Hi there, I'm new but I am sooooo ready to do this!!!!!!!!

I will start by answering the questions that were posed in the sticky for newbies.

-- How much weight do you want to lose? I want to loose between 186 lbs to 196 lbs.

-- What is the timeframe for reaching your target weight? I started 2 weeks ago and I will give myself 3 years to loose almost 200 lbs. That is a lot and I want to do it right and the healthy way! I want to have this weight off by April of 2009.

-- How do you want to accomplish your goal (what methods do you want to use)? Well I have started by changing one habit at a time and replacing it with a new and better one. My first habit to replace was drinking pop and replacing it with water. I've also been working on portions and what kind of food I put into my body and when. I would also like to start with walking and then eventually train to do a triatholon (sp???) with my class and then just maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. This isn't just a diet, it's changing my entire life around.

-- Who or what can support you in reaching your goal? I don't have anyone in real life to support me because my family lives so far away and as I mentioned in my intro, my husband is often a bad influence on me, so that is why I came to this forum. I support myself by keeping all temping items out of my house and having plans in place to get through cravings and trying to figure out what triggers my eating and to avoid those triggers or replace some other activity to fill those triggers besides eating.I will keep a positive attitude and be completely honest and I think that will keep me on tract.


-- How realistic is your goal? I think it is very realistic. I have 3 years to do this and I know others have done this, so I can to. I know that I will experience set backs but I can't let those keep me from getting back on the horse and working again.

-- When will you start? I started 2 weeks ago. June 24th/06

welcome weclome - you will get tons of support and encouragement and even a kick in the behind if'n you need it...

Glad youfound your way in here- you won't be sorry...

ooh and I see you live in one of the prettiest places on the planet... that gives you double welcome

welcome!! you are starting off on a nice track..sounds like you realize teh time it will take but how WORTH it it is and as you lose, you will feel better and better and that will help you keep at it....and then you have us! this forum has helped me so much...to vent/listen/whatever...people here are great. day by day is what to remember!

Welcome to the forum! I'm so glad you have decided to join us and that you've started a diary. You have definitely found lots of people to support you here. May I offer a suggestion? Maybe you should set mini-goals for yourself of say 25 pounds or so at a time and make a ticker for that. It is so rewarding to be able to see your ticker moving close to the goal. Just an idea. Anyway, there are lots of different groups you can join. And there are usually a few challenges going on. I am starting one on Monday, if you would like to join us.
http://weight-loss.fitness.com/club-challenges/4253-interested-group-challenge.html

Good luck!

Well I had a rocky night last night and thankfully I did, because I would have never looked for this place if I hadn't.

I made up my mind 2 weeks ago that I was sick of living this way and that if I don't change I'm going to die from a heart attack or something before I'm 40 years old.

I can't afford anything right now because when I made this decision, I had to give up a summer job along with it. I was supposed to go back to work at burger King for the summer, but that place has help me gain 140 lbs over the last 2 years of working there and I know I'm not in a position to resisit that kind of temptation (fulltime) yet, so I cannot place myself into that environment.

So in the past 2 and a half weeks I've had fast food 4 times. I had B.K. for supper on a road trip, chinese food on my 1st anniversary, KFC on wednesday because it was hot and we were too lazy to cook and same as last night (we had subway). I got depressed about this last night because I know I want this so bad, but I keep underminding myself. Like I am my own worst ememy.

I have to be completely honest about when and why I do this and like I said, I don't really have the money to be eating out.

During the day is pretty good for me. I having been eating atleast 5 servings of veggies and fruit a day if not more, I try to get in 4 servings of whole grain servings(normally at breakfast) and 2 or 3 servings of low fat/cal/sugar/sodium milk product and then I made a food schedual for me. I have two red meat days a week, 4 meat alternative nights a week and one vegetarian day a week, which most times I just do the raw veggies.

BTW, thanks for the welcome. I will most definately join the challange.

Hello Miss Kallie and welcome.

