I know 160....150...140....I wish I had the will power to go all the way right now, but 9 months is long enough right now. I hope I at least get close to 155 by June 13th....but I am starting phase 3 on the 13th of June. I will reassess in September after I have had a few months of maintenance. I will say the fact that I am wearing size 8 in all stores and styles is definately a goal that I am very pleased that I have achieved, but I am obssessed with getting that scale to the 150's now.

Bump.

I'm thinking about joining you in this challenge... my special guy says he thinks 138 lbs. would be the perfect weight for me, even though I've had 130 in my sights from the beginning... if I go along with him, at my present weight of 157, I'm less than 20 lbs. away!.. omgosh, that sounds so heavenly!!!.. after all, when I get there, if it doesn't seem right, I can always go lower... well, that settles it... setting my new, conditional goal at 138 lbs., which will put me firmly in the "healthy" BMI range... (which I will remember is only a reference... thanks for that, juiceman!)..

This is so exciting!!!..

hugs

You have been at this a long time...so that is a very doable goal and if you want more you can go for. Great job on all your success so far.

Thanks for the encouragement, darbs7!.. yes, in terms of starting date, it really looks like I've been at it a long time... but I really can't take credit for doing it almost a whole year... until I started posting my restart on here, I hadn't realized I had been off protocol just as long as I was on to begin with... from Thanksgiving last year 'til 11 days ago, I had been eating on protocol only often enough to keep from gaining weight, & I guess that counts for something... not gonna pat myself on the back too vigorously, don't want to get cocky & mess up this time... I'm ready to get this done, not that I haven't enjoyed it, but to show myself & my friends & family that I can finish it... well, that & to look & feel a jillion times better than I did a year ago...

BTW, I don't know where Kurt got 138 lbs... he was just thinking about it one day & seemingly pulled it out of the air... he may or may not be right...

I'm glad you started this challenge... gives me the motivation I need to get 'er done... thanks!!!..

hugs

Thank you so much for starting this thread, I put my info on the spreadsheet. I have my goal at 145. I am 5'7 and currently 168 in a tight 10 pant.
Does anyone have an ideas on how to work on my stomach? If it is a cybex machine, which one would you use? I absolutely hate sit ups. I will try whatever your suggest there might be something new on the market that actually works. As I am short cartiledge in my feet and have to take 2 hydrocodone a day just to walk, my main source of exercise is swimming laps.
I have been floating around in my pool in a bikini I have a 6 ft. fence) and my husband told me today that he liked me in that suit!
At Christmas time I was 214. I just can't believe how far we can come, and so fast. Although it has been slowing down lately! I too am bored with the whole deal but I won't quit. I'm considering doing boot camp again to try to jump start the loss, but I really don't know how I can make it through the day without my cinnamon apple soy puffs.
Mary

Glad to have you along. I would love to do bootcamp too, but the restricteds keep me going, plus when I lost my most weight (back in fall 3.5 average per week for 16 weeks) I was having a restricted every day. I just need to cut all the other stupid things I do out (very minor, but need to get more perfect).

Good luck finishing this journey.

I think this thread is great. We're all in the same boat!
I'm going to ask at the gym today what I should do about the loose skin and see what they suggest. I'll get back to you on that.
I do think the blueberry cran-granata helps, but I'm looking for the miracle cure for this 56 year old skin. A tan helps! Brown fat is always better than white fat. Let's post pictures early this month so that we can visualize what we're all going through.
Mary

i tweaked the columns and added some formulas for us all to keep track. my WI day is monday, so i went ahead and posted. i lost 2.5 so i officially have 18 lbs to goal... wow. i'm so happy.

Excellent and thanks for adding the formulas

Well, it has been said that caffeine makes you retain water....so, if you are drinking enough, it might make your weight-loss results faulty....not sure. I just know I cut it back to once or twice a week (use to be a daily habit). However, today I am battling a major headache so I had a diet cherry coke....I will regret it, but the ibuprofen (which also makes you retain water) isn't working!

I asked the trainer at the gym about loose skin today. He told me to swim one day, do arms the next, do legs the next and then have another swim day. That way I will be toning. He also said that my skin needed to catch up with the loss because I lost it so fast. I am not really that saggy baggy, I just have a problem area on my hips and stomach, but if I do lose another 20-25 I might be ok. We'll see. He also measured my body fat with the hand held meter, he said NOT to go my BMI. It was 31.5 and he said that 30 would be good to aim for. So at least I know I'm on the right track.

I'm SO excited I found this thread!
I just added my stats to the spreadsheet! Goal weight, here I come!

I just looked at your progress photos. Please, oh please! can I be as beautiful as you are when I turn 56!

Right there with ya on all counts.

85 down, 5 to go.

Never thought in a million years I'd get this far, but, now that I'm here, it's not *quite* enough. Now that I've set my goal, anything short of where I planned to quit feels like giving up. All I really want is that 24.9 BMI and a couple pounds for wiggle room.

My entire day hinges on that one moment on the scale in the morning. If it's down, I'm in a good mood all day. If it's not what I wanted to see, I'm cranky and miserable to everyone around me (or so it seems to me).

I just want to be done so I can be a normal human being again. I've been doing this for a YEAR - putting aside what I'm doing to my body, psychologically, I need to start living again.

Every day the scale doesn't move it seems like an extra week has been added on to my prison sentence. I'm SO DAMN CLOSE and just not quite there yet, and I often feel like I just won't ever get there.

And then one day the scale moves and I feel like I can do this for however long it takes.