That's so cool that you are losing for such a good reason. It sounds so wrong to me that they think a good parent has to be a certain weight. That just makes me mad.

I am so glad we did this because I feel like I know so many of you so much better

I am wife to Tod for coming up on 13 years in Oct.
I am mother to Sebastian coming up on 12 years in August.
I myself have occupied the planet for almost 31 years (OMG!) come August.
I work full time as a shift manager in a corn mill.
In the last year I have begun to work on my depression highs and lows.

My fatitude?
I insulate myself with a false shell. Instead of ever letting the world know something is bothering me I get back at everyone by eating. Now you can clearly see I am as ugly on the outside as I am inside. I wrap negative thoughts about me like a big blanket and cozy up. Its worse during my period. And yet I fight against all these things and think of myself as THE CAN DO GIRL! I believe excercise is a great elevator of heart and soul. I believe in the power of dreams and things worth fighting for. I believe in the power of people.

These women here are beautiful people. They give their support and love to whomever comes along.

You gals are the best.
Miss Chris

I guess I forgot the stats

205 lbs, 5'8"
highest weight ever 265
lowest weight ever 127
goal now 130 and happy ;-)
Miss Chris

Hello!

My name is Kris. I live in Canada with my DB (of nearly 10 years!) and a cute cat. We just bought our first home, and are pretty excited! I work full-time for an agency that provides funds to students (I love my job!). I am lucky because I get to walk to and from work everyday. No traffic jam frustrations at the end of the day!

I always thought that I was overweight - but looking back I was probably in the healthy range for weight until my second year of university, when I had a sudden gain of about 75 pounds from an illness. My weight continued to creep up until I was 261 pounds 2 years ago. I was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin-resistance which is related to diabetes. This diagnosis finally motiviated me to do something serious about my weight - and I joined Weight Watcher's. I have lost nearly 75 pounds, so far, and have about 35 more to go.

I no longer go to the WW meetings, but follow that plan from home with exercise! Not a big fan of exercise, but getting better at sticking with it!

Loosing weight is one of the more difficult things that I have done in my life...but I am so proud of myself for sticking with it! I have also enjoyed getting inspiration from the posts on 3FC! Thanks guys!

Kris
261-188-155

Hi, I am Michelle. I live in hot and yucky Arizona with my 2 year old son, Alex. I am divorced, but will soon be married to a wonderful man of God!

I am a born again Christian, a Vegan, a little hippie, an AP (Alternative Parenting) mommy, and a beautiful woman because God never makes anything that is NOT beautiful!

My highest weight was 235...today I am in ONEderland!! I have lost 38 pounds and 8 dress sizes...I am in a size 18/20 now, and those curves are getting REALLY curvey...LOL

I work as a bookkeeper for a roofing company, so my job keeps me sitting most of the day. I often go take a fast pase walk around our yard to get the blood flowing.

Since my life style change, I have become an exercise freak and feeling good. I do battle anorexia, so I really have to surrender that to God every morning, but through prayer and family, I am holding on and beating this!

Hi..I'm Debbie, 40 soon to be 41, married 20 years Jan.2004 I have three wonderful boys..Dustin(14), Darius(8), and Darren(5). They are my life. That is one reason i'm searching for better health. I want to be here for them as they get older. I know how much I depend on my mom, and am thankful she is still with us. I work in a bank ful time, it's a branch located inside a super Wal-Mart, we work 4 days a week...10 hous a day. I really like it, but it has a McDonalds located inside..beside all the other unhealthy tempting food! My highest weight ever is now at 254...i'd like to be under 200 as soon as possible. My final goal weight would be around 160 or 150. I don't want to be super thin..just feel and look better than I do right now. Thanks to everyone for so much motivation from this thread...and all the other threads too

Hi Debbie, Boy a McDonalds in the same building now that would be temptation. Plus you work in a bank so you have access to your money. Oooh that would be a bad combo for me. I'm sure you can do it though. I'm pulling for you.

Ok guess it's my turn....grrrr.

I'm Kimberlie, 30 years old from Greensboro, North Carolina. I am a microbiologist at the city drinking water plant. I am not married (been engaged 3 times but can't commit ). I am mommy to my 3 dalmatians - Inca, Maya, and Kiowa...and 2 cats - Smokey and Ashes. I have been overweight my entire life and been dieting the whole time I started WW 6/17/03 at 337.0 which is a whole 1.5 pounds less than my all time high. Currently as of 7/7/03 I lost 16.6 pounds, missed weigh-in this week because I was in a car accident. Hopefully I'm down 20 pounds now. Ok gotta get my big butt to work!

Kimberlie,

So sorry to hear of your car accident! Are you okay??


Hugs,
Sherry

I guess since I've been posting here the past few days I need to add my bio here.

