Hello, ladies. My name is Laura...and yeah, I'm a vet. I've been enjoying being out of the service, apparently a bit too much. I weighed myself for kicks and giggles and almost fell over. Well... that's just not for me! I'm pure determined to get back down to the awesome shape I was in out of bootcamp. It's going to be beyond tough, since that's not only weight loss, but strength training, and a lot of flexibility training.

Sigh.... and so it begins. I'm so crazy about it, I'm even doing planks while I wait for things to load when I relax at the computer, and I'm drinking nothing but water and 100% organic home-made smoothies (my breakfast) u_u

Hmm.... a bit of off-topic, since this is an introduction. I volunteer with animals, it has been a passion of mine since I was old enough to think straight. I love to read, and will go through any book I can get my hands on. Despite how easily I have always put on weight (and my goodness, it happens fast), I've always been the "energetic" one. I calmed down quite a bit after enlisting at 18, but I guess that's just because I matured a little bit.

Best of luck to all of you! We'll all get to our goals!!!

Welcome Laura! I'm sure you will find plenty of inspiration here.

I've been enjoying life a bit too much lately too and am determined to get back to my goal weight. My favorite piece of advice is to focus on small goals -- losing 3-5 pounds; working out a few days a week, maybe not all; staying within your calorie range one day at a time. I find when I focus on too much all at once I get discouraged.

Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress!

Welcome Laura! You sound very motivated and determined! Good luck to you, as a fellow animal lover I look forward to reading about your journey!

Hi Laura! Thank you for your military service and for your volunteer work with animals! I admire you already! You will find lots of support here, so browse around and jump right in! Good luck!

Welcome Laura! It sounds like you are determined to make it happen. I wish you lots of luck in your journey and look forward to reading more posts from you. It's not easy, but we can do it!