Hello everyone! I'm 33 years old, 210 lbs as of August 2010. I am motivated to get off the weight I've been carrying for the past 10 years... time to shed!

Motivation: Fashionable/Designer Clothes, Bedroom Confidence, Health, Confidence, and Energy.

Goals:
200 lbs: Perfume (sampler pack of designer smells! oh heaven!)
190 lbs: Gogo Borgerding silver cuff bracelet
180 lbs: New Pants! New Jeans!
170 lbs: Custom-made Oriental/Chinese Dress
160 lbs: $Shopping Spree$

I will add to this post over time as things progress... to be continued!

Hello, welcome and good luck with ypur goals

I was thinking last night how inspiring it is to see everyone's tickers and weight loss. Even seeing two or three pounds moved down that sliding chart is inspiring. The ladies and gents who've knocked out ten pounds, twenty or more... that's just incredible.

Have you ever noticed how many people talk about failed diets? Or maybe these are the people that tend to talk to me most about weight - as I am most likely to be sympathetic as an overweight lady myself. Or perhaps people loosing weight instinctively don't talk about it with those who aren't on diets - which makes sense, as no need to encourage any discouragement... makes you think.

But here on this forum, there are hundreds of folks loosing weight and keeping up with themselves and their goals! Very exciting business.

I can't wait to get a ticker of my own.

Down .8 pounds today... maybe 209 by the weekend... that would rock!

I remember reading about Karl Lagerfeld dropping ninety pounds and strutting around in skinny girl jeans shortly after. I loved it! Okay, after investigation the diet itself is borderline insane and after skimming the book found it dry and a bit on the hate-yourself-to-loose-weight side, but that aside...

I related to his desire to wear delicious clothing. I mean, the man designs for Chanel - is surrounded by runways full of beautiful clothes, designs beautiful clothes - so it only made sense he would want to wear them too. When I read the designer Hedi Slimane (Dior Homme - wonderful mens clothes) was the final straw for Lagerfeld.... that after seeing his clothing he just couldn't stand it anymore, I laughed out loud.

I know the feeling. Looking through the plus sized stores for anything that doesn't fit me like a poncho is painful. With the advent of the internet, we have more clothing options than every before at reasonable prices. There is almost no excuse not to find something fashionable, that fits you correctly, and that makes you feel great wearing it. I manage, barely... but after a recent mall excursion I came home and just felt horrible. How many jeans did I try on? All my size, mind you, I've never been a woman to buy things too small and squeeze into them. But nothing fit quite right. It fit my butt, but not my abdomen, my thighs but not my waist... sigh.

I'm over it. And I confess, having fashion as a major motivator may seem a little shallow - but I don't think it is. What you wear reflects your personality, your mood, your tastes, your spirit. I've found that dressing nicely and looking my best makes me feel better, gives me more confidence, and is a bunch of fun. I always notice when I walk out the door in "house-clothes" and no makeup with flipflops... I feel like I vanish into the blur of a negative stereotype of Americans... as if an invisible sign is over my head that reads "This Woman watches day time television, eats cheetos from the bag and has crumbs in her sofa cushions, and thinks concrete statues of cherubs or frogs dancing are excellent lawn decor!"

Just venting and rambling as means of motivation.

Too funny. I think that we all need to use what motivates at the time. I'm not a fashionable person per se, but the idea of having more fashion options and looking better in my clothes definitely motivates me. I love that you have set up goals and rewards for yourself- we often forget to reward ourselves for success. In the end it's all about creating the life you truly desire and that includes making your body the way you want it to be.

I think the desire to look polished is not shallow. I do, however, think that the mindset needs to be that this is a happy side effect of healthful eating and exercise - not the goal of it. You might consider getting a full physical so that you can work on other numbers besides weight and measurements. I'm a jeans and t-shirts kinda girl, myself - but I want to look GOOD in body huggin' denim!d

It truly IS inspiring to see those tickers move! I tend to get thinking that I can NEVER get to my goal. That my body "just isn't built" to be that small. Then I see someone who started out even heavier than me - who is a little muscular athletic machine and I just KNOW I can do it to!

Can't wait to join you on your journey and see your success!

Welcome! If fashion helps get you motivated, great!

Personally, in the name of science, I agree with mortonpixie about getting some other numbers from the MD. If you don't wanna - that's fine, too. I'm a numbers kinda girl, and I like seeing my health improve across the board.

Why is it that as soon as you get over a 12, the "fashion" industry thinks you either want to dress really sleezy or in sweats/ tunics???

I can't wait until I can spend $$ on a pair of really great designer jeans that can be custom tailored and not feel like they're "temporary jeans until I loose all the weight I want to..."

I am so over drawstrings!!!

You were talking about pants not fitting. Every pair I currently own has drawstrings, because to get it to fit on hips, thighs - it is WAY to big in my waist.

