Hi, Teri! Good to meet you! I'm on board with you. I want to lose a total of about 90#. Close enough?

I have not been thin since I was 4 yoa, and I am 28 now! Once I started school, it was downhill. I wore a size 16 when I graduated high school. I stayed around that size but moved to an 18 a few years ago. When I met DH Feb '03, I was 210 (size 18) and had just joined WW and lost 10#. Well, as we dated, we ate out a lot, WW started to get too expensive to continue, and I was a 230# (beautiful ) bride 3/6/04. In June, MIL and some others started First Place at church. It incorporates a food exchange - that is just not my thing. So, I started going to the weekly WI/Bible Study and using WW points on my own. I have lost 40.1 since June. I still have about 50# to go.

3FC has been a great source of support and info for me. I am online at least once a day. I love trying new recipes and finding new ways to cook healthy food. I am SOOO excited to try my first Butternut Squash next week! I found a recipe on 3FC for a soup that we will have Monday night. (I always plan a week in advance.)

I love to see other people's success stories and starting days. It keep things new and exciting. After 4 months of this, I am still not bored or fed up! Too cool.

Well, I am supposed to be working now, so TTFN! Have a great OP day!

BTW - are you doing Core or FPs? Just wondered.

Thank you for replying Melanie. It is great to meet you! I have not decided if I will do the flex points or the core plan yet. Right now, I am starting with the flex points, but my mom is doing the core plan and she LOVES it! She has lost 15 pounds since starting four weeks ago...or has it been three The core plan sounds alot more simple, but alot more restrictive. I'm wondering if that is what I might need right now. I know from the past, it is so hard to always remember to track EVERYTHING.... condiments, seasonings, etc. But I like the flexibility of the flex points. One of my biggest challenges I will face is dinner. My husband always says I'll go on it with you, I'll eat whatever you fix etc. Then when it comes time to actually eat the healthy choices, he complains. The same thing goes for my kids as well. Usually only one out of the four will eat what I have fixed. But that has been an issue even before WW. I refuse to cook special dinners for each one. It is hard enough having dinner fixed and ready to go by the time my husband gets home at 4 without adding another meal into the mix. In the past I have always said I did not want to force my children to eat anything they did not like. As long as they tried it, I allowed them to fix a PB&J or ham sandwich instead of eating what I had fixed. The problem with that solution is they LOVE sandwiches! So they take these small bites, insist they do not like it, then want the sandwich! I couldn't stand the thought of sending them to bed hungry, or forcing them to eat what they do not like, but I am now rethinking. I know it is vital to them to learn to eat healthy foods now, while they do not have weight issues, instead of waiting until they get older, their metabolisms slow down, then struggle with their weight. So if you or anyone has any suggestions on kid friendly ideas PLEASE pass them on!!

Thanks!
Teri

Welcome Terri!! As you can see from my signature I have come a long way and am so happy that you are making these changes for yourself! You are going to feel so much better once you get some weight off!! You go girl!

Hi, My name is Jessica and I have to lose over 200lbs. I'm not here to lose only 20-50 lbs, I'm in it for the long haul!!! I'm 30 and I have two boys. I'm not sure what mt wieght is I lost track. (over 350) I will go either saturday or monday to my firdt meeting. I have however started this past week, and cutting out alot of crap i used to eat. I already noticed a difference. I'm here just let me know. i noticed that this bord isn't nearly as active as another site I belong to. I'm on 3-5 times a day. so i'm sure we will chat soon. Take care and good luck!
jessica

Wow! Congratulations on your success Angie!! And thank you for the welcome!

Welcome Jessica! I too am in it for the long haul.
I have tried Atkins in the past, and did great the first week, then after that I always got off. Then I would gain back everything I had lost plus some, and I wound up weighing more than when I had begun! I joined weight watchers again Thursday night, however, all that day it was a "normal" eating day. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing to join. Then yesterday my first official day on the diet, my oldest son stayed home with a virus, so I was unable to go to the grocery store which I desperately needed to do. So I did horrible yesterday with my meals. I had hot dogs for lunch!! And then spaghetti last night for dinner. But this morning I have decided to give the Core plan a try. My mom absolutely loves it. So this morning luckily I had some eggs (I still have not made it to the store) and I scrambled myself two. Lunch will be a challenge, because my daughter is in Pee Wee Cheerleading and there is a game at 2:00. I have so much to do this morning before the game I do not have time to go grocery shopping now. During the game will be fine because the concession stands are always so expensive, but I will be very hungry after the game, and trying to find something healthy in a hurry...... plus my husband will be home by then and wanting food NOW!
I am usually on several times a day as well, because I am taking some online courses this semester. I have been searching through the different threads looking for some that look pretty "active". Last time I joined a forum similiar to this, there was not much activity, and the few who did participate only needed to lose 10-20 pounds. I felt like they could not really relate to what it is like to need to lose a lot. 10 pounds made such a difference in their appearance, but on me 10 pounds is not that noticable. I would probably be the only one to notice...

Well......it is nealy 10:00, and I have a lot to do before the game. I look forward to hearing from y'all!

