Welcome Jolena

[Guest guest]

You COULD make your goal by next birthday, but instead of looking at the

mountain, focus on the first foothill, losing that 10 percent. It's better

to lose it REEAAAL SLOOOOW than to focus on rapidity. If it takes a long

time to come off, it is more likely to stay off. 72 pounds divided by 58

weeks (roughly how long it is to Sept. 11 -- what a birthday to have these

days, eh?) is an average of about 1.3 pound per week...HOWEVER, you tend to

lose a whole lot more when you have more to lose, you hit plateaus and the

last weight seems to hang on for dear life. Goals are good, but look at the

short-term first, I would say.

And the scale is only ONE part of this. You also gotta look at

NSV's--non-scale victories. Like, can you wear good looking clothes, do

people tell you how much you've lost, can you walk without huffing. And you

ARE going to need to exercise...I personally think it's more important than

eating right. Plus, you should SEE how good you look after you've started

working out a bit...I feel positively BUFF after I've lifted weights, I

stand up taller, I look thinner, I project a very positive self-image and

I'm more relazed.

Again, welcome, Jolena. We're a great group. Wait till Tory K. comes

back..you're gonna love her.