Officially making the commitment.
Day 1 of 365

I am about to be dealing with a lot of stuff, nothing bad, just a lot of stuff is having to be done at once within this next month and I know I will be super busy. But regardless of all of that, I plan to stay completely committed to what I am doing for myself. Did 30DayShred today, feeling pretty good, couldn't complete every rep but stuck it out through every second of the cardio circuits today. Fixed a spinach salad to take to work along with a side of baby raw carrots and I think I should be doing that at least two days of my work week.

I had a great weekend with my husband, he's been my biggest supporter and continues to be. We are going to have to wait on starting Insanity together because he has been having some health issues, which he shouldn't be having considering his healthy body, fitness level, and age. They did a battery of tests on him and referred him to a cardiologist. I will update more when we know more, I'm worried about him but I know he is in good hands and that we can figure out the source of the problem. A lot of my stress right now is coming from that, I have been praying and staying positive!

Enjoynlife, I used to be a daily weigher when I first started. Found it very discouraging and stopped. I changed to weekly and worked for me during the summer. Since I've been back in college, I do it every second Sunday now because my exercise has been limited due to lack of motivation I know I wouldn't be losing anything major. Thanks for the welcome

Welcome to everyone else who joined today! I shall be here until June 1st 2013, at least!

Girrrrrrl, I am FAR from perfect! LOL! I've had a good run so far but I knew there'd be hurdles to jump eventually....I choose to handle them with as much grace as possible.

I feel the same way you do about the dating thing though. I'm a new divorcee and I partly blame my weight for not wanting to date, but like you, shoooot, I needed a BREAK from men!

Okay Enjoynlife, I need you to be brave, pull a "ME" (LOL) and take a 14-30 day "kick-the-scale" challenge! When we've given too much power to a particular thing that's affecting us in ways we don't like....we must find a way to take that power back. So kiss that scale goodbye for a couple weeks and focus on the lifestyle. Hey, if anything, it's a good challenge eh?

Welcome Dreamer, LebenAlles, & PinkHurricane!

I'm also sending positive energy your way for you and your husband.

angieand2girls, I remember when I saw your signature and the dates you would weigh in... Can't believe how far you have come! A big congratulations, you are doing fantastic!

Thank You So Much!!!

Wow! Look at our thread becoming super active!

Pink Hurricane - So hoping for good news about your husband's health. I am glad you are so active, though. I know when I get super stressed, especially about things I can't fix, I appreciate the opportunity to work out some of that anxiety at the gym.

Dreamer - I just graduated in May. I agree - that last year is incredibly stressful. So glad you are here.

Leben Alles - I love reading your posts. Excited to have you join us. I have some of the same goals as you. Excited to work on those together.

Enjoynlife - I am going 12 days scale-free! Not quite 'pulling an Angie,' but it will be good for me. I don't plan on stepping on the scale until November 11.

Enjoynlife and Angie - I only recently got divorced (about a month ago?), but I was separated for two years prior to that. So I done took my break. :-) But honestly, I forgot how needy guys are. If things don't work out with this last guy, I think I am done for a while. It's just too much energy for this time of my life. On the other hand, we have date #3 scheduled this week, so maybe it will develop its own easy rhythm? Who knows? I am a total newbie. If only I had kept up my skills like my ex did by dating on the side during the marriage, I would be much more adept at it. ;-)

I've been lurking in this thread for a while and have been meaning to join. I totally agree with the idea of committing to something within our control! I'm not losing nearly as fast as I'd like (but hey, does anyone? ) so I'm doing my best to concentrate on making healthy choices, one day at a time, one meal at a time.

I made my commitment back on March 5th. I haven't been absolutely perfect but I've managed to stick with what I'd promised for myself: to track everything I eat in a day planner. It worked for me many years ago (as long as I kept with it) so I figured it was worth another shot. So far I've made it through 34 weeks and have managed to push myself to keep going, even through the weeks that felt extra difficult or even hopeless because the scale didn't reflect my efforts. And in that time I've lost 34 pounds, which averages to exactly one pound a week! My ultimate goal was to fill the planner up completely so I could pick out another cute one to start all over with, and in the process I hoped to establish a ton of healthy habits.

