Hey everybody!

I just found these wonderful forums last night and think you all seem like a great bunch! I've been looking for a weight-loss support forum for a while now but hadn't found one yet that I "clicked" with. I like that there are so many different sub-forums here and everyone seems so friendly!

A little about me: I just moved to southeast Ohio (Athens) to go to grad school, and it's the first time in years that I've had a chance to make a "fresh start". I've worked in IT since '99, and went back to school at age 24 (in '03) to improve my career and finish my education. I've learned a lot, but it's definitely been stressful! I'm 28 now, and I want to turn 30 as a healthier, happier me. My mom was a diabetic and various illnesses run in my family, so it's time for me to start taking better care of myself.

Why I am here: I started a self-motivated "lazy" weight-loss program in '04, and lost 10 or so lbs. In '05 I recharged the ol' batteries and had lost about 25 lbs. by spring 2006, down to 219. I was feeling pretty good but had hit a plateau and didn't lose anything for months. I was laid off from one of my p/t jobs in summer of '06, and by late spring of this year, I had gained all of those 25 lbs. back again from stress eating and having to buy all kinds of cheap carb-y food. So I've been juggling work & school stress, crunched for time a lot, was a commuter student, working 2 jobs for a while, not making much money, working weird hours, always at a desk or a computer. Not good for the waistline! I'm mad at myself for sabotaging my efforts, because it seemed like it took forever to lose even that much weight.

So I am here to get some support and motivation for getting back on track. I was doing South Beach before, so I might start that back up, but I am also thinking of joining Weight Watchers to get me started in the right direction.

If anyone else is in my area, feel free to PM me! I'm new here and don't know many people yet, so it would be really nice to meet a workout buddy!

-Cathy

Hi Cathy,
It is great to see someone from Southeast Ohio on it! Glad that you were able to find this great website. I have been really pleased with the support and friendships I have made since posting on here myself. I can understand what you are saying about wanting to be healthy going into your 30's. That is great that you are taking that first step towards being healthy by recommitting to eating healthier.
Look forward to becoming friends with you and helping you on your weightloss journey. You might want to check into the local TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibily) support group in Athens. It is cheaper than Weight Watchers and they do a lot of fun things to motivate and support their members to take off weight. I belong to the group in my hometown. I have been a member for 4 1/2 years. The friendships and support group that I have built up over the years have been great. This is just a suggestion. If you have more questions about TOPS you can either PM me or check out the national TOPS website at www.tops.org Hope that helps you out some.
Take care,
Kerry

Hi Cathy! The ladies down in the South Beach part of the site are soooo great! I happen to frequent that part of the forum, so I might be a little biased, but I do hope you come join us.

Kara