Introduce yourself

well you have a friend in me.. Its great that you are here.

I am returning to Sparkpeople after a long absence. I'm glad to be back as I fell off the band wagon and allowed myself to lose control over my eating. I am ready to start my new venture now that I am 30. I know I can take this journey as I now have the additional help from my family, friends, MD and MYSELF. I look forward to making connections with people who are in the same situation as I am.

Hello everyone. I am 35 and a single mom. I, too, like alot of people am tired of being overweight. I have recently started getting serious about exercising-now I need to get more control over myself with food and emotional eating....all that good stuff. Nice to meet all of you. Best of luck.

Well, here I am...again. I joined sparkpeople about a year and a half ago, and loved it. But because of my weaknesses, I stopped. Not only stopped but then continued gaining weight! I think I was down to something like 189 lbs... from 200 and now I'm up to 225! Oh how I wish I could have, would have, stuck to it. I am so disappointed in myself and when I saw someone on the Today show, mention Sparkpeople helped her lose half her body weight, I decided it is time to seriously do this. So not only am I back on here....but I woke my husband up at 3pm...(he works nights) and asked him to go for a walk with me! He struggles with his weight too so of course he said sure. I live on a pretty big hill, and we walked for about 30 mins, to McDonalds.....not to pig out...but I got a large sweet tea (my weakness), drank half of it, filled it all the way up with water, and headed home. It was a coooold windy walk, but we did it...I did it! Funny how something so trivial can make me feel so good...but if you only knew.
Anyway, I'm glad to be back, and I hope I can be one of those great stories, this time next year!
Oh, I need friends!!!!...LOL...my page is pitiful!

Hello everyone. I'm very new here but it looks like a wonderful support team. I have 55 lbs to lose this is my goal and I plan to do it healthy. I look forward to connecting with you all and making new friendships
~Meetime

I am so excited! I only have 80 to lose instead of 100 hopefully I will only be hanging around her for about 4 months...lol. then its off to the next group.

Hello Everyone, Just joined this evening hope your all well. My name is Zodiac-Angel i am 39 years old from leeds uk. I need to lose 5 stone, i have stopped smoking for 14 days now so doing well. I have started a diet and exercise journal. I am eating lots of fruit and 30 mins a-day exercise. Glad to meet you all :)

Love and light

From Zodiac-Angel

Hi! I'm new around here. Only been on SP around a month. I'm 31 and live in middle TN. I used to be a competitive gymnast and since quitting before going to college I've let myself go by focusing on other things. I know I can get back in shape and am determined to do so. I've already lost 7 pounds and have a long way to go!

Hi all,

I've been on this site for about a month now, but haven't really made any connections yet, so I thought I'd introduce myself and get the ball rolling. It's easier to accomplish any goal when you have a little support!

Anyway, I'm 31 and live near Toronto, Canada. I'm a paramedic, have no human kids by choice, but lots of rescued furry critter-kids. I've lost weight before, but have had trouble keeping it off. I know it will be a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to changing my attitude towards food and exercise in order to change my life.

Looking forward to meeting some like-minded people and working towards our goals! Good luck!

Hello!! My name is Lisa. I am 37 soon to be 38 next month. I am so tired of being over weight. I have tried many times in the past to lose weight and have been unsuccessful. I will not give up. I have two daughters that I want to be around for. I am looking foreward to doing this and meeting new friends too.

I'm Steffi and I'm 34. I've been fat my whole life and I'd just really like to lose weight for my health. I'm trying to lost about 50 pounds to start with. I hope to make a few friends while I'm here.

Hi, My name is Chrys. I am 35, married, and have a teenage son. I have recently joined SP and am very excited about this journey. My total goal is 75 lbs but have set mini goals along the way. I am in the last semester of my Bachelor's (this has been such a long journey). I will be graduating in May. In June I will be going to the top of the Statue of Liberty, and in July I am going to Mexico. So if none of this motivates me then I think I may be doomed. I look forward to making lots of friends on here.

Hi! I'm Frannie. I'm 30 years old, and am looking to lose quite a bit. I'm tired of looking in the mirror and not liking what I see. This is my second time on SP, and it worked well the first time. It was just keeping up the good work that was hard. Here we go again.

Hi, I am Lori. I will be 4o in April and have decided that I want to lose 40 by 40. That will be a stretch but if it's 20 or 30 by 40, that's good too. I have lost 11 lbs. since Dec. 1, of last year. I have two sons, 4 and 5. My oldest son has special needs and now that he is older and doing really well, I know that I need to concentrate on myself. Sometimes that feels really selfish since I always think of my kids first, but I know I have to do it.

I everyone! My name is Kym, I am 33 years old and have 3 wonderful children. (13, 4 and 2) our youngest children are both special needs, and apparently after looking in the mirror one day, I found I've been putting them before me for 2 long. How did I get this way?? So I am looking to lose 70+ pounds by this time next year, hopefully! I am excited about starting this journey and to become more confident about who I am and to enjoy what life has given to me!

