Well I officially own my own scale. and OUCH. I'm 27 pounds heavier than I thought I was!!!! I'm really super embarrassed, but I'm hoping that this is the last thread that will push me over the edge to weightloss. While I'm planning my best and making sure I have time for a work out everyday and packing healthy lunches, I'm worried about the future. During all my previous (and unsuccessful) attempts at losing weight the first week goes GREAT, but then lose all motivation... PLEASE let this time be different! PLEASE

I feel the same way. It gets tough. I'll be honest, this go around of weight loss for me is only on day 6. But I feel great. The people on these boards are so supportive. You'll find great ideas here and friendly people that you can relate to. I don't think I come on this site without finding a story that I can relate to (oh yea...that happened to me...). As corny as it is, you can't ask for this time to be different. You have to make this time different. (now like I'm sounding like I'm at my goal weight and preaching...lol).
Anyways, welcome! And good luck! We are so excited to have you!

I know exactly what you mean! I have tried and tried many times all sorts of different diets and always seemed to do ok for a few weeks, then I would lose motivation or mess up and say, oh well. But not this time! What I find helps me, is before I eat anything, I ask myself, Will eating this cause me to take longer to reach my goal weight and be thinner? If the answer is 'yes', I don't eat it! I also find that when I am tempted to eat bad things, i will chew some minty gum or eat a mint. I can't stand eating after I've just chewed minty gum or even brushed my teeth, makes everything taste icky!

So good luck! and welcome!!!!

ooo the mint idea is a good one!

muelle12- you can do it! Keep coming back here for support and you will get through it.

I also brush my teeth to avoid eating. Especially when I am at a gathering where snacks are available. I pop in a piece of gum or brush my teeth if I am home and it really helps me stay away from food.

You can do it! This place is amazing motivation, and I like the accountability I feel here. If I want to slack off, I think about the challenges I've signed up for here and the fact that SO many people on here have done it... and WE CAN DO IT TOO!!!!!

Don't give yourself the option of failing. Throw away all the unhealthy food from your kitchen today. It is rough at first, but it gets easier. I'm in my 7th month now and I don't obsess about what I can't eat anymore. Good luck!

You all are so great! Thank for the motivation!! I can already here the gym calling my name for when I get off work. You've all been so successful so far, I can't wait to join your ranks!

PS: LOVE the mint idea!!!

I've started and stopped working out and losing weight more times than I can count, and I'm sure those failed attempts added to my weight gain instead of contributing to my motivation to lose more weight.

But finally I decided enough is enough. This is it. Tell yourself that you have no other option and that the changes you are going to make so you can lose weight are going to be for the rest of your life. Once I changed my thinking it became much easier to stay on my plan, because in my mind I really have no other choice.

In the beginning it was hard to stick with it, I think mostly because my goal seemed unreachable. At my heaviest I was 278lbs, and to weigh 150lbs or under seemed ... impossible. I mean, 128lbs? How was I going to do that?! But now I've lost 76lbs and my goal is just 52lbs away! I can definitely do 52lbs.

Try setting smaller goals in the beginning, every time you reach them you'll feel encouraged to keep going, and before you know it, you'll be there! Plus, being active on this forum really helps me stay motivated to keep losing weight and stick to reaching my goals.

Congratulations on deciding this will be the time. In threads like these I always like to encourage the OP to tell what they are going to do this time to make it different. Just saying its going to work this time without doing anything different is not going to work. Are you going to exercise more? I encourage you to sit down and think for a few minutes what you can change to make this time succeed. Good luck!

You can do it!!

Well Here's my Plan!

First of all, I now have a work out buddy... my mom We have hit the gym everyday this past week and she promises to continue to go with me as my support. I'm also eating healthier and contemplating counting calories. I haven't decided if Calorie Counting is right for me but I'm going to give it a try. Additionally, I've started blogging about my journey. Writing is something I used to do all the time, but I stopped when I entered college. It feels great to just throw my thoughts and troubles onto the internet and see who reads them. Finally, this site is a complete first for me. I've never been a part of a weight-loss community. I've been too embarrassed to join my local Weight Watchers because all the members are my friends' moms. Having this sense of community while remaining virtually anonymous is fabulous!