Hey Everyone!

So I'm just as pumped as anyone that Bob has a new book out and I'm ready to discuss! This thread is meant to be similar to the Jillian's Girls thread, where we can discuss and have all the women (and men) following Bob's plan come together and gain support from each other.

I guess I'll start cause I indeed made the thread...

I'm Michelle, 23 and live in Newport News, Virginia. I've got about 61 lbs to lose til I reach a weight that I can be happy with and while I've tried many diets, I'm hoping that my love for Bob and his inspirational attitude will help this be the last "diet" I try.

I did have a chance to make it through the Intro and Chapter 1 yesterday while I was home. I like the way he wants people to work on their attitudes before they even embark on the diet and exercise portion of his book.

I still need to figure out if I'm really ready.... Its something I plan on working on today.

I also plan on adding a page to my blog to help journal like he suggests to do. Do any of you plan to do the same? Of course I'll be coming here to talk about progress, but I'm afraid I'll get into 10 pages of detail. Just was curious if anyone would have an outside link so I can read how you'll be following Bob's plan.

chellez- I just bought the book online today. I will be here to discuss with you when I get it...hopefully soon!
Beth

Hi,

I'm new to the challenges. Does it matter which team we're going to be on? Can we join in here regardless of the team?

Attitude has been a big issue for me. I'm 47 and have felt like this was impossible for several years now. It wasn't before but all of a sudden I hit 45 and everything I did, quit working. So I know that in my mind I didn't work as hard because I already "knew" it wasn't going to work. Talk about self-defeating prophecy!

However, I am coming at this this time with a different outlook. Someone on the last season said something about having the heart to make it happen. That really spoke to me. This time I do have the heart.

Looking forward to more discussions!

This thread is a totally separate thing from the Biggest Loser Challenges.

It's main focus is to gather the people that are interested or are following Bob's plan.

I hope to benefit from Bob's approach to attitude as well. This book could not have been more than a blessing to show up on my doorstep at the perfect timing.

My husband of a whole 8 months had sat me down the night prior to me reading chapter one and proceeded to tell me what a negative person I have become in the past 6 months. I don't resent him for it, because he was and is right. In reality I have become a shell of my former self. And while some of it is because of my weight, I think that Bob is right in saying that there's a negative tape recorder replaying the negativity over and over.

So I think my first goal in all of this is to turn that thing off!

Hi,

Thanks for starting the thread, Michelle! I start working through these things and when it gets a little too real, I start putting it off until I can do it "right" and so it never happens.

I'm 42, soon to be 43, and live in St Louis -- used to live a little nearer to you though most of my childhood (Virginia Beach -- I'm a Navy brat). I'm back up to 319 lbs and want to lose to ~140 lbs so that would be 179 lbs to lose. sigh.

I've read through the first four chapters (the Inner Compass part) and like a lot of the ideas. Have to say I'm a little stuck on the trusting myself and trusing in God/Universe/Higher Something to see me through this change. I've done Optifast three times and gained it all back. A year or so ago, I did really well, exercised religiously and lost ~100 lbs then hit several large emotional bumps in the road and lost my "grip". Gained back up to 340. Still having trouble getting my mentality together for this ride -- that's why I'm really looking forward to the summer BLC and this particular thread.

But he must know something -- his folks don't win often but they seem to have an inner something that keeps them in their new lifestyle. I love Jillian's no-nonsense, practical, this can be done and you can do it attitude -- but that's hard to maintain at this point. I want to make the inner changes that will help me "catch fire" and live my life enthusiastically.

Thanks,

Barb

I probably could have read further. I had a little time yesterday to sit down and read, but I'm having issues with that because I'm attempting to read my other books at the same time.

I don't think I'll be moving on to chapter 2 until I can really sit down and look over his questions he posed at the end of chapter one and really give a nice detailed reason for each one to myself

i read his book a few weeks ago! I love it and i LOVE BOB!

I don't have the book, but I'm following this discussion to see if it's something I want to invest in.

