It's been a long time since I've been consistently posting, and a lot has happened since then. I've got two herniated disks in my spine now, and I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I'm on a lot more medication then I used to be, and I'm sure it's part of why I've gained so much weight. Oh, and I'm now engaged to my best friend and the love of my life, and I'm back up to my starting weight (and then some. relationships are awesome, but they're awful for weight loss! lol).

It sucks that over the past two years I have gained back all 70+ pounds that I lost, and then gaining about 10 more on top of that, but I honestly only regret it a little bit. I haven't been happier in my entire life then I am right now, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I DO need to get back on track though. I bought my wedding dress, and it is absolutely GORGEOUS, but it is two sizes too small (it's an Oleg Cassini gown that was originally $2700, and I got on clearance for $600. I just couldn't pass it up. If you don't know who Oleg Cassini is, he designed all of Jackie Kennedy's clothes when she was first lady).

I'm not getting married until November of 2014, so I have plenty of time to lose the weight. I am not only hoping to lose the two sizes.....I'm hoping to lose two MORE sizes on top of that. The dress is a size 16, and they said that they could take it down to a size 12 without ruining the dress. I'm currently 272 pounds, and a tight size 20. I know that I was a size 14 dress at 180 pounds. I'm aiming for at least 180 pounds, if not 160. That means that I have 92 pounds to lose until I would be content, and 112 pounds to lose before I'm not overweight anymore. That's an overwhelmingly large amount of weight...

BUT, I know that I will get there. My fiance (335 pounds) is doing this with me, and I know that we will both reach our goals. We have each other for support, and we have a wedding for motivation! How exciting is that?! Lol.

I'm making a weight loss binder. I know a lot of people use apps on their phones and stuff, but I always forget to update those things. I got a plain white binder and I'm decorating it with fabric and puffy paint, and I got a bunch of dividers. This is how I'm setting it up...

The Motivation Tab - This is where I will put motivational pictures, quotes, songs, etc. When I'm struggling I will be able to look back at this and remember why I am doing this.
The Food Logs Tab - I made some daily food logs and I will be tracking everything that I drink, and using the WW points system. I find this system works better for me then just plain calorie counting.
The Weight Logs Tab - I made some daily weight logs, organized by weeks. I will weigh daily because for me, it's helpful to see the ups and downs of the scale, and how the food I'm eating and the exercise I'm doing is affecting me.
The Exercise Logs Tab - I literally just printed out monthly calendars, and I plan on just making note of which days I exercise and for how long. If I find that I stall or I'm not seeing the results that I want, I may come up with something else that goes into more detail.
The Recipes Tab - I decided that it would be helpful to keep all of the healthy recipes I find in one place. That way I always know where to turn when I'm looking for ideas.
The Journals Tab - I wanted to have a place where I could write down how I was feeling and just anything I felt was important. It will give me a place to vent my frustrations and fears, and to keep track of how I'm feeling.
The Measurements Tab - Pretty self explanatory. Just a place to keep track of body measurements.
The Progress Tab! - I was thinking about putting one of those "progress thermometers" that you color in here. I will also keep a running tally of how many pounds, sizes, and inches I have lost. I will also keep progress pictures here.
The Goals Tab! - A place to keep track of any goals and mini goals I set for myself, and when I reach them.
The Graphs Tab - I plan on graphing pounds lost, my BMI, and possibly inches lost as well.


I know it seems like a lot, but for me having something physical that I can look through and see what I am accomplishing will really help me towards my goals. I'm super excited to fill this binder up on my journey, and to be able to look back at it for motivation in the future, so that I never end up in this situation again.

If you read all of that, you are absolutely awesome! Just saying. lol

I love the idea of the binder! I just save all my things on a word document and my blog. I guess the binder would be a remember how much you have achieved over the time and something you can always just sit down and read over. I love the idea of the motivation tab especially. I think we should all have some form of motivation tab whichever way we track our progress. It is very common that we lose motivation and struggle to find the way back up! Best of luck on your journey and I look forward to seeing your progress.

Im new to ip, started yesterday in fact, but the binder idea seems genius! Good luck with the goals, my wedding gown was Oleg Cassini as well!!! I loved it! You will look amazing in the dress!

Start weight: 227.2 on 11/19/12
Goal weight: 160 {hopefully by my hubby's bday 2/18)

Thanks guys! I was worrying that I was crazy for being this detailed about it, but I really do think that it will be helpful for me to be able to look through it. I'm a super fast food addict, I crave the stuff all the time, and now I will have something to look through BEFORE i go out and get the fast food, that will hopefully remind me that those burgers and fries just aren't worth it. lol

No need to feel crazy. I've seen a lot of users post about how they keep track on spreadsheets and other tools. I use a word document to keep track during the month and post updates in my blog where I can read back over them too.

Thats some amazing organization and planning on your part. xD I'm lazy with tracking and only record my weight once a week, even though I weigh everyday

Oh...and I used to be a fast food addict too...Wendy's a few times a week xD...but after the first month of cutting it out, I don't crave it anymore, and haven't had fast food since Dec. of last year...You got this Good luck with starting up, and your going to look beautiful in your wedding gown no matter what size you end up

I absolutely love the idea of having something physical to use and refer to! In my case I keep a pretty day planner that I write down all of my food in. I also add other notes like what exercise I've done for the day (I'm currently tracking my walking through MapMyWalk but still physically write down how far I've gone each day in my planner), and any other notes I deem important including my weekly weigh-in. I also wear a weight-loss bracelet as a constant reminder of the goals I've met and would still like to meet (I add one charm for every ten pounds I've lost).

My husband thought I was going overboard with just the day planner, but he's since realized that I needed something to keep me on track! I love that it keeps me accountable and conscious about my daily and even weekly/monthly choices, and that I can use it to look back on my progress. I don't think you're crazy at all for being this detailed, whatever you can keep up with and motivates you best is perfect.

This is an AWESOME idea! Make sure you keep your binder out in the open so you see it everyday! Keep it on the kitchen table or somewhere that you will always see it so it's a constant reminder of your goals and self control! You can do this ^_^

I personally have a piece of paper taped to my mirror, lol. It's not as detailed as you, but I have the darn thing memorized by now. I don't even have to read it anymore but when I see it It's a constant reminder of my goals. I put it right at eye level so it's in the way when Im trying to look in the mirror, but it's hard to ignore it or forget about it and I feel like it helps keep me accountable!

Congrats on your engagement! I'm right there with you, lost a bunch of weight my first year of college, then gained it back +20. Starting over FRESH. You can do this, ps, the gown sounds gorgeous.