Hi everyone, I am Holly...38yrs old, live in SW Michigan. Currently trying to get healthy and setting my first goal to lose 50 pounds by July, kind of a stretch. Ultimately I would like to lose about 75 pounds total. Looking for lots of inspiration and new recipes to keep me from getting bored.

HI everyone. My name is Deanne. I'm 36 years old. I live in upstate NY with my husband and our 2 girls..ages 11 and 12. I am currently in the process of losing about 60 lbs. It is going very very slowly for me. I feel like no matter how hard i try the weight just doesn't come off. I look forward to reading about everyones progress on this board and also getting some good tips!

Hello! My name is Jen and I am 35 years old. I have 3 children ages 15, 17 and 9 months. I want to lose 74 pounds. I have tried many different diets and failed. I am so happy I found Spark People. It is a life style change. Not a diet. I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.

:) Jen

Hi Everyone! I'm Lori. I'm 39 (soon to be 40) and the mother of four beautiful children (8, 6, 4, and 6 mos). Over the past 8 years I have spent all my time nurturing my family that I forgot to take care of myself. Before I had kids I was fit and healthy, so I know what I am capable of. I am ready to become that person again, not only for my health, but for my family. I look forward to making new spark friends and sharing the challenges of living a healthy lifestyle.

Hi all! My name is Jen and I have a lot of weight to lose! Over 100+ lbs to lose. I have given myself a year and a half to do it in. I want to be thin when my husband graduates from college. I know how hard he works for good grades so he can take care of my son and myself in the future. So I think I should make sure I start to get healthy to enjoy that. So I will need lots of friends to help me out along the way.

Hi! I'm Samantha. I need to loose at least 40 pounds. I'd like to loose more (70), but I have have an endocrine disorder that makes it really hard. My goal is 50 pounds in 2 years, which should put me in a healthy range.
I've tried so hard in the past to lose weight, I hope this program is what I need. I need something flexible with motivation besides weightloss. In the past I've given up because I join a group of friends, we eat well, exercise together, they lose 10 pounds, I lose one. We get out of habit for a month, they put on three pounds, I put on 10. So discouraging.
I'm hoping this will allow me to see some benifit other than the scale so I'll stick with it long enough for the scale to change.

Hi, my name is Jessica and I am 31 and the mother of 2 wonderful children and a wife to an awesome husband. My husband got into biking and running when I was pregnant with our 2 child. So as I was getting bigger he was getting smaller. I have had a hard time losing the weight. Adrianna is 1 now and I have no excuses. I want to lose 60 lbs by this time next year (actually preferably by my girls weekend away in August). I have been reading all the success stories and I want to be one of them sooo bad. I need some motivation to keep on track. I have been tracking everything....I love this site!

Hi I started about 11 days ago and am still new and (nervous) about all this..lol
One thing i know for sure is that I am down 9 pounds!!

Hello,
Just started Spark Today. Trying to lose 77 pounds total. Looking at a six month plan (3 lbs week). Started tracking all food today and watching calories. Need to get more exercise, Work and family busy. Wanted to go tonight but running out of time!

Hi Everyone! My name is Jean and I discovered Sparks about five days ago. I started out with a goal to lose fifty pounds but in the end I hope to lose around 80. I have been tracking my food for five days now and have lost 7lbs yay. Today I figured if I am doing so well with just cutting calories I might as well workout so I just finished 20 mins of Wii boxing and feel great! My motivation to my weight loss is my husband and I have been trying to start a family for four years and after all the tests in the world they can not find anything wrong with either of us. I know deep down that my weight is hindering our chances of starting a family so I hope to shed the pounds so that I can start my family!

Hello all, I am Lorie from Utah. My goal is to lose 50lbs. I have steadly gain the extra weight after having twins. I want to be young, active, and healthy before I hit 40.

Welcome to the team! You will really find it a wonderful resource as you pursue your goals! Having a good support group is an excellent part of maintaining your steps!

Hi I am Monisha and I am rejoining this site after two years of knowing about it. I joined before and fell off and now I am back. I am determined to lose weight and keep it off this time. My goal is 50 pounds and to keep it off. I know how to lose my problem is keeping it off. I lost 29 pounds with Jenny Craig last year and put it all back on. I am not happy about that and I am determined to make this year different.

Hi! My name is Kim and I just joined this site today. I would like to lose 50 lbs in order to be back at the weight I was at 3 years ago. I injured my back and have put on the weight, due to chronic pain and what I believe was "emotional eating" after also going through a terrible divorce. I had back surgery 2 months ago and for the most part, feel great with none to very little pain. I am going to be incorporating exercise back into my daily routine. I am terrible at counting calories but I know that I HAVE to do that in order to lose the weight. I have 2 beautiful children that I want to be active with plus, if I am happier with myself, I will be a MUCH happier person to be around and my kids deserve nothing but the best, as do I!!!

