Welcome!

Hey Ladies!

This is your official welcome to this community. This is going to be awesome. WE begin officially tomorrow Monday Feb 1st! Can't get more perfect than that! I hope you will each take little time to tell a little bit about yourselves and provide any links to your personal blogs so we can see who you are. As of right now, we have possibly 3 members from Utah, 1 from California (going to BYU), one from Georgia, One from Japan! (from Indiana but living in Japan), one from Alaska, one from Vegas, one from FLorida. So tell us where you are from, who you are, and about your peronal hopes for getting in shape. Also I really think it is importantt to report some sort of progress marker and you really dont have to tell us what it is like the number 23--it could be anything but as long as you report on the same marker so that you know that hey, Monday I am going to have to measure again (whatever measurement that is). Also WE each need to challenge eachother to do something doable - like this week I challenge you each not to eat after 7:00. So what are your challenges for each of us?

Hey! So I am so excited about this! I really needed something to get me going, to keep me motivated week to week.

I too have struggled with my weight from a young age. I have hit rock bottom more than once, but I also have had great personal successes. While I wish I could say that I have maintained the goals I have reached in the past, that is simply not the case. But I guess that's okay. I can look back at the feats I've accomplished and know that I can do it again. Like Carrie, I want to be healthy for life and its great that we can all support each other. That will make it easier.

I think we can make this really fun! Let's do it!

Here are the commitments I am making to myself. Hold me to them!

-Exercise 6 days a week for at least one hour

-Follow the Body for Life eating plan (this is going to be hard!)

-Keep track of what I eat (I have a cool iPhone app that makes it easy)

-Give up sweets

-Stop eating at 7:00pm

Thanks for all the support ladies!

-Greta

Carrie's story

Hey Ladies! I roped my neice into being my fitness buddy and now all of you have expressed interest in being part of this group. So I thought this weekend we could just take a minute and share our stories (woes with getting and staying in shape) with eachother, then on monday we can start tracking our measurements and/or weight (whatever you prefer) to report on. I'll start.

Hey, I am Carrie. Since the summer after my junior year in high school I have struggled with my weight/ body image etc. I moved away from home and was depressed. I ate to fill my depression. I gained about 45 lbs in just a couple of years. I then over the next decade and a half fluctuated up and down depending upon how I felt about myself. But I never could get to a place I felt happy with. I eventually learned to be happy no matter what I weighed, but I still felt a desire to really be fit and thin. Then I after I had my third child, something clicked inside me. I started a blog just like this and although only a couple of women lasted the whole 12 weeks, we wanted to push ourselves I was able to lose about 40 lbs total, more importantly I got to 17 percent body fat, and a size 8/10 and I havne't felt that great in a long time. So I am back to that place where I need help and support and someone or someones to be accountable to. I want to get in shape again and stay in shape for the rest of my life. I am going to do the same program that I have had sucess with in the past....It's basically the body for life program. If you want we can all do the same program or we can all do different things and share the best things about each and see how we each do on different plans. I love to exercise and I thought I was already able to do 2 hours a day, but by c-section incision from 8 weeks ago is still pretty precarious so right now for the next week or so I am going to do an hour a day and increase as I can. I really believe that weight loss has to be a combination of both exercise and eating right. YOu can't keep it off unless you exercise through the beginning stages of weight loss but you can't get through the beginning stages and be sucessful at losing the weight in the first place without eating less, and eating right. So I have 6-7 small meals a day with a serving of good carbs and 1 serving of protein and as many veggies, raw or steamed as I want. I think the most important factor for me intaking off weight is to not eat after 7 pm. YOu wil feel so much beter and it will jump start your weight loss. SO this is my first challenge for each of you....no matter what program you chose, don't eat after 7 pm. What is your challenge for the rest of us? Drink a certain amount of water every day, take vitamins, etc? Think of something that we can all do together to increase our success!

So becaue I had all my stats taken yesterday at the gym by a professional I will post them now and start reporting my progress a week from monday

Starting weight 189

Body Fat % 27.2% -----uuuugggghhhhhhh

thigh (the measurement I want to track) 25 inches

So i can't wait to hear your strories.

Ok just took my stats..

oh boy I have a long way to go!

I am going to tack 2 things weight and thigh measurement. Also when i go to the gym tonight if I get up the courage I am going to have them test my body fat...so three things but only 2 weeklt and I'll chek my body fat every 4 weeks.

Satrting weight 190.8

Upper thigh 25 inches

Greta- I am going to eat on the body for life plan the way we did when you were here.

I am finally healed enought to get back on the 2 hr a day exercise program.. Going to stick to that until I drop the intitial weight then I will move to an hour a day. I am running a realy race--the wasatch back in june and I have the 14.2 mile leg lus a smaller leg over a 24 hour [perios so I am going to be sdoing a lot of running. I also want to do a lot of yoga and swimming. What so you think will be your exercise regimine? WE have got to switch it up and get more intense with exh week so that our bodies dont plateau. Exerise is the key to keeping it off! But eating right is the key to taking it off! I have to keep reminding myself of that becuase the eating thing is the hard thing for me....Got to go get on the treadmill!

Hey ladies...uggg that was a hassle but I finally got the blog crated and you guys can sign in and contibute. when I have minute today I will post my stats and goals

-Carrie