watchmeshine: I think you should still keep the elliptical as part of your workouts.  But definitely try switching it up.  I do 30 min of yoga and 1 hour of cardio every morning... the cardio ranges from the treadmill to jumping rope to swimming to turbo jam and more!  It helps to keep things from getting boring.  I also do 1 hour of pilates and strength training at least 3 times a week.

allydan:  Have fun and good luck on your date!!!  My hubby has been gone for 4 wks and gets to come home for the weekend so I get to go on a date too!  

 mladdy:  I'm so sorry to hear about your grandpa.  I know how hard it is to lose a grandparent, especially before you've said the things you need to say.  Big hugs!

 In other news, I was totally craving taco bell today.  Which is crazy because I generally don't like taco bell.  But instead of giving in, I went home and cooked up some ground turkey and black beans and threw a ton of tomatoes and some avocado and some fat free cheese on it and ate it with guitless gourmet tortilla chips!  Yum!  And low fat/low sodium/high fiber/high protein!  It felt good to not give in, but still enjoy!

Hi!

I'm Magz,

I'm 26,

I'm 282 lbs.

I'm 5'7".

I am heading towards a 158 lb weight.

I'm doing OK, but would like some friends along the way. 

tiff,

i'm at 282 right now. so i feel your pain. i love the elliptical because it doesn't hurt my knees.

be careful with the stairs, you could be damaging the cartiledge under your knee caps.

Hoo-Ray for the YWCA!!!! love them girls!!!! 

Hey feddiechick!

I was wondering the same thing! Currently, I have my activity level set at 'light'....but I feel like it should be more on the moderate side. I go to curves 6 times a week for about 30-45 minutes each time. I switch my work-out up everyday. Meaning one day is devoted to Cardio, then the next day will be concentrating on the machines, so I guess you could say strength training. When I'm at home, I really just pretty much relax. I wish the activity levels where more 'pick and choose' then they are....if that makes sense! =) I just don't want to put too high of a work-out level, cause I really don't do that much at home.

Hope all you ladies had a fab weekend!

Oh! Welcome to all the new ladies!

hey everyone,

 so i looked at myself in the mirror yesterday for a long time and just felt overwhelmed.  i've lost about 50+ lbs but I still have like 150 to go.  (I'm 5'3" and at 277 or so -- though I'm on my period so I'm hoping I've actually lost more given that I've been doing Weight Watchers for a week now and exercising a LOT).  I just saw all the globs of fat (sorry if this grosses anyone out) on my stomach and how it's this massive gross thing hanging there like an apron or something off of my body and felt like, "how the hell can this change that dramatically in the next 6 to 12 months?"  I cannot even IMAGINE what it will look like.  Additionally, my skin is not drooping per say yet but there are definitely places where there is no fat under my skin anymore.... in fact, the bottom of this glob of fat that is my stomach area is starting to shrink like cottage cheese.  I'm really overwhelmed all of a sudden and also feeling gross about myself.  Just thought maybe someone else had experienced this and could lend some advice/support.

Thank you to everyone for your comforting words.  I think I'm doing ok, considering.  I've been exercising quite a bit to make up for extra eating.  Before calorie counting, I would have just gorged myself and slept (that's what happened last year when my grandma died).  Now I seem to be eating a bit more, but overall it's healthier and I'm not retreating to my bed; I'm working through some of it with exercise.  Thanks to everyone here who inspires me to make a change for the rest of my life!

feddiechick- I leave my activity level at sedentary and add in all my exercise.  I know I'm probably burning a few hundred more than the burn meter reads, because I don't just sit around all day long, but I thought it'd be better to under estimate my activity than to over estimate.  I only log my exercises, though I could look up things like doing the dishes, vaccuuming, cleaning, etc.  I would say if you burn as much as 1500 cals at your job, you should add it!  Just remember that your burn meter will reflect that burn minus what you would normally have burned doing light activityduring that time (or whatever you have your activity set to). 

phat2fit- It's so awesome that you've joined us!  I have read some of your journals from your profile.  You really are a strong woman!  I know that things will work out for you, and working on your physical self is going to impact your outlook on life, too!  Way to go; I'm looking forward to seeing changes with you! 

watchmeshine82- You really should be proud of yourself, but more importantly, you need to love yourself (and your body) during this whole transformation.  It's great to keep in mind the ultimate goal, but celebrate yourself along the way.  Building a healthy self image will make you more confident, and more attractive (especially to men)! 

feddiechick: I set my level to sedentary and add all of my activites.  I'm a photographer and an aromatherapist, so when I'm working, Im moving quite a bit, but otherwise I'm just sitting in front of my computer editing and such.  I figured I'd go with the low end of things, like mladdy.

watchmeshine: I think you weight loss is amazing and fabulous!  Celebrate every single pound...each one is a triumph!

trukngrl: I just looked at your photos and you're a boarder like me!  Woohoo!!!!

Hugs to everyone!

Hey everyone!