I'm 38 (39 on August 10) and weigh 310 pounds, my highest ever. I am married to Hunter, 4 years my junior (Get 'em young and train 'em right!) and we have a beautiful daughter, Gem, who is 2 and a half and knows how to do everything herself (or so SHE thinks -- it's not so bad until she tries to squirm/push out of your arms in the pool). It took us YEARS to get pregnant -- I have PCOS. So Gem is our Blessing Baby (not that any child isn't, but she's rather special to us) and she was born on Easter Sunday, too!

I am a web coordinator for a federal agency in Washington DC. Not the main web people for the overall site, but one of the main people for one huge section of it. So I sit on the computer all day at work. THen I go home, and after dinner and Gem-time, I sit in front of the computer at home and play online computer games (Everquest, if you've heard of it). My total commute time is about three hours a day. /sigh So I'm on my Butt a lot of the time!

I've been overweight since puberty. A few pounds here, a few pounds there. And now here I am, breaking the scale at over 300. My problem, especially with the PCOS, is that I need to move. The doctor basically told me point blank that it wouldn't really matter how little I ate, that unless I exercised the weight wouldn't come off. I was exercising pretty frequently a few years ago, but when Gem was six months old I fell with her in my arms and hurt my ankle something fierce. Lack of exercise and the subsequent weight gain has aggravated the tendonitis in that foot and my ankle/knee problems in general. But every bit of movement helps. I'm determined to make some lifestyle changes -- move more and eat more healthily, to start.

Now, granted, I don't eat the most healthy diet in the world. What cheeses me off, though, is that I see those little skinny people eating as much or more than I do. Not fair! But what is fair. My body is my body. Theirs is different. Their lifestyle is different. No more self-pity.

My basic plan is to count calories. I'm using FitDay to track it. To maintain this weight, I need about 3000 calories a day. So I'm aiming for 2000 - 2500. If the math works out (and I know it's not really as simple as all that), I should lose 1-2 pounds a week. This board is my main "support" forum. I don't have the time to go to a meeting, or a gym or something like that. I get home with Gem at 6, and she gets ready for bed around 7:30. Some nights it's just me, 'cause Hunter works retail (he's an optician). So it gets hard sometimes to stay on plan.

I'm looking for permanent change, so I want slow and steady. Good habits take a while to establish themselves. Besides, we're hoping to get pregnant again, and I don't want to be doing drastic things to my body when I'm trying to prepare it for a new life.

Other hobbies:

• I sing in my church choir (hence "synger" -- I'm a lyric soprano)
  
• We play tabletop fantasy role-playing games with friends each weekend (like Dungeons and Dragons -- it's sort of like extemporaneous theater, except you sit around a table talking it all out rather than getting up and acting it out)
  
• We love history. I enjoy reading about it, Hunter and I love the History Channel, and we try to stay involved with the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval reenactment/education/fun group that's really active in this area.
  
• As I mentioned, we're involved in computer gaming, too.
  
• I'm trying to do more gardening.
  

This is rather rambly, but I haven't had the requisite first cup of coffee yet. (I checked the boards first! /chuckle) Talk to you all later.

Yep just bruised and sore but healthy (and big) as a horse

Kim, so glad you're okay!!

Synger, glad you've joined us! My birthday is August 10 too!

Kim I'm glad you're ok too!! Car accidents are the WORST.

Synger - so glad you've joined us, thanks for telling us more about yourself

Hello Everyone!

I've been posting here for quite a while, and have found this to be a wonderful place full of nice people who encourage and inspire and care for each other.

I am 47, married for 27 years to my DH Steve. I have 3 children ~ Jason 25, Sara 22 and Jennifer 21. Sara is the mommy to my little grandson Corbin 6. Sara, Jason and Corbin live in Houston, so I only get to see them once or twice a year (when I get to be with them, I am in Grandma heaven).

I have been battling the bulge for most of my adult life, with the weight creeping up over the years. I had kind of given up and stoped trying ~ tired of yo-yoing, but started again in the fall of 1999 because of health concerns. By the summer of 2000, I had lost almost 40 pounds and was almost half way to goal. Then I went on vacation, went back to work, and have never gotten back the original drive. So, the weight crept back up again. I reached my highest this spring (partly due to another health problem). I started the new year with high hopes and good attitude, but one thing after another has gone wrong, and made the journey to better health harder. Now, I am driven by pain, and feeling tired of feeling bad ~ I just want to feel better. So, I am back to coutning calories, measuring everything and have been going to Curves. I have to do this this time!!

Thank you all for helping me along on my journey!

Gayle

Oh, I wanted to add a comment here in regards to Angie's situation with the adoption people and the weight thing ~ I think that it is not that they do not think that a large person would not be a good parent, but that they want the parents to be in good health so that they will be around for long time for the children who will become part of their family. (I was in her shoes once ~ my Sara and Jennifer are adopted from Korea.)