[coinlee]

I'm posting for the first time, as you can see. Just recently after my second child I gained an extra 50 lbs. over the course of 5 years (my daughter is 5). I've never really had to struggle with weight, but it runs in my family. My mother is a natural "Paula Deen" -- you know, a stick of butter in each dish.

I've tried WW and always gained the weight+ back, which was discouraging to me. I think I dealt with some depression after my second child and fell deeply into stagnation. As Oprah would say..."I checked out."

So now, I've been taking leadership classes at work, and I've been listening to an audiobook -- "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey, and man has it ever changed my life! Talk about motivation! I listen to and from work every day (45 minutes each way) and have decided that only I am in charge of my life -- that I am "response-able" to create meaning in my life. Most motivational speakers are psycho-babble about changing your personality, but Covey really pushes analyzing your core values and staying true to yourself. It's amazing and I highly recommend it.

Anyways, I'm a mother of two, as mentioned, a wife, an employee, and a senior in College. I'm 34, with a great job. I'm not one to climb the corporate ladder. I love to cook, I already eat healthy (just too much of it!), and I'm an introvert (my MBTI is INTJ). Of course, during my weight gain I ate out too much, which contributed a lot to it, as well as inactivity. I am a computer science major and for me this is the Year of BALANCE. I'm determined to find peace in balancing work and family and school life. My husband and I fight on occasion, like everyone else, and I would not make a good reality show since I hate drama and find that I am quite boring at times.

So theres me, thanks for listening and I'm jumping in with both feet!!

[Cheryl14]

Hi Coinlee!

Welcome to 3FC!!

Don't ya just love it when you feel strong and everything is pointing to GO?!!! Sounds like you are doing a GREAT job of putting your ducks in order to get ready for doing this thing! Fantastic!

Weight loss DOES take motivation. I haven't read Stephen Covey's book, but it sounds like a winner! It wasn't until several years ago that I realized that weight loss was about 99% a MENTAL undertaking and about 1% PHYSICAL. Wow have I ever been through a lot of soul-searching over these last few years!

I know what you mean about gaining weight AFTER the child is born. I did that, too. Mine, I am realizing now, came from a combination of BELIEVING I could do it all, TRYING to do it all, and FAILING to do it all! I am still struggling with letting people help ME. I have always been The Giver. It is a difficult road.

I hope that you will read, read, read all of the THOUSANDS of great posts here. There's something for everyone!

Do you have your plan set out yet for how you want to lose the weight? Will you be returning to Weight Watchers? There are many people doing many different things here! I have read many books and articles and have come up with my own plan for eating and for exercise.

Cheryl

[coinlee]

Cheryl you are awesome! Thanks for the cheer of support. I am going back to my tried and true method of watching my weight -- calorie-counting. I am a shortie and not very active (yet) so I'll be logging in around 1200 calories a day (no less). I use calore-counter.com as my food journal.

"Only you can control your response to other people or situations."
Covey