I am still in my 20's for a few more months so I hope I can post here.

I am 29 until the end of July and my total weight loss goal is 148 lbs. I started at 298 in October, I am currently at 248, and my ultimate goal is 150. Since I just hit the 50 lb lost mark, my next goal is another 50. After I break the 200 mark I want to make the goals a little smaller because I don't expect to be able to drop weight as easily as I could when I had a lot more to lose. If I never reach 150 that is okay, as long as I can get healthy! I have gone from a size 26 to a size 20 so far, and I am stoked to get out of the 20's, hopefully really soon!

Right now I have two big motivations... First one is my health. I know, most people say that, but I have come to realize recently what it feels like to actually mean it. I don't think I ever did before even though I said it for a long time! My mother died at the age of 47 because she didn't take care of herself, and my uncle just went through two heart surgeries and almost died himself last week. If I can do anything to prevent what they went through from happening to me, I am going to do it! Going through the loss of my mother so young and seeing my uncle soooooo sick has really been a slap in the face. BIG wake up call.

Second one is clothes. I want to wear cute clothes SO BAD. I have never been a "girly girl" but I want to dress more feminine. I have been stuck in the jeans and t-shirts rut for too long! Unfortunately, all of the clothes I like don't really come in my size, and the ones that do still don't look good on me. So, that is a motivating factor for me.

So, that's me!

Good thursday morning ladies!

I walked to work again today. It's about 1.2 miles and takes me about 25 minutes. My body is soooo not used to getting ANY exercise at all in the morning, so when I get to work I feel like falling alseep lol.

Welcome to the newbies! :)

Work has been busy the last few days, so I need to get caught up on all of the posts again... hopefully I'll have time this afternoon. Just wanted to say HELLO!

Good morning, ladies!

Watchme, you gotta stay positive, chica!  Honestly, is someone gave you the choice of 2-3 lbs drops in weight every two weeks or staying the same weight forever, you'd choose to lose, even if it was only every other week, right?  Hang in there, and you'll see the benefits soon!

Fallon, way to keep with the running! And congrats on the algebra midterm!

Mladdy, we're so TOTALLY weight twinkies!  As soon as I passed 200lbs, it's like my body said STOP!  I've been at 198.5 since last week, and it's driving me nuts!  I've been eating pretty good, and working out more than usual, and I recently amped up my weight training, so I'm hoping that helps some.  I'm sending good weight twinkie juju your way so maybe we can both get the losing going again!

Welcome trina!  Congratulations on the 50lbs loss already!  Good for you!  And I totally get you on the cute clothes... I get so jealous when I see these tiny girls wearing adorable outfits that I'd love to rock, but couldn't look good in even if they came in my size.  Oddly enough, what I look forward to wearing most is a simple jeans/t-shirt combo without having to find t-shirts that disguise my belly/muffin top.

As for me, I'm doing okay.  Even though my weight isn't going down, I still feel pretty good.  I'm hoping I don't overindulge for my birthday, and ruin it, though. (Yay Dalma! Happy early co-birthday!) I'm still going with the couch to 5K, and I'm on week 2, day 3 today.  Also, after reading a lot of posts in the fitness forum, I've decided to really get my weight routine going.  I figured out that the reason I bulked up in the past doing weights was that I was eating more calories than I should've been.  It's apparently impossible to gain muscle when you have a caloric deficit.  All you can do is maintain, and by maintaining your muscle mass you make sure that a) weight you lose is mostly fat instead of fat and muscle, and b) you keep your metabolism up.  In any case, I don't know if you girls know all that, but I thought I'd share just in case ya'll haven't really done any exploring in the fitness forum.  

Have a good morning, everyone! :-)

Hi Trina... sounds like you and I are floating in the same boat.  Congrats on losing 50 lbs so far!  So...how great is it to walk into a store for larger women and know that you don't have to automatically try on the largest size every time?!?  I just experienced that last week when I went shopping for new jeans.  It is such a great self-esteem boost that I find nothing wrong with wanting to loose weight to look better in clothing.  As long as you are wanting to look better for yourself, why not make "cuter/girly clothes" part of your goals. 

Good luck! 

Trina Welcome!  When I told my husband that I found a forum for women in their 20's wanted to lose large amounts of weight he was like "You're not in your 20's".  I'm 27 so I felt a little weird about posting here at first, but it has been great.  I know what you are saying about seeing the people around you getting sick and having health problems.  My mother also died young, at 45 from breast cancer.  My grandfather had to have triple bipass surgery two years ago and an uncle of mine also had to have heart surgery.  I don't want to be that person ever.  Life is so much harder when it is filled with medical problems.  So far I have been luck, I have never been really sick and I don't have any of the diseases that go along with being so overweight, but I know I am on that road and that is a huge reason for me to be losing weight.  I want to spend my life being healthy and happy and full of energy, not sick and miserable.  I know you can't prevent everything but I'm going to try. 

