Screen Name: Gottagetfit

Age/Age Range: 38 this Thursday

Family Life: Married with a 19 yr old son in Army basic training and a 17 yr old daughter - sr in high school

Occupation: Property Manager

Hobbies and Interests: Golf

Favorite Music: Various

Favorite Color(s): Red/Pink

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: None yet!

What are your fitness/health goals? To be fit and feel better - improve overall health condition - stop mediations for BP/Chol

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Getting older, heart issues

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Lack of will power! and a 17 year old that runs 10 miles a day and needs the carbs and I dont!

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
Just consistency!
(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : I would like to look better than I did even in high school!

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size?
Cute golf outfits!__________________

Screen Name: emiloots

Age/Age Range: 28

Family Life: Married with a 14 mo old son

Occupation: Scientist

Hobbies and Interests: Hiking, camping, reading, music

Favorite Music: pretty diverse taste

Favorite Color(s): Green/brown

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: None yet!

What are your fitness/health goals? Get back to my pre-preg weight and feel confident again

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? having a baby - and then seeing pictures of myself months later - ugh!

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? feeling like once I've slipped up it's an excuse to keep on slipping, I'm either really good or really bad, seem to lack that middle ground

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
Cardiovascular health, strength and decreasing my sugar intake

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : myself 2 years ago

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size?
fit into a size 4 again, sigh...

Screen Name:M a g g i e (yeah, i'm that clever haha!)

Age/Age Range:19

Family Life: Single! in college dorms, and my roommate transferred so now I'm in a room by myself

Occupation: Student

Hobbies and Interests: oh, lots! dancing, music, tv, movies, talking, hanging out, i kind of crochet, color in coloring books!

Favorite Music: Alternative, rock, rap and r&b for dancing with friends, acoustic,

Favorite Color(s): green, blue, dark pink

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: dancing. My guilty pleasure of exercise is Barbie's Dance workout from the very early 90's! It's for kids and it even has jennifer love-hewitt in it when she was like 10 but it's awesomely bad fun and a great cardio workout!

What are your fitness/health goals? Have some muscle! I'm so weak. And then when spring rolls around I would love to go out for a run and actually make it more than 2 minutes due to my newly formed muscles! oh, and be awesomely (healthy) skinny and sexy!

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? going to college and being surrounded by skinny girls and then being too embarrassed to wear shorts around them so i suffered through the heat in jeans for 3 months. People noticed. it was so horrible to be around people. Then I got a roommate (huge mix-up and weird thing) and started to regain the weight i had been losing and then some. Over christmas break i started to get stretch marks on my stomach. and that was it! no further!

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Food. i live in the dorms surrounded by unhealthy temptations. And i'm really used to late night snacking. I've calculated that I'm used to eating around (at least, probably more) 2500 calories a day so cutting back to 1500 is hard.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Fruits, veggies, and junk food/sugar (limiting obviously)

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : haha! my brother's fiancee. She has been a part of our family for at least 9 years and about the time i went through my awkward teenage years, she started making fun of me which didn't help my situation. Now that i'm pretty overweight and older, i'm sick of her remarks about how ugly i am and feeling gross and inferior around her. I can't wait for the day when i walk into the room (not sure when the next time i see her but the earliest would be easter) and see the look on her face when she sees the slimmer me and realizes I'm way hotter than her! haha! oh, and i'm her bridesmaid in october so i want to look amazing in front of all of the family friends i haven't seen in a while!

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Shorts! and in front of other skinny girls!

This is the first time I am truly counting calories. I really don't like the kind of girls my age who constantly fuss about calories and remark on how many calories everything has. I don't want to be like them so I usually try to just eat healthy, but obviously that hasn't worked for me. I really like the format of my daily plate and it's so easy and fast to use that i don't have an excuse. yesterday and today have been a HUGE wake up call for me when i realized how i much i normally eat. Today, by 1pm I only had 500 calories left! That means tonight I'm really struggling to resist snacking BUT I've worked it out that I just had some green beans and will later have some pineapple which makes my total for the day 1560! so, pretty proud of myself and i want to keep that feeling so I won't WON'T start snacking or eat anything else. I've had plenty for the day. It's just hard to resist years of bad habits! Thanks for the support!

