I just want you to know that I'm in the same boat, same number (only 1 kid though *sighs*).

Last night, I made this same vow to work on it for one year and see how it goes. So I'll be right there with you on the changing how I eat/exercise.

Good luck!

Hey can I get in on this? We can be weight loss buds or something. (I need to stop buying cookies and ice cream...but they call to me when I'm in the store.)

I'm a chronic dieter and I really think Weight Watchers is the best program. It teaches you how to eat, instead of making you eat high processed foods, like jenny craig or nutrisystem.

A good rule of thumb, only eat whole grain carbs, lean protein, fruits, and veggies. No processed foods, especially high fructose corn syrup. Exercise, even if it's 20 minutes of walking every day.

I make it sound easy, I know it's not. Good for you.

Been there, actually past 222, and one day I decided I didn't want to be fat any more. So I jumped on the treadmill, started walking, then jogging, then running, made small dietary changes and over the past 2-plus years, I've lost about 65 pounds. I really do believe, for me at least, that exercise is key. Good luck, I can be a sounding board if you're looking for one!

I weighed 188 when we bought the daycare. I knew something was going on b/c I was 99% more active (I really had been one of those sit on the couch and surf while eating bon bons, but I wasn't gaining weight.
In one year, I had gained to 224. I and my doctor just watched my weight climb, slowly up, month by month, pounds and pounds were just piling up.

Finally, oh my, it appears you have diabetes. But nothing was helping with it, and then again, oh wow, you have a thyroid disorder. Now my doc and I watch as the pounds are falling.

They are definitely not coming off as quickly as they were gained but I am happy. And, when the mono diagnosis came through, I was so upset. I had actually bought the stuff to repair it and Wayne had actually done it (six months later) and I was so excited about being a sahm again, writing for gas money, voluteering at Walker's school all the while spending time with Jace that, as the 2nd born which occurred when Walker was 22 months old) he didn't get to have as an only child.

So, it might just be that I'm ready to climb on the treadmill soon and we can make it work for each other. Go for it!

ok...so here is my new goal...and believe it or not...i am actually sticking to it.
There is this running program
(I have always HATED running). I have not run more than 5 feet since I ran the mile in gym class my senior year of high school. Anyway, the program is called "couch to 5k." It takes you from sitting on the couch, which I have been doing for fifteen years, to running a 5k...in 9 weeks. There are weekly, free, podcasts that you download. They tell you when to walk and when to run in different intervals...increasing the running time each week. The podcasts are also set to music.

Anyway, I am on week 3. I love it. It is only 3 days a week for 30 minutes each.

Someone told me about it so I thought I would pass it along. You can google it and a million sites will pop up. Apparently, it is pretty well know.n...at least to those people (unlike myself) who have been traveling in the exercise world.

I feel ya girlfriend. I am on the journey toward the neverending battle of weightloss myself...I need to be healthy.

Let me know how things are...I MISS You!!

I think it really helps when you separate who you are as a person from what you weigh or how you look. If getting healthy is your goal, but you accept yourself for who you are emotionally outside of that weightloss goal, then the weightloss becomes simply another facet of who you are and what you'd like to do. There's a big difference between allowing yourself to focus on positive life changes, and getting hung up on letting those goals define you.

I struggled with body image issues and a serious eating disorder throughout high school and college. Although I received GREAT treatment which really helped pull me out of a bad cycle, it wasn't until after I had Lady that I really felt as though I could differentiate between me as a person, and me as a body. I just feel like I have a newfound understanding and respect for what my body can do, which in turn made it easier for me to accept my physical flaws (because I could be really proud of myself too, warts and all), which actually made it easier for me to work on and accept my physical appearance without it seeming massively overwhelming.

Take it one day at a time. And also think about it this way- I'm sure you'd like to be setting a positive example for your daughters, and you know that who you are is so much more than what you look like. It's important to be proud of yourself while striving to be the best "you" you can be, and there's no better way to teach this than by living it.

You can reach any goal you set for yourself, just keep perspective and allow yourself to be human.

After my second was born I weighed 230! I was so disappointed with my body, so I started weight watchers and lose 35 lbs. Then we moved os I gained 5lbs back then lost track of it all. Now I am running 4km 3-4 times a week and LOVING it. I am still 45 lbs overweight but it is slowly burning off. My body has been transformed and I look so much better. For the first time in YEARS I feel good about myself again.

You will get there. When you are ready just make a commitment to yourself and stick with it.