Let me introduce myself. My name is Maddie. I am 24 years old and living in the Des Moines Metro Area. I work for my family business, a paint-it-yourself pottery studio, and have been a summer camp counselor for Camp Fire USA for at least 5 summers. I admit I can be a bit sassy but I am always trying to bring love and humor into the lives of everyone I meet. I love art, working with kids, and being awesome

Why I am here. I have been over weight all of my life. I started shopping in plus size stores when I was in 6th/7th grade. I've yo-yoed on every diet you can imagine plus some. I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I hit my top weight of 313lbs. I hate it and have had enough! I went through my bucket list and realized that everything that I want to do in life but can't is due solely to my weight. No more am I going to hold myself back. I started this journey about a month ago but for have been silent on here. I have hired a personal trainer, Ryan, for the next year. Have dusted off the one and only diet plan that has ever worked for me and have started putting it in action. In one month I am down 15lbs! WOOT!


However...like some of you (maybe even most of you), I struggle to stay motivated! I was lurking through the site and saw some of your before and after pictures and figured this would be a good place for me to get encouragement and support during this epic battle!

I am looking forward to getting to know and share this experience with you!

Hey Maddie - Great job on the first 15 lbs!

Gosh, you sound a lot like me - heavy since middle school, around the same age as when I started...and the good news is, you can TOTALLY do this.

What eating plan are you using? We most likely have a forum for it if it's a healthy, sane plan, so look around. We also have the 20-somethings, for those in that age range, and the 300+ club and 100 lb club, for those starting at weights over 300 lbs, and those working on losing or who have lost 100 lbs or more, respectively.

So look around, settle in, and get to posting. Can't wait to get to know you better!