Screen Name: nikkibabyyyyxo

Age/Age Range:20

Family Life: Engaged, fiance in the Marines

Occupation: Soon to be Registered Nurse 1 yr left!

Hobbies and Interests: camping, going out, reading, and recently tennis

Favorite Music: R&B, the good stuff

Favorite Color(s):Pink

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Wii Active

What are your fitness/health goals?

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Dont fit into anything or look good anymore, my fiance is a buff marine and i need to keep up with him someday, my health, being an example as a nurse

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? sticking to the diet. when i stick to it and exercise i can lose great amounts of weight the first week, then i get demotivated and gain it back, then the cycle starts over again

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? 1: Sticking to the diet! 2: Learning to resist 3: Staying motivated

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Ohhh lots of people!

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? cute swim suits, sexy clothes...get out of wearing sweats most of the time

Screen Name: AngelicLyna

Age/Age Range: 27

Family Life: Engaged

Occupation: Student

Hobbies and Interests: Video games, reading, playing with my dogs, music theory, photography, watching shows I find interesting and the list goes on hehe.

Favorite Music: All but rap basically

Favorite Color(s): Black, red and pink.

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Yoga, running and all the warm up stuff like jumping jacks, push ups and sit ups

What are your fitness/health goals? I want to lose about 120lbs and elimate insulin usage.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? When I started to getting sick and my doctor told me that my kidneys are showing signs of damage.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? I get exhausted too easily when I work out due to my illnesses (asthma, anemia, thyroid problema nd diabetes) and I feel hungry all the time.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? I need a better menu.

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Hmm, all the people who called me fat?

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? A corset.

Screen Name: NewMichele

Age/Age Range: 47

Family Life: newly remarried after divorce from an abusive alcoholic, settling in, changing lifestyle from career woman to homemaker

Occupation: homemaker

Hobbies and Interests:

Favorite Music: classical

Favorite Color(s): light spring green

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: belly dance, walking

What are your fitness/health goals? weigh 140 pounds, avoid diabetes, remove pain in feet and back

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Remarrying after divorce and seeing my wedding pictures!

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? being on the road and away from controls

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? sweet cravings, scheduling, emotional eating

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : my husband's ex!

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size?
a sexy little black dress to drive hubby wild!

Hi Everybody!
Michelle-do you have a belly dancing dvd or do you take lessons? I'd love to do that!

Screen Name:determined09

Age/Age Range:31

Family Life: married w/3 kids ages 10 and 8 yr old twins

Occupation: clerical

Hobbies and Interests: i love party planning

Favorite Music: Rock!

Favorite Color(s): I don't really have a favorite color

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: walking

What are your fitness/health goals? To be able to run a mile straight without stopping. To loose 25 lbs

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? When the clothes I wore while pregnant with my twins still fit me-8 YEARS LATER!!

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Giving up my "bad" foods

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
Portion control/Organizing myself enough to keep a log and not give up/Being able to exercise for more than 15 minutes without giving up

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : sister-in-law

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size?
A bathing suit that does not have the skirt or shorts attached!!

Screen Name: H2ODawg

Age/Age Range: Early 40's

Family Life: Married with 2 kids, 14 & 18 & 3 stepkids

Occupation: School Administrator

Hobbies and Interests: Scrapbooking, Portuguese Water Dogs, Sleeping through the night!

Favorite Music: Pop, Country, Classical, some Rock

Favorite Color(s): Black

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: None, walking if I was forced to pick.

What are your fitness/health goals? Lose the weight once and for all and get on with my life.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Lost 90# a few years ago, regained 40 and almost hit that dreaded point on the scale that starts with a "2".

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Cravings and binging on sugar

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Improve quality of diet so that I can stay within calorie target - and make exercise a way of life.

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : My old self of 5 years ago!

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? My old pants and capris...I have a bin full of size 10's and 12's that are beautiful...some still have tags!

I'm coming here fresh from the South Beach group and I just can't live like that long-term. I always do this - start some new diet plan and then realize that it won't work for me long term and end up counting calories or points. So, I've lost 11+ and need to keep it going...I know that my calories will have to be low. My metabolism isn't what it used to be!!

Screen Name: marbear24

Age/Age Range: 25, soon to be 26

Family Life: Married with 2 cats & 1 rabbit.

Occupation: Banking

Hobbies and Interests: Art, Sports, Reading, Sleep

Favorite Music:Little bit of everything

Favorite Color(s):Blue, red & Black.

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Swimming, Lax, Soccer - though most of my exercise is running/walking because of time constraints - I'm not avaiable when lap swimming is.

What are your fitness/health goals? Loose 70 lbs, and me able to swim at the speeds I was formerly able to.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Pictures.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Stress & Peer pressure

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Consistency, night time binging, eating when stressed.

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : All my friends from high school (I know, I know its bad - but I used to be the skinny one. Now everyone else has lost weight and I'm the fat one.)

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size?: Fashionable jeans and all of the other skinny clothes collecting dust in my drawers
__________________

Hi
I am Sandie from New Zealand. I am less than a week into the journey, but enjoying it so far.
I am about 40kg beyond a healthy place for my height, and don't want to continue on this upward weight journey, so in the immortal words of those from Middle Earth (my home region), Lord of the Rings, "You shall not pass!" From now on the trend is down!!

