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Introduction Text Let me just insert here..............I have reached my goal and have lost over 75 pounds. Wow, is it corny to say "If I can do it, you can too"? It's true!!!! I went up and down, round and round, but got it done!!! I've gone from a size 20W (20-wide as my daughter would say) to a size 12!!!! I feel fantastic!! Hang in there no matter what..........here's what I've learned: First of all, hang in there no matter what and don't give up. 1. It's YOUR journey, don't let anyone tell you what you should do. 2. It's not a "diet", it's choices every day. Make them count. 3. Had a bad today? Have a better tomorrow. 4. It's not "diet and exercise" necessarily, don't let people make you feel guilty if you didn't go the gym or work out. I lost almost 80 pounds and didn't really work out at all (sorry Andi, I know that kills you). I will say I had a physical job running a warehouse, parked as far away as I could regardless of where I went, and always chose the stairs over the elevator. 5. Eat less than you burn. 6. Track everything!!! 7. Move your body more this week than you did last week even if it's just parking further away at the grocery store or choosing the stairs over the elevator. 8. Do NOT feel guilty about ANYTHING. The fact that you're on this site says you're serious about your lifestyle and making changes. 9. Do NOT let others sabotage you. The "one little bite won't hurt" will hurt, don't give in. 10. If you must indulge, have 3 bites the put the fork down!!! This amazed my employees who took me out for a birthday dinner and I had 3 bites of the "free" dessert and then put the fork down. You CAN do it. Everything in moderation. 11. Be accountable.........tell people what you're going to do (not what you're trying to do), and share your success! 12. Help others......share what works and what doesn't. 13. Start every day like a brand new day because that's what it is. 14. Weigh in, figure out what works for you and what doesn't 15. Measure all your food. Do you know what 1 cup of something looks like on a plate? I didn't and that's why I overate. Measure it or weigh it...period. 16. This bears repeating.........HANG IN THERE NO MATTER WHAT! 17. When your clothes get too big, get RID of them and buy smaller clothes. Discover Goodwill or other thrift stores in your area. This will ease the guilt of spending the money on yourself for smaller clothes when you just new clothes a few weeks or months ago. Please take what you wish from this and ignore the rest. Did I mention to "Hang in there???" Keri : ) My starting thoughts.............. My journey began on January 1st, 2008 (yep, another New Year's Resolution) to lose weight and change my life. I started my journey on this site on the 4th of February and I was trying to figure this site out, how it worked, what tools were available, etc. after finding out about it from my best friend. Through the last month, I have seen some amazing SparkPages and learned a ton! My absolute favorite part of this site is the Nutrition Tracker. I track each and every thing that I put in my mouth and it has helped me huge in determining what a "sensible dinner" is as well as what you should consider "sensible healthy snacks". Portion control is something I struggle with because my emotions tend to take over and hey, if it's good, I eat tooooo much of it. I measure my food, which is a little odd to someone like my significant other, but it is teaching me what "one cup" actually looks like on a plate. I will continue to measure until I know what portions are without even having to think about it. I weighed myself on December 19th, 2007 and was shocked to see "240" on the truck scale in our warehouse (okay so only 235 without being fully dressed). Yes, a truck scale with a digital display up on the wall, isn't that funny? I stand on that scale each Monday morning to see how my week was and to see what the little red digital numbers are, and I even force myself to weigh in when other people are standing around. I am proud of my choice to change my life and don't care who sees the little red numbers because they are changing and I will hopefully continue to have smaller numbers each week. Thank you Sparkers for helping me get a great start on my new life. The first thanks go to my best friend Andi (SGTMom911) who originally turned me on to this site. I look forward to the day when we can raise a glass and know that we have lost an entire person (and a chubby one at that), between the 2 of us!

I've made this goal and then some!! I've updated my ticker to reflect an end weight of 160 instead of 165 (fully dressed or 160 first thing in the morning. My goal is to finally say goodbye to the 75 extra pounds I've been carrying. Okay so I'm carrying 75 now but in the past have carried 30, then 45, then 30, then 75 and so on. Goodbye to the weight (my knees will thank me) and hello to better choices!

The BIGGEST part of my program was to eat frequently!! I ate 6 times per day and found my energy level to be awesome and I didn't starve!!! You can eat a very small amount when you'll be eating again in 2-3 hours!!! I'm the "Jared for Slimfast" and absolutely LOVE the program. I'm basically lazy enough to just eat what I throw in my purse each morning. I'm also completely focused on portion sizes and making better choices. I've also reestablished a relationship with my treadmill and plan to keep walking until my rear end isn't as big.

This has also changed. I have now retired and have been living in the 5th wheel for over a year now. We will be heading to Yuma, AZ on the 15th of October for the first of hopefully many winters south!! We still plan on spending the summer months in Portland, OR or travelling. I live in Portland, Oregon but hope to live no where in the not-too-distant future. The house is up for sale, the new 5th wheel bought and as soon as we can, we plan on packing up the motorcycles and the 5th wheel and hitting the open road! Retirement here I come!



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