A new beginning....

iamtawn

Hi, I am also new to this site, and like most people, I have been "start-stopping" diets and exercise for a number of years. I am 28, soon to be 29 and I want to lose about 34 lbs. I have never successfully lost any weight and in the past 5 years I have only been gaining more weight. I am currently 154.3 lbs and my goal weight is about 120 lbs. I am 5'5".

I've noticed over the years that I am more and more tired. I don't want to do those stupid diets, I want to incorporate new lifestyle changes and habits that will ultimately reshape everything about myself. i want to be a part of a circle of friends where we can share our motivations and sorrows and help each other to reach our goals. I think without the help of others, reaching our goals is just a bit harder to accomplish.

Let's make this a joint effort and keep in touch!

Thanks for listening,
Tawn*

BIGJIMMYU

Excellent speech! Now get at it!

ahubacek

Welcome. Like you I've spent a lot of time saying I was going to lose weight, but I would always end up off a diet really quickly so I ended up gaining quite a bit of weight in a couple of years. This is a good place to start if you're looking for community support in staying on track.

Feel free to add me if you like.

Alphawolf02

Welcome, welcome, welcome! Good for you for deciding on a life change instead of a "diet". From my own experiences, I will lend these three bits of advice that I have found very helpful for my own change: 1) Buy a good heart rate monitor (HRM) that will show you how many calories you are actually burning in your exercises, 2) look for free apps for you phone/music player that will help motivate you to work out (if you want to start running, the couch-to-5K app is wonderful), and 3) don't cut too many things from you diet, just eat less of it. Making a life change happens in small steps, and if you keep up with it, you will be amazed at how far you can get in a little amount of time! GOOD LUCK

iamtawn

Indeed, today is the start of a new journey! Thanks for the support!

I am planning on taking it slow. Starting off with my "diet". Not so much as a diet as starting to eat healthier options and replacing certain stupid choices for better ones. I am not going to starve myself or follow any diets per se, I only want to make better dietary decisions and reduce my food intake, which I have started this past week. I have a horrible night-time junk food snacking habit. Which needs to change.

Once the food issue is mostly settled, I plan on then tackling the non-exercise problem. I plan on doing at-home exercise using weights, and by May I plan on starting to jog using an app called "Get running".

My process will take time, I want to lose 1 pound per week, so it should take more or less about 8.5 months to get to my goal weight.Kind of scary really, and I anticipate some draw backs and weight fluctuations, but I will certainly try to keep with it and keep motivated.

Thank you for your great advice and posts of encouragement! They are most welcome and appreciated!!