Teri

You guys, it is a long road, but I PROMISE it is worth it. Just feeling better is worth it! I remember my knees hurting and not being able to get up and down off the couch/toilet very easily. Also my feet would be sore in the mornings. I was diabetic and had high blood pressure. I am now off of all medications! Prayer plays a big part, along with dedication. You just have to make up your mind and DO IT!! And you know what? YOU CAN DO IT!!

Thanks Angie! I am hoping that when I lose weight my medical problem will go away. (Sleep Apnea). I also think I have a bone spur. My mom has one and my symptoms are just like hers. I am not sure if losing weight will make it go away, but I know it will definately make it feel better! I hate when I am out in public and I have done a lot of walking, then sit down for a while. When I get up I have to hobble along because my heels hurts so much.... I hope everyone is having success on their diets. I am now on day 3 of weight watchers Core plan...(I got a later start than my join date). I know I shouldn't have, and it doesn't really mean anything, but the scale was down by a pound this morning. I weigh in again on Thursday. Since I did not start right away I doubt I will have a weight loss this time, but it never hurts to dream!

Teri

I need to lose 75 pounds, which I think is enough to reply, (hope so anyway). I've always struggled with my weight (235 now), I had gotten down to 150, and stayed there for awhile, but after I just had my baby my weight has not budged downward at all. I just started Weight Watchers a week and a half ago, and I've lost 5 pounds already. It's exciting, but I think about how much more I have to lose and it gets really depressing. And it's so hard! But hopefully I'll be able to stick with it, because I think it's more depressing to be overweight, than to just deal with being hungry for awhile.

I know what you mean about the amount being so overwhelming! Today was day four of Weight Watchers for me. I joined last Thursday but got a late start. Tonight when I weighed in I was not expecting to have lost anything, but I lost 3 pounds! I now weigh 238. I would like to weigh 130. 120 is my ultimate goal, but it really all depends on what size I am in and what I look like when I get there. I turn 30 this month......I started gaining weight when I was 19 ( right after getting married to my first husband) When I was in high school I always thought my 20's were going to be the best years of my life, I assumed those would be the years I would look my best. I would be an adult, but still look youthful. And instead, I have been ashamed of myself the entire time. But I am determined to make my 30's ( and the rest of my life...) great!! I have a twin sister who is a lot taller than I am, and has always been very thin. (We are fraternal) We always have pictures taken together,and I would like for once again to be able to stand beside her and not be ashamed! Not that she has ever put me down...she doesn't. I just always assume we are being compared because we are twins. The reaction is always so comical when people meet us together. They cannot believe we are twins, and I know it is because of the weight difference. Some have even been so....um.....gracious.....to say something.
I have set a short term goal for myself. I am planning on losing 6 pounds by the end of October. There is another thread on here called Trick or Treat Challenge. I chose the 6 pounds as my Trick and my treat will be to get a new book, and have a quiet evening to read. My husband has graciously offered to help make that happen if I reach this goal. I chose a relatively small weight loss for this month because I am starting so late into it. I am also subscribed to the Race To 199 thread. Twice I have lost down to 200 and both times over the weekend I gained like 5 pounds, then just continued gaining. This time I am determined to get below 200!! It will be so refreshing to not have to see the 200 mark anymore! I will still have a ways to go, but atleast this will break it up some. I am trying to focus more on the 199 goal more than my ideal goal. ONce I reach 199, then I will start to become more focused on my ideal weight goal. My mom has been doing weight watchers for 5 weeks now. She is also doing the Core plan. She has lost 16 pounds so far.

I look forward to hearing back from you, and good luck!!!

Teri

I too have over 100 pounds to lose.I've done cabbage soup,Atkins,and a few more up and down my weight has gone.I feel good about weight watchers.This time I am determined to stick with ww and lose the weight.This forum is great and having support like thisis wonderful.

I too tried atkins, and I tried a "cardiac diet" but was unsuccessful. I did lose weight on Atkins, but I was never able to stay on it more than 2 or 3 weeks before eating something I shouldn't, the diet was too restrictive for me. I did lose weight fast on it, but I gained weight just as fast if not faster!! Whenever I did splurge and eat something I shouldn't, (usually over the weekend,) in two days I would gain as much as I had lost during the two weeks worth of eating the atkins way. I always wound up weighing more than when I first started!! I think for me, Weight Watchers is the way to go! It is a plan that I feel I can live with. I was leary of doing the Core plan at first, because I thought it sounded too much like atkins. My mom was doing core and loving it. She has also been very successful at it. I started out trying the points system. But halfway through that first week, I decided to try the core plan. One of the problems with atkins was that I could not have any fruit, so NOTHING sweet, or potatoes, rice, bread, etc. When I read more on the core and realized I could have these things, as long as I use Whole Wheat, I decided to try. So far I am LOVING it! Especially since I am allowed 35 weekly points to spend on non core foods. As of today I have lost 6 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks. I really feel that I can eat this way for the rest of my life.

Good luck! There are times that this will be tough, or that you'll want to give up, but remember that you are worth the struggle.