I'm in a very similar situation. I used to always be very slender, but once I hit 22 and the stress of full time school and full time work caught up with me, I slowly started packing on the pounds. In 4 years I went from being 115 to being 157. I honestly never thought I would get to a point where I was so disappointed in myself. I would try periodically throughout the the course of those 4 years to exercise or diet, but it truly came down to my boyfriend hitting his lowest point with his Crohn's disease for me to realize I needed to make lifestyle changes and not look for quick fixes.
He recently had surgery several months ago and after he recovered he started working out and putting back on all the weight he has lost when he was having a partial bowel obstruction. Seeing him was an inspiration, so I started working out with him regularly. I also started watching how many calories I was consuming a day and tried to find a balance between the two. It's now been almost 12 weeks and I've lost 14lbs.
If you're looking at changing habits, there are two books you might be interested in reading: The Power of Habit- Why We do What We do in Work and in Life and Switch- How to Change Things When Change is Hard. These are really good books that explain why changing habits can be so difficult, the different factors that play in to changing habits, and advice on what you can do. Though they talk a lot about psychology, they're very anecdotal, making the books easy reads.
I would love to join your group and hear what other people have to say as well. Best of luck on your journey!
