New Year, New Goals, New Me!!

I started over on my weight loss journey this year. I am 33 and wanting to lose between 80-100 pounds. I am concentrating on getting the food and eating in check first. I will add in the exercise once I start to lose and get the food choices under control.

I have met several friends here on 3FC and encourage anyone to post in this thread. What I am doing is a combo of WW and Atkins. I enjoy salads and oatmeal, but also love the Atkins shakes and protein bars. I think a combo of both programs works the best for me.

I am going to set goals each week to attain. This week’s goal is to give up chocolate. I am good on that one so far. The only “chocolate” per say I’ve had has been on the protein bars, but I don’t really classify that as chocolate. (I think it’s actually more of a carob mix.)

I would like to lose 1-2 pounds a week, and therefore meet my goal by the end of the year. I do better when I have buddies to keep me in check, so please post often.

The other big thing planned for this year is a breast reduction surgery. I am consulting with a plastic surgeon the end of March to see where I stand with that. I have my doctor’s referral for the surgery and it’s been deemed medically necessary. I am focusing hard these first three months to get hopefully 30 pounds off before I go see the surgeon. I am currently 251 and would really like to be around 160-170. I have a large bone structure and am relatively tall. I think this is an attainable weight and so does my doctor.

Come one, come all and lets see how many goals we can achieve this year.

Chachee

Hey there Chachee

I am 35 and have just recently started SBD (November). And I am your diet buddy.

I am having success with the diet. 1-2 pounds per week.

I have to run, I was just checking to see if this site was working yet. I'll post more later.

Kathy

Lucky,

Nice to see you here! I'm glad to have a diet buddy! Post when you have time and let me know how much you want to lose, goals, etc.

Welcome, welcome, welcome!!

Chach

Hi, Chach

I'm also looking for some help and support. I'm doing a combo of Atkins and SBD. I am 42 and weighh 230 (down from 265). It has been an up and down process, but I'm committed to keep the progress going.

Your goals sound good. Chocolate is a problem for me - - I really started having problems when the kids brought home tons at Halloween time, and I've been binging off and on ever since. It really is easier to just stay away from it altogether than to have just a little bit and stop, at least for me.

I have a rather aggressive goal of getting down to 200 in about 9 weeks - - that is about 3 lbs/week. Fortunately, I am only in my first week of my current effort, so the weight is coming off quickly right now (I was 235 just this past weekend!), so I'll be able to get a good jump on it. I think it is doable if I am able to stick to it without any backsliding. My wife and I are going on an anniversary cruise on 3/13, hence the goal. I'm hoping to drop 100 total and reach 165 by my 43 birthday in November. 65 pounds to go on that one, a much more realistic timeframe, less than 1 1/2 lbs/week.

Good luck

Dan

Dan,

Welcome to the thread! You have some great goals and if you stick with it you should be able to reach them! My bday is also in November and I will be 34. My hubby is a great supporter, so that is good for me.

Stay away from the chocolate. Someone once said "a little in moderation hurts no one". Well, I can't have just a little, I end up wanting more and more. It's almost a compulsive thing. Tell the kids to get you veggies instead!

Anyone else lurking feel free to join in on the discussion.

I think what I might do is if we get a lot of people in the thread, do new threads each week. Like New Year, New Goals, New Me Week 2. Any input on that? I know sometimes the threads get almost unmanageable and too big. Let me know what you all think.

Chach

Hi Chachee, hi Lucky!

Just thought I'd poke my nose in and give ya'll a wave.

Lucky.. a Slim-A-Bear is a low calorie ice cream sandwich like the Skinny Cows, but here they're a dollar cheaper per box. They keep me sane!

Hi, Raven. I've tried the Slim-A-Bear, too. Very good - - when I can manage to stop at one.

I was going to start running this morning, but I've got a real early (7:30) meeting and the windchill is around zero, so I'm going to hold off a couple of days. Yeah, I know, I'm sitting at the computer talking about exercising when I could be out doing it - - but I really, really, really am going to pick it up in a couple of days. I'm reading a book called "The Courage to Start" about starting a running program after years of sedentary life and despite a few extra pounds. It is an inspiration.

Chach - great idea re weekly posts re goals. Count me in.

I've got a challenge this weekend -- my wife (Linda) is going away for the weekend (business conference). First, I'm jealous, because she's going to Florida while I'll be shivering in New England (wind chill tomorrow is supposed to reach -30, w/ temp around zero and 30 mph gusts). Second, when she's away, I tend to binge. So, my goal for the weekend is, quite simply, to keep on track!

Good luck to everyone with their goals and sticking to them this weekend. And, have a great one!

Be well,

dannyb

Hey Danny! I'm a runner, too! I started out with walking, then adding in increments of running (say a tenth of a mile at a time) then moved it up a little, then a little more, then pretty soon I was running a mile and a half at a time. I had wanted to do the 3K, but I kinda .. well .. got sidetracked with lifey things last year, sooooooooo now I'm back to running small increments again. I have to watch it or I end up with shinsplints. You might want to check out a site www.coolrunning.com too. I got a lot of information there!

