Welcome to the Group

Welcome! We would love get to know you, so please tell us a little bit about yourself. You can choose any format you'd like, but most of us here share some or all of the following details:

1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

And now just go ahead and make that first post!

hello,

I am currently overweight for my height.

I achieved my target weight loss of 1 and a half stone last year with weight watchers but I am ashamed to say that the day I got to my target I celebrated till I got back to where I statred from. I have decided to try again, this time following good exercise and proper eating. I know what to do, it is the dicipline and motivation I need to walk on.

ebiumoetuk,

Sorry to hear about that...it's so easy for almost all of us to get carried away out of excitement.  I've done that in the past as well, I worked so hard to lose the weight and just gained it back so easily.  Now, I tend to remember how hard it was to lose 'em- so I do my best to be careful when celebrating with foods. 

What I've done that's working for me so far is to celebrate without food, instead of eating out or having a party, I invite a couple of good friends who supported me and we go to a park for a walk or stroll then have coffee afterwards (skip the muffins or the doughnuts).  Also, instead of celebrating with food, I treat myself to buy something for me...like that top I've been eyeing on for a while that might fit on me now kind of thing.  Give it a try next time, you might just enjoy celebrating that way.

I like you attitude of getting back into it, that's the nice thing about, you know what to do and you're going to do it, so positive.  Thanks for the post.  Keep us posted on your progress or struggle.

Goodluck! 

Hi there!

I work fulltime as an Office Manager/Travel Manager and go to school on the weekends. I'm working on my bachelors degree for business. I go every other weekend. Thanks to having to sit and study hours every evening for school, I had to search for some calorie counting ideas on the web and found CC early this year. I go through spurts where I am on it daily for several weeks, and then I take some time off...lol.

I started running early this year and lost 13 pounds this summer, which put me at my lowest since my early 20's. It was a real treat! I even entered five 5k races this year and improved my pace times with every race. What a thrill! I'm still sllow, but I don't care (right now). I have since gained 5 back, but I can blame school again as I had to give up my time to run. I was trying to run once a week, but stopped about 3 weeks ago:( I went from running 12 miles a week to zilch. It's a wonder I haven't gained more than 5 pounds back!

So I'm on holiday break now from school and have all sorts of plans to hit the treadmill every other day again. I need to hang a picture of one of my races this year for motivation as right now, I don't have much for anything!

Another goal of mine is to run a half-marathon. Once I got to the 7 mile mark, it felt easier to add the miles, so I thought I should bump my goals up and try something different. I don't go for the speed, just to finish. Kentucky has one the weekend before the KY Derby, that runs across the horse track...being into horses, this is right up my alley! I told my running friends I will have a very slow pace as I will be stopping for pictures everywhere and trying to reroute the race course through barns so I can see everything...lol...hey, it said you have seven hours to complete it. I know I can run 13.1 miles and sight see under seven hours!

 

 

Nice to meet you trnnbrn97...wow, you have such a busy schedule.  I do my school online which makes it more convenient for me but I have to do it almost every day...sometimes I take 1 day break but often times my evenings are my school time.

I haven't been running this month because of the weather and our busy holiday schedules.  But when I'm at work, I take my 20 minutes break in the morning and in the afternoon walking. 

When is the half-marathon going to be in your area?  I'm also planning to run a half  marathon in May 2009...we can motivate and keep tab on each other to keep running.  I also don't care much about my speed, as long as I finish it.. and I know I can finish it.  Early in 2008, I ran 10 miles straight a few times so an additional 3.1 miles won't be so hard. 

With your kind can do attitude, it is obvious you can definitely finish a half marathon in less than seven hours including some sight seeing

 

 

Happy New Year!

Well, my idea of getting on the treadmill during break fizzled:( But I had put in a lot of overtime the past month, which is always good for the wallet. I didn't gain any more weight, just maintained, which was good considering I sat on my butt most of the month.

We have quite a few half-marathons coming up in the spring, but I'll be honest with myself, I don't know that I'm going to be ready for them by then. I found out the one in KY is the same day as a school weekend, so I'm not sure I'll be able to do that one. I'll keep it in mind for future years if I don't though. It sounds too cool to pass up! The Cleveland Marathon is the closest, and is in May. I'm thinking I should be good to go for the 10k they have during that race. There is a marathon in Pittsburg and somewhere else, that have relay teams, all around the same time. I have a bunch of friends at work that run and want to run in the relays. I told them to count me in for any 5k for sure. We did this in Akron this past September and it was a total blast!

