So..

Not new to trying to lose weight, but new to really having a plan.

I'm at 391lbs right now. A week and a half ago I was at 401lbs. Gym 4 days a week... eating better... yadda yadda yadda...

I'm doing it with a friend that is doing this with me, starting a similar weight so our goals work out to be pretty similar.

Right now my goal is to be 10 lbs ligher than I am today. And when I get there, my goal will be to be 10 lbs lighter than that, and we'll see where it goes. I have some rewards in place for big goals... at 300, 250, and 200 I have some really nice things planned to do for myself (lets just say the words pilots license and race car work into there )

And... for some "before" pics... (meaning, 30 min ago) ...
Front
Side

Hi there rooster, welcome to the forum. Its great that you have a friend that can go through this with you. It sounds like you are going to have some great times when you reach those big goals...the small goals are a positive way to go, attainable and not overwhelming. Good for you ~ Michelle

Well done on the 10 pounds that you have lost already. You are off to a great start.

The key is to keep up the hard work (both with eating healthily and exercising) and the weight will continue to come off.

The big thing is to believe that it can continue to happen for you - and really - you can reduce your weight as much as you decide that you want to. All it takes is consistant hard work.

Pretty soon you will have some great "after" pics to go with your "befores". I had a link to mine on the last page of my diary...


http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weigh...urney-194.html

I was a firm believer in little milestones too. Mine were more regular than every 10 pounds though. I recently did a posting all about how I set them on another diet forum. I found that hitting at least a couple of milestones a month really kept me going for the long haul. The big ones were the best though. I am sure that you will love your big milestones. They sound some great rewards to look forward to.

Good luck.

Thanks for the replies!

It's funny. Talking to the guy I'm working out with, I caught myself saying something that I hadn't said before.

Plenty of time's I've said "If I were 200lbs, I would do ...." Even during my previous workout attempts, I would say that. But we were talking in the sauna and without thinking about it I realized I was saying "When I'm 200lbs I'm going to..." Thought it was kinda cool that I've apparently even convinced my subconscious that I'm doing this for real. Not to mention that I'm here at home today looking forward to working out this afternoon.

I've been reading a lot of posts here with tips and tricks and stuff... most apply, some don't as you would expect. One thing I've found this time is a scale that helps. I'm leary to brag on the scale here because I know that endorsing a product with so few posts looks like spam... so I wont give the name but if you look it up, there is only one like this.

The scale connects to the internet via wi-fi in your house. i weight twice a day (don't cringe... I'll get to why this is a good thing... ). I know common logic is to not weight daily... much less twice a day. The secret is since the scale sends everything to a site for your review... the site shows the data in very analytical way. Most importantly, it shows trending. So even though the weight is up and down, the trend line shows your real results..

Aside from the trending thing, the fact that the scale is a littler hgher tech makes me want to use it. Im a gadget geek at heart. I'm a geek by profession (web developer), and I'm a geek by choice... so if I can work technology into my workout/weight loss plan, it will give me, while small, just that little extra bit of motivation to keep going.

Lastly... I can't wait till thanksgiving. Me and my workout partner are going to do a 5k walk/run... will be my first of any kind... and while I know there will be more walk than run, there will be some run... and most imprtantly, i WILL finish....

It is so great, when you realize you have had a mindset change. I have had one, and i wasn't forced, it just happened. Like you, i all of a sudden realized it.. *yay* and, now its reflective of a lot of choices i make. Good for You
and...I have to add *WOW* for your Thanksgiving activity.. fantastic!

I am so pleased that you are believing that you can do this thing this time round. I swear - that belief is really half the battle. Keep ahold of that belief.

The walk / run plan is brilliant.

As far as the weighing every day thing goes - all the expert advice says that you should weigh no more often than once a week. To do so more often spooks some people. We all experience day to day fluctuations (and fluctuations through the day come to that).

Having said all that - a load of us here are confirmed scale addicts who would not dream of not weighing ourselves on a daily basis. I certainly do. I even pack my scales and weighing shorts (LOL - I always wear the same thing when I get weighed, LOL - I even change into said shorts at my slimming clubs before I get on the scales there).... See - we are masters here at making weighing sound obsessive....

If you check the clubs section there is a weigh every day club - and if you dive back a couple of years - I think that it has my weights for every day from 2 years ago to 1 year ago - during my main period of weight loss (I am in maintenance now - but still weigh every day). The weights are boring so I cannot be bothered to post them... I often do not bother moving my ticker - who can be bothered with up half a pound, down half a pound..........

Keep in mind that sometimes the scale does not give us credit for our work so it is well worth taking measurements every month as well. People often see an improvement in measurements when the scale gives them nothing to encourage them... Some people take a monthly photograph record too (but I didnt because I am not really into photographs).

I found it fun to track things in a spreadsheet. I wonder if that kind of thing would appeal to you.

If you havent checked it out already - get a free account from FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. You set up your profile info and log your food and exercise. It produces all sorts of cool reports on your nutrition and whether you deserve to lose weight.