You guys have all been so motivating!  Your words of encouragement to one another are amazing.  I have been on this forum for a little over a week I think and I have been doing so much better and staying so much more positive about everything.  When I started this Biggest Loser program with my chiropractor I wanted to be stupid about losing weight and try to lose 5 or more pounds a week (like they do on the show) so that I could win, but then I realized that its not possible and its not all that healthy. 

Congrats to everyone who has lost a lot of weight.  I can't wait till I get under the 200 mark! I have a ways to go though. 

Hey everyone I am 28 I'm 5'10 and I weight 298 lbs. I have been really lazy these past few years. But now I  have come to the realization that I just have  to loose it for my kids and my family, but mostly for me. I need someone to kick me in the butt if I don't work out or if I grab a bag of chips. My husband is overweight also but not as much as me and he is the one who grabs the chips and says you want some. So I have a rough time ahead of me. I really need some support here. So thanks for having this here.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

punkrockriot ~ ABSOLUTELY! For a little while there I would go into stores like Torrid and Lane Bryant and even the big sizes didn't really fit. At this point I have lost enough weight I that don't even KNOW what size I am in those stores! What I do know  is that for that first time I have felt like I could actually look cute in girly stuff and not just like a big blob. Got a little ways to go before I will show off any cleavage or wear a shirt that isn't a long as my hips, but I am getting there slowly.

scarter1 ~ That's exactly how I feel about it. I may not be able to prevent it all, but I am going to try. Your family sounds like my family in a lot of ways! When my mom died it was devastating for me and threw me right into denial because the things that she had done that broke her body down... Yeah, I had done them too. She was a recovering addict, had been clean for four years, and her dying AFTER she quit was just unbearable for me. My uncle that just had two heart surgeries had a quadruple bypass. I wasn't too freaked out by the initial surgery because he did really well, although knowing that they actually cracked his chest open was shocking. It was when they had to go in to repair the sternum and muscle flap and couldn't finish the surgery because he was bleeding too bad. He spent three days in the ICU in a medical coma and hooked up to a ventilator and his doctors weren't sure he was going to make it. He finally had the sternum successfully repaired on Tuesday and is doing well now, finally out of the ICU, and probably headed home this weekend but... I am sufficiently scared.

Today for me is going to be... interesting! My MIL is coming over to bring me some mail and visit with me and she is a BIG road block to my success. The woman LOVES to eat out. I am hoping that she will give me a heads up on where we end up going today so that I can hop online and check out their options before we go, but she usually has no idea until we are on the road. So, this will be a real test of my willpower! Wish me luck!

Trina - Good Luck with the MIL.  I have a friend that is sort of like that to me. I like to go out with her for social time and then I find I eat crappy just because she is eating crappy.  I have been trying to help educate her on health and wellness but she doesn't want to listen.  So what I have started to do is make sure I order something overly healthy when we go out to eat to show her that I can do it and so can she.  I am starting to think that she doesn't like me to succeed because when we do go out together and Iorder something really healthy (salad with grilled chicken and no dressing or a tiny amount of oil and vinegar) she tries to talk me into eating dessert with her.  And the other day we went for a walk and while we were walking she offered me some left over easter candy, while we were walking!  I took the candy, didn't say anything and when we got back to her house I put it back in the candy bowl when she wasn't looking.  It is very challenging to go out to eat with people who don't care about eating healthy, but I have realized that you can get a salad with grilled chicken at pretty much every restaurant, so that is what I fall back on if I can't look up the menu and nutritional info before I go. 

Does anyone ever feel they're being treated poorly at work because of their weight?  Maybe I am just being over sensitive about it, but lately some people at work have been treating me like crap.  I have been trying to get this promotion (not a really big one, but still) and I feel like my boss keeps blowing me off.  Some of the other upper management have been talking down to me a lot lately too.  Maybe its because I am asking for a department transfer but I don't think that's why.  I feel like I am good at my job and I work really hard (except for when I take a break to come in here and see what's going on with everyone) and I don't come in late or leave early or call in sick or anything like that.  Maybe I am just being overly sensitive because I am anxious for this transfer/promotion to go thru so I can start making more money and be recognized as a more important person.  No one really seems to take me seriously.  When I ask someone to do something they blow me off.  I just keep thinking that if I was thin and was able to dress better at work maybe everyone would have more respect for me.  Does anyone else ever feel this way?

Welcome bigmommy!

trina, why don't you suggest a few restaurants?  And if you don't get a chance, I wouldn't worry too much; there's usually something healthy-ish just about everywhere.  It's all about tweaking menu items to make them fit you.  Good luck!:-)

scarter, just keep doing what you're doing!  I have friends like that too; the ones that always want to eat junk, and are constantly pushing it on me: "just help me finish these fries! There's not that many left!", "One more beer won't hurt!" and stuff like that.  What I've found, is that now that I'm down about 20lbs, and it's starting to show, my friends have started to pay a little more attention.  A couple even asked me what I'd been doing to lose weight!  When people see you being dedicated, it makes them want to try it out too, if only so that they don't look as bad by comparison.  So just keep on truckin and your friend will probably come around. :-)

Scarter, I definitely think there's a bias against overweight women, in the work place and in general.  Society is just harsher on women as far as physical appearance goes.  I wouldn't stress too much about your promotion, though.  You're a good employee, and I'm sure they'll come through!  Good luck! :-) 

wow!  It's busy in here this morning!!!  Ok, that and it's pretty much not even morning anymore.... haha.

