[lilwolfe006]

Alright, I have researched and looked and searched and organized and.. and.. and.. Came up with some realistic ideas about what I'd be willing to do or not.
South Beach Diet - Can't do. I simply don't have the means to do so much prep work and cooking in my current living arrangement.
Body for Life - Very close to doing this one, but I peeked at the book and it read like an infomercial.
Weight Watchers - I've done this before and it worked wonders for me. Pros, great if you are stuck with fast food lunches. Cons, I am sick of fast food lunches.
Old Fashioned Do it Yourself - I think this is what I am going for. I found this website that lets me track my meals, and my fitness each day. I am going to aim for 1200-1400 calories a day, and try to limit my fat to under 30g. I did this for a week once, and found it wasn't SO awful. Just takes planning and work.

Exercise plan:
-I bought new inline skates today at lunch. I get an hour lunchbreak at work. That's enough to get in 30 minutes of aerobic skating EVERY day without cutting into my 'me' time. I also have the luxury of working in a building attached to a warehouse, so can technically skate even in the winter or during rain.
-The 8 Minute Solution. This plan works without gym pieces or dumbells or anything. And better yet, if I am running late and get to work, I can do a good number of the moves in my own office.
-Bally's. I have a membership I pay for, gonna start using it. Even if it's just for the precor machine which I really like! Also want to take a Kwando class.
-Start running. I really want to get into better cardio shape and improve my endurance.

So, the eating and at least two of the exercise goals I can start right away! I am good at drinking water, drinking no less than 50-60oz a day, going to try to up that to 80oz.

My starting weight is 188. It took me four years to put this weight on. I am going to stop thinking that I can drop it in a week. (Not that I ever really did, but I like things to come to pass quickly, not very patient.) My goals and my rewards are as follows.

Short Term: 2 weeks
Going to have increased my activity level to at least 3x a week. Cut sugary, fatty snacks outta the picture! POOF!
Going to feel an increase in energy and mood from putting myself on the right track.
Going to lose 4 lbs.
Reward: Trail Ride!!

Goal for Oct (Cruise)
Going to have settled into a more healthy lifestyle.
Going to be able to walk a mile in 12 minutes.
Big one -> Going to be 18lbs less! (10%)
Reward: A massage on the cruise - maybe by some really toned hot guy! *LOL*

Goal for Christmas
Be well on my way to becoming a 'health nerd'.
Be ready to ask for size 10-12 clothes. (Currently hovering at 16-18)
Be able to walk a mile in 9-10 minutes (Jog?)
Big one -> Going to be a total of 40lbs lower in weight. (21% - and 2/3 of my way to goal)
Reward: Sign myself up for horseback riding lessons.

9month Goal (36weeks @ 2lbs lost per week to total 72 lbs)
Goal Weight : 130lbs Fit. Toned. Full of life and energy.
Reward: A husband! (No Just kidding, hee) A week long trail ride in Wyoming with Hidden Trails Co. to ride alongside the wild mustangs. After which will follow, by necessity, a full massage, focusing on my sore saddle!


Alright, now that I have them all listed, does it seem reasonable? I know that 2lbs per week is safe, and giving myself 36 weeks seems like I am not trying to rush it. It's on paper, I can look at it and remind myself whenever I feel week willed, - all I gotta do, is DO IT!

Woo! Feeling motivated!

[Marti]

I absolutely love what you have here!! What a great plan, and I love that you put a non-food reward for each goal you reach!!

Your research was good and I think that figuring out what works best for you, that is when it's going to work. I also think that 2lbs. a week is very reasonable and doable.

You have me thinking of how I need to do some research myself and go through the same process you did to find what is best for me. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. And I wish all the luck in reaching your goals!! You're going to look and feel fabulous!!!!

Don't forget to keep us all updated!!

Marti

[lilwolfe006]

Just a quick update after day one. I am amazed!!! I planned my meals, picked up some Slimfast (because I always end up eating AT work) and did just fine. I purposefully forced myself to eat snacks.

