I'm starting my second challenge too.  My biggest regret about my first one is that I didn't take  before pictures.  My scale showed a small change, my tape measure showed a WONDERFUL change but I can't see it because I still have so far to go.  A picture is worth a thousand words and helps a lot when the enthusiasm slips:-)

Welcome, everyone!!  This is going to be a great group because we're starting now, for our own reasons.  I've been told on this site that most people join in January to sputter out their new year's resolutions-- not us!  It's September.  Fall.  Right before the 3 big fatties-- Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  RIght.  We're doing this.  Thank God we have the forum. : )

JT Fit-- okay, you cried.  No big deal, it's over, and I'm sure it was cathartic.  But don't get yourself too far down in the dumps because it's a long climb out.  Just use your feelings as positive motivation-- you've taken the biggest, most important step.  You're here, you've decided to make a change.  You can do this!

radiant-one-- don't get me started on age.  I am younger than you (31), but I've had so many knee surgeries and joint problems that I find myself chatting with my friends' parents about what we do to address our various common ailments.  It'd pretty comical, actually.

Wow, we have some great and broad representation in this group from all over the US and the world!  So take that to heart, ladies and gentlemen-- the world is watching, what will you do to prove yourself? ;)

Day 1 starts tomorrow.  GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE!!!

SpanishMoss, the 3 holidays were actually a huge motivator for me!  Talk about a challenge ;). This will be my 2nd challenge. Unfortunately, I did not complete my first one - I hit the 5th week slump, got sick, my kids were sick, etc, etc. This past January instead of making a cookie cutter "I need to get into better shape" resolution, I decided to set a goal to run a half marathon in September. I trained, not perfectly, not consistently, but I kept moving forward. Well, I did run that 1/2 marathon and surprised myself with how well I did!  Not only did I finish in the time I guesstimated, I also kept a very consistent pace throughout the run (2:44:54 was my official time and avg pace was 12:35). Completing that race reminded me that I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to - something I seemed to have forgotten over the past few years.

Good luck to you and everyone starting this 12 week challenge!  I know we can do it!

Hello all; I started my challenge yesterday.  I tried BFL once last year but only made it about halfway....just stupid of me!  I do come on this website and read people's comments and thought if I joined in with a group, it might give me some accountability and help me finish.

I'm 42, live in Lexington, KY with my husband and two boys (ages 13 and 11).  I'm determined to make it this time and will check in here daily.  Good luck to everyone!

I have had enough of the Foody weekends with friends and family, the wine and the excuses. I have always worked out but carried a little extra after my 30th b-day. Well I turn 46 on October 6th and want to be fit for ever.  Good Luck and let's stay motivated together. BTW i'm from Long Beach, NY!

Hi All,

I'd like to join in this group.  I started this morning.   I am 47, completed a challenge in 2008 with great results...........fell off the wagon for years and now I'm tired, overweight and disgusted and READY to get back in shape and ready to also have more than 1 pair of jeans!  I keep telling myself, I'll start next Monday,  well my friends....Monday is here and I'm doing it!    

I'm looking forward to being part of your group!

I am starting today! I did BFL about 2 years ago in conjunction with marathon training and my wedding and loved my results. I just had a baby in April and even though I already lost 40lbs, I need BLF to help me drop the rest. We also have some sort of Biggest Loser contest at work at starts today and so with the BFL routine and the tons of baby fat I have....I will wipe the floor with them.

I too have started this change in my life today.  I am super excited!!!  I am a habitual- start, but never finish person.   And I am the only one that can change this about myself.  I have started this BFL two other times, but I am totally committed this time and will need encouragement.  I will be taking my before photos this afternoon.  I am 36 and will soon be 37.  I have 3 very active kiddos along side my husband and myself.  We rodeo and play baseball/softball.  Not to mention full time jobs.  I am so excited and am taking this one day at a time.  Earlier today I learned of a Casting Crowns concert I want to go to in Dec and thought.  I will be looking better by then and stopped myself in my tracks.  I want to get through this week and do it like the plan lays out.  I've set a weekly goal.  God bless and let's rock this thing!!!!!

Congrats on the 1/2 marathon.  I want to run a 5K.

Wow, I love how this group is growing and I love the encouragement I have received ALREADY :) -- thank you for your comments SpanishMoss, JT fit, tj40 and Hadley.  

