Hi there!

Screen Name: MattChanged (because I'm changing, lol)

Age/Age Range: close to 40

Family Life: very happily married, 3 kids (1 out of the house)

Occupation: self-employed

Hobbies and Interests: reading (thriller, crimes, horror a la King, some reference books), movies (collect 'm), making web sites

Favorite Music: Prince, Pink Floyd, Celine Dion sometimes, Charles Anzavour, Steve Miller Band ... symphonic rock, house, pop.

Favorite Color(s): blue

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: walking!

What are your fitness/health goals?
Lose weight, stay under ceiling weight, feel good, feel fit, feel strong, feel energetic

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit?
Quit smoking. Wife went on a diet and I didn't want to binge out in front of her so I changed my eating style as well. That got me going and now I love to eat good & right.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health?
Food while I'm reading

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
1. Walk more
2. Walk farther
3. Less sugar

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : dunno

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? n/a.

Screen Name: ReneeM

Age/Age Range:28....till Feb 27

Family Life:Happily Married since 11-7-98. We have 2 kids. Brenden is 6 and Claire is 2.

Occupation: Stay at home mom.

Hobbies and Interests:Shopping, movies, music, spending time with family

Favorite Music:Most anything but really love 80's!:-)

Favorite Color(s): Red for now!

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Exercise bike

What are your fitness/health goals? To have more energy and to eat better.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Just looking in the mirror!

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Snacking and keeping my thyroid in check

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Not sure yet, just started dieting

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : NOt sure really!lol

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? A belt with tucked in shirt!!

Screen Name: Chubby Chicken

Age/Age Range: Young Adult

Family Life:

Occupation: Going to school or Applied Business Technology

Hobbies and Interests: Riding my horse, 4x4ing etch

Favorite Music: Country

Favorite Color(s):Blue

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: competitive sports (unless it hurts my knee)

What are your fitness/health goals? To eat smaller portions and not many processed foods

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Stepping on the scale for the first time in seven years

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Not using food as a comfort

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? eating smaller portions, excersing more intensly, saying no when people offer me food

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? A few people. Muwhahaha. My boyfriends brother's girlfriend.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? To feel comfortable in a bathing suit
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Screen Name: Newenglandsue

Age/Age Range: 34

Family Life: Married w/ 3 kids. Ages: 15, 4 & 2

Occupation: SAHM

Hobbies and Interests: home improvement, quilting, reading, history

Favorite Music: bagpipes, country, rock

Favorite Color(s): I pretty much like them all

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: dancing with the two little ones

What are your fitness/health goals? Have more energy

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I checked my blood sugar

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Stopping at one bite

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
1. less junk
2. more exercise
3. more balanced meals

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Better than I did 2 babies ago

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? jeans with a belt

Screen Name: beckyh

Age/Age Range: 30

Family Life: Married for 8 years and a 4 year old son

Occupation: Credit and Collections rep

Hobbies and Interests: I really enjoy spending time with my family. I used to love running, but haven't been able to since I hurt my back (I have 3 bulging disks) I go back to the doctor on March 1. I am hoping he will release me to run again!

Favorite Music: I like dance music, anything you can move to really

Favorite Color(s): Orange

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: jogging

What are your fitness/health goals? I want to lose around 30 more lbs

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I quit smoking on January 2nd and new that if I didn't diet at the same time I ould gain even more weight.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? I really haven't struggled too much. I eat basically what I want. This time hasn't been too hard. I have had a few days where I have eaten poorly, but I have been able to pick myself up and start over every time.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
I need to exercise more, hopefully my doctor will release me soon.
I need to do some weight training and not just cardio to build up lean muscle.
I need to get more veggies and fruit into my diet

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than?: I just want to be back to the size I was before I had my son.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? I really want to be able to wear a bathing suit without being too embarrased.

Screen Name:cablgurl

Age/Age Range:31

Family Life: been living in sin for 10 years, 2 kids 7 and 5 years old

Occupation: retention and sale specialist

Hobbies and Interests: addicted to reality tv

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: walking

What are your fitness/health goals? hope to get the pre-children abs back

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? When i nolonger was able to fit into the clothes sold in my fave stores

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

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : my sister

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? a wedding gown!

Screen Name: njm1317

Age/Age Range: 42

Family Life: Married

Occupation: Secretary

Favorite Music: Everything except rap.