Hi,
I am a 39 year old mom of two... always been on the heavy side, but with each kid and each year, my weight keeps creeping up. I still am active, hiking, biking, skiing etc, but find it increasingly difficult to do the things that I want to do. My family seems to center life around the kitchen... cooking together, eating together, finding new restaurants etc. need to get under control...

You have a great attitude. You will look and feel beautiful when she graduates. Good luck. YOU CAN DO IT!

You can do it. We have a little group we made at my kids school where we are encouraging one another. The power of positive thinking. You can lose the weight! Good luck. This website looks like a wonderful resource.

I'm Stephanie. I'm 35, a full time commercial real estate paralegal and mom to a 7yr old daughter. I am also recently divorced. I am needing and wanting to lose about 60 pounds so i can feel better and be able to run after my daughter and keep up with her! We've joined our local Y and we try to get there at least 5x a week. I am dealing with some thyroid issues as well as something called insulin resistance which I am really hoping will not hold me back for too long. Good luck everyone!

Hello, Good luck on your journey...I'm new today too

Hello! My name is Leah, I am 32 and a 3rd yr pharmacy student. I quit using the site because I didn't think I had time. I have since put on an additional 20 lbs! Yikes! I recently began a Couch-2-5K program and decided I had better make the time to use the site. I need to lose 70 lbs to make it into the "overweight" category of BMI, but feel that this may be a good weight for me based on my physical structure. As I progress, my goals may change, and that is ok, but for now, my first goal is a 5% weight loss. 2010 is the year of change for me!

Hi my name is Mary.I'm about 200 and hope to get back to 145 at least.I just really started my diet and exercise.I follow Bob harper workouts cuz he remembers that begginers do his tapes and takes it slow and easy but man do you work out

Hi All

My name is Jessica and I started my weight loss journey - this time around - on Dec. 16 2009. I weighed 200lb... I would like to get down to 160 lbs. In the first month I lost 2.6 lbs only but I wasn't really paying too much attention to diet until the new year but I have been working out with a trainer 4 days a week since 12/16 in a small group setting.

Edited by: JCO11405 at: 1/23/2010 (20:47)

Hello. My name is Karen. I want to lose 70 more pounds. I have managed to lose 25 lbs in 2009, but have hit this plateau...gaining and losing the same 2 pounds for nearly 3 months. I look forward to learning a bit more every day from members as I continue towards my weight loss goal.

Hello My name is Armida I am 35 yrs old and mother of 3 kids ages 14, 12, and 3. I live in Oregon and am excited to learn new ideas from you all.

Hello everyone, My name is Sadie!
I am new to this site and i have to tell you after reading some inspiring stories and viewing others home pages i am so excited to get started myself! I want to learn to become a better me and look forward to sharing my journey with all of you.

Hello all! My name is Erika and I am trying to lose at least 50 pounds. That is my starting point and will re-evaluate when I reach that goal. I am 35 years old and ready to get on with my life- just a little less of me.

Hey! My name is Nicole. I am stay at home mom with 3 kids. I am wanting to get more active and eat healthier to set a good example for them. I look forward to getting to know you all better!

Hello Everyone!
I am 31 and have been married for 8 1/2 years. I have a 6 year old daughter, work full-time, and am the leader of my daughter's Girl Scout troop.

I would love to lose 70 to 80 lbs.

Nice to meet you all!

Hello Everyone,
My name is Annissa, I just turned 31. I currently weigh 167lbs. my goal is 115lbs. Best of luck to the rest of you.

Hello Everyone,

My name is Sandie and I'm 30yrs old. I have 2 wonderful kids ages 12,4. I work full-time at zellers and go to the gym 6 days a week. I need to lose at least 40lbs. I started my new weight loss plan last week at 160lbs, and I'm not planning on weighing myself until next Monday. Wishing everyone the best of luck in reaching your goals!

Well i guess its my turn. My name is Tina im married with 5 kids. I've never really lost all the weight after each baby and now its time I do that. I am sure in can do it with the right support and I think I have come 2 the right place for it.
Good luck to all

Hello everyone! It is so nice to meet everyone. My name is Tonni and I've gained so much weight after a painful and emotional break-up with my fiancé'. I am picking myself up and determined to lose the weight I'd gained during the breakup and recovery. I want to learn better eating habits and be more confident in myself.

Hi everyone! My name is Michelle and I'm 31 years old. I just recently joined Sparkpeople and I'm just trying to learn new patterns to live a healthier life. I tried Weight Watchers over a year ago and I did well for a while (lost 20 lbs!) but then I just gave up and gained it all back. So now, I'm starting back where I started then. I definitely realize I need all the support I can get if I'm going to be successful, though!

Hello! I'm turning 33 in a few days and after 10 years trying without success I will try it again to lose a few pounds from 193 to 143.

Welcome to the team Michelle! Its always a good thing to set up goals to help you stay focused on what you want to accomplish! If you dont take care of you, who will?