I've also started getting my horse back into shape from her long break, so if I'm not running, I'll be riding. I know this will take time away from the treadmill:( but my horses have always come first...ask ,my ex-husband!...lol. I have some rodeos on my schedule, so I have plans to get her back in shape. Too bad I don't have a treadmill for her...I could run along side of her. ha!

We had an extended holiday break off from work, so I'm taking advantage of it and cleaning out my house. Well, cleaning isn't the word...I'm "hoeing" out my house. Since I started school, I have had little time to do any kind of serious filing or cleaning. Needless-to-say, I had alot of magazines and old mail that needed tossed or shredded. My trash and recycle pickup trucks have been busy!I hope to start next week with everything clean, organized...and empty! lol...I'm in a big throwing out mood. This way, I will be able to work, study, ride and run with little worry about needing to clean house, right?  lol... Now, if I can only get myself up earlier in the morning to go to the gym...*sigh*.

So, I need to get back to it this coming week. No excuses:) I can't wait!

 

Hi All!! So here is a bit about me:
I was a recent newlywed as my name suggests but am actually now a newly-divorced woman. I have always battled with weight. As long as I work out I can loose or maintain, if I stop I can gain it back in two weeks. 
I joined CC last year in hopes of keeping track of my calories and chat with others about their struggles. With the Divorce, moving, and raising a new puppy my life got pretty hectic and I stopped workingout or visiting CC.
I am joining this group because I have decided to try and run a half marathon in June. I am not sure if I have enough time to train but I am going to keep it as my goal and see where I am at in May. If I think I can do it I will, if not I will look for another race later in the summer. I have always told people I can' t run because it is a family thing, then I realized I used to ride my bike next to my dad as he ran. So....no excuses I CAN run. I also like the way your mind can wander when you run, it actually relaxes me.
I am a technical writer and am starting grad school next week for my Masters in Tech Comm. I have the best dog ever, she is a german shepard/golden retriever named Hilda, she loves to run with me and definately motivates me. 
Anyway I am excited to be a part of this group and look forward to any tips on training!! 

Welcome to the group newlywed2bthin - or maybe I should call you now newlydiv2bthin (j/k )...sorry to hear about your divorce and falling off the wagon of exercising and counting calories...glad though that you are back on your feet.  Remember, it's not that you fall, it's how you get up!

I am going to start a half marathon training in Feb. as soon as I finish my schooling on Feb 2nd.  If you're aming for June, you have enough time to train for a half marathon.  I am planning to run a half marathon in May, on my 42nd birthday :)

We can share tips on training and motivate each other here at the group so we could reach our goal of running a half marathon. 

I didn't do a lot of running in December...I always get tangled up with the holiday seasons but I started my new year with a 4 mile run in the morning and a 2 hour bike in the afternoon...I also walk a total of 2.5 miles per day during my break at work 1.25 miles each in the morning and afternoon.

I will post more training tips I might find somewhere else - and those that I have tried or will be trying.

Good luck on your running, training, and for going back to school. 

Ive never been thin, little thick through my highschool years and then overweight starting with my car accident in 99 through my two kids. My youngest is a year and im ready to loose the "baby" weight and more! 3 months ago i started going to the gym.  Trying to start running at 5.0 but could only run .2 spurts after 2 months of that i decided i should slow down. So i started running (jogging) 4.3 and now im running a mile straight. I added walking at a 3.5 a 1/2 mile too. It seems to be getting harder to run not easier. thats suprising to me. ive lost 10 pounds this month. and this next month i want to add 10 % to my routine. i joined this group in hopes that i could get some ideas and confirmation on how im approaching runnning.

Hi.  I'm Becca.  I'm a 26 year old stay at home mother of 2.  I am 5'5" and currently 134lbs.  My baseline weight is about 130.  I started a new lifestyle of calorie counting and dieting two and a half years ago.  I wanted to lose the "baby weight" and tone up.  I started a 1500 calorie diet, jogging and light weights.  After two months the weight just flew off and I had lost 15lbs and gotten back to prepregnancy weight.  My endurance with running and weights has come a long way since but I have struggled a bit to maintain my weight because I love food!  I slacked on cardio and dieting over the holidays and end result was an extra eight pounds.  So now I am joining this website, group and restarting my previous regimen in hopes of having support and information to reach my new goal.  I look forward to being part of this group and getting to know it's members.   

