Hello all..I'm new here and looking for some help. I have ALOT of weight to loose and I really need some encouragement from people who are now or have been where I am. I weighed 330 lbs on Jan 3rd when I started my diet (Jenny Craig currently) and am now at 313. I have joined an online support group, but they are too busy critisizing you to be supportive. I don't need that.....I need positive reinforcements!! I've surfed around on your site and I think this is a good place to be....If you'll have me

To tell you a little about myself...I'm 29 yrs old, married with no kids (but I do want kids in the near future). I am a self confessed Junk food-a-holic and have been off the "stuff" since Jan 1st of this year. I am one who didnt really realize how serious my situation was...see I didn't see myself as being that big..and my husband is always complimenting me so imagine my suprise when I stepped up on the scale and it was pushing 330....I almost died! I am 5"9" and I feel that I carry myself pretty good...I always walk with my head held high. But inside I'm really struggling with this weight thing. I want to be healthy, I want to live to be an OLD LADY!!

I really look forward to this group and getting to know you all!!

Hey! You've come to the right place, welcome to our support group...this is a cool bunch of women, all ages and sizes. I find everyone is supportive, and no one here is critical of you because at any given point in time, there may even be someone who isn't really "dieting" - (we all go through the setbacks of going on and off diets). We talk about stuff other than dieting too, so it's really cool to have that accountability. We have a thread that asks if you've exercised (I find that it encourages me to do so) and also a weigh in thread..plus we place different "challenge" games to see if we can lose a certain amount of weight within a certain amount of time.

If you want to chat with us, look for the current numbered thread (I think right now we're on something like #687...don't quote me on that though!!)

Looking forward to chatting!!

Melissa

Welcome!!! You've definitely come to the right place I think. It's been great here for me and there are some really great gals here! I started at 367 in November of 2003, altho I'm sure I was higher at some point. That was just the moment when I weighed and basically hit rockbottom. I'm at 314 now, as of today.

I'm glad you're here and hope to hear a lot more from you. I'm 28 yrs old in May, unmarried, no kids, still at home with parents, taking classes at tech. college. Basically I think I'm a 28 year old stuck in a 17 year old world. Not that I feel or act 17, but I feel like my 20's have been wasted. Still being at home is a big dissapointment for me, but in all honesty I know that those years were wasted as a result of no self-esteem, suicidal thoughts and just pure unabashed shame and hopelessness. So now I'm picking myself up and I am determined that I WILL beat my demons down and survive. That's me in a nutshell.
Julie

I too want to welcome you to the 300+ forum.
We love to have newcomers join in.
I see you have met a couple of us already.
There are lots of young women here who you will be able to totally relate to.
There are also some oldtimers/grandmas like myself. LOL although I don't feel old
Welcome welcome welcome !!!

Hello everyone! My sister has been using this site for a little while now for support in her weight loss and has met some really fabulous people here. I have been trying to lose weight for some time now, not just another diet though, a serious lifestyle change. I am 25 years old and I have PCOS, and not to use that as an excuse, but it hinders my weight loss efforts dramatically. I would say about 85% of the time I'm eating well and exercising. The other 15% are my depression states when I think it's NEVER going to come off so I might as well enjoy as much of the foods I love as I can stuff in my mouth. I LOVE pasta, potatoes, rice, etc. and I fullly understand that those are things that are hurting me the most. I've tried every "diet" under the sun and I'm seriously afraid of gastric bypass surgery so I need something in between. I'm hoping a support group where I can be held accountable might help me out. My highest weight was 345 in January of 2004. I have been lingering between 325 and 335 for the past year when I had my gallbladder removed. My husband travels about 70% of the year with work so meal planning can be a pain. We have no chidlren yet, but we would like to begin trying in a couple of years. With the PCOS diagnosis I need to have all my other ducks in a row before I will even have a chance at fertility. I NEED to make the weight disappear! My goal is to be below 200 lbs for now. After that I will re-evaluate and see what my options are. For now, my goal is to be below 300 by my birthday (Aug. 6th). Well that should give everyone a start about where I am coming from. I'd like to check in and get to know everyone as often as possible. Are there any threads that are more popular than others in the 300+ group?

