Biggest Loser 10 Fall Challenge -- for losers and maintainers :)

[Dreamer24]

It's nice to meet everyone.

I'm Dani. I'm 27 soon to be 28. I've been married for about a year and a half. For my "real job", I am a statistician. My company's not doing well and it is very stressful. For my "fun job", I am a figure skating coach. I do this about 4 days a week. As a figure skater, weight was never an issue but I had an eating disorder through my teenage years. After graduating from college, I gained a lot of weight quickly. I went back to skating and lost most of it. Last year, I stopped skating and gained between 15 and 20 lbs. I've lost 8 since December. I need to lose about 10 more to get in the "normal" range so this is my first goal. I want to learn to enjoy exercise as part of a normal routine. I have HORRIBLE eating habits and want to learn to eat better without being extreme or completely giving up the foods I enjoy. Basically I want to learn to eat the bad things less often and in moderation and add a lot of good things. I do believe these two things will help me meet my 10 lb goal this fall.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

 

[jbm02]

Hi everyone.
I'm Jude. I just turned 45, have a terrific DH - married 19 years-, and two wonderful kids DS15 and DD 11(well, as of this Friday! She received her birthday present - her first cell phone a week early and since has been texting me each day...___ days til my birthday!! LOL). I'm a lawyer as well as part time JAG in the NYARNG. Please don't flame me but I consider myself one of the "problem" children here. Well, maybe the turtle is a better analogy. In other words, I exercise like a fiend and try to watch what I eat but lose weight very very slowly. It's kind of agonizing, actually. I am going to set my initial goal at 10 pounds and if I start making good progress, will increase it to 20. (suffice to say that with those goals, I'll be here for several more challenges!! ). I'm scheduled to run my first half marathon on October 11, 2010 in Albany, NY. I'm petrified.
The encouragement and support from this board has been amazing. Without it, instead of being down 25 pounds, I'd be up 5!!
Best of luck to everyone for this challenge!!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Lisa--I still think it's very cool you are training to be a nutritionist.

tomorrow is week one/day two of my C25K. Just looked at the weather... it's going to rain. I hope it passes over before 6:30am!

-nat

I love to run in the rain. It has been so hot this summer, that our best times have been in the rain. Watch out for thunderstorms, though. And "things" tend to chafe a bit more in the rain. I use some kind of body glide stuff--can't remember what it's called. Have a great run!

Stephanie-- to you. You have a lot you are dealing with right now. My DH and I are running the W&D also. Are you going to any of the meets?

Connie--sounds like you have a really good plan to deal with the weekends!

CC--you have been doing so great with your exercise! I hope you feel really wonderful about it!

Dani--On the last thread we started talking a bit about body image distortion, especially as some of us got closer to goal weight. And about how it took our brains a while to catch up with our bodies. The point of all this, is any thoughts that you would like to share about the eating disorder, I would love to hear. I find myself occasionally having some ana thoughts/issues. This is part of the reason I went to maintain for now. We talk a lot about healthy eating and good choices and we talk a lot about exercise. So I think you have come to the right place!

Taryn-- Birthdays are really hard for me to. I don't why, but it is a huge reminder to me of what crappy parents I have. I am trying really hard to be positive about it and celebrate my accomplishments, but I'm getting a little weepy just thinking about it. I know your Daddy is looking down on you and smiling. He would want you to be happy for your birthday, and be proud of yourself, and how well you've handled such a tough summer.

Hi I'm Rose. (You can use my name Lisa, but like Connie, I think everyone can figure it out.). I am almost 43, married to my college sweetheart, Mom to one college sophomore ds. After being a mostly sahm, I now work part-time for a non-profit in their development department. I am doing stuff I never imagined doing and really enjoying it. DH is an engineer.

I have had issues with food/weight my entire life, but for different reasons at different times. I am 5'7" and in high school/college weighed 135. I definitely have a large frame, but because of messages I heard at home, thought I was fat and was constantly worried about it and feeling cruddy about myself. Through my 20s I weighed around 150-160. My 30s and 40s I've been in the 180s and 190s. I lost a bunch of weight a couple of years ago, but still did not get to a healthy bmi. With the economy, DS going to college last year, etc I found myself in January back at 189. I joined the spring challenge and I'm now maintaining at 147.

