Hello everyone! My name is Jen and I live in the Twin Cities (St. Paul/Mpls)....I'm turning 39 in a couple of weeks and really need to get serious about my health/weight! Diabetes (both types) runs in my family so it's absolutely ridiculous and sad that I let myself be overweight and out of shape.

I yo-yo with the same 25-30lbs over and over and of course now I'm up again and need to bring it down. I'm great at self-sabotage...don't honestly understand why which worries me because how can I be successful if I don't understand why I do the things I do?

Anyway - I'm not looking to be uber-skinny or have the body of a 25yo again but I do want to be able to look in the mirror and like what I see. For me, 150 is a weight I *know* I can maintain *and* feel good about myself so that's my goal for now (I'm 180ish). It's been six (or is it seven now?) since I've been down that low but I know I can do it!

I started a pilates routine at home last week and committed to doing it 4-5 times a week but only did it twice so this week I'm going to start it off right and go put some exercise clothes on, roll out my pilates mat, and work my core!

Glad to be here! This forum has a wealth of information!!!!

Hello from a fellow Minnesodan. :-), albeit an "Out Stater".

Hope spring looks more like a possibility for you than it does for me. The Blizzard Warning just posted is not all that far away.

Pilates is just phenomenal..wish I could get back on track with it. Good for you.

Will love to hear of your progress.

Thanks! I just got done with 1 yoga dvd (Denise Austin's yoga burn) and 1 pilates dvd (Ana Caban's beginner mat)...it feels so good to do but I'm soooo less flexible than I used to be .

Welcome to 3FC! Check out the 30 something forum for starters. Good luck!! What are your nutrition plans?

Re nutrition plan....

I do well when I cut out the whites....sugar, bread, rice, pasta, etc. When eating right for me, my typical day would include steel cut oats for breakfast, mid-morning yogurt, frozen entree and piece of fruit for lunch, piece of fruit on the way home before dinner, and lean protein, fresh veggie, small carb for dinner. We have a pretty hectic life (but who doesn't!) and right now we're eating out way too much. I need to take some time to plan out dinners at home....I really struggle with keeping those healthy! Plus, I love to cook curries loaded with coconut milk, cream, ghee, etc so somehow need to figure out how to healthify those .

Thanks for the welcome!

Hey Jen, welcome to the group!