[Fat Melanie]

My goal in all is to go from 195 to 150 (and perhaps more, but for now I'll say 150.)

I figured it was a bit discouraging of me to list 45-50lbs as my goal, because it just seems like too much. It won't motivate me, it'll just discourage me when I look at the huge number. It just seems so bleak! So I decided that I should do it a little at a time. Little by little, I will lose the weight. 15 lbs seems like an acceptable initial goal, as long as I focus. Once I've focused on reaching that first goal of 15 lbs, I'll set another goal of 15lbs, until I've reached that too. And so on.

I think that's what I've been doing wrong this entire time... setting goals that are too high for me to reach. I need to take it a little at a time to adjust myself accordingly.

So any advice/support/and help with losing my first 15 lbs is greatly appreciated. I was going to start today, but I didn't keep count of my calories at all and ate junk like pizza and chips. Mainly because I had horrible insomnia last night and never went to sleep. I eventually passed out at 11am this morning, and slept until 6:30pm and by then my body was tired and craving junk.

Tomorrow is a new day. I can and will do it. The only thing that's stopping me is myself.

I can beat myself. I am my only enemy.

[muzikjunky]

I feel your pain. I have insomnia also, and I know the 'late night cravings' you're talking about. Thank goodness I have a treadmill, because I don't really trust the side of town I live on to go walking/running at night. I have been having a lot of trouble with my bipolar/insomnia lately, and my sleeping schedule is messed up like yours is right now.

looking for the same advice.

I downloaded the program fitday the other day, and have started keeping track of my exercise and food intake. Hopefully that helps, also.

..and yes..we WILL lose the weight!

[trnsfrmnreplace]

Good for you Melanie! Now take action!

Come on in and join in on the January challenge and work out in a group.

[Monica24]

I don't really have any advice, but I will say that since I joined here, I have found more motivation to eat right and exercise than ever before. When I look at what people post, I always look at their numbers to see how much they've lost and I want to be able to change my numbers too, so every time when I've decided I'm gonna skip a day for whatever reason, I get on here and look around for a bit, and eventually decide that sitting around isn't going to get me anywhere, and then I get up and exercise. I can't believe how motivated I am to do right, just because I want to change my numbers, lol. But hey, it works! And looking at it 15 lbs at a time really helps a lot. My goal for now is 145, but that's only 15 three times! (okay, a little more than three times) That's not a lot at all! I'm so excited! Good luck to you and to everyone else!

[littlepoet12281]

May I suggest the ablounger? For the first year or two that I have had it...I did crunches on it everyday and just cut back on my food intake.

I went from a size 22 to a 14. You do notice results within the first three weeks and then it just keeps showing as the weeks go by.

I'm here if you need someone to talk to.

[muzikjunky]

Seriously littlepoet? I heard that those ab machines are just a waste of money, that you can just get down on the floor and do them the regular old way and have the same results. If it works real well I may invest my money in it to add to my little at home gym. LOL!

[futuresurferchick]

So Melanie, how's it going so far? Update!

[njoytheride]

I feel you on the insomnia. I always feel like I wasted the whole day sleeping. I haven't had an episode in a while though.