Screen Name: WingsofBeauty (I wanted Wings_of_beauty, but would let me use _)

Age/Age Range:28

Family Life: Husband, two dogs

Occupation:Waitress in between real jobs

Hobbies and Interests: Reading, Writing, Spending Time with Family

Favorite Music: I like Rock N Roll, Alternative, but Country at heart

Favorite Color(s): Green

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Well it use to be the Ellipitcal Machine, but lately it's been the Stability Ball

What are your fitness/health goals? to be healthy enough to have a baby

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? Wanting a baby, but too overweight to have one

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Motivation and I tend to lose focus

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Maintaining Focus, Sweets, Motivation

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

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Well i have these jeans I have had since college, they are a size 18, it's not my goal wait, but I refused to get rid of them just to wear them again! Yes they are still in my closet. When I am at my goal weight, I would love to wear a sexy black fitting dress.

Screen Name: ortal
Age/Age Range: 21
Family Life: 1 3yo daughter
Occupation: web designer
Hobbies and Interests: i work a lot and spend time with the baby... dont getout much
Favorite Music:
Favorite Color(s): blue
Favorite Exercise/Workouts: love the cross trainer
What are your fitness/health goals? would like to be able to jog 4 miles like i did i high school

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? the first time around it was loseing my scum bag ex. this time it's for me..

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Idk... I love food?
What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? snacking at night, eating cause its there, making excuses

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : this chick erin my friends hang out with

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? a tank top

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Screen Name: Cheryl170

Age/Age Range: 35

Family Life: Married to a wonderfully supportive man, two gorgeous daughters, ages 9 and 5

Occupation: Middle school Spanish/PE teacher

Hobbies and Interests: Travel, camping, kayaking, hanging out with my family, shopping

Favorite Music: All

Favorite Color(s): Purple

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Treadmill, Tae Bo

What are your fitness/health goals? To get rid of my insulin resistance and high cholesterol

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? The Doctor says that my insulin resistance will turn into diabetes soon if I don't get myself in shape, which scares me SOOO much! And I carry my weight in my tummy, so I'm tired of being asked when I'm due!!!

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

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? More consistent exercise routine, remove sugar from my diet, strength train

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? I guess I'm boring, but I don't have anyone that motivates me like that. I just want to look better than my BEFORE pics. I'm tired of hiding behind people in photos!!

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Cute spring time skirts! I look like a giant cow in them now!

Screen Name: starbucksfreak

Age/Age Range: 22

Family Life: I have a sister whom I live with

Occupation: Student and a Barista at Starbucks

Hobbies and Interests: writing, work

Favorite Music: Musicals and Scif

Favorite Color(s): pink and red

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: walking

What are your fitness/health goals? get to a healthy weight

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I don't want to be fat!!

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? support from family

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? 1200 cals

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

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

Screen Name: vertigoskyy

Age/Age Range: 21 [And a half :P Don't you miss being little and that half being a BIG deal? Haha.]

Family Life: Husband, 3-year-old son, a 3-year-old dog [pug], a 4-year-old cat, a 1.5-year-old snake, a 6-month-old snake, & some fish. We bought our first house in August. My husband is a Marine & returned from his first deployment in May.

Occupation: Daycare Assistant

Hobbies and Interests: Music, movies, reading, writing, penpalling, working out, computers, crafts, shopping, travel, teaching, learning, psychology,

Favorite Music: I love all music. My favorites at the moment are Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Seether, Green Day, Nickleback, Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, Blue October, Jack Johnson, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Clann an Drumma, & I could pretty much go on forever.

Favorite Color(s): Blue, Green, Pink, Black

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: The elliptical & the weight circuit at the gym [Fitzone] that I go to. I also like pilaties & ball/band workouts & anything dance.

