Hi everyone my name is Marssa and I am new here but not new to this trying to loss weight thing that we all are doing. I was that girl who was naturally fit looking until Ihad my daughter 20 months ago. Well then I noticed that I now have shelves on my back and rolls where my abs were. What the heck happened to me. I know you know what I mean. I have tried weight watchers and lost ten pounds in two weeks then I sliped and ate a burger and to my surprise it was a ten pound burger. I have tried counting and minimizing and none of it has worked. So here I am a 22 married woman who just cant understand how I got here. Okay maybe it was all those "pregnancy cravings" that got me here but how do I get out.

So here is some background for those of you who will read this. I lost my mom when she was 38 from a heart attack brought on you obessity and poor recreational choices. I vowed that I wouldn't be like that. But here I am 22 and overweight. As I said I have a daughter is 20 months and when our genetic history I need to start making healthier choices for her and I. I currently live in a small town in Nebraska that doesn't have a gym or a health food store. I need to build a community for myself to get healthy since there isn't one available to me here. So I need your help just like I think you need mine. IF you have any advice on what has worked for you and what hasn't I am open. I am not active but I need to change that but am not sure where to start. I have joint problems so running is out (unless I want ankles the size of grapefruits tomorrow). Does any on know of any low impact exercises? It is nice to find a place for me and I would love to hear from anyone who wants to talk.

Hi and MarissaJoy!

In terms of being active, there are SO MANY things you can do at home without hurting your joints. Maybe consider some exercise tapes (Walk Away the Pounds is one, but there are SO MANY out there, many of which are low-impact). Walking is GREAT and if you're walking at a good pace and getting your heart rate up can do wonders for your fitness level. Maybe as you progress you could even drive out to the nearest sporting goods store and get a small amount of strength training equipment...resistance bands, dumbells, etc...that you can keep on hand to strength train.

Your standard grocery store is FILLED, I have no doubt, with healthy foods. Fresh produce, whole grains, and lean proteins are in every grocery store I've been to. You just have to spend a little more time searching them out!

I can't wait to hear more from you soon. Keep posting!

hi marssa.
welcome. just walking for about 15 minutes will help to begin with will help. keep increasing your time every few days. try not to have more than 2000 calories in a day, include plenty of fruits and vegs. drink plenty of water. keep in touch.