Hi my name is jenny, also known as jennz, i have tried dieting, i have tried exercise and i have tried the two together, it just never has worked for me but the one thing i noticed was i have been doing it alone, or what has felt like alone. So now im reaching out, i need a "team" a support system if you will and am more than ready to be support to any one that needs. I guess i just didnt really know where to start so im throwing up this post hoping to meet people here and start heading towards my goal of being ok with myself. thanks for reading lil nervous hope i did this right.

Welcome Jennz! Don't feel alone, we are pretty much all in the same boat... This is a great team to be part of!


Budog.

So nice to meet you! Support makes all the difference. I am a member of the BLC and my friends there have kept my head above water more often than I can say. I am here for you and sing out if ya need a hand!

Marilyn (meg)

Hi Jenny!
Thanks for stepping out there and posting something. This is my first response this message board. I am here for you if you will be here for me. I think you are on the right path is you are learning to be okay with yourself. It starts there! I will tell you how being okay with myself is working for me. I don't like to jog. I feel like a huge dork when I do. I have been walking the 3 mile track around the park by my job three nights a week. I see everyone jogging and I wish I had the guts to do it. This past Wednesday I told myself that I can do this and it doesn't matter if everyone thinks I am a dork. I may be a fat dork but at least I am out there trying! So I jogged a little. I had one car honk at me and I was kind of embarrassed but I kept on going! I am going to go back tonight and jog a little more. One day at a time!

Can support help? Absolutely! It's nice to have people in your corner telling you how great you're doing and holding you accountable when you're messing up. You really need people around to encourage you, but you also need one or two people who love you enough to tell you the truth and help you cut through the excuses.

But I will tell you from my own experience losing 142 lbs that the number one thing you need is COMMITMENT. There will be many days when you just don't feel like working out or eating right or whatever. The only thing that keeps you going on those days is your commitment to it. You have to decide that your goal of being healthy is more important than your desire to have that piece of chocolate or those chips or whatever it is that you reach for when stressed or bored or emotional.

Yes, a good support system can help you when you're struggling, but if you don't make the commitment, you'll eventually stop seeking the support.

A decision to change your behavior is the most critical component in this battle.

Marilyn
311/169/145

Yes, support really does help. I find that a good support system helps to keep you focused as well as support you. It really has helped me especially when I am down and feel like quitting. Support never lets you down and is always there for you . Please let me know if you would like to be support buddies b/c I am alwasy in need of lots support. I will add you as my friend so we can help each other out. Let me know how you are doing.

Tonya

Yes, it DOES help. I am working with Pete Thomas, the $100,000 prize winner from Season 2. He's coaching me on weight loss and it's a HUGE help to have that support. I, and Pete (www.winningman.com), agree with Marylin that you HAVE to be committed to lose over 100lbs. I have recently lost my commitment and I am searching for it. Hopefully having a team to help me will make me get it back!

Good luck and KEEP US POSTED!
LittleKathy

I think support means everything. I tend to get down on myself and end up derailed and totally out of it without the support of those around me. Of everything that anyone has said to me since I started losing weight, the most powerful was this: My parents were talking to me about my weight loss and told me that they didn't have any doubt that I'd lose the weight because once I put my mind to something, I do it. It amazed me that my parents saw that in me and were willing to share that. I am a go getter -- If I want something, I find a way to make it happen. So if having 125 pounds gone is what I wanted, I'm darn sure going to do it. And I am.

Having people believe in you, not to mention pick you up when you fall down, is a completely powerful thing. Don't underestimate it. That is why one of my personal goals is to support others who are starting on their weight loss journey. I know what it is like to try to do it on your own. It isn't easy. I love to give advice and support to anyone who needs it.

I was a walker on the track and finally one day decided to jog short bursts. I was all by myself when a car of teenage boys came driving by laughing and beeping the horn. I then went out and bought a treadmill. I am proud of you! I could have benefited from courage like that.

I do think support is so important, which is the reason why I am here.

I had the same thing happen to me and I went home and cried alot. I still walk and jog in short burst but if I see a car coming I just walk and hold my head down. I went through a spell though after it happen that I wouldnt even go out of the house, not even to church because i was so depressed.

But I had someone tell me that sitting and hiding in my house wasnt gonna fix the problem. I got back to it by just walking in my yard and then eventually go back to the park.

I have met some people who walk to and I feel better when I am with someone than alone.

I truly believe that support makes the difference.

I'm fortunate enough that I have never had that happen to me. It is not necessarily because you are overweight though. People are idiots. There, I said it. My husband is a very in shape runner, who will often run without his shirt in the summer because of the heat. He has had people honk, yell, and whistle at him frequently. (This sometimes happens even when he is wearing a shirt.) He ignores them and keeps going. That is what you all should do too. You are out there, running to improve your quality of life -- forget what anyone else thinks, says, does. I say good for you to try running. I have been doing it for several months now and I love it. Don't let the immaturity and stupidity of some ruin such a fun experience for you.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I wanted to crawl under a rock when it happened. I am working on short bursts on the treadmill. I don't like to walk by myself and I don't have a friend to go with anymore. I walk at lunch with a co-worker, and it helps. I do have a friend who likes to run. Maybe if I can get to that point I could have some company.