1. History with weight loss:

I was an underweight child/teen due to anorexia; came out of it alright however.. increased my Weight/BMI to 116lbs/17 percent. Presently I feel that I am overweight at 5'4, 126/20 percent ..even though Wii says I'm normal. I am a distance runner and the extra 10lbs slows me down. My goal is to lose the 10lbs so that I can fasten my pace & run a further distance. I've been running 5 miles a day at about a 9.30 to10 min pace.I know I can do better if I didn't have this extra 10lbs holding me back.

2. History with Calorie Count:

N/A

I've been eating between 1200-1600 calories daily. My goal is to cut that to 900-1200 cal in order to lose the 10lbs. I've found that walking is also a good warm-up & fat burning exercise. I try to walk a mile before I start my run and walk a mile after.

3. Reason for joining this group:

Tracking run time & distance improvements. I also walk/run my dogs everyday to give them some exercise.

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

I'm married, have 3 active dogs, no children.. my favorite exercise is distance running & muscular endurance workouts (bleachers, free weights, Wii). I typically run 5 miles a day. I've been trying to both improve my times and increase my mileage.

irun4life, your running pace is really decent (at least in my opinion because you are faster than me  - my pace is about 10:30 to 11 min per mile.  Welcome to the group. 

I find walking beneficial as well especially considering we put a lot of impact on our feet and legs when running.  I walk twice a day at work, using my 15-20 minutes break in the morning and in the afternoon.  It's almost like my pre-conditioning exercise prior to my early evening runs.  It uplifts my mood - the kind of endorphin hormones we get when we go running, it does makes me happy that I'm out and walking/running than being a couch potato.

Just be careful on limiting your calorie intake way too low - I learn here at Calorie Count website that women shouldn't go below 1200 calories per day, maybe cut down a bit on your carbs instead of cutting your calories way too much.  Just a friendly thought!

Enjoy your runs and walks (esp. with your dogs)

 

 

Hi Becca, welcome to the group.

I love food too!  I am more discipline when it comes to my exercises esp. running/walking but I find it hard to discipline myself when it comes to food

You know, we went to Mexico for vacation last summer and gained 5lbs from our all inclusive deal(too much food), I was already in a plateau in losing weight when we went to Mexico, it even made it harder for me to lose the extra 5 lbs I gained from our vacation.  I guess sometimes I'm lacking some motivation in controlling myself into eating.  I'm always afraid of getting that hungry feeling - where I would almost get a headache and fuzzy feeling because I'm too hungry, I end up over snacking I think.

I do need a motivation to control myself from eating a bit extra...because I'm pretty much just burning the extra calories I've eaten for that day on my exercises...and not tapping the extra fats and weight I have. 

With such bad economy this year, vacation is out of the topic already - which I think could be good for me.  It's hard to snap myself out of the vacation mode once I got into it..shame -shame -shame

 

expected2obey, welcome to the group!

Congratulations on that 10 lbs you've lost...I'm sure by now you probably lost more

Before I was running, let me tell you that I could hardly walk the mile without huffing and puffing...I couldn't even jog half lap in the tracks!  But I was persistent, I keep increasing my walking distance every time I go for a walk, then I slowly tried jogging half-lap then walk the rest...I gradually and slowly increased my jogging distance before I knew it I was running the whole mile...then 2 miles...then 3 miles.  I find so many aches and pain during those times especially on my legs - and I learned the proper way to stretch my legs prior to my runs so it won't hurt as much.  I knew that the more weight I lose, the easier the runs will be.

My biggest pain back then was my shin, they hurt too much when I'm running - my physical therapist recommended a stretch prior to my runs that I am using up to now because it does makes a big difference.

Also this site offers a lot of tips for walking healthy, check it out: http://www.walkinghealthy.com/WalkingHealthy/ Stretching/Stretching.asp

Just keep running and walking....when you become more comfortable in running  - it will get easier!!!

Hi all,

I am very new to the site.  I will start with the facts.....

5'10"

166lbs

44 years young

I've lost 14 1bs since mid Jan

Would like to loose 16 more lbs

I use to run, step aerobics, weight train with great success in my 30's.....I then fell off the wagon and didn't do well until this last year.  l quit smoking for the 3rd time in my life and have been smoke free for 1 year.   In Jan I started with the walking/running with weight training.  I have been pretty successful so far. I now run 3 miles 5 days a week at about a 9 min mile.   I also do a 4 day split with my weight training.  On Wed & Sat I run 5 miles with sprints to up my speed and distance.  I'm planning on running my first road race here in April.  I live in Montana and it is hard to get out on the road when there is snow and ice on the ground.  As the season goes I should be able to get out on the road and get my body use to the pounding.

