Like a lot of you, I have struggled with my weight my whole life, generally hovering around 200lbs.

Well, after 12 years of infertility and giving up the hope of ever having a child, I gave birth to my miracle baby girl. That is the fab part! The not so fab part is that since then I have put on 160lbs.

I knew I had gained weight but I had NO idea it was that much. I was just floored. I have to get this weight off. I am already an older parent and I cannot let my life end early because of all this extra fat. I owe my daughter better than that. I owe myself better than that.

So January 01 was my new beginning. I already have 20lbs off and I realize that is just a drop in the bucket. I have read through a lot of your posts and stories and I think this might be the place where people may understand me,. Cause I sure as heck understand your stories.

Thanks for listening
Minnie

Holy Smokes! You are doing really well. Congratulations. Keep up whatever it is you are doing!

You are right. You have come to a fantastic place. Let me tell you that 3FC and so many of the ladies here have been paramount in my weightloss efforts. They are always here to support and truly do GET IT--yep, UNDERSTAND the struggle and the fight to health. Even moreso, there are answers here. There are many paths explored and one WILL be right for you.

Settle in and get comfortable. Welcome to you! I am glad you are here. Your body will thank you and so will that baby girl.

Hi, Minnie, welcome! I am so glad you are here! Congratulations on your great weight loss so far! I think starting a diet is so hard, so kudos to you for starting to learn to eat more healthfully! I wish you the best of luck on your journey to a skinny Minnie!

Hi Minnie and welcome!

Great progress so far! Many drops in the bucket add up to a huge bucket, trust me. Persistence pays off and you will clearly see that down the road.

One critical thing IMO is to never allow occasional scale variations to get you off plan. Our bodies have some really interesting compensatory mechanisms when we diet/lose weight that can cause temporary aberrations in the scale on occasion. Unfortunately, one can allow this to discourage oneself, leading to going off plan. This is extremely counter-productive. Understanding that the scale will do this on occasion but that the big picture will ultimately be a steady downward trend, is very important in order to keep you on plan.

Personally, I've found that occasional lapses of going off plan easily lead to multiple lapses. There's always a good reason...the sun is shining, it's raining, you name it. Therefore I have been very militant about staying on plan and have not veered off even once. I don't want to risk going down that road.....saw too many do it in college where occasional cutting of class led to frequent cutting of class and often led to flunking or dropping out. I feel it's THAT important.

There is lots of support and great information here....and if you run into any sort of problem, you can get great suggestions and advice here for this.

Will be cheering for you.

deena

Welcome Minnie!!
Like you I have hung near 220-240 most of my life and I had my daughter when I turned 43. Twenty months and about 30-40lbs later, I realized she is a vital reason for me to be healthy. I have many more but she was a key motivator.

This is a wonderful place to find encouragement, support and understanding. I'm two weeks in and have been doing well. This site has been instrumental in me maintaining.

Welcome and enjoy the journey.

Thanks so much for your reply. I am thrilled to lose the 20, for sure. I look forward to walking these cyber halls

Thanks so much Lori, and I truly do hope to me a skinny Minnie, but I can't help thinking I should have been named Patty.

Thanks for the cheers and the advice Deena. You are right about drops in the bucket. They do add up, and these poor old legs of mine are carrying 20 lbs less. I can't help thinking that my daughter weights 29lbs and when I have lost that much how heavy that really is.

Thanks Jigs. I look forward to talking with you over the next few months and the special challenges we face raising toddlers over 40 AND losing weight.

Hi Minnie!
Congrats on your precious little miracle, you're right, you have the best motivation in the world - and way to go on your success so far ( that's twenty drops closer to you goal) - the support you need is here to achieve a healthier you.

Glad to have you join us! There are lots & lots of different groups and forums - I'm sure you'll find some that will keep you motivated and inspired. Try the weight loss support forums, they're active and very helpful - also the Success stories are a definite must for motivation.

There are bunches of people here with more to lose and some with less - the bottom line is that we all have to do it a day at a time. The good thing is that we'll have lots of company along the way.

I've only been here since last fall, having NEVER been part of an online forum. What has been so eye-opening is how much it has helped me. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or defeated, I just log on and read some of the success stories, complete with their before & after photos - or read about others still dealing day to day with their challenges - and before I know it, the time has flown by and so have all the thoughts of going off track or giving up. It has made all the difference in my success so far.

So welcome - you've found the right place - join in by inspiring us and being inspired!

All the best - good luck with your goals,
Lee