I did my before pictures wholeheartedly and as I was doing them, I thought about and how much I benefit from seeing others' befores/afters in the BFL books - and then I thought about paying it forward and realized that my pictures x"can"x WILL help someone else someday!  

I am wondering how the rest of you set your personal goals for weight, etc. for the 12 weeks -- making goals to be challenging yet realistic. Weight usually comes off slowly for me so I do not want to be too ambitious. Anyone willing to share how they arrived at their goals?

Got my first workout in this morning-- it went great, I'm actually stronger than I thought I was.  So far my biggest challenge has been fitting snacks into my work day.  I was stuck in meetings all morning, and before I knew it I had missed my morning snack and was STARVING!  Not good.  But, as challenges go, that one's not so bad!  How's everyone else doing?  Everybody start out on upper body this morning or are you changing things up?

radiant one-- You asked about goals.  I think I've probably mentioned it a few times, but my downfall came with injury.  I tore the ACL in my right knee, then had a horrible surgery in 2006 (the surgeon botched the job, used an allograft (cadaver hamstring tendon) instead of my own tendon, put it in too tight, and then chipped off a piece of my shin bone to boot), and then I had two other surgeries to remove scar tissue because I was told I was the problem-- I wasn't working hard enough in physical therapy.  Finally last August I found a surgeon who would listen to me, that something was wrong.  Sure enough, over four years later, he poked around in my knee and found he had to remove the ACL graft because it was put in so horribly (and it's possible my body was rejecting the foreign matter) and surprise! found the piece of bone "the size of a large almond" wrapped in scar tissue behind my patella that had kept me from straightening my leg out or being able to bend it past 90 degrees.  So I walked with a limp and withstood pain for four years because of a horrible, corrupt surgeon.  I still have no ACL so I have to work out with a brace, but at least I can walk correctly again.  Walking with a bent leg for so many years messed up everything from my feet to my hips, to my back-- and now I have to wear a brace on my left knee, as well, because I over-compensated for so long.  But.... I rode that excuse horse to the ground, and I'm ready to put aside all of the crap I went through and get back in shape.  I gained 30 lbs because of that ordeal, and honestly, I carried a lot of anger and bitterness for a long time (and I think I still do), but that's not helping me.  Being healthy, getting back in shape-- that's what will give me my life back.  So that's why I'm here.

 Hello Everyone!...Back into it today. I did my first challenge a year ago and a second right after that with my son. We have been in the gym since then working on our own programs. With such good results from the BFL program, we decided to come back for another run. Long story short...I'm a signing up and looking forward to hearing from others and their progress.

 I'm also from the Seattle area (across the sound).

 Randy

Spanish Moss, I am so sorry you went through that.  My son is currently in his bed recovering from his second major knee surgery w/in the last year......he too had a huge bone fragment under his patella, it was gross!  Hopefully you'll find some peace and healing with this new challenge!

I did my first workout this morning, (I did lower body due to sore shoulder) and have been dead on w/ my meals, haven't had as much water as I should have, but working on that too.  Will take measurements and pics (heavy sigh) later this evening and will probably have to pay off teenage daughter so she won't "tell"  lol :)

Hope everyone has had a great day.  Stay strong the rest of the day!  My biggest challenge will be not having a glass of wine tonight.....but I'm going to do this to a T!  

Spanishmom, i can sympathize with injuries. 3 weeks after I gave birth, I was so ready to start training for a marathon again. My heart and mind was ready, but my very heavy body wasn't and so after a month of training, I got plantar fasciitis and was benched from high impact cardio for 6 weeks. I was doing so well with the weight loss when I was running, but when I had to stop running to let it heal, I just plateaued. My regular workouts were not doing anything and each week when I saw the scale either gain a 2lbs or stay the same, i got sad.

This time will be different. I will only weigh myself at the beginning of the journey and again in 12 weeks since I am mostly going for a fat loss. Since weight fluctuates so easily, i don't want the scale to dictate my progress. I would rather have my clothes tell me if I am doing a good job.

That said, I am happy to have gotten some push ups and pulls ups in today. I am also a working mom and the only time I can get any weight lifting done is during my lunch hour.  I am not going to follow the BFL workout routine. I run 3 days a week and the other 3 days i do P90x. Is anyone else doing a different workout routine from BFL?