As for info about me.....I own 2 businesses and am a mother of 2 grown children and 1 grandson.  I am blessed with a very supportive, loving husband that has jumped back on the wagon with me(he has lost over 20lbs since we started)

I am looking forward to sharing with this group and see if we can support and challenge each other through out the year

Hi everyone!  New to the site..great site!  I have lost 30 lbs since jan. 1st.  About 10 lbs a month.  I have also started to run again.  Feel free to share stories, encouragement, etc.  take care.  :)

Welcome to the group lesahayes.  I like how you put the word "young" in your age, that's how we should all feel because age is just a number. 

I am very excited to hear about people getting back into their healthy routines - going back to exercising, walking, running, weight lifting, and healthy eating habits - it's very inspiring.  I commend you for being 1 year smoke free, though I have never been a smoker, I know how difficult to give it up because my mom was a chain smoker.  So I hope you keep your will power to stay off of it. 

Aren't you glad spring is here?  Although I get the seasonal allergy, spring is my favorite time of the year to run or walk because it is my perfect weather.

More power to you!

Welcome to the group edspillane. 

Wow! that is great, 10 lbs a month?  Congratulations on your weight loss, it's very inspiring to hear weight loss story from real people (like us here in CC) because we all know the hard work, dedication, and discipline that came with it. 

Glad to hear you're running.  I enjoy running as well - it was the main key that got me into losing weight when I first started walking then running over 2 years ago. 

I am actually going to run the Santa Cruz Half Marathon on April 19.  I did a trial run last Saturday just to make sure I can actually last that long, thank goodness I did.  I finished it in 2 hours 38 mins, 2 mins earlier from my goal of 2 hours 40 mins.  I'm hoping the time will be better at my actual race.  This is my very first half marathon so I am very very excited.

Are you planning to run some races in the future?

More power to you!

 

Thanks for the welcome.

Yes! Spring is here....that means we still get snow  (6" of really wet snow yesterday)   But I can feel a difference in the air, the sun feels warmer and some of the critters are starting to peak out of their hidie holes.

I'm sure the snow will melt here in a day or two.  I'm hoping it will be by Weds morning so I can get a good road run in.   I want to be ready for the icebreaker run in Great Falls (the nearest big city) by April 26th. 

Thanks, I will keep my power!!! That's one of those great life lessons I have learned now that I'm getting older.  I don't plan on giving my power to anyone or anything.  I am in charge of me and my life......besides its my happy little world  and I can do what I want

I know all about the seasonal allergy thing.....do you rinse your nose with saline daily?  I have found that works really well.  I think you can get a nedi pot just about anywhere these days.

  Again thanks for the welcome, I hope we can be of some great support for each other.

Lesa (I love these little faces)

 

Welcome edspillane

Congrats on the great weight loss!!  Thats one of the blessings of being male.....you guys loose weight a lot faster than us girls. 

I too have just started to run again and feel fab for it.  Don't you just love the feeling you get after a great run.  It makes me think.......why did I ever stop running?  Maybe now that we are older and wiser we will stick with it and make it part of our lives not just to hit a goal. 

One of the great things about running is it gives you a clairity of mind.  I like the benifits of a stronger healthier body (not to mention slimmer) but I like the clearing of the cobwebs in my head.

Have a great day all

Lesa

 

Hello Everyone!

I am not a runner, but love to walk fast! You can get in "the zone" even with a walk.

I've been w/CC since mid February and have lost 10.5 pounds. I get the extra 1/2 pound because I like the number 7 instead of 8. I am currently 179.5.

For exercise all I do is walking and yoga. They are what I love so I know I'll do them. For eating the goal is to eat "mindfully", which means I just stop and think before every meal and determine if I am making the best calorie choice available at the time. I don't worry too much about the total calories but seem to stay within the range more often than not.

My goal is not to lose weight quickly, but rather to do so permanently.

I have a lot of things that I enjoy doing - I collect books and read constantly, I love music (so I grew my own oboe performer), music history, extreme sudoku, major league baseball (almost Opening Day!), and a ton of other things. Fortunately I am also able to sit still and not do anything when I meditate!

Looking forward to chatting with everyone about how walking and running becomes a part of weight loss plan and your life.