Barring a grovelling apology at lunchtime, a large bunch of flowers, an expensive lunch and an offer to pay for our previously-arranged Germany trip in total ~ and probably even if all those things are present ) I'm off to Paris in October.

I would dearly love to be down the 160s by then but I've set myself a target of 169 - not harsh enough to stress me out but still something to aim for, and it would so gladden my heart to be 16Anything! 8lbs. I can do it!

You can do it baby!!!!

I heart Paris. And surprisingly lost weight during my 2 weeks there. Go figure.

ps, just realized, the amount I've lost so far is Exactly my combined check-in and cabin baggage allowance for the trip! That'll concentrate the mind as I struggle from CDG airport to the hotel!

You can do it! And think of how much better you'll feel on your trip when you're in your 160s! YGG!

I am confident that you can do it because you have proven that you can!

Paris, *sigh*, how wonderful. You have great motivation!

Paris, I'm so jealous! I just go back from living there for 10 months (and gained back and thensome all 25 lbs I had lost last summer). It's a beautiful place, and certainly is good motivation to lose weight.

What I found helpful was to think about all the walking you'll have to do while you're there-you don't want to be tired or miss out because of that! Also, lots and lots of stairs in the metro, certainly something to prepare for!

Good luck!

...great place to visit...took my kids last year! I assume you will be skipping Disney and Legoland..LOL...there is nothing like the Eiffel @ night though even with kids in tow! Twice as much cash and 1/2 as many clothes--the right combo for any trip!

You can do this! You will feel amazing and have the time of your life--I just know it.

Isn't that amazing? Awhile back, I was trying to figure out how much I used to carry around and it turns out that I could hold my (old, heavy) laptop in its bag AND my 15 pound cat and still not weigh as much as I did when I started out. No wonder we felt tired and out-of-shape!

You can do it !!

Oh, I love Paris !! such an amazing city !! And I´m sure between all the walking and the small portions you might even lose some more weight there !!

You can definately do it ^^

I lived in Paris for a couple months and I lost 10 pounds just because of the walk and the stairs. And trust me I didnt go light on the sweets with all the bakerys and the bread!!!

You just exercise so much its ridiculous LOL

I love Paris, not the biggest fan of the people tho but hey nothing is perfect.

Oo La La-Just keep doing what you are doing, and staying focused on your target. Paris sounds Perfect, you will have a wonderful time. Yay for You!!

TBH, I'm a wee bit nervous of Paris, tripadvisor is so full of warnings about pickpockets and scams, but I'm determined to blossom there!

Prob. staying in the 4th/11th/12th arondissment, because I'm going to the opera at Bastille and want to be able to walk home alone safely.

Buses - when u get on a bus, how do you know when to get off? Is there an announcement or a lit up sign inside? Ta!

The bus can be tricky, some of the do annouce the stops (the newer ones, I assume) but others don't. I would sit on the right side of the bus and look out at the window to see which stop you're at throughout your trip, and look at the map on the wall of the bus to compare and see how far you have to go. Be sure to hit the stop button when your stop comes up, because they don't automatically stop. If you're nervous about it, the metro can be easier, and it comes more frequently, esp. at night.

I lived in the 11th, right in the middle between Republique and Bastille. I would walk home from Bastille at night frequently, and always felt very safe. I would however tend more to recommend the 4th if you can afford to spend the money, it's more centrally located, more active, etc.

Be sure to check out the market on Thursday and Sundays at Bastille-it's amazing! (Better on Sundays)

Of course you can do it!

OO, thanks for the insights! I'll be there on a Sunday, so I'll definitely look into the market!

I'm probably going to get a Paris visite travel card, a bit expensive I know but I'm not there long enough for a navigo decouverte, and at least it means that if I overshoot, I'll still be covered if any inspectors get on!

I'm tossing up between Castex on rue Castex and Andrea Rivoli on rue St. Bon - I've got emails into both of them, it depends which one writes back first. Castex sounds to have really great staff. I've wirtten to ask about their best offers for a single room - a broom cupboard in a posh hotel is no fun, I'd rather have a 'superior' room in a lesser hotel.

Beyond 2 operas and a trip to Versailles on the Monday, just to see the grounds, I've no plans yet. I can take or leave the Eiffel Tour, the Louvre, would like to see Sacre Coeur (avoiding the bracelet/ring/etc scams), St. Chappelle, ice cream at Berthillon's, do a batobus trip. All suggestions really welcomed! How exciting to meet Parisophiles on this board!