Congrats to everyone for their progress during the week. About the activity level thing I agree w/  mladdy  I think it is better to underestimate than overestimate. I don't really use CC to log my activity though, I mainly use it  to log the food I eat. When I first started on here I "messed up" a couple of times but I still went and logged it and now that I can go back and look it is amazing to me that I was eating like 3 or 4 thousand calories in one day! I have been stuck at 215 for the last 2 weeks and I am not doing bad on my eating (ok sometimes) I can't seem to get myself to just go to the gym though , it's like I hit some sort of slump. When I first started I would go @ 5 am before work every day then I got sick and didn't go for like a week now that I am better though I just can't get back on track!! I think it doesn't help that I go by my self. I would really like someone to go w/ to hold me accountable but I don't know anybody trying to loose weight , I have even  gone as far as thinking about putting an add in the local paper for a "work out buddy" but then quickly dismissed the idea because I am to chicken, plus I'll probably end up meeting a psycho.    So if any of y'all now anyone in Austin TX  that wants to go to the gym.............. j/k I need to stop making excuses and just go!

Original Post by pinkcobra:

trukngrl: I just looked at your photos and you're a boarder like me! Woohoo!!!!

Waaaay too funny!  I read this the first time as b-r-o-a-d-e-r!  I thought you were saying that you were both wide!  I was like, "Nuh-uh!"  Now I said in a previous post that you need to love yourself the way you are, but didn't mean that you should nessisarily want to be wide!  hahahahaha

Hi girls!

happy monday, and to all those experiencing nice weather today, don't you love it?

as of this weekend, i have finally lost all the weight i put back on over the last couple months of last year (17 lbs), and i've lost a little more. so this morning, i set a goal to lose another 85 pounds this year. that sounds way more attainable than the total 121 lbs i need to lose.

also, a little while ago, i decided that when i finally do lose all this weight, i'm gonna get an awesome, choppy, edgy bob. but i got too excited and impatient and went out this weekend and got me a choppy, edgy bob wig. i'm too chicken to cut my hair just yet (i've never had short hair), so i figured this was the best way to get what i want w/o being sorry i did something so drastic. and i LOVE it! it's so cool looking. super short in the back w long, razor-cut graduated layers in the front. and kind of whispy bangs. i wish i had a camera to show you guys, but i haven't replaced my lost one yet. once i do, i'll post a picture.

here's to not waiting to be thin to do what you want!

watchmeshine, i have so been there. i was just there a few days ago, actually. like you, i've lost 50 pounds (that feels so good!) and i just felt gross for a minute. it happened b/c i saw how much i'd lost and still hadn't made a really huge dent in progress yet, and i was getting frustrated. i was also mad at myself for letting my weight gain get out of hand, and i was seeing my body with new eyes. eyes that no longer thought this fat was acceptable.

you have to realize, what you did was a good thing. it shows  that your mind has officially flipped a switch, the switch that says living unhealthily is wrong for you, and you have visual evidence of that. and because you now know that, you were upset with what the old you let happen. be grossed out, and remember that feeling if you ever see your weight creep  up again.

feddiechick, i absolutely don't count any calories burned other than exercise. i prefer to low-ball it. i know i burn cals when i walk, or work, or whatever, but i don't want to add cals burned onto my numbers outside of exericse b/c it'll just give me an excuse to eat more (b/c i'd be burning more cals). it's better for my mind if i just assume all i do is lay down, then get up to exercise.

I'm 26, and i want to lose 95 pounds (from 275 to 180), though my initial goal is to lose 40 pounds (putting me at 235). i'm between 5'8 and 5'9 with a very large frame.

i'd like to get down to about 145, however, after seeing an endocrinologist he thinks that would be too small, and is the one who suggested 180.

i've never been much thinner than i am now, so i really don't have any idea what is healthy for me (i still can wear my clothes from high school and even some from jr. high).  i also spend alot of time justifing, which is a really bad habit i'm trying to break. i've been diagnosed as eating disorder nos, bulimic tendincies, and the only time i've been below 250 (248 as a matter of fact) was when i was purging several times a week.

god knows i need motivation, as well as perspective. oh, and this is my first internet community type thing, so i'm still trying to figure out how it works...

thanks for the support you guys!  i'm still feeling kinda gross about myself but i'm down to 274 today (a 3 pound drop since my check in yesterday but yesterday was also the tail-end day of my period so i guess the water retention or whatever stopped.... i jumped on the scale 5 times to make sure i wasn't hallucinating though .)

i actually spent yesterday going to the grocery store (something i rarely do since i live on lean cuisine and cold cut sandwiches and eggs).  i also went and got fresh fruits and veggies from this market i love.  came home and cooked for myself for the first time in months.  now enjoying fresh strawberries and baby carrots today... made an egg beater omelette which is super fast... just throw in the egg beaters with pico de gallo -- YUM!!  highly recommend it.

i also went and got my eyebrows threaded, went to target and bought myself cute clips and hairbands and wore them when i got home plus bought some new throw pillows and decorative items to spruce up my home a bit (it was feeling a bit dull),  etc.  it was really nice to have a day that felt like it was just for me, ya know?  and also to spend some time and money on myself/on my place, to make myself feel good.  i think i really needed that.  i felt a little guilty not working out but then again, i think i needed the time off.  starting up my dance classes on march 1st and can swim again now so going to do that :)