I work in a men's prison Drug and Alcohol Rehab and love my work. I have a 22 year old daughter, a 20 year old son, and a 17 year old daughter. I married at 17, first child at 20, and have been with my partner for 27 years all up. The 2 younger ones are still at home.

I love to sing and read, and study, still going on my Masters. I love painting both pictures and houses, and we are hoping to build a house soon, which is a first for us.

Well, hope you are all going well on your journeys,

Some words of encouragement in Maori
Kia Kaha!! It means stand strong and courageous.

Sandie

Screen Name: Lucy Pryde

Age/Age Range: Almost 15

Family Life: I'm homeschooled, so I'm pretty close to my mom. My brother's in college, and my sister's going to attend this fall, so I'll be the last one at home. My parents are pretty great, but they're constantly fighting.

Occupation: High-school sophomore. Yeah, it's not a real job, but it's pretty tough!

Hobbies and Interests: Playing guitar, reading, writing, singing, composing, writing lyrics, critiquing the movies made from my favorite books

Favorite Music: I don't have a genre that I specifically like; I'm in love with anything from Skillet to Jimmy Eat World to Journey

Favorite Color(s): Emerald green, maroon, gold, silver, bronze

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: I love square dancing, ultimate frisbee and biking.

What are your fitness/health goals? I want to lose 50 pounds by November 21st of 2009

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Just going to the pool with my friends and realizing that compared to them, I looked like a whale among toothpicks.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Not eating too much of something. I really have to watch my calorie count.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Diet discipline, doing more aerobic exercise and weight training.

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Gosh, I sound like an awful person, but... my best friend.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Jeans that look good on me!

Screen Name: JOVIMOM

Age/Age Range: 42

Family Life: Married 19 years with 2 Kids ages 11 and 13 (girl and Boy)

Occupation: Freelance Crochet Pattern Designer and instructor

Hobbies and Interests:Crochet, Knit, Reading, Gardening Running

Favorite Music: Rock - Mainly Bon Jovi, Daughtry and Nickelback

Favorite Color(s): All things Blue and Pink

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: I love to run

What are your fitness/health goals? Lose 60 pounds / be healthy

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I a insulin resistant and have been battling forever

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Cravings

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? More Water, More Exercise and not feeling guilty for taking ME time

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : My Sister. She was always would make me cry when we went clothing shopping.

Screen Name: candlmama

Age/Age Range: 31

Family Life: Married with 2 sons

Occupation: SAHM

Hobbies and Interests: Not a whole lot of free time with 2 boys! But I like to read and swim.

Favorite Music: Country and rock

Favorite Color(s): Pretty much any shade of blue, and burgundy

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Swimming - which I don't get to do much of.

What are your fitness/health goals? Get to a healthy weight and be fit enough to keep up with my 3 year old.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Feeling like I can't be active with my son, seeing pictures of myself

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Being active. When I have free time, I want to relax. But I need to start working out during that time.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? More produce, exercise more often, limit fast food

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : A certain cousin of mine

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Shorts, semi-form fitting clothes

Screen Name: chunkychic

Age/Age Range: 38

Family Life: boyfriend and doggy

Occupation: homemaker

Hobbies and Interests: internet, games, wii, music, reading, movies

Favorite Music: Faith Hill, Nickelback, Charlotte Church, Theory of a Deadman and many more

Favorite Color(s): Red and black

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: I love Wii Fit Rhythm Boxing and my Biggest Loser/Jillian Michaels DVDs

What are your fitness/health goals? I want to be under 150 pounds

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I finally decided I want to live.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? I am always thinking about food and it makes me crazy.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Less salt or none at all is what I want to achieve...Being consistent everyday...Being positive everyday

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Uhh...me as I am now.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Anything less than a size 10 jeans.

Screen Name: Nicki54

Age/Age Range:50-60

Family Life: Married with one daughter aged 11 who is Autistic

Occupation: Stay at home Mum

Hobbies and Interests: reading, watching TV, being on the computer

Favorite Music: Neil Diamond, L Cohen, Al Stewart, Queen, Motown and much more.

Favorite Color(s): Red, purple

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: None

What are your fitness/health goals? Right now to be able to cut my toenails

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? No big trigger just a series of incidents that have made me sit up and take notice.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Believing I can do it.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Commitment, Commitment, Commitment!


(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : My sisters.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? A classic little black dress.
__________________

Screen Name: Amma

Age/Age Range: 27

Family Life: Married, no kids

Occupation: Law enforcement

Hobbies and Interests: reading, kayaking, travel

Favorite Music: rock (of the hard variety)

Favorite Color(s): green

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: rowing

What are your fitness/health goals? To be within a "normal" weight range and feel comfortable in my body

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Knee pain, and seeing pictures from a recent vacation

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Getting moving, and dealing with work stress

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
-portion control
-getting regular exercise
-avoiding emotional eating

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Friend from work

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Dresses/skirts, and short-sleeved tops