For the last few months, I had been exercising by doing walking/jogging sessions. But I could never increase my jogging intervals by more then 3 minutes at a time. I was walking for 1 minute at 4MPH and jogging for 2 or 3 minutes at 5.5 for a total time of about 30 minutes.

A friend told me last weekend that she was jogging at 4.5. So I decided to try that as well. For the first time in my life, I was able to jog at 4.5MPH for 25 minutes. This is quite an accomplishment for me. When I first started, I was invited to do the Disney marathon in 2009 or 2010 with my husband's coworkers. After a few months of interval training, I still couldn't jog longer. I thought I would never be able to do this. So perhaps, now a half marathon or a marathon is not that impossible anymore. Just 2 years ago, I was a very unhealthy person weighting more then 200 pounds. I never thought one day I would be thinking about marathons.

Wow Francine...what a great incentive to keep going...a marathon! YOU GO GIRL!!!

Way to go Francine! I'm in charge of registration and number pickup for the Denver Marathon in October. I've worked marathons for 14 years and it's always amazing to hear the stories of those who run.

Good luck!

Francine way to go !! We have a runners forum in the exercise section, please come and join us!

So Susan and Francine please tell me at least two things that: ( and anyone else who would like to share their secrets)

1. Kept you going
2. That you did to help you lose the weight that you have released so far
3. that you had to overcome in oder to get where you are at right now.

Looking for help in all the right faces. You two have come so far,and Keep a little bit of hope and faith alive in me even in the worst of times

1. What keeps me going:
For me, it is the results that keep me going. Not talking only about the pounds going down but the results of the overall lifestyle change.
Here are some of those results:
weight loss
physically fit
no back pain
no fatigue
no sluggish feelings
no longer a couch potato
tons of energy
feeling attractive
mildly sick or not sick at all
and most important of all: self esteem

2. That you did to help you lose the weight that you have released so far
- eating every 3 hours or so with balanced meals like Jorge recommends.
- allowing myself to eat the goodies like chocolate, chips, cookies as 50 calories treat or simply getting my friday's extra bowl of chips to prevent myself from binging on those same foods. Deprivation is number 1 thing that sabotages my efforts. So by eating the goodies I crave, I don't feel deprived and don't end up binging.
- Doing the 8MM have added the muscles to my body. You would think 8 minutes in a day isn't enough to get muscles, but believe me, it is. I have bicep muscles!


3. that you had to overcome in oder to get where you are at right now.
Dealing with my emotions without food. This was not easy. I had to learn to love veggies. I never ate veggies before. Salad and/or veggies every day for me was quite a lifestyle change. I love veggies now and crave them so this is excellent. I do admit that losing weight in the beginning was much easier for me. The more weight you have, the easier the pounds come off. But it can still be done.

If I can do this, anyone can. The important thing and the most vital is that people have to understand that this is a lifestyle, not a diet. There is no end to this lifestyle. Even when you reach your goal, you will still have to lose weight. On occasions like Christmas, everyone tends to put on a few pounds. The important thing is to get right back in your healthy habits as soon as possible.

I can honestly say I cannot see myself eating and living the way I used to before. So that's one step in the right direction.

What keeps me going? The fact that my knee surgeon told me that if I didn't lose the weight, I would not walk without assistance in 10 years. And the feeling I get buying smaller size clothes and having people at work say wow, you are really losing. I even had a very senior executive tell me he hoped he wasn't offending me, but that he wanted to say I was looking great. And that I know what I am putting in my body is so much healthier and I feel so much better now.

How did I lose the weight? I count calories and log my food daily. I also am a low-carb eater and most of my carbs come from dairy, fruits and veggies. I can't eat whole grains or those types of carbs. I also exercise and strive to burn at least 500 to 700 calories a day. Plus I do weight lifting 20-30 minutes a day to firm up everything. And Tammy, you got me to drink the water.

What did I have to overcome? I like the taste of food. I like the taste of chocolate and jelly beans and potato chips way better than I like the taste of broccoli and green beans. I also get frustrated because I can't eat certain foods and I have to tell myself no to keep from eating more of the foods I can eat and shouldn't. It's all self-talk. I constantly tell myself that I want to lose weight more than I want to eat whatever is in my hand. Sometimes I win and sometimes I don't. But I win more often than I lose.

