They have a monthly pass deal which is about $40 per month, where you don’t have to pay a registration fee, and it gives you their online tools to use as well. This is a savings (in my area) of about $10 a month. Check out their webpage; there’s a spot to enter your zip code and it’ll tell you where and when the meetings are, and how much they’ll cost.
There’s the monthly pass, like Ginger said, which is a good deal, or there’s purely online, which I do. I’ve had good success with online because I’ve been going to meetings for years (originally lost about 50 lbs, quit for a couple of years, am back now because I had a baby and gained a little TOO much weight), and I have a great online support system with some friends. For someone just starting out, I’d recommend the meetings. I’m actually planning to go back to meetings when I’m within 10 lbs of my goal so that I can get lifetime there, but for now, online works for me. I signed up for 3 months at a time - I think it was a $29 registration fee, and then $12 or so a month? So I got three months for around $65. And it’s around $14 a month after that.
I think it’s a great program - I wouldn’t have come back to it if I didn’t think that - and definitely worth looking into.
OK! I worked it for 30 minutes today. This idea of watching DVDs while working out has definitely improved my workouts. The time seems to fly by, compared to what I was doing. I worked much harder today too. I think I will increase it again tomorrow, if I I’m not too sore.
You know, I read somewhere that in Illinois (the “Land of Lincoln”) it’s sometimes referred to as “The Spankin’ of the South”.
…OK, not really, but sometimes I like to incite ignorance instead of fight it.
I haven’t been willing to show my pixels in one of these threads since November.
Motivate me.
Please.
Well, okay. First, set a mini-goal for yourself, and set a reward. For instance: when you lose ten pounds, you get yourself a pretty new purse. OKAY FINE THEN, be a boy. Get yourself a massage?
Lose ten pounds and get a massage? Sounds like a nice idea to me! I may have to run that by Jayjay! 
I’ve hit the 3 stone (42 pounds) loss mark today, since beginning dieting in January (was 15 stone).
I’ve noticed members off the opposite sex actually notice me and go out of their way to be complementary now if that’s any incentive. 
At least another stone to go though and i have blisters on my feet from the 7-8 mile walk to work and back exercise regime.
Repeating what I said in the previous thread - it’s the walking that has made the real difference. I’ve let the odd treat, night out, restaurant meal creep back into the regime and I still lose one to two pounds a week.
I’d shied away from the walking when it was suggested (seven miles - are you insane?) but now I find I enjoy it. It gives me time to listen to music and think and if I wasn’t walking I’d be sitting in traffic or slumped in front of the TV.
Of course I don’t have a family so have no time pressures.
I’ve been quietly inspired by these threads for a long time. Even though I haven’t participated it’s been good to know others are successfully wrestling the same demon. So a big shout-out for everyone.
I’ve been trying since January 1 (I have a bet with a buddy for $100) to get from 220 to 179.9, because it’s under 180. As of last week, my average is now 198 with 30 weeks left to go until the end of the year, including Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
My secret so far: no more soda, lots more water. And, I drink a bottle of water before going out to eat, which has reduced my food intake so I feel full faster. I’ve actually cut DOWN on my exercise due to school commitments, and have also been making homemade ice cream like a motherfuck! At least the ice cream is with light cream and skim milk instead of heavy cream and whole milk.
Good going. Interesting about the water trick because recent research suggests the effect, if it exists, is psychosomatic. The water actually goes straight through. It only gets held in the stomach if there are nutrients.
In the research I watched on TV a soup starter given ahead of an all-you-can eat buffet led to a 17% reduction in calorie intake compared to the non-soup dieters. (Proper research backs this up apparently.)
But if it works for you it works for you - end of story.
I’m trying to cut the diet soda’s out now but I’m too old to consider bottled water anything but a ludicrous scam. (And the damn stuff has no taste!) I probably need to up my non-fruit juice, black coffee fluid intake and try the water trick.
From June of 2006 to December I lost 50 pounds on WW. That got me to 185. I have been off the program since January and have put back on half of it.
I gotta get back in the swing! QUICK!!
OK, after day two of the elliptical I am quite sore. But not so bad as to discourage me from using it tonight. Mostly my calves. I probably need to look into some proper foot wear.
Also, if you’re not already doing it, stretch your calves after you’re done, instead of (or as well as) before. The first day I used the treadmill, I felt like hell the next day, mostly in the calves. I skipped a day then got on again, stretched my calves afterward, and never looked back. Didn’t feel a bit of pain after that.
What’s your motivation? Because I find if the motivation isn’t ME, I’m setting myself up to fail. I don’t know what clicked with me this last time, but it worked.
I missed last month’s “meeting”, but it would have been my one year anniversary for a total of ~85 pounds.
The last time I checked in, I was feeling a bit low after not finishing the Primavera Century (btw, thanks for the kind words yellowval). But I’m back on the bike and just finished the longer (112mi) and much more difficult (9000+ ft of climbing) Sequoia Century last Sunday. Not bad for a guy who could hardly climb a flight of stairs without getting winded 12 months before. I’m starting to regret not signing up for the death ride.
While my weight hasn’t really done anything since the beginning of March, I have lost 1-2mm in my suprailliac skin fold measurement which corresponds to a ~2% body fat reduction so I’m more or less happy. I’d still like to get to my goal weight by the end of the calendar year.
Next up is the Best of Bay Century in about 2 weeks. This one includes Sierra Road, a Category 1 climb that made some of the Pros competing in the Tour of California cry. Wish me luck.
Report Card:
May: 295? -> 279 (-16)
June: 279 -> 260 (-19)
July: 260 -> 248 (-12)
August: 248 -> 233 (-15)
September: 233 -> 227 (-6)
October: 227 -> 221 (-6)
November: 221 -> 218 (-3)
December: 218 -> 230 (+12)
January: 230 -> 220 (-10)
February: 220 -> 209.8 (-10.2)
March: 209.8 -> 210.2 (+0.4)
April: 210.2 -> 211.8 (+1.6)
May: 211.8 -> 211.2 (-0.6)
295/211/195
Bloody brilliant!
Good luck.
Bloody brilliant is right! That’s some awesome progress.
I forgot to weigh myself this morning so I have no idea how much I weigh today but yesterday I was still entrenched at 171.
WTG Ginger on breaking your plateau. I’m very happy for you and hope to be joining you in the 160s very soon.
Here’s my small victory du jour. Today when I got a chef salad from the Fresh Market for lunch I only used one of the two dressings they included. It was fine with just one. I didn’t finish the salad, I never do. I may have to start making my own.
I’m sorry, mom. I was throwing around some healthy ideas, things got out of hand, and…
…I broke the brick wall.
229.7, down a total of 45.3.
Ha! 40 minutes today! I was gonna go for more, but remembered that today is also a lifting day - and I usually lift first. So decided to stop at 40 so that I might have enough energy to lift.
How utterly irresponsible… oh wait! Yay you!