Chellez - I've been taking "A New Earth" . . . the classes on Oprah.com that go along with the book and it talks a LOT about turning off that inner voice. According to Eckhart Tolle, that voice is just the sum of your negative experiences. It isn't YOU talking. Reading his perspective has allowed me to ignore that voice.

Sounds like I need to buy and read Bob's book, too!!

chellez,

I'm going to go back and work through it slowly as the summer challenge starts -- I read ahead just to get the gist of his approach. I'm curious how he starts the inner changes and keeps them going.

One of the ideas I really liked was sitting down at least once a week and recapping what you have accomplished up to that point. I can be overwhelmed with how far I have to go (179 lbs is a whole 'nother overweight person) or I can think that there was a time when ten minutes on the treadmill would have left me puffing and aching in my back and knees and feet -- now I can walk for 45 minutes at 3 mph (still with the aching knees and feet but that gets better as the weight comes off). Making time to focus on that may make the difference. I know I derailed last time because I had worked hard for months and thought I was ready to go back to aikido and just wasn't. It was completely demoralizing and I still haven't quite gotten back the fighting spirit.


Barb

Bob is here--the book that is--but I can't get to it. I walked over to the condo office and no one was there! They're closed on weekends. I will try again on Monday and hope that I can pick it up.

Hi Ladies....I think I have a good handle on what and why I am doing this now, but I really want to read Bob's book (equal time as I have read both of Jillian's).....I'm absolutely sure that there will be something in there that I had not thought about.
I am going to start a blog...I'll let you know where you can find it once it is set up.

Hello ladies (and if there are any men, hi guys!), I just bought the book and am excited to read it. I've read through the intro and chapter 1. Does he get into more detail on the inner compass stuff in the next chapters? I hope so. I love the exercise section...there are so many pictures and instructions on different exercises, the ones I saw all seem to be stuff you can do at home with minimal equipment.

I am 39 y/o, married with no kids and I can't wait to lose weight!

I'll join in. We discussed a book like this I think in Maintainers and it was cool to do a chapter a week. Since this book is pretty short and straightforward, maybe we could have a thread for chapters 1-4 and then 5-8 where people could post whenever they got to that section, and people who get the book late can still join in when they've read it. Then we could use this thread for ongoing. Just a thought - not tryin' to run the show!

So, I had a few points I liked from chapter 1 in case it makes anyone decide to get the book...............

1. One of the keys to this plan is making sure to eat every 4 hours. This not only offsets hunger, but keeps you away from triggers that cause overeating or unnecessary snacking (this spoke to my starving binge episodes). I liked seeing this bc it was just straightforward. Not about glucose or blood sugar scientific references, but just here: remember to eat before you get too hungry which is about every 4 hrs so you don't end up overeating. Plain & simple.

2. Many diet gurus are "head thinkers." Not me, "I'm a heart thinker." I know you've been down this road before and know good foods from bad, the way to lose weight, and why exercise is good for you. It's not enough. You have to make the connection between your heart and your head. This said to me: I'm not going to tell you what to do as much as get you to want to take care of yourself.

3. Make big changes gradually. I don't need to cut out everything and live a life of punishment. Cut back, eat fewer treats, drink fewer sodas. Soon, it will be easier to cut back even more myself from there bc the exercise will make me want to bc I feel so good.

4. Using past emotional pain as a motivation to push myself harder (restrictive eating or overexercising). I was punishing myself and staying stuck in the pain. Nuff said. It's not about exorcising (or exercising!) the demons..........

5. Whether you've been thru a health scare, experienced an emotional turning point, or realized that your old habits are not working for you anymore........this spoke to me

6. When you reinforce your commitment to taking care of yourself (daily, thru eating right and exercise), you are sending the message to your heart and mind that you are indeed your OWN BEST FRIEND. (and should take care of that best friend accordingly)

I'm reading Chapter 2 now.

I don't know about you, but when I read the part about eating every 4 hours, I decided I wasn't following that one...I eat about every 3 hours or else I am starving. Well, I should say, I have breakfast, lunch and dinner with one snack in between lunch and dinner. So I guess it ends up to be eating about the same number of times.