What are your fitness/health goals? My main goal is just to be happy & healthy, at whatever weight it is I choose to be, and to to be toned. My goal right now is 145.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I don't really think there was a trigger this time. I've been wanting to lose this baby weight for a long time. I start going to this gym when I got a free 30 day trial. I liked it so much I stuck with it and I'm still sticking with it.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Food. More specifically food when my friends are around. We do game nights or movie nights, and the night is always full of bad food. I've been doing well, but it's hard with all those yummy but bad things around.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? portion sizes, excuses, consistency

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Well, one of my friends and I joined the gym together..it's proven that working out with a friend more than doubles the chances of you sticking to it..it went really well for about a month but then she started skipping out on workouts, just not showing up, not going at all, but I kept doing it. Now she's going again, but she doesn't want to wait for me to get out of work at 4, so she goes to the gym at 3, I can't go until 4 or later. Now I hardly see her at all for other reasons. So as bad as it sounds, I'd really just like to look better than her for that reason. We were supposed to do this together and she bailed out.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? A two piece bathing suit!

Screen Name:
fatbaby

Age/Age Range:
31

Family Life:
Married for 6 years, mom to a little guy

Occupation:
Business owner

Hobbies and Interests:
Antiques, auctions, thrift stores, old house restoration, restoring our 122 year old Italianate home, marketing, reading, crime shows and photography!

Favorite Music:
Indie rock and some good ol' blues

Favorite Color(s):
Mmm, I mostly wear black, even when I'm a skinny mini. Does black count?

Favorite Exercise/Workouts:
Lovelovelove walking through the historic district with my closest friend while chattering away only to realize 3 hours have passed.

What are your fitness/health goals?
To not let myself get out of control again. I have this huge amount of weight to lose! I gained the weight very slowly, over the course of the last 8 years. If I would have just used my scale and common sense on a regular basis I wouldn't have gotten this way.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit?
My son bought me a hoodie for Christmas that didn't fit. I could have used it as underwear, maybe. I vow to fit into it by the holiday's '08.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health?
Commitment, I don't lack motivation but need staying power.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve?
To exercise regularly (my job requires a TON of desk work). To cut out candy (I love me some candy). To eat balanced meals.

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? :
Just about anyone I see. I especially want to look better than I ever have.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size?
My old clothes. I love shopping. I love fashion and I'm out of control with great clothes! My hubby has been after me to give them away and I will prove him wrong!

Screen Name: Rhighlan86, but you can call me Becky

Age/Age Range: 21 I will be 22 in April

Family Life: I am dating the same guy I have been with for 2 years and hopefully for a long time

Occupation: I am currently in my last semester at college and am looking for my first grown up job I've also applied to grad school so who knows where I will be or what I will be

Hobbies and Interests: Music...I play the flute/piccolo, reading, learning more about autism and animal assisted therapy, watching a ton of movies, etc..

Favorite Music: I will listen to anything and depending on my mood it varies greatly. If I am studying classical, if i am doing cardio high energy, if I am weight lifting rock, etc...

Favorite Color(s): Purple and Blue...although my b/f's mom swears my fav color is pink and insists on buying me pink clothes

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: I love lifting weights....I feel accomplished, and the rowing machine. I can really feel the work put in, the only thing I hate about it is the machine rips up my hands so I have to wear biking gloves

What are your fitness/health goals? To be strong, from 2 car wrecks I have lost a lot of strength all over and I want to be able to get that back. I am potentially going to be working with both little kids and big dogs so I need to get that strength back. Also to be able to do what I want without getting winded.

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

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Finding time and motivation to workout and not letting the scale be the deciding factor on whether I am going to do well

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? More veggies, more exercise, less eating out

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Those perfect girls on the cardio machines beside me

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? A tank top and my dbf said he would buy me a pretty dress once I get to goal

Screen Name:tiggy123

Age/Age Range:25

Family Life: Live with 3 male housemates

Occupation: Accounting

Hobbies and Interests: Friends, gym, shopping.

Favorite Music: Almost anything. I really like The Doors.

