Hi All - My name is Meg, I am 27 years old, and I have been stuck inside a chubby girl for two years

A little history of me:

I was (emphasis on the past tense) naturally thin all my life untill 2005 when I became pregnant with my now two year old son. My son was a "blessing" (ie unplanned) and I was scared, alone, stressed, and on bed rest so I ate and ate and ate. I was 150 when I became pregnant and wore a size 6 (i'm tall). When I checked into the hospital to give birth I was 132 but was down to 190 by my 5 week post partum check up - I stayed at 190 (size 14) for over a year despite efforts to diet and excercise....this past spring i was finishing grad school, dealing with the stress and depression of being a single parent, and coping with the cancer diagnosis of my brother, and you guessed it I ate and ate and ate. I now weigh in at 245 and wear a size 18.
My knees hurt, I feel ashamed and embarresed all the time, i have little to no energy and I am finally fed up. I just joined up with Metabolic Research Center and feel hopeful that this might be what I need to lose the weight. The MRC specialist determined my goal weight to be 172 - heavier than I use to be but much much healthier than I am now.
I am looking forward to getting to know all of you better - Prayers and encouragment are ALWAYS welcome!

to 3FC's MEG ~ you have come to the right place; CONGRATS on finishing grad school. I know that stress and worry and school can lead to weight-gain, but you can start to take control again, starting today. We have many good forums here. There is a Christian thread where you can get lots of prayer support in the FAITH-BASED SUPPORT GROUP/ Christian Encourager's thread; you are most welcome to drop by there.

There are also many young mothers here in their twenties; I'm sure you will find many people here that you have something in common with. You have your plan, maybe add some exercise like walking to start, and you are on your way, already! Hope to see you around ...

ROSEBUD

Hey Meg!

I'm so glad you found us and you're starting on your way to being a healthier you. All of us have some reason we got overweight...but we also have fabulous reasons we've decided to get RID of that weight, and you have a list! Your knees, your child, your health...all are worth this. Maybe you can make a list of reasons and tack it up somewhere so that, when you get down and want to do a cheeseburger nosedive, you can refer to it.

Otherwise, look around. In addition to forums for many different plans, we have a 20-somethings area that might be good to check out...also, we have challenges running continuously in the "Chicks Up for a Challenge" forum...might be the push you need to get you moving.

Wherever you decide to post, just jump in and keep posting! Hope to get to know you better soon.

Meg!
I am also a mother, but my little boy is 3! I'm not single, but sometimes I feel like it because my husband is in retail management and is at work more than at home. So, I know how hard it can be raising a child on your own. Come join us at the 20-something forum...we love to see new faces!