[PandyCat]

I'm fairly new here, as a prerequisite...this is about my 3rd week of my lifestyle change. The scale victories are well and good (6 pounds so far, yay!) but what floors me is how much I can see my general health improving already from exercising 5x a week. Today my roomie went with me to our apartment complex's fitness center, and at first I was a little dubious. She's a skinny girl, about 120 pounds soaking wet, and I get a little anxious whenever I see all the really fit people as they run 3x as fast as me. But after about 10 minutes on the elliptical, she turned to me and said, "How are you doing this? I feel like dying!" Willpower, baby!

She sat and drank water after 20 minutes while I continued for my regular 40 minute workout. It just really hit me that it doesn't matter what the outside looks like. I may be a lot heavier right now, but I can definitely say I'm in better shape!

[aerotigergirl]

YAY! Doesn't it feel great to outlast the "skinny girls" at the gym? hahah! I know I love it!

I also love how after a little while, you realize that you're not nearly as winded as you were when you were first starting out exercising... then you realize you can run longer and faster... it's very empowering, especially when the scales aren't on your side.

Keep up the great work! And keep us posted here on your future successes!

[lumifan4ever]

that is awesome. i know what you're saying. i had the same experience in my cardio class last week. i may have had to take small breaks and i may have been the largest in the class, but a woman who was much smaller than me, also couldn't keep up the whole class either. sometimes, i thought i was putting much more into it than she was. i may have paid for it too though, because my legs were very sore for several days afterwards too.

[ArtsyGirl]

Great Job! I'll bet that thought keeps you motivated at the gym for weeks to come. It is hard to be at the gym by people so much smaller, but you are working out for YOU and you alone. (and its obviously working!) Keep up the terrific workouts.

[aerotigergirl]

LUMI--- That's what i'm talking about! I'm always the heaviest (looking, at least) person in my cardio/weight class, too. And I feel like people stare and stuff. But, I look around from time to time and see that I'm really working harder than many of the other people in the class. And in the cardio theater, too, it feels good to run longer than everyone else... It's the little victories that keep me going, i swear!

[Misti in Seattle]

Thanks for the new slides! Wow you look fantastic!!!!!!