So I have made a decision this morning. In February, I started trying to lose. I did awesome for a couple of months and lost about 30 pounds. Then I quit going to the gym and kind of quit caring altogether. I still weigh myself everyday and while I haven't gained much to speak of I have been creeping up lately. My original plan, even while not following a diet or exercise program, was once I got below a 10 pound mark, I wasn't going over it again. Unfortunately I am back over 180 again.

So my decision today is that I am going to the YMCA again but this time I am giong to sign up with a personal trainer. Armed with a new credit card, I can kind of afford it right now and I really need to jump back in with both feet. I would like to end up this year much closer to my goal since I have let all of my original goal dates come and go without much progress.

Has anyone had experience with the Y's personal trainers? Personal trainers in general? Does it help?

I've never had a personal trainer before, but its a good idea.

Another idea to keep yourself motivated is to sign up for some type of sporting event. For example....

The Breast Cancer 3-Day 60 mile walk
http://www.the3day.org

The Danskin Women's Triathlon (1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike ride, 3 mile run)
http://www.danskin.com/triathlon.html

Both of the above events are absolutely do-able if you give yourself plenty of time to train. I've done the 3-Day and there were women of all ages and sizes walking the 60 miles. I am currently training for the Danskin Triathlon and it's a VERY women friendly & first-time triathlon friendly event. It's designed to be a woman's first triathlon and it's non-competitive.

If you sign up for an event 6 months in advance and then tell all of your friends and family that you're training for a 60 mile charity walk or your first triathlon, you'll be motivated to keep up the training so you can successfully complete the event. Also, you'll feel a great sense of pride and accomplishment when you do complete the event. It's a win-win!!!

You can also ese into this by signing up for a 5K, 10K or 15K race in your area. If you're not up to running right away, many races allow race-walkers.

For me, continually signing up for races and other sporting events is what keeps me on track with my work-outs. If I didn't have something to train for, I would be so tempted to slack off.

Good luck!

Total bummer. I called te Y right after I wrote that first post. They won't put anything on a credit card, not even regular membership fees. I then tried to find personal trainers in my state through the internet and came up with nothing. It seems really hard to believe that there aren't any in Michigan. Reminds me of somethig I thought about when I first started getting "in" to exercise back at the beginnningof the year. I told my husband after taking a long walk, that I wanted to get all buff and become a personal trainer. I figured I would gear it toward woman who were heavy and nervous about working out. Maybe I should give that another thought. But of course that would mean I need to get in shape all on my own. Yikes.

There are ways other than a personal trainer if one is difficult to locate. Check out the Ladies who lift forum stickies (especially this one)...also, I highly recommend the book Winning By Losing - Jillian Michaels. It has a 12 week workout cycle, with descriptions of exercises and eating tips. A lot of it you can do without a gym, but if you have access to equipment it's even better.

Getting into shape all on your own doesn't have to be scary! But if it is, any chance of roping in a workout buddy?

That's odd! We used to go the the Y until earlier this month, and they charged our monthly dues each month on our credit card!

Ironically, we left in part because of the lack of personal trainers at this facility!

We joined a new gym and signed on with a trainer and I am really liking it! Take some time to find one you can work with!