I'm still a little unsure about which support group is the right one for me - but I felt at home here right away, so here I am!

My name is Kati, I'm 33 and married with no children (yet). I live in Germany and work as a freelance writer for a weekly newspaper... I'm a big doglover and have one myself.

I need to lose about 20 kilograms, that must be pretty much 191 lbs. My goal weight is 152 lbs. or a little less. I'm tall - 181 centimeters which is about 5.9 ft.

My biggest problem is chocolate. I'm a real chocoholic and I need to get over this.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better!

Kati!

I'm 5'9 1/2 and I'm yo-yoing in between 177 and 179 these days and people say that I'm too skinny already. I did want to get down to 150, but I think I'm going to stop at 173 (goal weight after losing 50lbs) and just focus on toning and building muscle. I don't want to look too thin, ya know.

Have you always been over weight for a long time? Have you started changing your lifestyle yet (dieting/eating good)? What plans do you have setup for yourself?

I hope to see Germany soon...as I am planning a European trip for 2012 (gotta save my pennies and vacation time). I want to hit England (London and see Pemberly), Paris, Rome, Pisa, Milan, Lake Como, Monte Carlo, Monaco, Berlin, Amsterdam, Instanbul, Andalusia, Tangier and Madrid.

Hi Sass! Thanks!

Yes, I have started - I have lost 3 kilograms so far.

I may be tall but I have small bones, so 150 is about right for me. I used to weigh around 150 all my (adult) life and I never had too much fat on my body until about seven years ago several things happened that really disturbed me, so I kind of started overeating. I think that unconsciously I wanted to build a protective layer around me, if you know what I mean.

I'm not really following any real "plan" now, I just try to eat the way I used to eat until seven years ago. I've found that if I eat "real" things, but not any "light" or calory-reduced stuff, I can eat a lot less and still feel more satisfied. I've also found that my skin gets better. But my biggest problem is chocolate, as I said. It's by eating chocolate that I have gained all this weight mostly, and the hardest thing for me is staying away from it.

I have tried several times eating it in moderation, but that just doesn't work for me. I kept falling off the horse. Now I finally went to see a doctor, and she said to get the theobromine out of my system and going "cold turkey". The idea is that something cannot influence you as much if it's not in your body already. She said that it can take as much as two weeks to get all of the theobromine out of your system (if you have eaten as much chocolate as me)! I had trouble believing this but she said to just hang in there for a couple of days and see. And I found that my cravings got a lot better after one week. I still get them now and then, but they are not nearly as bad as they used to be and so far I have been able to distract myself by playing or walking an extra round with my dog or just brushing my teeth.

So you're from New Jersey! That's cool - between 1995 and 1996 I stayed in Westfield (Union County) and worked there as an au pair for a real nice family with two little boys. (They're not so little now. ;o) )

Kati, I'm from NJ too, not too far from Westfield, in Morris County.

Kati:



Fellow Chocoholic here. I wish you all the luck on lessening your Chocolate consumption. Feel free to send your extras here... if that helps. LOL!