Hi, I'm new to all of this so please have some patience with me. I'm a 350 pound woman who is sick and tired of being sick and tired. I have been struggling with my weight since I was a child. I have been on numerous diets and I would lose weight and then gain it back. I suffer from PTSD, depression and anxiety so I use food as a form of medication. I'm hoping to find the right program for me and I'm hoping to find some support and guidance. I'm also eager to meet new friends and support them as much as I can as well.

I'm thinking about trying the Atkins diet once again but I am really questioning if I will be able to stick to something that's so stringent. At this point I'm really worried about my health and having a heart attack so I'm pretty much willing to do whatever I can to,lose weight.

I'm a 43 year old woman who is married, ( my husband is currently in Afghanistan). We have two children a boy who is 11 and a daughter who is 16. We also have two dogs one Corgi and a Mini Dachshund.

I'm happy to be here and thank you for having me.

Welcome to 3FC!

Welcome! I love your name. Seahorses are neat creatures. I participate on the 40-somethings and the weight loss and depression threads so come on over and join our fun. You will receive much encouragement, information and motivation there to help you be successful in meeting your weight loss goals. I am following the Atkins plan as I have to lose weight rapidly or I give up. I signed up for Atkins.com and they sent me a great carb counter book that fits in my purse, a condensed copy of the diet, 3 of their bars to sample and $3 in coupons all for free. It shows how you can follow the strict induction phase for 2 weeks then start adding back carbs so that you will enjoy the diet more. I am sticking with Induction because I want to reach my goal weight sooner. I don't know what your goal will be, but since it will take you a little longer than me, I recommend you go to the second phase of adding back "good" carbs so that you will be motivated to stick with it. Do you have any exercise plan ideas yet? I have a disabling back injury so I can only do pool aerobics. If there is a community pool near you why not give it a try? It is low impact and I am really toning up from my efforts. I don't feel any pain doing it and that is great since I have chronic pain all of the time. Lastly, I recommend you drink adequate water each day. I find it really speeds up my weight loss. My doc recommends drink 100 ounces a day until you get below 200 lbs then drink 1/2 your body weight in water down to 64 ounces a day. That is the minimum he set for me. You may want to discuss these issues with your doc, but mine is all on board as my blood work 3 weeks ago was the best he has ever gotten from me. I look forward to following your progress and cheering you on as you reach your weight loss goals.

Blessings,

I have four cats and one dog! My dog is a Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix. He's on a diet with me. :-) (but he's not happy about it.)

Welcome, Seahorselover!

You are so wise to realize that you need to do this for your health. For me, that was so much more a motivator than doing it for vanity or to try and lose weight for a specific event (as I often did when I was younger).

3FC is a great place to come for support and motivation. Regardless of which path you choose, you'll find others doing the same thing! Take some time to read through the posts and you'll discover the plan that you feel will work best for you.

It must be so difficult with your husband in Afghanistan. (My late husband was a Vietnam War veteran).

If you are not sure if you want to do Atkins again, read through the different threads and see what might best suit you. You will find most people here very supportive and willing to answer any questions you might have about a plan (or point you in a direction to find the answers.) Remember this is more about a lifestyle change than a 'diet'.

Whatever plan you choose, I look forward to reading your posts and your progress.

Just a side note - I raised a mini dachshund from 6 weeks to 17 yrs. He died 10 years ago, I still miss him, he was my walking buddy. Now I have 2 Maltese, they are more like having toddlers!

Hi Seahorselover,

I'm new to 3FC too and just wanted to say welcome! I too am raising a teenager - 2 of them actually, and have two dachshunds. Today is my first day as a registered poster on 3FC, but I've been lurking for months - there's some great info on these boards!

Welcome! I'm brand new here too! I think it's AWESOME what your doing, what WE'RE doing. I'm so sick of feeling crappy about myself. Hope you have a great start to your new lifestyle change!

Welcome and good luck on your journey!!