Welcome to Gaia! ::

I am 24 years old and absolutely in love.
I have come to a point in my life where my health is of the up-most importance.
I want to get married and have a baby.
However, I can not do any of this with the current state of my body.

My boyfriend of 2 1/2 years is being deployed. He is a US Navy Sailor.
For his safety and the safety of his shipmates I can not say when, where, or for how long.
I have the better part of a year to drop the weight and become healthy before he returns.

When we talked about marriage and children and what the next step was for our relationship my man brought a very solid argument to the table.
"How am I supposed to love you for the rest of my life if you are not alive for the rest of my life?"
Touche' good Sir.
and then I asked myself this "would I be happy to squeeze this body into a plus sized wedding gown and then refuse to have my picture taken on my wedding day?" fallowed by "would I ever even think of trying to carry a child in this body, risking not only my health, but my child's health as well?"

So yes, I have some very strong motivation for this quest- however I lack the information, and the will-power. I see these workout videos and people say to just go for a jog but honestly I am not even at that point yet.

I currently weigh 243lbs. My range of motion is horrible. I wake up with aches and pains and go to bed with aches and pains. Very rarely do I ever physically exert myself.

So where do I start? I'm not ready to run I know that my knees would buckle and I would be in a world of pain. Some suggested yoga I might start there... I just need more information about it.

Here I will track my weight loss and include pictures for my journey. Feel free to post any motivation, or information you may have but please refrain from making critical comments.

whee

Sweetie, no. Just no. talk2hand

If you want to make a lifestyle change, you need to be making the change for YOU, not for a man who holds the promise of a life together hostage over your weight. You need to want better for yourself - not better for him or better for future possible children. You deserve to be with someone who loves you regardless of your weight. Through sickness and through health isn't just about cancer or car accidents. stressed

Your first real step needs to be getting your thinking straight. You need to be able to love yourself with and without the weight, and you need to be with someone who is able to love you with and without the weight. Once you're able to do that, then you can take the next step to making the lifestyle changes you need to make. sweatdrop

But diet and exercise alone aren't enough.
You need to be doing this for you.
You can't let your future be determined by someone who refuses to love you the way you are.
Because a time may come in the future when that weight comes back and you're not able to shed it again - and if that happens, you need to be with someone who will love and respect you regardless of how much you weigh. heart

I wish you the best of luck in your quest.
I sincerely hope you have a happy ending.
But from what you've said, I worry about you and your reasons for doing this.
And I worry about your future when your reasons are being dictated by someone else. cry

Good luck!