Favorite Color(s): Lilac

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Crosstrainer and aerobics and weights

What are your fitness/health goals? I want to have better endurance and more defined muscles.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I got stuck in a UK size 16 trousers and I had always been size 10 to 12. I've lost a lot already, but the last pounds are difficult.

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Drinking and partying too much.

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Avoid alcohol, exercise more, eat more fruit and veg

(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? Mini skirt and bikini

screen name: tinygrammy

Age: 54

Family: husband of 35 years, 3 married children and 6 beautiful grandkids

Occupation: I babysit 2 of my grandkids every day, a 4 yr. old and a 4 month old

Hobbies and interests: I do all kinds of crafts, especially crochet and cross stitch, I love to read mysteries, and I love to spend time with my family.

Favorite music: Well, my age will show here, I like oldies from the seventies, also classical and christian. What a combo huh?

Favorite color: red

Favorite exercise: walking or using my exercise bike when I can't walk

Fitness/health goals: I want to walk upstairs without feeling like I'm dying, I want to be able to get on the floor to play with my grandkids without having to crawl over to a piece of furniture in order to lever myself back up, and I want to have a lot more energy without all the aches and pains.

My trigger to lose weight was a combination of several things but I suppose when my 4 yr. old granddaughter asked if I had a baby in my belly like her mommy did, I just wanted to cry.

What do I struggle with? Boredom. I'm just like a stay at home Mom, only older, and when the kids are napping, I get bored and a bit depressed. It's like my hallelujah fridge time.

What are 3 things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? I need to quit eating so much fast food, I need to control my portions and eat healthy, and I need to make an effort to exercise more often.

(evil motivation)- My husband! In 35 years, I have NEVER weighed less than him, and by golly, that is my supreme motivation, to weight even one pound less than him!

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal? Two things: Panty hose that won't roll down over my belly, and a tucked in shirt with a belt!

Screen Name: Maggers65

Age/Age Range: 42

Family Life: Married

Occupation: Food Service

Hobbies and Interests: Reading and Crochet

Favorite Music: variety

Favorite Color(s): pink

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: WATP

What are your fitness/health goals? Workout 5 days/week and Healthing eating style

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? High blood pressure and depression

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

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? doing it, sticking with it and making it a neccesity

(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? lingerie

Screen Name: Mommywannabe

Age/Age Range: 19 (20 next month!!)

Family Life: Married

Occupation: Housewife

Hobbies and Interests: Cooking, Reading, Gaming, Art, etc..

Favorite Music: Almost Everything

Favorite Color(s): Blue, Red, Black, White... hmm.. well, all of 'em..

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: Walking, Playing Wii Sports, Sit-ups

What are your fitness/health goals? My big goal is to one day weigh 135lbs. But my mini-goal is to lose 25lbs by my birthday.

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I want to be healthy and have a good weight to have a baby, and I was also really inspired by Biggest Loser .

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

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? Exercise more, cheat less. lol.

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : I won't say I want to look better than anyone, but I would really like to have the same body type as my younger sister.

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Form-fitting clothes.

Screen Name: xtrisaratops

Age/Age Range: 19, almost 20!

Family Life: Engaged

Occupation: Undecided?

Hobbies and Interests: Painting, reading Tarot, going to shows, being with my friends

Favorite Music: indie/alternative/emo/screamo...basically, the crap my mother can't stand

Favorite Color(s): black, green, and pink...and if we're talking about clothes, I love to wear BRIGHT blue!

Favorite Exercise/Workouts: WATP, resistance bands, yoga

What are your fitness/health goals? Be active, be lean, be happy with my body

What was the "trigger" or incident that made you decide it was time to lose weight and become more fit? I just got sick of wondering what I'd look like skinny! It's time to stop wondering and start doing!

What do you struggle with the most on this journey to health? Binging, exercise

What are three things in the area of diet/exercise you need to improve? MORE WATER, making exercise a habit, making this a lifestyle I love

(Evil motivation ) Who do you want to look better than? : Myself in old pictures!

What can you not wait to wear when you are at goal weight or size? Cute dresses...skinny jeans...a pretty wedding dress!