It sounds like you've got a very wise and realistic plan in order. Just figure if you lose just 2 pounds a week..... July 7, 2007 you will have lost 100 pounds.
It's totally doable and we are here to help you with whatever you need. So glad you are going to join the challenge. This will be my first challenge as well and I think it will be so much fun.

So please stick around and we will all get trim and healthy together!!!

HI thanks.

I am trying to be realistic and not expect magic. I am growing up in a society that is we want what we want right now and that isn't going to happen for me, so it's time to be realistic.

I've got to stick to trying to find a way to get through my cravings and I need to start exercising. Those are my next goals.

I love the feeling of being sore from a good workout because it gives me a sense of accomplishment, but since I am so heavy, I have a hard time doing anything besides walking and to top it off I have asthma, so anything really physical makes my asthma startup. Any advice?????

Personally I think walking is the best thing for starting out. Heck, I'm still just walking (well plus a few crunches and light weight exercises). I have found walking to be the best payoff for me. So just keep walking, at a pace that won't affect your asthma and then slowly you'll be able to increase your pace or your distance. It's okay to do this in baby steps!!! Because baby steps will still take you to your goal!!

Hi, Miss Kallie (I love your name)! Welcome! So glad to have you join us!

I am definitely more comfortable walking for exercise, and I don't go at great speed right now either. I do about 2 miles a day on a walking track around our town park, and it usually takes me about 45-50 minutes. I walk steady but not fast enough to be out of breath. I've just started doing some light weight exercises (arm curls, leg lifts, side bends, ab crunches), but I'm starting out with 1-pound weights. I know that doesn't sound like much, but as weak as my muscles are, I figured I needed to start at the very beginning and work up. I'm up to 2 sets of 15 reps each, and as soon as I'm comfortable at 2 sets of 20 reps, I will go to 3-pound weights and on from there. I try to do these exercises 3 times a week.

So don't feel bad by starting slow. It will be better for your body that way, and you won't feel discouraged by everything hurting all the time. You definitely have the right mind set, and now you have us too! Good luck on your weight loss journey. See you around the boards!

walking is moving and that's what matters...

Don't focus on what you can't do... that just gets frustrating... focus on what youcan do.. you can walk... so lace up those sneakers and walk...

your husband isn't changing is lifestyle along with you, but maybe you want to even invite him along on your walks andhave some nice together time

Hi Kallie! Nice to meet you. As the others have said, walking is wonderful exercise. If you want to speed things up a bit, add some (light) weight lifting. That helps tone muscle, and muscle burns more calories than fat does, so you'll lose faster

You're an education student? Cool. I teach, too. What subject/age are you interested in?

Well I'm going into my second year of education and my major teaching area is Native Studies and my minor teaching area is Drama (so far). I really either hope to teach middle years or highschool drama and native studies.

I wouldn't be too thrilled to be incharge or 25 6 year olds. haha

What grade/subjects do you teach????

Six year olds I can handle--if I have to. 14 year olds--that's another matter. BUt it's a moot point for me as I teach English at the local state university. I love it desperately, and NOT just because of the vacations--althought they ARE nice

I have really been thinking lately that I should have done something where I could teach. Guess it's not going to happen unless I teach law. So glad you decided to join the challenge!

I am glad I joined the challange too.

Today... I haven't eaten anything! I know it's so bad and then I end up having something bad.

I did get some exercise today, as I just finished the second coat of paint in my bedroom and then another coat of paint for the boader.

I will post some pics (if that's ok) when I am completely done. The base color is a gold brown earth color and then I did a boarder of deep red squares and then around the squares there's going to be a boarder of silver and then with in the boxes I have choosen 23 japanese kanji to go into everyother red box with the traslation in english in the box to its right. It's time consuming but totally worth it.

Anyways, I am going out of town until sunday night, just in time for the challange. This is the hard part because I am going to someone else's house where I can't control my food source. Maybe I'll do a little grocery shopping while I'm there. At least it's a farm and I can just go for nice quiet walks in the country

Anyways, I won't be around until sunday night and then I'll post again how my weekend went and hopefully I'll find sometime to look at all your diaries!