Welcome to all the new members!  I love how this forum is continually getting new members... and I love how busy it is!

First, Watchme, DON'T feel bad about the scale not budging for a few weeks... mine hasn't moved in 5 wks.  Our bodies are going to hit plateaus, we just have to stay positive and know that we're going to get through them!  Keep doing what you're doing... change things up a little... and know that your body will catch up!  Big Hugs!!!

Trina:  On eating out... you can almost always find something healthy at restaurants.  Like Ally said, the trick is tweaking it a little.  If you choose a salad, don't put croutons or bacon bits on it... go light on the eggs (if you need to watch your cholesterol) and put your dressing on the side.  Dip your fork in the dressing and then stab some salad... this makes you use far less dressing.  Even places like Olive Garden will bring the dressing on the side.  DO put sunflower seeds on it as they are a great source of monounsaturated fat.  If you're having a burger, chose a turkey burger and ask for it to be cooked in olive oil instead of regular oil or butter.  Anything that is pan fried as for it to not be cooked in butter.  This can drop as many as 500 calories from a meal!  Sandwiches are almost always great b/c they have everything, just ask for it without the mayo- or have light mayo- and be careful about the cheese.  If you want pasta, stay away from the white sauces which are heavy in cream and butter... instead go for a red sauce.  And you can always ask for just half your meal to be brought out and have the other half packaged to take home.  I do that all the time.  Good luck and I hope you have something delicious for lunch!!!

On society's biases.... I hate how a fat guy is completely accepted but overweight women are scorned.  stupid double standard.

my oh my its been busy here...

firstly welcome to the new members punk, trina, bigmommy, and anyone else i missed in recent days. the more the merrier, as they say misery loves company !!  Though generally not all that miserable here! So glad to have you all join.

Trina, your weight stats are so similar to mine, I starter too at around the 300 mark in June, and have no been hanging in the 240's for the last 2 months, and the scale refuses to move! I too was a 26 at start, though I'm only a 20 on top, on the bottom I'm still fitting into loose 24's...kind of annoying at time, but I'm hanging in there.

Watchme, don't give up, you may as well jump on the plateau wagon along with some of us!!  It will happen, I'm keeping the faith! 

Ally even if you do slip more than you had planned on your birthday..you definately can only use that excuse once a year! so you're good to go after that, and who know's maybe we need a "slip up" ever once in a while, to get us moving, as long as it doesnt get us moving in the wrong direction!!

Good luck Trina, as others mentioned there is always something healthy to eat out, every place has something.

Scarter, personally I don't have that, but eventhough you may be a little more sensitive being on the receiving side, that being said I believe it does exist.  So much today is about physical and appearance, why would it be different in the work place.

Hello lovely ladies,

I'm at school right now, in between classes, and just wanted to check in ! Looks like everyone is doing great. I agree with the restaurant thing--things can always be tweaked--I always get chicken so I ask how they cook it and most the time they grill it but put butter on it at the end--so I ask for no butter--also if I get vegetables I ask them if they can steam them instead of saute them and no butter---Also I google some restaurants online and they post some of there nutritional information which is really great.

Welp, I have more classes the rest of the day & then I'm going to try to make it to spin class but I'm really tired today---so i'm going to push myself to go which I'm not sure if it's a good idea or not--maybe I will perk up in a little bit....Have a good day ladies

Hi I'm going to be 23 on may 22, I weight 235. Just started this yesteday...lol

I am 23 years old.  I weight 268.0 lbs, i am 5'6 or so and i have an 8 month old baby, i am trying this weight loss thing again since the last time i started i was 267 and i lost over 10 lbs but then i quit paying attention got in a rut and put it all back on. so here is to trying again.  i am married have been for almost 4 years and he's very supportive of the weight loss since i have put on all this weight since iw as married.  i started the marriage at 160. i am looking for alot of help with motivation i get so easliy side tracked and i just eat when i can with this little one around and i find that it's easy to eat fast and over eat ( like lunch today was way to much i'm sick to my stomach now)

sorry for the long post i am just putting it all out on the table i'm more likely to stick to my guns if i'm 100% honest from the start

HAHA. Don't worry Jackson! I've left much longer posts and said a LOT less! Welcome and good luck!

Jackson - I'm like you.  I have to be honest from the get go.  I still can't figure out why I even bother not being honest about this stuff.  I am the only person who really cares and is affected by this, so why do I try to lie to myself?  Then I just feel bad because I know that I wasn't honest about it.  That's why ever since I started tracking my calories on here I have been 100% honest about everything I have eaten, no matter what.  There were a few times I went way over my daily cals and I still logged everything.  I figure that way when I wonder why I haven't lost I can go back and look at what I've been eating and trend my habits.  I'm not going to do myself a bit of good if I lie to myself.  It's not even a real lie, because I know the truth!!!!