As I look down at the starting line...

[Exsur]

I feel incredibly excited and nervous. This has been a few months coming. I have always been over weight, and always filled the cliché "Funny Fat Guy" in groups of friends. I consider myself to be a social person and love to interact and be around people, but have always had the self-consciousness in my mind. Its something I would really like to change about myself and after a few weeks of lurking I am ready to start getting involved, but first a bit about myself.

 

My name is Payton. I am 24 years old and live in Northern Florida. I work in a 911 call center/dispatch room, and I love my job. It wasn't something I had ever thought about doing until I needed a job after I finished my degree at college. After I got out of high school I spent the next four years hitting the books hard and the video games/junk food even harder, and this has continued to this day. This change is not just helping feel / look better, its my last real step in becoming an adult. (24 may be late...but who's counting)

 

I have never really cooked much up until this point and right now that is my main focus, and hopefully I can begin to develop and then improve my skills without burning down my house. I have begun to workout at a local gym a few times a week with some friends, but find myself a tad lost on what to actually work on. After spending years worrying about how I would get judged at the gym I was shocked when I began to receive support from friends and family and even total strangers.

 

I have a long road ahead of me, but this site has already provided me with a lot of inspiration and knowledge and I know this well continue as I get more involved. I currently weigh 380 pounds (it hurts to type) but some journeys were just meant to be more epic than others. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read. I look forward to getting to know and talk to some of you in the future.

 

 

"Come on, Sam. Remember what Bilbo used to say: "Its dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." - Frodo Baggins

 

 

 

[shaar]

Yeah!  One step at a time.  The fact that you're ready and willing to make a change is huge.

 

Welcome to NF, you'll get a lot of support from total strangers here, too!  This community is so great and motivating, not only do you start reaching your goals, but your friends are reaching theirs too... it's like a superhero training team of awesomeness.

 

Good luck on your quest and we'll be here to cheer you on!  The next 6 week challenge is just around the corner...

[TheMormonRebel]

Howdy Howdy Payton! Let me know if anything I can do to help you comes up!

[stillskies]

Hey Payton and welcome! Taking that first step is always super difficult, and figuring out where to start is even harder. I think there's a thread where you can post to get workout suggestions if you need help just figuring out what to do, but I also think that it will depend on what specific goals you have.

 

If you need any help with anything, everyone here is super friendly and helpful, so don't be afraid to reach out!

[Keltab]

Welcome Payton!  A fellow newbie here, and I look forward to seeing how we both do moving on from our starting lines.

Talk to people here, post, and don't be afraid to admit you need help (this is what I keep telling myself, so I hope it helps you too!)

 

Welcome!

[Exsur]

Hey Guys,

 

Thanks for the welcome. It has been really fun to look around the forums the last couple of days. Even though we are a week and half out of the next challenge I pretty much have it typed out and ready to go. I do have one question, I see a couple of you are using the bars in your signature to track progress. I have seen a lot of people use these but I can't find any information on where you guys are getting them from. If someone could help me getting something like that set up that would be awesome!