I went to maintain because we are running a 1/2 marathon this weekend and the W&D a month later. I was starting to obsess a little bit about my weight and my exercise and my brain needed to catch up with my body. 147 was my original goal, and I feel like I am in the best shape of my life, but I would like to lose, maybe another 5-10 pounds. I still have that 135 college weight in my head--the weight where I thought I was fat. So, I am maintaining for now because I need to really figure out what is the best thing for me right now. I am an exercise fanatic. I love to workout and I'm contemplating swim lessons this winter. I am toying with the idea of a 1/2 triathlon, but I need to be able to swim better first.

Last, in my little book, I have parent issues, which I will mention occasionally. My parents put the fun in dysfunctional. And really were horrible to me and my sisters. We're talking, should have gone to jail stuff here. My father died about 18 months ago, but my mom will still pop up occasionally. I have mostly dealt with things, but food and weight seem to be my sticking point. My mom never told me anything when I was growing up about my weight except how big I was. I am slowly learning to deal with that.

You have come to a great place, where someone is always around to give you a pep talk, or sometimes even to tell you that you are overdoing it, which I need sometimes.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Oh, and I want to know who is going to be in charge of reminding me today, that I don't need to work out, that it's a scheduled off day and that I'm tapering! Today is my day off, and I have scheduled a bunch of stuff to keep myself busy so that I don't go to the Y! (Haircut, new drivers license, paint my toenails to match my running skirt.) I will probably be on here a lot today, and will probably be going nuts by the end of the day! Tomorrow I am getting up and going to the Y before work--30 minutes of slow running on the treadmill and that's it until our race. Thursday night I am having my one beer for the week while we watch the Carolina game! Ok, that's my plan and I'm going to stick to it! Tapering is torture!

 

[cclovesdis]

Oh, and I want to know who is going to be in charge of reminding me today, that I don't need to work out, that it's a scheduled off day and that I'm tapering! Today is my day off, and I have scheduled a bunch of stuff to keep myself busy so that I don't go to the Y! (Haircut, new drivers license, paint my toenails to match my running skirt.) I will probably be on here a lot today, and will probably be going nuts by the end of the day! Tomorrow I am getting up and going to the Y before work--30 minutes of slow running on the treadmill and that's it until our race. Thursday night I am having my one beer for the week while we watch the Carolina game! Ok, that's my plan and I'm going to stick to it! Tapering is torture!

Me, me, me! Pick me! I had this big plan to spend 4 hours taking a practice test today and that is definitely not happening. I will be on and off the thread all day. Actually, I really think it's better for my morale if a spend a week studying for the test and then take the practice test. So, I will need plenty of study breaks.

My current goals for the day:

1) Exercise-done (aiming for 45, went for 62)
2) Clean up my bedroom (progressing)
3) Find all my clean laundry that my mom washed and has left in various piles around the house. I just love how I get to assume she's done laundry and then play hide-and-seek with it.
4) Go to the library and the grocery store. Well, that should take about 45 minutes, unless traffic is bad. Note to self: go before the high school gets out of school.
5) Journal my food

I think that's it for the day. I already did some job searching and may or may not do that again for the day. I usually spend an hour or so after dinner job searching, so I probably will.

Okay, off to log in to WW online and pick up laundry.

Rose, today is a scheduled day off!

CC

 

[cruisindisney]

I worked with a nutritionist when I was pregnant, and she told me you can't completely avoid all the things you want otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure. She told me it is completely okay to eat a cookie or two, but just remember moderation, moderation, moderation is the key.

I was actually going to eat it, but after the workout just didn't want it anymore. That was the most shocking thing. I didn't WANT the cookie anymore. That NEVER happens.

 

[NC_Tink]

Wow - I forgot how active this board is! You all inspire me - thank you! After taking the summer off (didn't participate in the challenge) and gaining back about 5 - 6 lbs. from where I finished in the Spring -- I'm ready to get back into losing!

Good morning all!

It is so fun to come here every day and see who else is joining us this challenge.

Do you have a birthday coming up during the challenge? We want to know and add you name to the birthday list. Please post the date or send me a PM.

Can I put your first name by your user name on the participant list? Sometimes it is easier for people to learn who our participants are that way. If I can, just post or let send me a PM. I won't put your name down unless I hear from you that it is okay.


