Sure i'm a 14 now, I would like to be a 12, that's my goal, but I would love to be a 10.

I'm going to take baby steps, and instead of just cutting myself off to everything I love to eat, i'm going to wein myself off but reducing the portions of what I love to eat. Then eventually eating more vegetables with a balance of proteins. Then i'm going to start walking at least 30 minutes during a work week at work taking 30 minutes of my hour lunch break) to walk around the building. I think this is a realistic start.

And of course every New Year's the gyms are packed every day of the week with people who have weight to lose, but by March, the size of attendance starts to shrink. Why is that? Is that due to unrealistic weight goals?

I mean I know a co-worker, she is like a size 22, she wants to be a 16 by the summer. I know that it's possible but gosh that is such an overwhelming jump.

Let's discuss.
[Edited 1/1/08 19:28pm]

I'm on the best diet I have ever tried, South Beach

now I just need to get my booty to the gym

A lot of people set "new year's resolutions" which are really big goals that could take more than a year.

Also, women tend to lose weight slower.

missfee said:

Its sad that people expect immediate results and when they don't see them they just give up.

I'm guilty of this my self. I started my 'life change' last May and I was doing good but buy mid-June I hadn't lost that much weight so I gave up...Then I was thinking last month that if I had stuck to that plan I would probably be really close to my goal weight now

but that is water under the bridge now...

Now my goal is realistic, I just want to get more fit mainly.
So now, everyother day since Christmas I've been taking these 4 mile walk/jogs and its been making me feel really good as a whole so I intend to keep it up. Hopefully I'll drop some pounds in the process, but for now I just wanna be healthier

I think people need to stop weighing themselves everyday, and maybe just check in every season.

thekidsgirl said:

4 miles! wow thats really good! Im dying after only one

Good luck

Cinnie said:

Once a week is a good check-in to measure your progress. Any more is silly, but less doesn't give you the reinforcement of seeing the small successes.

veronikka said:

well right now I'm doing like 3 miles of walking and 1 mile of jogging and in all it takes me about an hour (not counting stretching)

You could probably do that! On a treadmill you could finish your workout all while watching a tv show or something

Though I prefer to walk/jog outside because the cold weather makes me go faster, and when you're outside you can't just quit your workout, cause you gotta walk back home

thekidsgirl said:

I used to drive to park when I was walking the track, exercise and I were just not meant to be

veronikka said:

Well you could always start small with just a walk around the block

I like watching that show the biggest losers.

horatio said:

My cousin made me watch the marathon of that today on Bravo

thekidsgirl said:

This is actually key!

thekidsgirl said:

such an inspiring show

Cinnie said:

I get so annoyed everyday when I'm done jogging at the track and I just want to crash, but noooo I have to walk my ass another 1.5 miles to get back home!

veronikka said:

If I could get that female coach to work with me, I'd either end up with a perfect body, or one of us would probably end up in the emergency room

thekidsgirl said:

I'd be in the ER for sure

but they loose so much weight on there and here I am can't even loose a few pounds

The problem with the gym is it seems kinda fun at first, but then the novelty wears off and it starts to be a chore...and u find that u dont really seem to have the time to go charging off to the gym, especially when the results aren't instant

veronikka said:

Their workouts are SOOO intense though! and I think thats like all they do for that period while they're on the show...just workout and eat lettuce!

Seems like it would be super hard coming back to the real world after all that

chillichocaholic said:

I'm not really a fan of the gym either! I only really go to my schools gym to swim

its crowded, and smelly, and the men takeover the weight room, and everybody is too cutesy in their little spandex outifts
[Edited 1/1/08 20:25pm]

thekidsgirl said:

yes, they did show one of the girls after leaving the show, she was crying because she wasn't sure what was ok to eat

thekidsgirl said:

And it's not like that 1.5 miles would ever kill you, so the motivation becomes "I wanna get home and relax!" - really helps you get through that final bit.

Cinnie said:

exactly!

and the walk home is just extra calories burned

thekidsgirl said:

Its hard to get home and "relax" when u have kids

veronikka said:

Yeah! I saw that, she was saying how she had to cut her self off from her friends and stuff.
That would be tough

chillichocaholic said:

damn that would make me tack on another mile or two

chillichocaholic said:

Make them walk too then!
Hopefully they'll be tired by the time they get back and will want to take naps!

I actually have seen a lady bringing her kids to the track with her. They run around on the football field while she works out

thekidsgirl said:

Thats how I thought I would be on the SB diet but luckily places have a lot of carbless options now

best thing i can suggest is doing something you love doing
don't watch the weightloss or the amount of time spent doing it, just enjoy yourself, the weightloss will be a bonus

ideally, i'd love to lose around 50lbs by the end of this coming summer, but it wont' happen easily so if i dont make it i keep working on it because by then i'll have made some positive progress


and to do that i'll be belly dancing constantly starting this april, yoga this month till the end of school (and then back at the gym at home in the summer months), and using the treadmill at school as well (continuing at the gym at home too)


and when i get back to my house, my housemate and i are going to try going RAW for a week, to see if we like it, and if it's easy enough we'll keep it up

that's another thing, it's always good to try something out with a friend to keep you motivated it helps a lot
[Edited 1/1/08 20:38pm]