Good morning all

Welcome Dan. Wow and anniversary cruise. Sounds wonderful. What anniversary are you celebrating? My 15th is coming up very soon, and I think I could settle for a vacation. Good luck on staying on track this weekend. Just remember your trip will sneak up on you pretty fast.

Chach I want to lose 85 pounds. I have until November to do it, as that is when the next doctors appointment is. My goals are to drink water, exercise, and to start to eat healthy. I planned my menu and did up a grocery list so that I can buy only what is on my list and not any extras.

Hi Raven, I have not seen any boxes of either of those great sounding treats. Maybe they don't have them in Canada. We also don't have the Cambells soup at hand here.

ttyl

Have a great day everyone.

Howdy everyone!

Raven, nice to see you here. You are always so encouraging and motivational. I'm so glad we met on here. The puppies are driving me crazy!!! You would think it was the Puppy 500 at my house with all the running around they are doing. I'm getting them fixed next month and that should help.

Dan: Okay, I'm the same way with the times my hubby's gone. I have a tendency to buy a lot of frozen pizzas and make them my dinner. I'm bad when he's gone and he's in Thailand right now for another week. My goal is to stay on track this weekend also. Some friends are taking me and my 2 year old to Chuck E Cheese tonight, then Toys R Us. I figure I'll get a salad along with a slice of pizza and do a bunch of running around in there, so I'll work most of it off. It's -10 up here right now with a windchill of -45, so I hear you on the cold thing.

Lucky: We are right on track with each other. We want to lose about the same amount of weight. It's good to be on the same page. Get the eating and water down first, and then focus on the exercise. I am anxiously awaiting my tax returns this year so I can get my new treadmill and pilates tapes. I should be doing that next month.

Oh, the Slim a Bears are excellent. I found Atkins Endulge ice cream at my grocery store this last weekend. Let me just say the chocolate/peanut butter swirl is absolutely sinful! It's only 12 carbs for the entire pint! They say four servings, but who are they kidding? I also bought the Atkins Fudge Bars, so we will se how those are.

I have friend coming over tomorrow and we are having chicken enchiladas, but I am making them with high fiber/low carb tortillas. Yummy!

Check with you all later. I'll start the second week thread on Monday night after we all weigh in. I weigh in on Mondays, and I was thinking you guys did too. Let me know and I can change the date if needed. I'm planning on starting the new thread with my weight posted. If that sounds good, we can go with that.

Raven, you are more than welcome to check in here also. I always love seeing your smiling face.

Chach

Chach: Can't believe I was complaining about cold to an Alaskan! Reminds me of the adage of the man who complained because he had no shoes until he met a man who had no feet!

Raven: Bought the running shoes today. I'm going to wear them around the house for a couple of days and hit the road on Sunday afternoon when it'll warm up a bit. I went a few hundred yards, and it went easier than I thought. Baby steps. I keep telling myself, Babysteps. I'll check the site out.

Lucky: This is our 17th anniversary coming up. Congrats on your 15th. We had originally booked this cruise for our 15th anniversary, but we had to cancel it when Linda was diagnosed w/ breast cancer. Fear not, because all is now well and the long term prognosis is as good as can be. She had wanted to go forward w/ the trip in the worst way (she is the strongest person that I know), but it would have been in the middle of her chemotherapy, and her oncologist suggested that she postpone the trip.

In the 9 months prior to her diagnosis, I had made some great progress on weight loss and was about 20 - 30 lbs lighter than I am today. Maybe it was the stress, maybe it was "inevitable," but right after the diagnosis was when I fell off track and started to put the weight back on. That is one of the reasons why it is so important to me that I get back down to where I was before the cruise.

So far, I'm hanging in there quite nicely. Hope you are all doing the same!

Be well

dannyb

Lucky: Do any of your local supermarkets have an internet/home delivery service. I find that ordering from home and on-line is a great way to avoid impulse buying. It is also a tremendous time-saver (saves me about an hour a week - - well worth the $5 delivery charge and the tip I leave the driver).

dannyb

This morning was my first "official" weigh-in since my "recommitment" and I am down 7 lbs from last week!

I say official, because I weigh myself daily, but I try not to put any stock into these interim reports.

I feel particularly good about not having eaten a thing that I should not for the entire week. There was one evening where I ate far too much of some things permitted in moderation, but I'm forgiving myself that discretion and have learned that I need to take it easy on the low carb peanut buttter cups! (yes, I had 6 of them - - which is way too many, even though they are small! That was in addition to the quarter tray of the low-carb brownies. Yikes!)

Goals for this coming week: no carbs but veggies and berries, lots more salads, and very limited portions of the low carb "treats," and to run at least 4 times. Will be hard, because I'll be traveling on business for a couple of days.

I know, of course, that the first week is easy - - particularly for a guy. And particularly for a guy as heavy as me. It is nice to get such a good jump start on my goal, though -- 28 more lbs in 9 weeks! I am starting to believe that I can do it.

Hope you all are enjoying success with your goals, too

be well,

dannyb