I can't wait to see how far I've come by next March. I should be lighter, healthier, happier . . . and much more informed about how to take care of my body. I've spent the past several months pushing myself, tracking my progress, and establishing good habits that used to feel absolutely impossible!

I wish everyone in this thread luck. It can be done! And in my opinion, making a commitment like this is probably the best thing you'll ever do for your health, even if you don't lose as fast as you'd like. Taking the time to establish good habits and figure out what's best for your body is so worth it.

Laurie - a 12 day break is awesome!! I know you can do it and hopefully it will help you remove some of that stress and frustration that the scale can often bring. And on the dating tip...what you said about guys being so needy is soooo true! I think that's another main reason why I don't want to date right now (I tried dating a guy while going through my divorce but...WHEW!!...WAY too needy). And I've walked in your shoes as well (with the husband dating on the side during the marriage...ugh!). I feel like I need all of my energy to go towards getting the bulk of this weight off.

Ladies, you know what I've noticed? It's like....food is in the air. A lot of people I know have been having a hard time with overeating. It's like once the cold weather comes, there is some kind of chemical release in the atmosphere that says, "You are hungry! Eat!" I even felt like that yesterday and ate more food than I'd normally eat. It's so weird.....fall/winter months makes us want to hibernate and eat more food! LOL!

Hi Elladorine!! I TOTALLY agree with all you said, especially about establishing good habits and figuring out what's best for your body even if we don't lose as fast as we'd like. It's so true. It's in the journey that we learn what's important and valuable, not jumping straight to the finish line. This definitely helps put things into perspective when I'm having those "I want to be done already" days. Thanks so much for your insight!

Elladorine! So lovely to have you here. Your long-term success, positive attitude, and creative solutions are always so welcome.

Day #2 successful. I struggled with cardio last night. I don't know why, but my asthma was bothering me, and I thought of 100 reasons to quit within the first half mile. But I wasn't going to report that here. So I kept on, finishing three miles at an average pace of 4 mph. I didn't tear it up, but I did it! And I did not allow myself a single piece of candy. :-)

Day #3 - will be a challenge. My work day will be disrupted, but I will need to lift before the kids' trunk or treat night. Just bought candy I can resist. Who likes Baby Ruth? Or Dum Dums? I will find a time to lift. I will instruct my children to keep the candy away from me. And I will not indulge in a single piece of candy. For me, right now, that would be disaster. Also, very glad I hid my scale, or I would have gotten on it this morning. What happened to my will power? Also noticed super-scary scale thinking yesterday. Glad I made my pledge.

Laurie - I think I'll join you on the 12 days of no scale. I am an EXTREMELY compulsive weigher...and while that's wonderful when the weight is coming off as it keeps me pumped up and excited, it's horrible when it stops coming off even when I'm on plan. Soooo...this is going to be hard, but we can do this, right? I think I'll have to hide mine too.

I think I might pick up the exercise a little as well. I had cut waaay back for awhile because it only seemed to make me ravenous, but it also made me feel better about myself and I could use that pick me up.

Yay 12 days of no scale! Glad you are joining me. :-)

I know it's sacrilegious to some, but I see hunger as part of this process. I don't want to ALWAYS be hungry, but most normal weight people get hungry. And working out is important to my sanity!

Working from home today, so got my work-out in early. Woot Woot.

Enjoynlife - YEAH!!! 30 DAYS SCALE FREE!! That's an awesome challenge! You KNOW I'll be in your corner cheering you on! I know you can do it. And here's to a nice big drop when you do step on it again on December 1st!

I'm still hanging in there ladies. Nothing new to report. Still working out, eating healthy, moving it right along. My 6 year old has a fever so I'm taking her to the doctor early tomorrow morning, which means an even earlier workout for me. Gotta get it in!