Favorite Color(s): Red, White, Black

What are your fitness/health goals? To live a healthy lifestyle and watch my kids grow up.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I quit smoking two years ago and that seemed easier than losing weight...I've finally gotten angry with myself and said "enough is enough"!

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

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Emotional eating, scheduling time to exercise and stop making excuses - become accountable.

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? No one in particular - I want to do this for myself.

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

Screen Name: jamsk8r

Age/Age Range: 37

Family Life: mom to ds 10

Occupation: dog boarding

Hobbies and Interests: skating, dog scootering, dog weight pulling, making halloween props

Favorite Music: anything I can danceskate to, rock, and just about anything with good instrumentals and/or vocals

Favorite Color(s): depends what it's for

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: dance/jam skating, running the dogs on the scooter (though I've got to work on the running part for myself...the hills are killing me!)

What are your fitness/health goals? be a normal/fit weight for my height, be able to run up hills with the dog team without being totally out of breath at the top (or halfway to the top and having to walk), having more energy to play with my son and do things with him, and just not feeling fat and old looking (ever notice how much younger people look when they lose the weight?)

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Getting on the scale at my sister's house last week and seeing it read 229, my highest weight ever!

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? I haven't been struggling at all, that's the problem. I'm not inactive, but I haven't watched what I've been eating and I haven't done anything "more" in the exercise department to try and lose the weight. I just don't want to keep going on and doing nothing about it, getting 10 lbs bigger every year.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? I usually don't eat until I've been up about 7 hours, then I throw something in (whatever is quick), then don't eat again till dinner, then probably eat enough for 3 people, then I stay up late and usually get hungry right before bed, and have a snack that would be a normal meal for a healthy person. I think, if I eat normal portions, eat often enough not to be "starving" when I do eat, and then do more exercise than I'm already doing, then I can lose the weight.

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

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Just clothes that fit, maybe a belt and a tucked in shirt, without the belly bulge, and a t-shirt for skating, because right now I wear a long sleeved shirt over, and it's way too frigging hot when we're all dancing.

Screen Name: Hillarie

Age/Age Range: 29

Family Life: mom to Aaron 3 and Madison 7 weeks

Occupation: fulltime retail all the time mom & wife

Hobbies and Interests: Scrapbooking, word search puzzles, reading

Favorite Music: almost anything love the 80's, classic hard rock, and most country yeah I know what a collection

Favorite Color(s): Dk. Purple or Black

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: weight lifting in general, anything fun that will keep my interest

What are your fitness/health goals? to be healthy in general

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Once again trying to lose baby weight. I had finally gotten into 1 pair of size 4 for the first time in my ENTIRE life about a month before I found out I was expecting again. They haunt me from the closet now. I was basically on bedrest with both pregnancies so yeah a ton of weight gain.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Binge eating!

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? No more binge eating! Exercise or lack there of! and regaining control of calories and portion size

(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?My size 4 khaki's (I'll get you my pretty!) Eventually, right now I'm settling for anything in my closet! oh yeah and I have a red strappy prom dress from let's see 12 years ago that I will fit back into if it kills me just so that I can say I got back into it. but it's not even that small just a goal. I can't get rid of anything that makes me feel that sexy.

Screen Name:sharonrr

Age/Age Range:46

Family Life:married 20 years, DD 4/y DS 19 y/o

Occupation:self-employed we own 2 campgrounds

Hobbies and Interests:new found hobbies, exercise and nutrition

Favorite Musicldies

Favorite Color(s)urple and blue

Favorite Exercise/Workouts:elliptical and weights

What are your fitness/health goals? eat healthy everday, no sugar, healthy fats, build muscle, have a healthy fat %

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? It was a combination of things, having a son who is very physically active, he is a black belt in Tae Kwon do and lifts weights, also a daughter who wants to be in Karate, Swimming, gymnastics, I need to keep up and be there for both of them. But in particular I think it was reading YOU on a diet by Oz and Roizen and having alot of those moments of saying "that is why I'm still fat and have not kept the weight off".

