308 Days....

Welcome! I'm THE BEST at making excuses so I will only give tips on how to ensure success (and I still have a LONG way to go)! Make realistic goals that are achievable. Do not make a goal to work out every day for an hour at 5am. It's just not going to happen, and because I know I'm not a morning person, morning exercise goals are simply unrealistic for me (at this point). I started by walking for 10 minutes every-other-day during my lunch break. And even when it's super hot outside, 10 minutes is doable. Then 20 minutes at lunch. Then add another 20 minutes on a stationary bike in my home after my kids were in bed. I also know that as much as joining a gym sounded good, unless I went right away after work, I wouldn't go if I went home first and would need to drive back to the gym.

Then there were eating goals. Cutting out foods I loved was also very unrealistic. No pizza? No bread? No cheese? No sweets? No thank you!! So I decided to concentrate more on my portions and still allow myself the foods I loved, just in moderation. Can I have a cupcake that someone brought into work? Sure, but I don't need three. Or instead of 5 pieces of pizza, I'll have two with a salad, or another veggie to fill me up. I also allowed myself unlimited vegetables to help fill me up and slowly I noticed I was eating less, naturally, and becoming fuller faster. If I had fresh, ready-to-go healthy snacks in the house that I could quickly grab, those are the snacks I'd reach for. I also found that having one of those mini candy bars (those little squares) could curb my sweet tooth, and if I only brought one or two, that is all I ate.

Simply tracking what you eat, and EVERY LITTLE THING that you eat, helped a lot. It's the little things that add up quickly and I had no idea how much I was eating in just drinks, condiments, etc. Once you are aware of that, you will notice you will start making healthier choices.

Good luck!!

Edit - I wanted to add that little things add up. I heard once the key is to simply move more, and that doesn't necessarily mean scheduled exercise. Park further away at work, at the grocery store, etc. Instead of asking your kids or hubby to get you something, get up and get it yourself. Take the long way to the bathroom. Walk an extra time around the store. Stand instead of sit. Those little things burn calories and aren't a huge shock to your system all at once. The more you start moving, the more you'll want to move!

Results don't happen over night, so the best advice I can offer is to keep at it. Don't give up. You're in it for the long haul!

Welcome! You can do this and you have a great support team to help you!

I'm very nervous. I want to suceed. My biggest issue: exercise. At this size it hurts to move and it's hot. I live in a very small town the pool is basically a kiddie pool. My goal is to take advantage of our lovely walking path. It's 8 blocks to the path and the path runs 30 miles one direction, 25 the opposite direction. I've no excuses. This weekend we are going to a HUGE shopping complex and I'm buying some new tennis shoes. I know I should do some sort of weight lifting... I want to find a YOGA DVD.. Any suggestions of an introductory one?


Hey There, As someone who use to be 340 pounds I know how you feel and the key is baby steps, do a little a day and keep adding on when your body allows it. As far as DVD's I started with Leslie Sansone Walk away the pounds DVD's because i didnt want to be walking outside at 340 pounds as horrible as that sounds. Found it easier to do it at home private. They come in 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -5 miles, each mile being 15 minutes and I found EXCELLENT to do. Lost a lot of weight with them. Hope I've helped and YOU CAN DO IT!