Hi ladies. Week 1 is going really great. I weighed myself this morning and I've lost 3 lbs! I tracked all of my food, water and exercise. I'm going away this weekend and I will make sure to track everything I eat and get lots of walking in.

I guess something I really wonder about people who have lost weight, how do you maintain patience? I mean truly if you only lost .5-2lbs a week it just feels so slow for all the hard work you put in. Any advice on how to have patience and enjoy the journey rather than wishing away 6 months of your life?

Teresa (happyfitgirl) I totally get where you are coming from. I tend to lose 0-0.5 lbs a week which seems so small especially when compared to other posts I see of people losing 1-3 lbs at a time. I recently just lost 0.5 lbs after having 4 weeks of 0 lost! But there are a couple things I do to keep my patience and keep from giving up. First off even though I have been losing small amounts it has added up! in the last 6 months I have lost a total of nearly 18 lbs! My clothes fit better and people have started to notice! So now having lost that much it has encouraged me to keep going! Another thing I do is I set mini goals outside of lbs lost too encourage myself. Such goals have been things like - setting food or exercise goals like - trying to drink 8+ glasses of water a day or trying to cook everynight of the week instead of going out. With exercise I have set goals such as increasing my 5k pace, strength...etc.. Overall I feel that reaching these smaller goals has help me keep sane and stick with it! Hope that helps!

Thanks for the ticker Destanie!

I am losing weight agonizingly slow too. I was always heavier growing up and graduated high school weighing about 6 pounds more than I do now. I've lost 35 from my highest weight and am now the thinnest I've been as an adult. I need to lose 20-25 more to get to a healthy weight though. If I get frustrated I start weighing my self less often so that when I do weigh myself the difference will be bigger.

Ahhh yes those gorgeous skinny clothes at the back of the closet!!! I might try to focus on the small victories, doing good on the weekends has been a big goal for me. I'm getting a lot better. I guess each weekend it will get easier. Maybe the time will pass faster the more it becomes a lifestyle rather than such a major struggle/change. Here's hoping! Good luck this week everyone!

Good morning ladies! I had a really rough weekend. Mostly due to the impending monthly visitor that always seems to be proceeded by an influx of hormones that makes me want to alternately strangle my fiance and cuddle on his shoulder while I sob crying. Combine that with the fact that we were visiting the future in-laws and I had to keep my "happy face" on, and it was just a little too much for me to deal with. And we were out of town, so I didn't eat as well as I wanted to, and drank basically no water. I tried to stay on plan, but eating out is so difficult. Even when I tried to order "chicken and broccoli" it came in some kind of cream/butter sauce.

BUT . . . after all that whining I did up there, I just wanted to say that I'm taking this Monday morning and shaking it off. Got up and went to the gym for a good workout and back on the wagon for eating. Let's all have a great week and GO TEAM IRIS!

Hi ladies! What's on your agenda this week?

This is what my week looks like......... Mon, Jan 14 - Easy 3 mile run + 15 push ups..... Tues, Jan 15 - Spin class + weight circuit + 20 push ups..... Wed, Jan 16 - 4 mile run (speed intervals) + 15 push ups..... Thurs, Jan 17 - Cross train + weight circuit..... Fri, Jan 18 - Easy 2 mile run + 20 push ups..... Sat, Jan 19 - 6 mile run..... Sun, Jan 20 - Rest day.

I have to go to a wedding on Saturday evening, but I still think I can lose 1.5 pounds by Sunday. I'll eat super healthy all week, but Saturday I plan to enjoy the fancy pants wedding dinner... and open bar

I just read that we are Week 1 Bigger Losers!!!! Congrats ladies. All of our hard work is paying off. It looks like we all just have to remember to send in our weights on Sunday morning. How can we make sure everyone does that?

As for the post above, I've made it my priority everyday (even the very stressful days) to get 30 mins of exercise in. I'm treating now as something essential like brushing my teeth. There's no reason why you can't get 30 mins of exercise a day. Even if you are busy you can split it up and go for 2- 15 min walks or 3- 10 min walks. You can do it! No excuses...

I went away this past weekend and was a bit nervous that I was going to derail. However, I counted my calories and was even able to have some wine Saturday night. I also got a lot of walking in. I really do believe in tracking and it has proven to help me everyday.

As for this week, I started level 2 of the 30 day shred so I'll be doing that all this week. In addition, I ran 5 miles yesterday. Today I'll be doing a body conditioning class at the gym, Wednesday = spinning, Thursday = elliptical and 3 mile run, Friday = spinning, Saturday = long walk, Sunday = strength training.

Have a great week ladies!

TEaM IRIS! Awesome Job!!!:)

Yah for Iris! We fall/early winter brides are on it! I have to admit, I was a little disappointed in my 2.2 lb weight loss last week. I know that 2 lbs is healthy and a stable way to lose . . . and I'm happy that I lost anything! But I stayed at 1200 calories each day and worked out too . . . just thought for my first real week on it that I would have seen a more dramatic drop. Don't mind me, I'm just whining.

Yah for the team! Everyone remember to keep your STAR points this week and stay on plan! Let's win the challenge and the weigh in two weeks in a row!

Oh Team Iris its been two days since any of us have posted here. How are we doing?

Let's pick a positive check in question...what made you smile today?

For me, it was a brisk walk over to Starbucks and seeing a bright yellow bird sitting on top of a shrub right at eye level. He was like a little bit of sunshine covered in feathers.

Yay for our 1st week win! hope you all are having a good week 2

Not gonna lie - been a rough few days. Feel like the stress of a new job, a big move, planning a wedding, and trying to watch food and exercise ( and getting up at five every morning!) has jut caused a breakdown. But I stayed in calorie range even if I did slip out on exercise today. Felt better but really need to take care of myself. Stressing too much is not good for losing weight or staying sane! Hope you ladies are having a better week than me!

What made me smile today? I saw 2 of my girlfriends for the first time in over a month and they both said how great I look. They said my face is so much thinner and I look completely different. It was SO nice to hear. It's hard sometimes to see the progress you make as you see yourself everyday. They asked what my secret was. I told them MFP and the support of great groups like this.

I hope you are all doing well and we have another biggest loser win tomorrow with our weigh in!