Hi, my name is Cristi Jones and I am 33 years old. I am an American living in Germany right now with my husband. We moved here 3 1/2 years ago for my husband's career. He works for an encryption software company based out of Palo Alto, Ca. It has been challenging but rewarding as I have traveled quite a bit during this time. However, the rest of the time I am at home alone during the day and increasingly bored. This has not helped my eating habits and weight management. I am sad because a lot of the pictures I have of my travels include an overweight ME. We are going to return to the States in 6 months or so and I am determined to get back to a healthy weight and a healthy me in this time frame.

So, it is my first day on GHF as an official member and I am really excited to be here. I have struggled with my weight fluctuations since my teens. I have gone up and down for a long time now but for the past 7 years I have done nothing but gain more weight. I am finally ready to make a commitment to change my lifestyle.

I have been slowly making changes in my diet (while backsliding from time to time) but I have noticed that I really do like to eat salads and veggies. I just need some ideas to mix things up a bit and keep the meals interesting. I feel so much better after a meal consisting of salad and lean meat vs. eating greasy meat and potatoes and bread, etc. My next challenge it to overcome my sweet tooth.

I need to get started on an exercise program and I do not know where to begin except to just start moving. I have an elliptical and I have also started to do some walking/jogging but this is it so far. I have a set of weights but they have just been collecting dust. I know....I know...not good. I will sit down and start reading through all the material that GHF is so great to provide. So far, this website has been a wealth of information.

I am excited to begin this program and to keep blogging so that I can chat and express my progress and feelings. At least I have made it here, right? To a new beginning.....