[redballoon]

Okay, everyone, as is the tradition, I start a new thread when I personally start a new challenge.

Below is a short explanation of how this challenge works so all you newcomers can take a look and decide if you're game or not! I hope you are! Hop aboard and enjoy the ride. We've got a great bunch of supportive people, so I hope you'll give us a try. A lot of people try for a while and then disappear.. I hope some of you will keep trying. There is NO shame in starting over. Remember, it's not over till you give up. And our motto around here is:

NEVER GIVE UP!!...Just start OVER!!

EXPLANATION AND RULES:

It works like this: you decide you'll do something for 21 days straight, every single day, so keep it doable. Then you count ....one through 21.....and if you flub it, you MUST go back to zero and start over again. Everyone will be on different days. You can start anytime. At the beginning of the challenge you declare what level it is -- Level 1, 2, or 3. Level 1 means you feel it's a relatively easy challenge for you and means you only give yourself ONE pause day (see explanation of pause days below). Level 2 would give you two pause days and so on...
And taking NO pause days is what I'm going to call "aceing a challenge," as in "I'm aiming on aceing this one!" Yowzah!!

With a pause day you pause in your counting and continue the next day with the number you left off with. Pause days are NOT substitutes for days, i.e. Day 12 -- Day 13 -- Pause Day -- Day 14..... I suggest taking a pause day late in the game (better to go back to Day 1 early on) if you need a break or screw up when you're well into the challenge, meaning, when you're on Day 15 or something like that.

In any case, the trick is to keep going. The momentum builds and it's great incentive to stick to your guns, cause if you don't.........back to START you go. And the really great thing about this challenge is that you are forming new habits that will wipe out the old! AND, you get to do it with a great bunch of really supportive people to whom you are accountable!

THREAD GUIDELINES:

In the interest of maintaining structure, a sense of solidarity and facilitating support I ask anyone who wishes to join this thread to please strive to follow the following guidelines while participating in this challenge and in posting.

1. Although this is a fabulous support group, the focus is to be on your CHALLENGE/S and/or other people's challenge/s AND weight loss, whether your challenge is about it or not. Please keep the challenge a priority, although we welcome chattiness! This means tell us what day you're on when you post and it's a good idea to make regular mention of just what your challenge is. This an action-based thread. Our members are ON a challenge, RESTARTING a challenge, or just in between and looking to start up again REAL SOON. We also welcome posts from admirers, encouragers, and old friends!

2. Please refrain from posting food logs or recipes, except where you are really looking for help and advice on your eating. If journaling is your challenge, please keep the journaling off the thread and in a notebook or blog and just tell us if you've done what you set out to do. We have ALL types of dieters here, low-carb, high-carb, low-fat, high-fat, vegetarians, meat-lovers...please use simple mentions if you have something you want to share and then links and/or private messages to do so.

3. Please do NOT go into glowing accounts of any slipups, food indulgences or binges, what we here call "food porn." Simple mentions are fine, but use of smilies etc. as substitutes where possible is encouraged.

4. Please keep this a secular thread. Of course, passing references to your beliefs, a bit of introduction about your beliefs, brief faith-related words of encouragement are fine.

5. Please show support, support, support! This is key. You can waffle on about yourself but please, at least occasionally,come up and look around at others and what they are doing and MENTION it with words of encouragement and/or praise or sympathy. We understand "busy," poor computer connections, and bouts of self-pity and life problems where the focus turns to "me" and dealing with those problems, but these should be temporary, not a habit! ('cept in the computer case.)

In conclusion, let me say, the above are just that, GUIDELINES. Please realize that these guidelines have been added in an attempt to keep this a supportive and beneficial thread, at the LEAST, to those who need it MOST, those for whom weight loss is the hardest and, more often than not, the most crucial as well as for those who still, perhaps despite great success, know all too well that the road they walk will always be a slippery one.

The guidelines are also meant to cultivate an atmosphere of consideration and concern for ALL, not individually, but AS A GROUP.

Well, all's said. Please join us!!

[redballoon]

Howdy, all!! I'll be declaring my new challenges shortly! Stay tuned!

