So here I am . . .
 

I just joined the site today because I wanted a way to record my goals and track progress, and I thought I would pop into the forums. I reached my weight loss goals at the end of 2009, but this past year I found that losing weight is easier than maintaining the weight loss because it provides an obvious progression of goals and achievements.

My November of 2010, I was noticing a big difference in how my clothes fit, and I wasn't exercising with any kind of consistency. I started to clean up my eating, and I did manage to shed a few pounds, but I realized that I needed (1) ongoing goals that go beyond weight loss, and (2) a way to track progress which is what brought me here.

So here I am. I am currently within a few pounds of my target weight range, so I'm not as much concerned about weight loss as recompositon. I would like to lower my body fat and add some muscle. In order to do that, I've set the following goals.

*Establish a sustainable routine of exercise with an emphasis on core strength and weight training.

*Increase vegetables and beans in my diet to at least 3-4 servings per day.

*Limit fruit intake to a maximum of 2 servings per day and focus more on vegetables.

*Reduce the following in my diet: Cheese, processed foods, and dark chocolate. They are okay in moderation, but have become my staples.

*Drink lots of water and limit the Diet Coke to two cans per day. I am a Diet Coke fiend. :D

*Continue to try new foods, and new recipes. I didn't really learn to cook until I started trying to lose weight, and I was (and still am) a very picky eater, but I've been expanding my palate and trying new things. Along those lines, does anyone have any great bean recipes? :)

Hi Kay, glad to have you. I completely understand where you're coming from...maintenance is a whole different animal and there's always some tweaking that can occur. I did the same as you and set a body fat goal instead of a weight goal (although both are not now where they need to be given that we just finished holidays :()!

I would like to suggest that you jump in on the 5-15 Pounders and / or the 7-Day Motivational thread - (a new one starts on Monday but you can jump into this week's also if you want; both are in the Women's Corner section) to hook in with some folks on a regular basis. There are also a bunch of other weigh-in thread and those with goals by a certain date, etc., and of course you can post on anything and find friendly people! So poke around, jump in, and enjoy!

Congrats on your loss to date and we hope to hear more from you!

welcome Kay, it sounds like you have a solid plan!