salutations!

[Paeonia]

hello, my name is peony, and struggling with my weight has been a battle since i hit puberty. i don't remember much of my childhood, but i do bask in the warmth of the few memories that i recall when i was a bubbly, skinny, and über cute little girl! haha! right now--i mean literally, as i have a tape measure--my measurements are 43"-38"-51" and i weight just over 230 pounds at 5'8". That honestly scares the holy muffins out of me.

i guess my main problem is that i do not have a good relationship with food. i was laid off early last year, and that was a big hit to my self-esteem and way of life. around march of last year before my pink slip was issued, i was a size 14, but after all the emotional eating, i am now a size 20. in every other aspect of my life i follow a strict plan and show control; however, i utilize little self-control with food. I am at a point in which i'm confused and frustrated. even when working out like a mad woman in the past, i still did not go below a size 12, and i have a small frame. while i carry the extra weight fine in appearance, i should be a size 8 or smaller. i don't think that my body can take the extra weight much longer...

my goal is to weigh 145 by this time next year. that would require me to lose a little under two pounds a week, which is a lot of work! i hope my joining this forum, i can met a work-out buddy that would like go at losing weight together. it feels like i am going alone at this, but i don't want that. i want good company and advise, and i want to be able to return the favor.

so yeah, salutations!

 

[KaraCooks]

Hi and welcome.

The first thing I'd suggest is registering for a free account on FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal or Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate and starting to log your food. This will let you see how many calories you're eating and how your nutrition levels are breaking down. Once you know that, you'll be able to see more clearly where you can make adjustments, cut back, change your nutrition, etc.

The next thing I'd suggest is checking out the various sticky posts in the exercise area of the forum (Weight Loss Through Exercise - Weight Loss Forum). There are some very good posts on exercise, both cardio/aerobic and on incorporating weight lifting into your exercise plans.

I'd also suggest starting a diary in the weight loss diary area (Weight Loss Diary - Weight Loss Forum) as well as reading and participating in other diaries. This is a good way to make updates to your progress and to get support from others. It helps to find the diaries of people who have successfully lost weight (or are losing weight) and reading through them as well. Following the diaries of those who have been successful is both inspiring and informative.

Finally, I'd say you should read as much as you can of the posts on the board, especially anything that's marked "sticky". There is a ton of good information around here and a lot of times questions that new folks have has already been answered very thoroughly - so do take the time to look around and read.

Hope that helps you to get started.