I'm actually stopping for lunch today. First time in a week. I have lots of help today and it's making things more manageable. Over the past couple of days, I have been spending a lot of time running up and down stairs (literally running!) and hauling boxes around (up and down stairs). I noticed that I'm able to comfortably carry much heavier boxes that I could before and that the stairs are not killing me. I can run up and down them 2 or 3 times in a row without getting winded. It's a great feeling, I feel so STRONG!

Here is this week's Wednesday Weigh-In:
What was the best piece of advice or tip you've received in regards to weight loss and fitness issues?

It was a threefold piece of advice: take it slow, set goals and be realistic.

The "take it slow" thing makes so much more sense. It took me a long time to gain the weight and I can not expect to lose it over night. The longer it takes me to lose it, the better my chances of keeping it off are.

Setting small goals is so important for me. I have a large amount of weight to lose but if I break it down into 10-20 pound increments, it doesn't seem so overwhelming.

Being realistic applies to many things. I don't worry about being perfectly on plan all the time. This is not a diet for me, as I've said before, it's a total lifestyle change. This means that from time to time, I'll have things that are not "healthy" as a treat. That's being realistic. I also think it applies to my long term goal. What I'd like to weight and what I will end up weighing, may be two different things entirely and that's totally okay with me!