So I am really looking forward to having pants/jeans that I don't need a drawstring or safety pin to bring in the waist

I hear ya, lady! Ill-fitting clothing are a bane!

Tonight I was working on some very, very large paintings. I've been commissioned by a high school band to design and paint their sets this season. Eight canvases - 7 feet tall by 10 feet wide each. So... about 80 feet of painting. (Quite a work-out, too, I might add!)

Two Thoughts....

1. Hobbies make you happy. It's wonderful to get immersed in something, to find the time slipping away easily and productively as you enjoy yourself creating something or participating in something. I find this particularly true for hobbies that involve a visible or recognizable outcome. Whether it is a knitted scarf, a scoreboard result, a mosaic tiled tabletop or a painting. It's nice to see the fruits of your labor, as well as enjoy getting there.

2. Hobbies help with self esteem. It's something you're good at and/or you're interested in. I feel great when I'm working on a hobby project. (This particular one, true, I'm being paid for - but painting is generally just for fun, not profit.) But when you're in that zone, that flow of creation, you just feel magnificent. Human beings look good when they're happy and productive, I suppose. I feel like a million dollars when I'm working on a hobby.

I don't know. I just thought I should write it now so I will remember it. If you are anything like me... you may find yourself goofing off on the internet for a little diversion and the next thing you know it's been four hours! Same thing with the television. Not that these things don't have their merits, but I seem to make a lot of excuses not to spend time on my hobbies. And I always seem to forget just how awesome I feel afterwards. It's like going to the gym... once you go, you feel better... but getting there...

So, to all us on our healthy paths... indulge yourself in your hobbies. I know I'm not saying anything new here, but still. Maybe you'll read this and get inspired to whip out that sewing machine or glue gun. Or maybe in a few weeks I'll reread this and sign off and pick up my paint brush.

I think I'll print this. . .

School has started back, and for those of us fortunate enough to work in the K-12 arena, that means it's time to sharpen those pencils, pull out the curriculum folder, and squeeze in another faculty meeting about modifications! It's a stressful time and frankly, it can wear you out. In a good way, mind you... as coming out of a lethargic few months and back into the halls can be a shock to the system, but who can complain about a long summer vacation?

I knew I would not make it to the gym this week. Running from hallway to hallway, running after students, running with students, and running myself ragged at work would be exercise enough. BUT - I also wanted to pump it up a bit and get a little more out of it. So I found myself running even more.

Here is what is cool:

Once you get on your "activity" kick - it's contagious. I found myself wanting to do all manner of things I've been avoiding for a while. In the past few days, I've completely cleared out, deep dusted, and reorganized the back storage room. I've moved the magazine displays, made new stickers, created posters and bulletins that I may send to the Metropolitan Museum of Art when I'm through with them! All this energy - it's AWESOME! And work is three times more fun. Not to mention the time flies by...

Oh, and I've slept like a baby every night. Gotta get those eight hours and it's never been easier... I just konk out the second my head hits the pillow.

Eventually I'll get back into my standard work-out routine, but for now a little improvisation is working out splendidly. And my library has never looked better for it!

Thank you for teaching! I home school our 3rd and 7th graders, it is so maddening and rewarding at the same time...I can only imagine what it's like with 25 students!!

I love how positive you are! I'm so encouraged to read more about your Journey to the Dream!

So - I am down a pound! 209 lbs now. Moving ever closer, one numeral at a time...

Last night I was talking with my roommate about weigh-ins and scales and finding out how often she steps on the machine. She weighs herself about once a week. And I tend to jump on every morning. There doesn't seem to be any real difference between pros and cons, in the grand scheme of things, so we were wondering if weighing at all was necessary.

How can you track your progress without the scales, though? You could watch yourself slowly get skinnier, but often times it's hard to detect that slide (which is why we ended up overweight "overnight"). You could watch your clothing get looser. You could wait for someone to say, "have you lost weight?" and then reply... "Probably!"

So why would anyone forgo the scales entirely? Seems the only benefit is psychological. The ol' "If You Don't Tell Yourself On a Diet, You Won't Be As Depressed About It or Be As Likely To Cheat or Feet Cheated" routine. And I suppose I can see that working for some people. The folks that more zen then me, perhaps, who devote themselves to changing their lives and their habits for inner peace and health. Not that trying to loose weight doesn't also have these goals in mind... but there's a shift in focus.

Try as I might, I just can't imagine myself putting the focus OFF weight loss. It's important to me that I loose weight. And I like weighing in, whether weekly or daily, to track my progress or kick my own butt if there is a little backslide. It works out with my mini-goals too.

So as a compromise, I am also going to try to put more focus on that zen part of myself and see if I can't build it up more. If I work on getting my focus stronger while loosing weight, it should be strong enough to take over once I'm near goal. That would be cool, really, as it would be less likely that I will gain weight back.

Just some food for thought and a little weigh-in on weigh-ins.