A healthy lifestyle is an ideal that we all strive for. Eat right, exercise regularly, get enough sleep. It seems pretty simple, right? But, we all know that it's much more complicated than a few simple words. While you might be successful in one area, like meeting your diet goals during the week, you can easily fall short in another by not exercising regularly. If you're still in "diet" mode, temporarily changing your habits just until you reach your goal, then one of these dieting dilemmas could be preventing your from reaching your goals - and achieving a permanent, healthy lifestyle. Your diet might be making (or keeping) you fat if . . .
. . . you fail on the weekends.
. . . you make exercise excuses.
. . . you don’t care where calories come from, as long as you are under your goal.
. . . you starve during the day and gorge during the evening.

Here is a link to the entire articles that tells you how to deal with these problems. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=588

They have a poll about diet dilemmas so I am going to borrow it for us this week.

Which "diet" dilemma do you usually struggle with?

*Failing on the weekends
*Making exercise excuses
*Eating nutrient-poor calories
*Starving during the day & overeating at night
*Going off my diet for special occasions
*All of the above
*None, I've transitioned from dieting to a healthy lifestyle.

I would have to go with "all of the above." (This was an option that I added). Even now I still feel like I have trouble doing what I should do even though I know more than enough about what to do. It is still hard at times to apply what I know -- I wish I could figure that one out!

Have a great day all!

Yes - turning 43 on 9/30 - ACK! And, yes you can definitely put my name on the list!
Well, if I'm being honest -- then I can definitely fall into the all of the above category. But, right now, probably exercise is my biggest shortfall. Since coming back from our vacation in the Spring - I've had a real tough time of getting back and staying on program. Before our vacation I was diligent and went to the gym 5 - 6 days per week with minimum 1.5 - 2 hours of cardio and strength. I felt great and was becoming really happy with my outcome. Before vacation I was only about 8 lbs. from my goal. On vacation I gained 3lbs. (which I thought was awesome - considering the length of the vacay!) But, then we came back and I guess those post vacation blues set in and I didn't really feel like doing anything. I went to the gym sporadically - maybe 2x's per week, but sometimes not even that (I'm a champion for making excuses ) I would only stayed about an hour and was very lackadaisical in my efforts. So, that's currently my biggest struggle that I need to work on.

I'm going to post the warm up QOTD for tomorrow tonight since I am in the Pacific time zone.

Warm up QOTD (Question of the Day) Introduce yourself and tell us about your goals for this challenge.

I am Lisa. I'm married and have an 11 year old son. I'm a real estate attorney but just started going back to school to become a nutritionist for my "encore career." It is a lot harder going back to school than I thought! I've been participating in BL challenges since 2009. I always end up lighter at the end of every challenge than when I started. I WISH that my weight loss would have been faster but the truth is I am so much healthier and happier than I was when I started this journey. For too long I let myself go and put myself at the bottom of the list but no more! My goal for this challenge is to lose 25 pounds. That would put me in ONE-derland (what we call the 100's) for the first time in more than fifteen years.

Can't wait to hear about all of you and your goals for this challenge!

I'm Lubi, soon to be 43, stay-at-home mom to 2 boys and wife to DH of 20 years. I've been participating in BL challenges since Fall 2009 and have been fairly successful. I took the summer off because, as I said before, I just didn't feel any motivation. So now, my goal for this challenge is to get back on program and work out regularly, as well as eat better and stop all of the mindless snacking! The ultimate goal is to finally hit my goal weight. I need to lose about 15 pounds during this challenge..

 

[Dreamer24]

Rose, I'm sorry to hear about your relationship with your parents. I will certainly share my experiences with body image, but to be honest, its a life long struggle. Even when I am at a good weight, I don't see myself that way when I look in the mirror. I don't go by how I feel I look! I am comfortable with myself when I am at a healthy weight and that is good enough for me. My 2 indicators are being in the healthy weight range and feeling "in shape". For example, right now, I consider myself out of shape because I get winded sooner then I should, walking up and down steps, on a beach, at an amusement park, I get winded before my husband or friends, when I go for a walk with someone, unless its a casual stroll, I can't keep up a conversation, when I play outside with my 6 year old nephew, I get winded and can't keep up. I want to be a healthy role model for my young nephews and niece and my skating students. I want to show that eating healthy but not extreme, and exercising regular is important and possible.

 

[cclovesdis]

I just woke up from a pretty long nap. That was not on today's agenda.

I knew I needed the nap. I was starting to feel "off." I probably only got about 5 hours of sleep last night, so I'm really not surprised.

I'll skip my trip to the library and my sister and I can go to the grocery store after her orthodonist appointment. My sister and I both get the honor of being discharged as patients and then needing another appointment. We each have an implant, so that doesn't help.

