Hi, im new to the forum, so this is my intro :-)

My name is Sophie, im 27 and from Pusdey, Leeds.

Ill be honest and say im probably at my lowest point ever and really lonely.

I have quite a few long term health problems and fluctuating pain as a result amoungst other things that holds me back.
I also need an operation because of one of these but my consultant wont help me unless i lose weight.
I did loose nearly four stone last year and she had said she would do the op if i lost this weight, but then she changed her mind and refused to do it.
Then she insisted i take hormone medication which i was against as ive had it before, but she said it was that or no help.
Then they gave me the coil with hormones in and it made me so horrendously ill. After that my weight spiralled again and im stuck.
All my progress lost and i cant do regular gym at the moment because of my health situation, so its difficult :-(

My self esteem is at zero, i feel so disgusting and depressed and scared.

I really love swimming and its something manageable for me, so im hoping maybe there are some fellow Leeds ladies i can find that might want to go swimming. It terrifies me to go alone, i feel so ashamed and embarrassed of myself.
My friends are quite busy and dont really have time for me, so im sort of alone and just some company and support to help get me loosing weight would be great.

Sophie x

I wish I could help you! All I can offer is support from afar... I hope you continue on your journey!

Aww Sophie... thats a crappy situation and I really feel for you honestly.
Sadly Im not in Leeds, I'm in Scotland and a lot of these woman are American. But if you go into the Uk thread thats around somewhere, there is a bunch of lovely folk who do slimming world (which is not my thing) but you might be able to find someone a little closer to home.

About 3 weeks ago paramedics had to drag me out my sisters garden with a suspected broken ankle, I was soo pissed off at myself, I really wanted to loose some weight over the summer and having a broken ankle was not going to go down well. Luckily they had a feeling it might have been a slight hairline fracture that wasnt showing up in the xrays, and 10 days later I was off my crutches and out my moonboot. Then I got Labyrinthitis (which is an inner ear infection that makes you feel horrifically drunk). Now im back in the game, but those 3 weeks were horrid. I couldnt imagine not being 100% for longer than that which I am sure is your situation.

First things first..... you need to build up on your inner demons. Bring back the real you and dont let your health issues hide your personality away. Have you ever heard of Amelia freer? She is the nutritionist who helped Sam Smith and James Corden loose quite a bit of weight. She has a book out that kind of teaches you how to change aspects of your diet for a life time and not just short term. Some of it can be strict, she went gluten free, but I could never do that. It is basically about eating as much fresh fruit and veg as possible. Sometimes that isnt possible for me but I means that I am better educated in deciding what to buy when food shopping.

We are honestly here to help and share tips so please do not feel afraid to jump in. You will not get judged here.

Hi Sophie! You are not alone! This is a wonderful supportive community, so please start posting with us regularly! The good news is exercise is great for your overall health and fitness, but diet is 80% of weight loss. So do keep swimming! It is so good for you! But also start focusing on what you do and don't eat. Have you decided what weight loss diet plan you want to use, or have your developed your own from when you lost 4 stone that you feel comfortable with? Whatever plan you want to try or use, prepare your kitchen for it. Get rid of the unhealthy foods, stock up with good foods, and take control of your eating! It will feel so good to be in control! There are a few links here that I want you to check out. Everyone is very nice here so jump right in! Here is a link to a support group for 20-something-year olds: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/20-somethings-56/. Here is a link to a forum made up of UK members: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/uk-fat-chicks-75/. Here is a forum for different challenges that you can join. (Even the monthly ones you can still join all month long!) They are lots of fun: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/chic...challenge-159/. And there are even support groups based on how much you may want to lose here: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/support-groups-122/. There are so many forums and threads here, so please join in, we love new members, and become active with us! You won't feel alone anymore! Good luck!

Hi sophie!! I can't be a swimming buddy but I am 1000% right there with you. I'm 28, lonely, I've got multiple health limitations, and feel like each day gets lower. Just think of this post as taking that positive step into getting better. You can, there's no reason you can't (despite all the hormones or injury or whatever ,you CAN. I promise).
I won't bombard you with empty optimism. This is going to be hard but you did the right thing by coming to a place with support to get yourself on track. If you need a chatting buddy do not hesitate to shoot out a message

Lastly, you could be 700lbs and still have zero reason to be ashamed going to the pool. you should never ever be ashamed for doing something you love or for trying to better yourself, no matter what your size. you can't change how the world is going to look at you but for now you can at least change how you look at yourself.

Hi Sophie I'm not in Leeds but I am in Yorkshire and I'm 29. Feel free to msg me anytime if you need support or someone just to talk to x

Hi Sophie, I live in Leeds and I am looking for a swimming buddy as I need to lose some weight. I have recently had a foot operation so trying to build up my fitness levels too.