Roll Call!

Andy
38 lbs lost so far!!
46 lbs to go.
Pre-plan meals and don't cut-out foods you enjoy!! Seriously, by planning ahead you can have that pizza if you want it. Might just have to settle for a salad or apple for your next meal to make up for it though! Balance in nutrition is what I am learning the most here!!

1. Name: Laura (Sandi)
2. how much weight you have lost so far: 24lbs!
3. How much you still want to lose, or are you maintaining?: Wanting to lose another 26-36lbs. I'll let my body decide where it wants to stay.

4. Best single piece of advice you would give people just starting out.: If you are trying to lose weight and keep it off, you need to remember that this is not a diet, but a lifestyle change, emphasis on LIFEstyle. And be patient. You will not reach your goal overnight. Yes, when you first start you may lose a lt of weight really fast (I lost 17lbs in January, 6lbs in February, and now I am struggling to lose 1lb a week.) This is a journey, and it is not easy, but it is definitely worth it.

1. Britt
2. Over all: 90 lbs., since I started MFP last year: 20 lbs, but put 10 lbs. in muscle.
3. I'm going more for a size than how many pounds. I'd like to be a size 10, maybe an 8.
4. Do yourself a favor and hide the scale and measure. The scale can be a nasty thing with all its ups and downs.

1. Name: Stacey
2. how much weight you have lost so far? 7 lbs net since 1/2/13
3. How much you still want to lose, or are you maintaining? I've got about 35 lbs or so to go
4. Best single piece of advice you would give people just starting out? Find the "In Place of a Road Map" thread and FOLLOW IT.

1. Chris
2. 48 lbs
3. 5-7 lbs

4. Log everything

1. Alison
2. 17lb
3. 58lb

4. Still eat foods you love, just eat alot less of it! Ive been doing that and dont feel deprived!

1. Mary
2. About 13 pounds so far.
3. At least 15 more.
4. Don't drink your calories! Switch to zero calorie drinks, or better---water.
Eat three colors of veggies at every meal.
As much as possible, ditch the bread. I'm not saying be totally carb free, but all those bread slices and buns add up...and are not necessary. Have your food on its own, or in lettuce leaves, even when eating out.
Stick with it! My progress has not been quick, but it is progress! Without it, I would be at a big ol' FAT standstill.

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I make "deals" with myself.

-You want a cheeseburger? Okay, you can have it. If you're still hungry after a salad. (I'm never still hungry).
-You don't want to exercise? Okay, just do the first circuit of your Jillian Michaels DVD and then you can stop. (I never feel like stopping once I'm through that first circuit).
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I LOVE your strategy! I actually do this in my head but unconsciously.

1. Jill
2. I'm down 25 lbs
3. 17-27 (we'll see as we approach what a healthy/realistic goal is)
4. My best advice for someone starting out would be: Be kind with yourself and be patient. Don't let an all-or-nothing attitude lead to you always doing nothing! For me, I had to be okay with failing at some of my goals and not letting that cause me to quit. If I tried to run 4 k and ran 2k instead, I was proud of those 2k and recognized that I still have my goal to shoot for. If I shot for 1g/lb of lean body mass in protein and only got half of that, I recognized that that half was still likely more protein than I would voluntarily eat on a normal day. I take that as a win of sorts and try again the next day. If I try for more weight in my weightlifting class and can't quite hack it, I pat myself on the back to returning to that weightlifting class when old me would have cried and never returned.

If I only ever tried at things which I already knew I could succeed at, I wouldn't have made any true discoveries about what I'm really capable of.

1. My name is Alicia
2. I had lost 34 pounds...
3. ...But I gained almost 20 back, so I now have 50 pounds to go.

4. If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be STICK WITH IT - whatever "it" is that you do to lose weight. I lost that 34 pounds from doing nothing more than watching my intake (wasn't exercising). I kept it off for almost two years - and then in two months of carelessness I gained most of it back. Find a way to make this work for you so that you CAN stick with it - fit some potato chips into your daily calories, or let the night you eat out be your "cheat day" - and then get right back to eating healthy. I've heard that it takes 4 weeks for you to notice a difference, 8 weeks for your family to notice a difference, and 12 weeks for everyone else to see it. Give yourself 12 little weeks of honest effort, and see how you feel about it then.

Name: bkciddir
Weight lost so far: 31 pounds (in 2 months - Started January 09, 2013)
Weight to loose: 99 pounds more to go (by January 09 2014)
Best piece of advice: Cleaning up my eating (healthy - extra extra fruits and vegtables) and working out for 1 hour minimum, 6 days per week (I also try to change things up at the gym - Cybex, Elliptical, Treadmill then combine weight lifting (3 sets of 10-15 repitions on each machine) every day and I will do arms one day, legs the next day, and mid-section the next day - then I start over arms, legs, mid-section: you get the idea). Also, when on the weight machines, when a particular weight gets too easy, I increase it to the next level. I also do this on the eliptical, cybex and treadmill. If 6.0 incline is easy on the treadmill at 3.3 mph, increase it to 7.0 incline at 3.4 mph. Today I did 9.5 incline at 3.6 mph. for 15 minutes on the treadmill. 45 minutes on the Cybex (weightloss - 2) and 45 minutes weightlifting (legs and mid-section). I burned near 900 calories today. Also, NO I NEVER EAT BACK MY CALORIES BURNED. I WORKED TO HARD TO BURN THEM - WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD WANT TO EAT THEM BACK. However, if I want a little sweet snack at night, I will have a sugar free jello treat (10 calories) or a handful of postachios. But, never would I eat 900 calories back. Not only that, I tend to work out in the evening - after dinner. So, I don't have the energy to eat much after that anyway. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE. SOON I WILL BE A SUCCESS STORIE. LOVE CHIA SEEDS - also, my new found friend.

I'm Kenzie , just came back today
Need to lose 10 lbs, firm up

measuere don't weigh is my advice.

1. Name - AllisonPlease
2. how much weight you have lost so far- 35+
3. How much you still want to lose, or are you maintaining?- another 40ish

4. Best single piece of advice you would give people just starting out.

This is not a diet its a change in lifestyle so GIVE IT TIME. I once found a post that said it takes 4 weeks for you to notice change in your body, 8 weeks for your friends and family and 12 weeks for everybody else, and it was true!

Cindy, lost 12 lbs and need 8 lbs more to go.

Best advice: get motivated to exercise because it will help keep the weight off. Counting calories is a good habit and this site/app is easy to use. My workout routine consist of 45 minutes of cardio during my lunch hour (5x/week) and I'll do another 30-60 minutes of aerobics after dinner (5-6x/week). There aren't enough hours during the day but you have to make the time because we only get one life, so make the most of it.

1. pbprincess
2. 67 pounds in 2 years, slow and steady
3. 15-30 more, depending on how I look and feel when I get there

4. Don't starve yourself, don't deprive yourself, and lift. The results I have seen from lifting are far better than any type of exercise I have done before, and I'm just getting started.