Rose, you didn't post while I was asleep. No exercising!

CC

 

[Chicogirl]

Is this where we sign up.. would love to join. My cruise is in a year, and would love to loose weight and have support while doing it...My name is Marie, Im 35yrs old, I have two girls, and a loving hubby. Just need to loose some weight..ok alot of weight. So I'm in.

 

[plutogal]

Hello all! I'd like to join the challenge for the fall! I'd be in the Loser side of things. I'm getting married in Feb and I'd like to lose a few more lbs!!
I'm 25 and I'm starting at 166 (that is down from 180!!) but I've stalled and I'm hoping that this will help me!!

 

[Connie96]

New for Fall 2010: The WIN! Challenge (Whittle Inches Now!)
Introducing a new way to challenge ourselves to achieve fit and healthy bodies!! In addition to reporting your official weigh-in each week, you can now measure your success in terms of inches. Many of you may be doing this anyway, but as an incentive to those of us who need incentive (like ME!!) we can now challenge each other by reporting percent-of-inch-loss just as Shannon (LuvBaloo) reports our Top Ten(-ish) weight-losers every week.

Since the WIN! is optional, no one will be dropped for not reporting and there is no need to be “excused” from measuring. All stats will simply be based on who does report in. Weekly Biggest WINners will be determined by percent of change between the current and previous WIN! numbers reported by each participant. When measurements are reported after having skipped the previous time(s), the percent loss will be divided over the missed weeks. Overall Biggest WINners will be determined by percent of difference between the final and originally reported measurements. If you miss the first scheduled reporting day, just jump in anytime and that will be your “original” measurement for the remaining weeks.

I will be recording measurements and posting the WIN! report on a 3-week interval. These dates correspond to the current Friday weigh-in schedule: 9/3, 9/24, 10/15, 11/5, 11/26 and 12/17. There will be a reminder post, so as long as you hang around here you shouldn’t have to worry too much about forgetting. Since taking measurements requires more time that just stepping on the scale, I’m sure many of us will do this part over the designated weekend. Measurements can be reported up thru the following Monday, and results should be posted on Tuesday.

Here’s how we’re gonna do it:
1) Take a measurement at each of these locations:
. . . a. Left or Right Upper Arm (stick with the same one for subsequent measurements!!)
. . . b. Bust or Chest
. . . c. Waist
. . . d. Hips
. . . e. Left or Right Thigh (remember which one for next time!)
2) Add all of these measurements together
3) Send only the sum of the measurements to me (Connie96) via Private Message

If you need more information or tips about how to measure, please refer to http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=1281

If you still have questions, please feel free to PM me or post in the thread and we’ll try to get you the info you need to participate.

I also have a handy dandy Excel spreadsheet for tracking weight and measurements. If you'd like for me to email you a copy, just PM your email address to me and I'll forward it to you.

Whether or not you choose to participate in this optional challenge, I’d like to encourage EVERYONE – especially anyone new to this thread – to take your measurements at the very beginning. This is something so many of us never did when we first started losing weight and I think we’re fairly unanimous in wishing we had that information to encourage us in our continued loss and maintenance.

 

[brinalyn530]

Hello again everyone!

I kind of introduced myself yesterday, but let me add a few details... My name is Bree, I am 32 and a single mom to DS10. I work full time and DS is very active in sports (not to mention school work, band, and chorus!), which makes scheduling and planning extremely important if I want to get anything done, including exercising and eating properly. The ladies on the Summer Challenge really helped me with that! As of the last weigh in of the summer challenge, I have 42 pounds to lose to reach my (current) goal. Once I’m there, I’ll figure out if I need to lose more. For this challenge I’m going to aim for 20 lbs down.

I was chubby as a kid but started sports in elementary school and didn’t really have much trouble with my weight until college when I stopped being active. It only got worse after DS was born – like many new moms I was overwhelmed and just let myself go. I’ve lost and gained weight a few times since then, but not the proper way, which is why it always came back. The last straw was last year – I was so disappointed in the pictures from our cruise that I cried . And then I got mad . I lost 33 pounds last year through vigilant effort, but gained almost 20 of them back over the holidays . Thanksgiving through the end of January are really hard for me for a variety of emotional reasons + SAD, that is one area that I will really have to concentrate on in the future. We went to WDW in May and once again I was really disappointed with the pictures. I found the summer challenge and am glad to say that I am now on the right track . During the challenge I learned a lot about myself and my various issues and I started C25K, which I would have never done if not for the support of the group. Now, I have a 5k race scheduled for next Saturday and the MCM10K on 10/31 (thank you Lindsay!)! I still have struggles, obviously, but I also have motivation and determination and good friends for support!

