Community » Motivation » 50+ Lbs to Lose » A newbie looking for new weight loss buddies. . .

Hi! I am new to this website. I just made an account today. I have A LOT of weight to lose and am pretty private about my struggle as far as making my weight issue public. I would like to make friends with people who are in the same boat as I. We can motivate each other through the good days and the bad.

I just moved to a new town and haven't met anyone here yet. I have closed myself off from the world due to my weight struggles and don't leave my house unless necessary. It's time to get my ass in gear and get back down to a healthy size. I'm ready to begin and have already started working out on my own with the 'MyFitPal' website and it's Android app and have already seen results! Not so much on the scale as in the mirror though which I believe is a result of incorporating so much strength-training with weights into my daily routines. I had a gym membership, but never used it and now, can't afford a trainer. I have researched "free online trainers" multiple times only to sign up and find out it's either a scam or nothing legitimate - not enough to be useful, at least. I've been too embarrassed to ask my trainer friends (who I haven't seen in years) for help and have resorted to suffering silently and recently, decided to get active - embarrassing or not. I walk daily. I bike four times a day. I do at least 1-3 hours a day of cardio/weights/strength-training/aerobics. I also started calorie tracking and eating much better, smaller portions. I have had so much more energy and I know I look better (and feel better!) though the scale hasn't showed much improvement.

I feel like the whole package, minus this weight. I've always been very intelligent, in control, ambitious, successful, kind, generous, confident, driven, etc. And yet, this weight problem is the one thing I couldn't control and the one thing holding me back from living my life. It's not one of those 'Life will be so perfect when I lose this weight' kind of feelings - that, is unrealistic. I definitely know life is hard work whether or not your body size is healthy, attractive or desirable, but I truly have stopped living because of it. It has affected all areas of my life negatively - school, work, daily pain level from aches, injuries, etc., my relationships, friendships, etc.

I still have my days where I overeat or drink more than one pop or refuse to exercise, but I'm so overweight that a day off is actually helpful. I've found that completely restricting myself causes me to binge. Once every two weeks I may take a day off actually feel 100% energized when I return to my normal weight loss routine. I need to practice switching up my routines because I am unfortunately a creature of habit and I know training the same areas of the body result in a halt of weight loss. I don't have high-tech equipment. I have a 15-year-old stationary bike, an aerobics machine that is obsolete because I don't use it, a set of 3lb. and 8lb. weights, a 20 year old vinyl-like aerobics mat I stole from my Mom's Jane Fonda's days a Jillian Michaels DVD (that I also only used once or twice). My workouts are totally homegrown and probably lame, but they seem to be having great results. Maybe not the quickness I'd prefer, but I am noticing a lot of changes in the way I look and feel. It's just me in my hot bedroom doing moves I've seen on TV and in old work out videos. Nothing sexy or spectacular.

I would love to have friends I can chat with and follow their realistic weight loss journeys as I begin my own. I see so much junk on TV and cannot believe people buy into that crap. I want to talk with REAL people who have REAL problems and more importantly, REAL solutions. I obviously am not a trainer and have never studied fitness of any kind, but common sense knows losing weight is about calories in and calories out. I'm just a simple girl trying to do it on my own since I cannot hire a trainer, go to a gym, etc. Staying active, working out, eating healthy, eating the right amounts and drinking plenty of water are my current acclimated routines. I am just trying to shed beginning lbs. and hopefully seeing little amounts of weight coming off will motivate me to get into beast mode. I haven't shared my weight with anyone besides the people who live in my house. All of my friends from back home (I just moved to a new state) haven't seen me since I gained this weight and I've been careful to only include pictures on my Facebook from years ago - too embarrassed to let anyone know what I look like now, since I left home. I am looking for buddies on here that I can be honest with. Who I can confide in and talk to. Who can motivate me as well as I them. It would be extremely nice to track someone else's journey along with my own while making lasting friendships in the interim.

I'm not sure how to use this website, but if you are interested in a new friend and can relate to my situation and struggle, PLEASE message me! Thanks! =)

Well you and Same Boat basically told my story, minus the 3 back surgeries and killer hot flashes... Would certainly appreciate others to talk with in honest upfront conversations about how hard this is and to help motivate others, which would certainly motivate me. Please write back...do we exchange email addresses or keep communicating on this website? How do we all communicate together? (You, me and Same Boat)..Looking forward to hearing from you.. Have a great day Cindy

In the same boat....and am a newbie to boot as well! I have about 100 pounds to lose, so I think we could help each other out :)