Like Francine, I'm in it for the long haul. It took me 6 years to lose the first 145 lbs. If it takes me 6 years to lose the last 95, so be it. I won't be done when I've lost it and I won't be able to go back to what I did before. I'm teaching myself lifetime habits. And I'm human. I won't be successful 100% of the time.

Francine and Susan

Thank you very much for sharing with me. I have learned also that it is a life style and not a diet. I am incorporating 1 new habit at a time. The water was my biggest issue for a long time. I hated water growing up. Hated it it as a young adult. As I sit here writing this I am in need of a glass of water. I drink it all the time. I rarely if ever drink anything else any more. I drink at least 6 16oz glasses daily, often as much as 8. I have started to move on toward my next habit, eating at least 1 salad every day. With or as a meal. I have also discovered that I enjoy eating celery with peanutbutter and celery with tuna. I feel I am closer to being on the right track after all. Thank you. I guess whether or not my scale is moving or not is okay as long as I continue creating these life long lasting habits. Eventually something positive has to happen as long as I stay on this path.

All though this journey is a personal one and can truely only be accomplished by ones self, I have learned that help is welcomed and very much needed. The people who have reached out here and those who I met on the 3 hour diet boards have and still are essential to my success. I am thankful for the success stories, the encouragement and the friendships. Hopefully one day I will be the success story that encourages someone else to keep going as you all are to me.

Susan thank you, You have brought me up from being down so many times. I am not sure how I helped with the whole water thing but am glad I did. What a surprise to find out considering how much I hated the stuff, not so long ago.I also wanted to let you know that I read what you wrote on the daily inspirational thread. You were also missed. When I read that I felt needed. Thanks.

Susan I started my food journal today. No sense putting it off. I am writing in my again as well, I have several weeks in there and I am going to go over it and try to find out what was going on.I actually went walking this morning. 1st time in almost 8 months.

Tammy, it seems to me you've got everything you need to be successful in the long run. You've got the right attitude, and with such an attitude, you can't fail. And you are right! Support is necessary. I fell off the wagon a few times, and this board as well as friends have helped me get right back on the wagon. When Jorge said we needed a support circle to help us stay motivated and succeed, he sure was right. So keep changing those habits 1 at a time. That's what counts. The weight loss is just one result of those changes in your life.

Susan, I think like you as well. I don't care how long it will take me to reach my goal. The important thing is to keep doing what I'm doing and eventually, I will reach my goal. We'll never be done. There will always be a few pounds to lose so that's why my journey isn't just about the amount of pounds I lose but about how well I eat and exercise.

Thank you everyone for the wonderful support. We can all lose this weight and we can learn from each other. Changing our lifestyle this way may not be easy all the time and sometimes we struggle more on some days, but the fact that we made the decision to change our lifestyle and doing what must be done is a success by itself.

Tammy, you are not a number on a scale. You are a warm, loving, kind, beautiful person and don't ever let anyone including yourself tell you differently.

Numbers don't matter -- I hate math anyway. What matters is how you feel, what you put into your body, how you exercise and how you take care of yourself.

I'm proud of you for getting back on track. I'm proud of you for going for a walk and eating a salad every day and logging your food.

You helped me by drinking the water yourself. If you can do it, I can do it. I'm kind of competitive that way.

I'm glad you are back. I need your insight and support too.

thank you

Speaking of exercising. Have any of you all tried to jump rope for a couple minutes? I did this the other day and thought I would die. I found online where you jump rope for 3 mins., then do sit ups for about 1 min, go back to jump rope for 3 mins, etc. You do this for a total of 10 mins. They say it is equivalent to running about 1 mile (maybe). It is the hardest thing to do and you should try it once.

Actually, I did this for fun on Easter. Trying to beat my score now. I went all the way up over 120 or something. The problem with joping rope as fast you can is the "Oh Oh! I had kids problem". Better work on doing some kegals to avoid leaking.

But it is a good exercise. I'm jogging these days as well as power walking. Really getting into shape now. This is good!