Glad to see so many familiar faces and looking forward to meeting all of our new participants!

tomorrow is week one/day two of my C25K. Just looked at the weather... it's going to rain. I hope it passes over before 6:30am!
-nat

ITA with Taryn, the rain isn’t too bad as long as it isn’t pouring or lightening!

BealsRwe – I’m so jealous of anyone who lives close enough to WDW to work there (and now that I’ve started running, to run races there without all the travel expenses)!

Taryn – Sending and hang in there !

Talk to you all later,

Bree

 

[Rose&Mike]

I'm Lubi, soon to be 43, stay-at-home mom to 2 boys and wife to DH of 20 years. I've been participating in BL challenges since Fall 2009 and have been fairly successful. I took the summer off because, as I said before, I just didn't feel any motivation. So now, my goal for this challenge is to get back on program and work out regularly, as well as eat better and stop all of the mindless snacking! The ultimate goal is to finally hit my goal weight. I need to lose about 15 pounds during this challenge..

Yea for turning 43! I turn 43 this month, too! And personally I am enjoying my 40s much more than my 30s!

Rose, I'm sorry to hear about your relationship with your parents. I will certainly share my experiences with body image, but to be honest, its a life long struggle. Even when I am at a good weight, I don't see myself that way when I look in the mirror. I don't go by how I feel I look! I am comfortable with myself when I am at a healthy weight and that is good enough for me. My 2 indicators are being in the healthy weight range and feeling "in shape". For example, right now, I consider myself out of shape because I get winded sooner then I should, walking up and down steps, on a beach, at an amusement park, I get winded before my husband or friends, when I go for a walk with someone, unless its a casual stroll, I can't keep up a conversation, when I play outside with my 6 year old nephew, I get winded and can't keep up. I want to be a healthy role model for my young nephews and niece and my skating students. I want to show that eating healthy but not extreme, and exercising regular is important and possible.

Thanks for sharing. My parents are just an "is" in my life, as in that's the way it is. I only share it, because it has definitely been an issue with my weight loss, and all the times I've gained it back. It's my responsibility, so I'm not doing the blame thing, just trying to figure out why I keep doing this to myself. I imagine we will probably talk a lot about body image again. Looking at it through healthy weight range and feeling in shape, definitely sound like good ways to look at it to me.

Hello all! I'd like to join the challenge for the fall! I'd be in the Loser side of things. I'm getting married in Feb and I'd like to lose a few more lbs!!
I'm 25 and I'm starting at 166 (that is down from 180!!) but I've stalled and I'm hoping that this will help me!!

Too exciting about the wedding!

[SIZE="2Whether or not you choose to participate in this optional challenge, I’d like to encourage EVERYONE – especially anyone new to this thread – to take your measurements at the very beginning. This is something so many of us never did when we first started losing weight and I think we’re fairly unanimous in wishing we had that information to encourage us in our continued loss and maintenance.
[/COLOR][/SIZE]

I totally agree with what Connie is saying. I really wish I would have tracked measurements. It's a very concrete thing to stick a tape measure around your arm and say, wow, this is how big my arm or waist or whatever used to be. My plan is to do this, even though I'm not expecting big changes, it's just another way to track how my body is changing.

Ok, back from the haircut, drivers license office, and target. I just have to say, that there were some scary people at the DL office today. I don't know what was up with that. I actually don't mind my picture too much. When I went to get my haircut, she said--your hair is weighting you down too much, you need to do something different. Which was not my original plan. So we looked at some pictures, and I now have a very different haircut from before. I can still put it back in a band thingy when I run and it's not too short. I've been going to this girl for years, and I think she was right. It's a nice change.

CC--no exercise yet! I hear the Y calling me--it is my day off from work after all, but I'm going to be good! It's pretty hot, so I think I will just get in the pool at home when Mike gets home.

As P would say--TTYL.

 

[goldcupmom]

Please add me to the Losers! I really need to stick with this this time. I am less than 20 lbs of my WW goal and about 25 from my real goal and I NEED to do this before the end of the year!

If you haven't joined the monthly exercise challenge thread, I just posted September!

