Thanks for the great tips, Nancy Ann, and congratulations on your journey!

Thanks, Nancy Ann, for sharing your "success story". It helps tremendously to know it CAN be done!

Hi Everyone, I would like to share what has worked for me (I lost 30 pounds in 2009 and am smaller now than I have been in 20 years).

Watch the Biggest Looser!! It's very inspiring and educational.

Keep a food journal. Write everything down! Count your calories and check your portion sizes. Most of us have no idea how much we eat and how much we should eat. Get a calorie book.

Join a gym and have a buddie. My gym costs only $10/month and I'm lucky that my husband works at home, so we go nearly everyday before lunch. There are TV's to watch (he watches sports, I watch news). We spend less than an hour, but I burn about 300 calories a day. I also walk my dog.

I start my day with 2 eggs. The protein keeps me satisfied for hours. Someone asked about the George Forman grill. A great use for it is turkey bacon. Low fat, crispy and yummy! In the evening, we have a few clemintines for a snack (those tiny oranges).

I hope to lose another 15 pounds, bringing me back to my pre-marriage weight! With excercising nearly everday, I've been able to enjoy the holidays (cookies, candy!) and not gain any weight.

I started out walking on the treadmill and could barely jog 1 minute. Now I run 3 miles without much walking and even ran a 5K race! I feel as good as I did in my 20's. (turning 50 this year was a big motivator)

You can do it! It's mostly a matter of educating yourself about your eating and getting active! You'll feel so much better and enjoy looking in the mirror and will love buying new clothes!!

I too would like to join. I have a lot of weight to lose and this sounds like it will help. I need all the motivation I can get. I think not eating after 7PM is a great idea. Also, exercising will be on the "menu" too. Thanks, Margo, for beginning us on this journey.

I would also like to join your group striving for a healthier lifestyle. It's been awhile since I've actively exercised, but have found the scales creeping up a bit more than I've liked. My biggest problem is eating on a regular schedule. I eat when it is time to eat, but not always a healthy meal. Usually something simple (read that processed!) And despite numerous people telling me that breakfast is important (doctors and nutritionists included), I haven't eaten breakfast in way too many years to count. Guess that would be the first step in the right direction. That and actually using the exercise room we have set up in our house. Thank you for the wonderful suggestion. I look forward to seeing the results of everyone!

Count me in. I have lost some weight this past year and I am looking to loose another 20 pounds! I am currently running/jogging on my treadmil, but only do it a couple of times a week. I need to be more consistant! The nurse at my school is starting a walking club when we return, so that should help, too! I need to be a little more conscious of what I eat and make exercise a priority!

I am looking forward to having us all work together! There is strength in numbers! Thank you Margo!!

So to further motivate myself I joined Weight Watchers online last night. I still have a lot to learn about the program but have seen enough to know it isn't going to be easy. I spent the first half of my life as a twig trying to gain weight and so all this eating healthy stuff is a whole new ballgame.

OK! You got me hooked. I'm in!

Sweets are my absolute nemesis. Which is not unusual for a diabetic. But since I already have heart disease, I KNOW I'm a good (bad?) candidate for a stroke. So why is this so hard when I know the risks? (I'm a nurse)

But I'm in and I'm going to give it all I've got....and thanks to the 33 others of you!

Happy New Year!

Happy New YOU!

Lynn

I'm in! I am only making a few goals for 2010, and this is one of them.

DH and DD have been planning getting on a healthier path for a few weeks and I decided to join them about 10 days ago. We start tomorrow and are excited to take our health to the next level.

Over the past summer, we moved to eating 60 - 70% raw, and cut out most of the processed foods. We have been sticking to that eating during the week and going off plan on the weekends. Lots of salads and veggies in our life and it really has made all of us feel much better!

The improvements that we plan to make (starting tomorrow) will be to stay on the healthy eating plan on the weekends too. Which we are all in agreement that we can accomplish together!

DH and DD exercise quite a bit. And that's the thing that I need to add to my day. I plan to do ~20 minutes of calisthenics each morning, which should raise my metabolism a bit. And I am going to get back on track drinking 2 large camelbacks of water each day. WOW - if you are looking for a way to be good to your body and get your metabolism going, drink lots of cold water each day!!!! Your body will be sooo happy!!!

MK

Bobbi, I'm planning on doing some exercising, but I won't be able to do the walking which usually makes a lot of difference for me. I guess I'll have to be extra careful of what I eat. Frances

Hey Frances, you can still join in and just be exercising the upper body. You can also lay on the floor and do leg lifts or do the bicycle peddling we use to do when we were kids. So come on and join us. A little boot can't stop you. Bobbi

I'll be joining you too. I gain and lose the same 20-25 lbs. every 10 years The reason is that I let my life get in the way of my exercise. There's always a reason why I can't work out. So, starting fresh in 2010 I'm back on the excercise bike and putting extra walking into my day. I look forward to all your encouragement and wish you all the best of success in 2010!

Well the exercise for me is going to have to wait. I was back at the doctor this morning and it looks like I pulled some tendons in my ankle. Now I'm back in the boot for two weeks. Crud, I really need to start exercising and losing weight.

Margo wrote:
LOL Margo ,
Tyler's only 8 MONTHS old so it's more of a long term goal for me. At least I hope so
eileenkny