never closed myself off from the outside world but I've had some troubling times as a teenage because of my father and I know that all I wished for was a friend that truely understood. I would have much rather stayed emotionally closed off to the world then get hurt again.
I think that I packed on the weight easily because it made people want to stay away from me. I hate to say it but the bigger I was the more I was less attractive, less sociable, less active --- less of everything. It made a great excuse for me to be left alone. I wanted that for awhile but I had to wait until I made the decision (not anyone else) to stop being that way. I finally wanted more from life and every pound I lost since then is like a link off the chain binding me to all the failures of my past.
Wow------ saying all that was like a mini therapy session for me. I hope that you get something from it - cause I did :)
Keep going girl - 10 lbs is a wonderful start. I'll be praying for you!

Melissa,
I almost forgot - I'm thinking of going back to be a dental hygienist or an imaging technician. I wanted to be a doctor when I was a teenager but then I realized that I don't want anything that serious. I'm an office manager now and I'm good at it (not meaning to sound too proud there) I have a natural knack for organization and paperwork trails and paper mystery solving. People tell me that I act waaaay older than I am and it's true. I surprise people with my maturity.
I'd just like to go back to a job that helps people. I'm looking for just a two year degree though. That way I don't get myself roped back into a position that requires constant advancement. I just want to have a steady job and go home to my family each evening. I love my son and husband and don't know what I would do if I didn't spend time with them.
What are you studying?

I am just getting my associate's degree for now.. I wanted to study veterinary medicine for a long time but now I'm not so sure anymore. I'm thinking about transferring to a university after I get my associate's and studying psychology. Your previous post was really motivating.. thanks for the encouraging words! :)