My goal in all is to go from 195 to 150 (and perhaps more, but for now I'll say 150.)

I figured it was a bit discouraging of me to list 45-50lbs as my goal, because it just seems like too much. It won't motivate me, it'll just discourage me when I look at the huge number. It just seems so bleak! So I decided that I should do it a little at a time. Little by little, I will lose the weight. 15 lbs seems like an acceptable initial goal, as long as I focus. Once I've focused on reaching that first goal of 15 lbs, I'll set another goal of 15lbs, until I've reached that too. And so on.

I think that's what I've been doing wrong this entire time... setting goals that are too high for me to reach. I need to take it a little at a time to adjust myself accordingly.

So any advice/support/and help with losing my first 15 lbs is greatly appreciated. I was going to start today, but I didn't keep count of my calories at all and ate junk like pizza and chips. Mainly because I had horrible insomnia last night and never went to sleep. I eventually passed out at 11am this morning, and slept until 6:30pm and by then my body was tired and craving junk.

Tomorrow is a new day. I can and will do it. The only thing that's stopping me is myself.

I can beat myself. I am my only enemy.

I feel your pain. I have insomnia also, and I know the 'late night cravings' you're talking about. Thank goodness I have a treadmill, because I don't really trust the side of town I live on to go walking/running at night. I have been having a lot of trouble with my bipolar/insomnia lately, and my sleeping schedule is messed up like yours is right now.

looking for the same advice.

I downloaded the program fitday the other day, and have started keeping track of my exercise and food intake. Hopefully that helps, also.

..and yes..we WILL lose the weight!

Good for you Melanie! Now take action!

Come on in and join in on the January challenge and work out in a group.

I don't really have any advice, but I will say that since I joined here, I have found more motivation to eat right and exercise than ever before. When I look at what people post, I always look at their numbers to see how much they've lost and I want to be able to change my numbers too, so every time when I've decided I'm gonna skip a day for whatever reason, I get on here and look around for a bit, and eventually decide that sitting around isn't going to get me anywhere, and then I get up and exercise. I can't believe how motivated I am to do right, just because I want to change my numbers, lol. But hey, it works! And looking at it 15 lbs at a time really helps a lot. My goal for now is 145, but that's only 15 three times! (okay, a little more than three times) That's not a lot at all! I'm so excited! Good luck to you and to everyone else!

May I suggest the ablounger? For the first year or two that I have had it...I did crunches on it everyday and just cut back on my food intake.

I went from a size 22 to a 14. You do notice results within the first three weeks and then it just keeps showing as the weeks go by.

I'm here if you need someone to talk to.

Seriously littlepoet? I heard that those ab machines are just a waste of money, that you can just get down on the floor and do them the regular old way and have the same results. If it works real well I may invest my money in it to add to my little at home gym. LOL!

So Melanie, how's it going so far? Update!

I feel you on the insomnia. I always feel like I wasted the whole day sleeping. I haven't had an episode in a while though.