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? It was exercise at first and now I love it. It was staying away from sugar and now that is no problem. I weigh myself too often and get disgusted when the scale doesn't move.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
Water consumption, stop weighing myself daily, change up my exercise routine, I do the same thing most days
(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : My skinny sister.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size?
Sexy anything
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Screen Name:Zenor77

Age/Age Range:Almost 30

Family Life: Married

Occupation: I'm a production assistant at a winery (central Calif.) This make the calorie counting a little difficult seeing as sometimes wine tasting is part of the job. Thankfully alcohol laws being what they are, I have to "spit" at work. Gross I know, but it's better than getting drunk on the job.

Hobbies and Interests: I love to crochet, cook, garden, and I'm an avid reader.

Favorite Music: I like most types of music, but usually my husband and I listen to Jazz and old folk music (I was raised on the Weavers.)

Favorite Color(s): Red and black

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: I love to walk (especially with our 6 month old puppy.)

What are your fitness/health goals? I would like to get down to a healthy BMI and change my eating habits so that I don't have the health problems my parents did.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? This is kind of funny. I decided it was time because EVERYONE is pregnant right now (well, a lot of people at least.) We want to start a family in a year or two (start trying that is) and I want to be a healthy weight so I have a better chance at a healthy pregnancy.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Getting in enough exercise, definately.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? 1. More exercise 2. More exercise 3. Portion control

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : My current self I guess. For me appearance is secondary to wanting to get healthy and staying that way.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? I can't wait to be able to shop at Victoria's Secret again. I still don't understand why they stop at 38 D. Why would you exclude a large percentage of the population????

Screen Name: mjchik0906

Age/Age Range: 26

Family Life: married hoping for kids

Occupation: HR Asst

Hobbies and Interests: play piano, reading, music, outdoors

Favorite Music: no favorite...i love almost everything

Favorite Color(s): yellow

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: favorite? that's funny...i started doing pilates...some walking

What are your fitness/health goals? to do some kind of exercise every other day if not more

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? oh there's so many and it's gone back and forth for so long but just recently I read about this website in the O magazine and decided to join and it all triggered motivation to push forward

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? trying not to eat emotionally and exercising

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? smaller portion sizes, more activity, less fast food

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : doesn't everyone want to look better than their girl friends

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? my favorite low rise boot cut jeans

Screen name: teresah24

Age: 35 (36 in about a month)

Family life: married for almost 18 years. two kids, Nicole 17 and Ben 15.

Occupation: Office Manager for a home health agency

Hobbies and Interests: watching my son play baseball (he is an awesome centerfielder) for his high school team, and right now getting my daughter ready to graduate in May and get ready for PROM!

Favorite Music: 80's rock (Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Foreigner, ACDC, etc...). My MP3 is all "classic rock" , except I like Daughtry and Hinder.

Favorite Color: candy apple red

Favorite Excersice/Workout: Walking when I am able to health-wise. Would like to do free weights and wish I could do sit ups to get rid of the belly bulge!

Fitness/Health goals: To get my psoriatic arthritis under control so I can work out like I need to. Also, it has been since before birth of my oldest since I could tuck my shirt in or buy off the rack. Weighed 110# when I married in 1989 , and then gained 80# when preg with my oldest. Lost 50# and then gained 20# withn second child. Then up to the 170's-180's for most of the next 5-7 years until I was diagnosed with my auto-immune disease. Started prednisone and a bunch of other meds over the years, and now I look like the Goodyear Blimp! Have not been able to get/stay under 200# for 5 years now or work out effectively. Just walking a mile a day make my legs bruise in clusters around the knees. But I have found lots of encouragement in this place, and I WILL succeed in getting to my goal of 150#, then I will tweak weight down, hopefully to 125#.
Looking forward to buying of the rack,and NO MORE STRETCH PANTS!!!!

Peace and love, Teresa

Screen Name:LookingForHope

Age/Age Range:soon to be 50

Family Life:married with one almost grown son and three dogs

Occupation:teacher/librarian

Hobbies and Interests:movies, reading, home improvement, travel

Favorite Music:stuck in the 70s with the Temptations, ChiLites and Beatles

Favorite Color(s):lavendar

Favorite Exercise/Workouts:dancing

What are your fitness/health goals? to be healthier, to be freer

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? when my doctor looked me in the eye and said I would have a heart attack if I didn't change my life.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? I love to eat. It's fun!

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? I need to begin exercising, I need to learn to lower my carb intake and I need to stop going through the MickeyD drive through!

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : me

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? shorts

A pair of designer jeans with a nice belt and T-shirt tucked in. Tired of hidding things.