Hey Sums,

I'm a 35 year old woman with PCOS myself and I know losing weight can be hard, but my doctor recommended Sugarbusters and it really works for me. I hate giving up the white bread, white potatoes, white rice, corn,and sugar but the weight comes off and I feel so much better after losing my first twelve pounds. I'm relosing some weight after going off the program, but I'm back on and already I"m not out of breath just walking to the community center to swim.

Feel free to email me or Private message me if you want more info!!

I'm so glad that you two ladies have posted here. I too have PCOS (there's actually a forum specifically for PCOS/insulin resistance - except it's not as active as I would hope). Having PCOS means we have to work extra hard to stay active, but I don't think it makes it impossible...I think (from my experience) what makes PCOS hard, is that the SECOND we even go a LITTLE bit off program (whatever we may be doing), that weight comes back on SO FAST.

I hope to talk to you ladies more! You should come on over to the PCOS Monthly Chat, if you want...or just join us in the laterst numbered thread in the 300+ forum.

Looking forward to getting to know you both,

Melissa

Hi!! I have PCOS too, but honestly I don't let that worry me with the weight loss issue. I mean everyone's body is different so some ppl have a lot more problems than others, but I just feel like personally to me I can't keep repeating that to myself or it will fast become an excuse. (Again, that's just for me.)

I find that if you eat right and exercise... there's almost nothing that can KEEP the weight on you. My hormone disorders are totally chaotic, but if you keep plugging away at it, the weight will come off. Just don't give up and don't let others get it into your head that you "Can't" do it. You can! The mind is an amazing thing... so just make up your mind to do it and it'll happen. Remember that diets DO NOT WORK. As someone once told me, the word DIE is in diet... and if you keep yo-yo dieting you will die. lol Simple stuff I though, so it helps me out to think about that. Just make baby steps; one thing at a time.

Glad to have you and your sister here!!!!
Julie

I don't talk much, but wanted to say Welcome and that you found the right place for support!

Just wanted to say Hi to all you new ladies. I'm a relative newbie myself...joining in February. I've greatly enjoyed this forum and find it very supportive and certainly not prone to critisism...After all, we're all in the same, very overloaded, boat!

Lotstolose: Like you, it took a shock at the scale to make me realize just how much weight I'd gained. I'm 5'10" or so and large framed and I don't really feel like I weigh 300+. I like to say I have a very good self-image, or reverse anorexia...Anyway, I'm working on it now and this time is THE time...it's coming off no matter what.

Sums: Unless PCOS is a reason, and I admit I know nothing about it...there's no reason you can't have pasta and rice and potatoes, so long as you watch your portions and fit them into a sensible diet plan. They're very low in fat. There's plenty of folks that can tell you about various plans here.

Arcayne: I believe I've welcomed you before, but if not - Welcome!

I must admit to knowing nothing about PCOS, but I know many on this forum do. I'm sure you'll all find tons of support!

Welcome!

Lilion

Hi Ladies! Thanks so much for the responses. I know I will find some really great people here to chat with.
As far as the PCOS goes, I don't want to give in to it and use it as an excuse at all. But I have done a lot of research on it as I have been diagnosed for over 5 years now. Insulin resistance (from the PCOS) is the reason I shouldn't be eating white grains like potatoes, rice, pasta, etc because it messes with that. So technically, I CAN have those things, they just aren't good for me.
I joined Curves in November and haven't been there much lately because of every reason under the sun, but I really do want to be there. I was going to go tonight but I hurt my back last week and it's just not healed yet. I can do the treadmill slowly though so I might get on that for a few minutes tonight.

I also realized that everyone is posting in the numbered thread, I will check in there for next time. I have to run and do a few things. Be back later!

I, too, have PCOS and know what it's like to be overweight, have difficulty losing it, desperately want a baby, etc. I highly recommend Diets Don't Work by Dr. Bob Schwartz. It does not address PCOS, just eating like a naturally thin person.

As for PCOS, I have found that since I eliminated high fructose corn syrup from my diet, I have had a much easier time managing cravings for sugary items. Look at your bread, your crackers, your soda pop (if you drink it), it's in EVERYTHING!!

Andrea