Hi everyone - just joined and keen to get to know people. I'm 27, live in the south and am currently a student and working full time. Life's very full right now and it's hard to fit in the exercise and cut out the chocs, but I am determined to get it right this time. My weight has gone up and down as long as I can remember, along with bouts of depression. I have been advised to loose about 3 stone by my doctor and that's got me started. I'm taking it slow and...well, fingers crossed! I'd love to be in touch with other people in the same place and swap virtual hugs and applause!

Hi Smurf, welcome...we're all in the same boat, and we give great support, in fact, we're all pretty bloody wonderful in this community.
Pop in whenever and chat away or moan or anything you want...

Hi Smurfy!

Hi smurf!

Welcome! I am in my final year at Uni and work night shifts 3 days a week so am very much in the same boat as you! I've only lost 3lbs since the beginning of term but at least it's going in the right direction!

Uni seems to make you want to eat choclate bars to cope with the idiots who go there just to make your life ****!!

Oh yeah - uni = chocolate! Or curry, in my case! Great to meet you!

Hi Smurf Step away from the Curry

Hi Smurf and good luck with the weight loss!

What programme are you doing if any? I'm on WW and have lost 19lbs so far (this time at least - we have all been here before haven't we?!)

Hope to see you around.

Hi - well I'm on WW sort of. I've realised that I lose weight when happy and gain weight when sad, so I'm really concentrating on making changes that mean I'm happier with life and so on. Got a new job! Just need to let go of the need to munch whenever I'm at a loose end - it's a kind of time filler for me.

Yeah, I can be an emotional eater too. I eat when I'm feeling down or stressed, or even when I'm bored, but that's only when I've lost control. When I'm in control I can manage to avoid all that and stay on track.

Hi Smurf (never liked them myself, but I'm sure there'll be something I like that you don't)
Sickeningly, I was much slimmer as a student because I used to walk everywhere, or at least to the bus stop, now I jump into the car and am never further than a minute away from it at the other end. Also, I seemed to spend most of my student life scurrying along corridors looking for tutors or equipment, etc. I couldn't afford to eat much, and was too far from home to go back at weekends and get fed !!! It's definately having kids that started the pounds piling on.
Having said all that, I can symathise with the emotional eating. Early this year my teenage son went through a bad patch, and I must have put on a couple of stone through comfort eating, and even when things got better it was hard to stop. It was feeling really heavy and having no energy that started me thinking, and when hubby dragged me up a very small hill when we were on holiday I finally got the determination to get things started up with WW again. Yes, I've been there before and slid backwards, but hopefully never again.......Tell yourself that you deserve to lose weight and feel good about yourself.
Good luck
Lesley

Wow! You're doing so well! Can sympathise with stress-related gain - huge congratulations for what you've acheived so far.