 

[JOANNEL]

Please add me to your loser list. I would love to join. I almost made my summer goals. So you guys are great support. I have a cruise planned on 10/16 and would like to lose some before that.

I am a 52 yo mother of two boys 21 & 24. They are both out of the house. I just lost my job in May so between the empty nest and unemployment I have done too much stress eating!!

Thanks,

 

[keenercam]

Hi, Joanne! I am so glad you are going to be in on this challenge, too. You did awesome during the summer! So happy for you.

 

[natale1980]

I did c25K from Feb. to April. I have never run on a treadmill, don't have one, and going to the gym is just not an option for me right now. I know what you mean about the rain, but I will tell you that I don't mind running in the rain, as long as I have a cap and it's not pouring. Just watch out for storms. Good luck!

I woke up this morning and got dressed for a workout. Opened my door and it was still raining. Sooooo... I walked over to the closet and picked up my umbrella, I figured if I could just take a long walk it would be better then sleeping in.
I ended up getting motivated by the music and completing my workout!!! Even when I was done (and still 15 minutes from home) I didn't use the umbrella... it was nicer to walk in the rain. I was soaked by the time I got home. I'm sure the people driving thought I was crazy.

-nat

 

[Cupcaker]

My name is Jeanette. Im 28, I work full time as an institutional researcher (I basically do the official statistics for a university), I recently went back to school to get my PhD, and have a bf of 5 yrs. Im petite, like barely 5', and really curvy. I have kind of struggled with weight my whole life. Not until undergrad is when I became "overweight", then "obese". Since then I have been up and down. Usually up when I feel other things are priorities, like school or relationships. Then down when I realize that I should be one of my priorities. This is my third time at seriously trying to lose weight, but it also is the time when I have been at my heaviest. In the past, I have only gotten to the "overweight" category, but I really want to get to my healthy weight and stay there. I am tired of going up and down and having to work hard to lose weight. Since April, I have lost 31 lbs. To get to my healthy weight range I still have 16 more pounds to go. I think whats really helping me this time, at the help of my dietician, is finding out that Im not average. Consuming 2000 calories a day for the average person is fine to maintain weight, but for me it will make me gain weight. For a person of my height, its more around 1600 calories to maintain weight. So to lose weight, I have to consume 1100 calories. Its been difficult but it has really helped my weight loss. So cutting my calories and exercising will hopefully bring me to where I want to be. My goal for this challenge is to lose 19 pounds and be able to run a half marathon.

 

[cherry-pops]

Warm up QOTD (Question of the Day) Introduce yourself and tell us about your goals for this challenge.

I'm Cheryl, 25 and from the UK. Call my Cheryl, Chez, Chezza, Cherie...I don't mind! I live with my boyfriend of 8 years - we've just moved into our second home together, a house. We met in high school and have been together since we were 17.

I work for a photography and content management company and we supply images and product data to supermarket websites who provide online shopping and home delivery. I love my job and my boyfriend works for the same company. Previous to that job I worked in fashion retail and had a fairly active job handling deliveries and being on my feet all day - my job now involves a lot of sitting at a desk.

I've only ever tried to lose weight seriously once before and it worked. I don't know how much I lost because I concentrated mostly on size and shape. Right now I'm at my heaviest at over 200lbs. My clothes have gotten tighter and tighter, stretch marks are starting to appear on my stomach and arms - I can't have this happen at only 25!

I've made the choice to change things now. I've only just started my journey, less than two weeks in to counting calories for the first time ever and I hope it's going well. The anticipation of the weigh-in this Friday for the start of BL is almost too much! My focus for the moment is my food, getting that right and seeing some change will really help and then the exercise will follow that. I am counting calories with My Fitness Pal and their amazing Android phone app.

I have always been bigger than my friends, although I never felt that big - I still don't feel as big as I am. It's not until I see my jeans held up in front of me that I realise how big I've got. My mum, as a small lady, has never understood my struggle and always comments whenever she sees me on how big I am and how much I need to go to the gym and the kind of things I eat. There's a whole issue there that I need to work through.

I don't have a solid goal for this challenge, I just want to do the best that I can and see a physical difference. I don't know what 10lbs or 20lbs looks or feels like, so until I get to that point I really don't know! If the jeans I bought last week are too big in three weeks time it won't bother me, buying more new ones will feel great!

I've never been part of a group for something like this but so glad that I found you at the beginning of my journey!

I look forward to getting to know you all!