starting today...........

cml

cml

New member
:hug2: Hi my name is Carolyn. I just found this site today. This is exactly what I've been searching for.

I have been heavy my entire life. I have never been even normal size for my weight. Once I was close but I was also quite a bit younger and busier. I am hoping to find encouraging words and maybe to get a few encouraging stories from you. I would like to know how some of you are doing and how you are losing weight. I have over one hundred pounds to lose and I know I have to get started or I will be this way forever. When I write one hundred pounds out on the screen in front of me, it looks bleek...and insurmountable, but I've read where others have lost this much and sometimes more.

I've seen the success stories on Oprah and Dr. Phil, but most of them have had surgery which I do not want to have done. I am not looking for a pill or a magic diet or anything like that. I know what needs to be done. I just have to do it. Exercise and cut back on calories is the only way to keep it off long term.

I have a sedentary job and honestly getting motivated to exercise is one of my biggest hurdles. I want to go home when I get off work...not to the gym. I need to work on that, seriously need to work on it.

Thanks for reading. And to all of you that are succeeding, I am amazed by you. You should be so proud.
 
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Hey Carolyn

Welcome to WLF. This place is amazing. It has amazingly motivating, friendly, caring, supportive, informative people:rotflmao:

You can do this without surgery. Many here have done it and many more will. Its all about will and motivation... you can do it... and we can help you along. Don't be afriad to ask questions.

My diary has been the greatest thing for me... met great people, I share everything there, spill my guts daily LOL... and its very helpful.

Good Luck on your Journey
~Jenna
 
Thanks, Jenna,

Who is the cute little girl in your pic? I bet it is someone you love very much.

I guess I am a little confused on how to move around in this site. Do you basically stay in one place or do you move around??

And thank you for your encouraging words. They meant more than you know...

How are you doing with your weight loss and how long and you know the regular questions...how are you doing it?

Thanks
Carolyn
:jump:
 
Hi Carolyn

LOL..The cute little girl is me about a month before I turned 4. I put it up there to remember before things got bad... lots of long stories. I don't quite love me yet... but I'm totally working on it:)

On June 1st I weighed 285 and on August 15th I weighed in at 251. My next weigh in is August 30th. I am doing it just by eating healthy and exercising. Its about consistency. My exercise hasn't been great lately because i have a ton going on... but in a few more days to a week it'll totally be back on track. I'm not a calorie counter some are. I weigh twice a month... others weigh everyday, everyweek. You have to find what works for you. In the nutrition section and the weightloss through exercise section there are stickied threads that are chock full of great information to start out with.

Feel more than welcome to move around and read others journals and post in them. Your certainly more than welcome in mine anytime:)

If you have any questions just ask... you can pm me anytime or im me on one of my screenames.

~Jenna
 
Hi Carolyn!

Welcome to the forums. I'm still pretty new here, too but I am already learning how to navigate around pretty well. What I've found to be inspirational and motivational for me is starting a diary. Then I log in daily all my meals (calorie totals) and exercise routine (calories burned). The great thing about doing this is you can see what you're taking in. It looks so different typed out! And by posting a diary, it holds you very accountable. And then your friends from the forum will reply to you with tips, advice, and words on encouragement. It's great! Then you just keep posting on the same diary with new entries. It's an amazing thing. It takes dedication to always come on here and do it, though. On days when I eat badly, I dread coming on here and admitting it, because I'm ashamed, but I know if I do I will be encouraged to do better. It's worth it!

So I hope you find that same kind of motivation on here that I have. Everyone is so amazing, it's quite refreshing!

As far as dieting goes, I haven't bought into any brand-name diet or gimmick. I simply count/watch my calories and work-out. The key to losing weight, no matter how you are dieting, is burning more calories than you consume. People forget that our everyday activities--making the bed, cooking, grocery shopping--burn tons of calories, too. So as long as we are watching our proportions and eating healthy while adding exercise to the mix, we will lose weight!

I set a calorie goal for myself and only eat up to that number. Then when I work out, I just push very hard throughout the whole work-out and note things as I go. That way when I enter the work-out into my diary later, I am able to see the things that burn the most calories and stuff like that.

If you ever reach a plateau where you feel like you aren't making progress, I suggest eliminating one snack from your daily diet and upping your cardio by 10-15 minutes. It pulls me out!

And getting motivated to work-out is hard! After I get off work, I just want to put my feet up and veg out. But that's the biggest change I've had to make. I want to rest but I tell myself that I'll have more time to rest in the future, and I want to be healthy and thin more than I want to rest. It's all a mind battle! Just remind yourself how important getting healthy is. Usually once I get to the gym I'm fine.. it's just getting there that needs the motivation!

Sorry I've written you a book! I just wanted to make you feel at home here. And if you ever need anything.. whether it be someone to listen, someone to laugh with, or something to vent to.. you're at the right place!! Welcome and good luck!

Hope you have a happy and healthy day!

-Bride In Waiting
 
Thank you both, Jenna and Bride in Waiting. Your encouraging words are helping me so much on my first day trying to do this. I felt all alone but now I don't.

Can I ask one of you a (Probably) silly question, how do you get the scale thingie on the bottom below your message that shows your weight and all of your goals and how far you've come? They are neat and I want one. I searched a few places but I am new here...he he he

So far today, I am not overdoing it. And as far as the exercising goes, I am gonna do it. I am.

Carolyn
:hug2:
 
Jenna,

I love the picture of you. It sounds like you've been through a lot. If you ever want to talk or vent to me, you can send me a personal message and eventually I will figure out how to open it...
:)

I am okay with the internet but it takes me awhile.

Carolyn
:eek:
 
Hi Carolyn,

You make a ticker at one of the ticker sites. One of the easier ones to use is tickerfactory.com
Follow their step by step instructions ... it really is easy once you get there. Once you have created your ticker on that site. Go to your user cp in the upper left hand corner of the site. Click on edit signature.

Copy and paste the BBC code from the tickerfactory website into the edit signature. Then save. Then you will have a ticker.

Oh... and no question here is a silly or stupid question:)
 
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Thanks. You are such a nice person to chat with. I hope your day is great and successful!

And I hope whatever you are going thru that is stressful calms down for you soon!

Carolyn
:)
 
Hiya Carolyn,
Welcome to the forums. There are a ton of people here who love to help out and have lots of information to help you on your goals.

Have you planned out what you'll be doing for diet and exercise? There are some good tools out there to help you. A couple of my favorites that I've been telling people about are and .

The first is a calorie tracker which also will keep track of exercises, etc. Its free and a lot of the members on the forums use it to help keep them on track with their goals.

The second one is a great source of information for the foods you eat, not just for caloric values but also to see where your calories are coming from and in some cases what kinds of other nutrients you get from those foods. That one is also free and its been a great help in my weight loss.

Good luck on your journey to a healthier you!

- Sunny
 
Hi Sunny!

Thanks for the tips and yes I did use Fitday.com today and have added my calories up so far and it is a big help. It helps me see what I have or if I have any calories left for the rest of the day.

I had no idea such a site existed til I came here today. As for the nutrition site, I will go there too.

Thank you so much and for your support. It means so much!

Carolyn
:jump:
 
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