Ilene = :queen:

Love ya, chickie!

Wyellen - I don't think - I KNOW beyond the shadow of a doubt - that you will get there one day. And you're gonna love it!

:lol3: right back at ya!!

Wyellen -- Your before and after pics are amazing, I saw them on another thread :bravo: keep it up...

Where? Inquiring minds want to know!

Ditto on the cool kids thing. In my book the Maintainers and the Ladies who Lift are the summit!

I think very highly of that Wyllen too. I'd be looking for pictures.

Found the pics :D

Wowsers! Wyellen, you lost about ten years along with those 75 pounds! :eek:

Awesome Wyllen! Look at your nice little chin!

awww.... you guys! wow! Thanks for noticing and commenting! :o

when I saw those before pics the first time I HATED them. I guess I still don't like them, but BOY can I see where I've come!

Meg-- I'm really starting to believe I am going to get there too. In part because I have role models to show me that it is possible AND to give great advice in all kinds of situations.

I know I will be turning to the maintainers more and more as this process continues.

Can I sit with the cool kids too??? :D

My husband made a comment that I was getting addicted to the computer, and I said "no, just this website!" :D

I know I have a long way to go, but this website is truly a gift. I read this thread from the beginning and I realize that's why "diets" weren't working for me before. That I had to find something that I could live with for the rest of my life, even if it mean a lot of work. That's why plans that have certain restrictions don't work for me. As soon as someone says "can't have this", that's what I want to have! Just knowing I can eat "whatever" I want but in moderation and I account for that then I'm ok. And now I realize I end up making better choices about food anyway b/c I chose to eat that way.

Like lunch today. I went to Panera and I love their baked potato soup, but I chose the low fat black bean b/c the baked potatoe wasn't worth the points to me.

I hope one day I can post here and say I'm maintaining with all the cool kids! :D

Thank you everybody for sharing your stories, insight, struggles, etc. I too love this website!

:thanks:

You slide in right here beside me and we'll sit together, OK? :)

I love it here too! Congrats on the good choice at Panera - that's how we do it ... one good choice at a time. :D

Thanks Meg! :hug:

Hopefully I can fit into your other pant leg over there! :D That would be awesome! :carrot:

OMG! Wouldn't that make the best picture??! :rofl:

Well then, I'm sitting with the cool kids too.

I have always lurked in this forum. Mrs. Jim and Meg are everything that I hope to be one day. I think everyone on this site should see what you ladies have to say. It is so important to me that I be prepared for maintenance while losing. Unfortunately, I see posts from certain people here and can't help but think that it is only a matter of time before they gain the weight back. Their mindset on things just doesn't allow for maintenance or lifelong success. I don't want to be one of those people.

It is very hard for me. I just had a birthday and it has got me to thinking about a lot of things, my weight being one of them. I feel like I put way too much pressure on myself (so I'm staying away from any challenges for a while) but then at the same time I don't want to not put any pressure on myself and go another year carrying around this weight. I need to find the middle ground for myself. It just drives me crazy because when I eat better and exercise, I automatically feel good, even before I lose anything. And yet since November I have lost and gained and lost and gained again. I want to stop the cycle. Funniegrrl (who hasn't posted in awhile) has a great post about motivation that carries so much truth. And frankly, I need to stop fooling around and follow her advice. If I am waiting for this great motivator, I may be waiting for a long time or even if it shows up soon I should know by now that it may not stick around for long. I just need to be committed and determined. But boy is it so much easier said than done.

Okay, this post wound up being way longer than I planned. But anyway, nice officially meeting you guys.

Hi Teahoney! :wave:

Aren't Meg & MrsJim awesome?! Greatest role models out there!

It's hard to find & keep motivation, but set yourself some mini goals so you don't get discouraged so easily. And think "baby steps". Small changes can make a big differences too. Remind yourself that this isn't a temporary fix, this is a lifetime commitment. That's what I have to do. I remind myself every single day that this is it, this is my life from now on. I count, weigh, measure my food for the rest of my life. I work out for the rest of my life. I know I need some serious "brainwashing"...lol :D, it's not temporary, it's forever. So even if you're making small changes, as long as you're going in the right direction you'll start seeing the difference.

One of my best friends is always looking for the next "quick" fix. She wants to lose all the weight as of yesterday! :D And I'm not saying I wasn't like that before, but I realized that it wasn't going to work that way. My friend is doing all the right things right now, eating better, working out, and she has lost a lot of weight during the past yr or so, but she's getting impatient, she says she can't wait any longer. She was doing JC and was losing an avg of 2 lbs per week but she quit b/c the weight wasn't coming off fast enough for her. Now she's with a personal trainer and a very strict diet. I know she's going to lose a lot fast, but I don't know if she can stick with it in the long run. Maybe she'll prove me wrong, I HOPE she proves me wrong! But me personally, can't do that right now, so I've decided to take baby steps, and just keep moving forward and I know I'll get there.

Plus I'll never get tired of saying that this website has been a gift for me. Here I can find the support I'm always looking for and it's great. It's great to know I'm not alone, that I have all these wonderful people around that know what I'm going thru and want to help! I want to help others too, and I hope one day I can be like Meg & MrsJim, I think that would be totally awesome! :)

Hi Tracey! :wave: Here, I'm sliding over so you can sit on this side too. :)

I was just thinking about Funniegrrl and her awesome posts - hope all is well with her. Her posts on motivation are gems and right on the money (if anyone missed them, we collected them here ). You're absolutely right - it's commitment and determination that will get you to goal - and may I add persistence? Just sticking to your plan? I like to repeat this (too often :lol: ):

The only way you can fail to reach your goal is to stop before you get there.

If you never quit, you can never fail. :)