[miriam101]

I found ya!

WTG Red on the ciggie challenge!!!! WOOHOOO!!!!!! Waiting to see what new challenges you'll come up with


Haven't been at the computer much, but sure have been at my challenge.. Although I have taken all 3 pauses and contemplated starting over, but heck no! I DESERVE these 8 days!!!

So my stats are: Exercise challenge - 8 days complete, no more pauses left.

If I get it together today, no - WHEN I get it together today to exercise, then I'll have 9!

[redballoon]

Well, I'm going through another rough period here, with lots of problems in the world. Just getting through the day is a challenge and I am very down...well, no, I am trying very hard not to let myself be down, too down that is, the kind of down that becomes a vicious cycle.

I will come up with some challenges. Right now, let's just say I'll do another round of no-smoking, which, in light of things, is not as easy as it sounds. The addiction is broken, which makes not smoking easy, but the mental desire is there again. I'll call this a stealth because I need every little push I can get. So, no smoking now for two days.

Day 2 on No Smoking Challenge completed

I will come up with some others but right now, I can't think of the pressure, even though I'm doing pretty well as far as eating and whatever goes.

**************

miriam -- Thanks for the congrats! Good attitude on your challenges. Hmmm, not good to have 13 days left with no pauses, but that was the old challenge style, no pauses were allowed. I suppose a bit of planning for you is in store to make this work. And YES, you DO deserve, not only these 8 days, but 21 of them! Good luck and power to you!

So, where the heck is everyone? Who was that who was asking for a new thread? Oh, yeah, unwanted, here you go! Everyone else, come on over!! Your old challenges continue. It's not a new challenge, just a new page!

[redballoon]

Day 3 on No Smoking done!!

Hello?!?!?

[prepping]

Okay so even though I made it to within 3 days of reaching 21 in the last challenge thread... I've found that I just can't focus on being that good with it being a month and a half to my wedding! boo-urns.

What can I say, my dress fits so as long as I don't gain any weight I'm fairly okay. I'm going to spend the next 6 weeks being as good as possible with eating and keep up my weight training.

It's not much of a challenge if I'm only saying that I'll be "as good as I can depending on the circumstance". LoL

I'll pop my head in every once in a while because I love seeing all of your successes... but as for my own challenge, it's going to have to wait until after the honeymoon.

Wishing you all the best!!!

[redballoon]

prepping -- Good to see you! I don't know where everyone went. I guess they just got tired of challenges and instead of a new thread inspiring them it scared them off. Oh well, ain't the first time.
I'll be sorry to see you go and do hope you'll still pop in to say heh and how you're doing. Three days short of 21 still deserves a big hand! That's 18 days MORE than perhaps without the challenge, no?
And super about the dress! Way to go!
Take care and I hope to see you soon!

[redballoon]

Day 4 on No Smoking Challenge complete!!

[Shad]

Crikey Red, you are up early this morning

[redballoon]

Hi, Shad! Just trying to get a story done here. It's due and I'm far from done.....

[Shad]

Hope you managed to get it done in time. I have a boat load of work to get through before I finish up here on Friday next week. After that I'll be home in Brisbane with no work for the time being. I might even start a challenge. Now there is a novel idea.

[redballoon]

Day 5 on No Smoking done!!! Hurrah for me!!! No one else around.....

[redballoon]

Well, looks like everyone bailed...
Anyhow, I'll struggle on alone...

Day 6 done on No Smoking Challenge. Has it already been six days? Yeah!


Shad -- It'd be great if you could join me. I'm getting pretty depressed...about a lot of things.....

miriam, where are you?

[Tracy]

This is great!
5/16-6/06
I want to stay w/in ww points
This is Level 3 for me.
to all of us

[miriam101]

Hey y'all!

I DID do day 9, and then lost out on day 10, that was after taking the 3 pauses, Red! Well - I'll start the exercise challenge again tomorrow..with 3 pauses again.

Good for you on the no smoking! Keep it up!!

Hi Tracy! Good luck on your challenges!

PB - wow - final countdown!!