Slimfast Drink at 9am
Slimfast Snackbar at 10:30
Slimfast EasyMac at noon, with a piece of string cheese.
Lite Canned Peaches at 2:30
Bologna on multi grain, low fat, at 4:30 (My dinner due to softball)

I don't plan on being such the little Slimfast goofball, but work was very busy today. The amazing part of today was that at absolutely no time did I feel hungry. And, even more suprising, despite work being very stressful and busy, I found my moods didn't tip into the negative.

By the end of the day, I had consumed only 895 calories, 23g of fat, and 17g of fiber! I felt great. Now I know this is too low, but I also did some skating at lunch, played softball, and then hit the bar. It's the one night a week I allow for a few beers - but hey, I worked my butt off to make room for them

So, So far so Good!

[JayEll]

Hey, now see, it is just amazing how good it feels to get off that formerly snackfood driven rollercoaster! Good for you!

Yes, 800 some calories is too low per day, especially if you are highly active. But I'm sure a few beers made up for it.

You could add more protein, say, another string cheese, or more vegetables like carrots, which are easy to carry around. Don't go too low or you could end up losing muscle weight instead of fat. OH NO!

Keep on, wolfie!

SW: 196 5/24/04
CW: 179 7/28/04
GW: 145

[lilwolfe006]

Wooo! Trail ride here I come! Weighed in on Sat. morning. 183lbs. Now I just have to make it another week with eating well and exercising. I hope that scale wasn't just lying to me so it could laugh later!

[JayEll]

Yipee! Good for you!!!

[lilwolfe006]

Been ages since I updated on this thread, so figured it was due. My whole family started the South Beach Diet and so my concerns on prep work have been eliminated! We've all lost 9lbs in the first Phase. Stalled a full week in the second (Which we attribute to getting too few calories). Are tracking calories for a while with www.fitday.com and voila.

My cruise is in 4 weeks and I think I will make the goal! I am down 15lbs since I started, so need to lose another 3lbs to make my goal for the massage reward.

I still really need to get exercise back into the picture, I have done absolutely nothing on the walking/jogging front.

Not sure I will make the 40lbs goal by Christmas, I think that one might have been a little unrealistic, so I am going to am for 30lbs by then.

Just an update!

[JayEll]

Hey Wolfie! Good for you! Go girl! Glad to hear your family is doing a program also--it helps to have support.

Add that walking! It doesn't burn many calories, but it changes your metabolism so you are better able to use up fat as a fuel.

Jay

[lilwolfe006]

An update on my journey!

Dec. 30th 2005
Current weight - 155 (Has hovered here for two weeks)
-A lot of holiday cheating, but I didn't gain so I am quite pleased with this.
My goal originally was to be 150lbs before I started my riding lessons, so I am sticking with that plan and going to wait for the last 5lbs to go.

I've been doing a cross between South Beach Diet and just plain, good old fashioned portion control. Given the choice, I will choose foods that are SBD friendly. If there are no choices, or I am feeling a bit rebellious, I will go with the next best option. IE. No gigantic white bread buns, no HEAPING serving of pasta etc. Do I eat pasta on occasion? Yes! Even the non whole wheat kind, I just tone it down and fill up on the veggies first. Diet drinks have become the norm. (But I still have not gotten used to the taste, everyone lied to me about that.) Snacking has cut way back, and I have honestly lost my urge for crappy fast food. The only place I still do sometimes is Taco Bell - (I know, odd) Hamburgers and fries don't appeal to me much anymore, and this comes from someone who ate them 4x a week before. I had to buy new clothes recently, and coworkers and friends are giving me positive attention.

So, the next step.

I have 17 weeks until my next goal on the timetable (May 1st)
I would like to lose 25lbs in that period.
I think I can do it, if I finally add exercise into the picture!!
(I know, I know, the whole plan revolved around exercise, but honestly, I haven't done any at all through this whole journey. It may be just what I need to kick in to some steadier weight loss.)

Have a safe and happy New Year all and best wishes for another year of improved health and meeting goals!

[Crosstrainerchick]

Very interesting assessment of Body for Life.... I just read they sold the company to Abbott Pharmaceuticals for $300 million.... I guess they sell a whole lot of their recomended protein drinks