Watchout I too find myself very excited about this almost giddy!:joker:
Does anyone else find it a little mind blowing to look at your goal weight and know that by the end of this challenge there is a really good chance we will be at that weight?
The following is rehash for the chat friends so feel free to skip.
Katt, my family and I just started the Grain Brain diet. It is ■High in healthy fats, naturally raised animal proteins, vegetables.
■Low carbohydrate and low fruit, no processed carbs or sugars. It is a diet designed to heal leaky gut which many people in the autism spectrum have. Since starting it our daughter with autism is showing amazing results noticed not just by ourselves but school and therapists. She is calmer, more focused, less OCD, better eye contact, more social, follows verbal commands better. I have lost 7 pounds in the last 9 days. My mood is lighter, calmer, and my mind is more focused. I've also had great improvement in some gut related health issues. Can you tell I'm really loving this diet?:soap:

Hello Nightkat and ALL!... Well I have to be good too.. as I am in SouthEast Florida and our weather was in the 80's today (worst we get in the winter is the 30's for a day or maybe 2 and at night only).. I am lucky!.. We also have the best Fruit too here... Those LOVELY HoneyBells! (1/2 Grapefruit 1/2 Tangerine).. if you hear of Indian River Fruit.. well that is where I live Port St. Lucie or Jensen Beach, Florida :) SO I do wish to send some Florida sunshine to all who are freezing (I grew up in Chicago and have never forgotten the winter of '87 and the -67 degrees windchill!)

My plan... well I am Atkins all the way. This works for me as carbs just set me off on binges and bloat me. I did have some during the holidays and paid the price for them (upset)... but that is okay. What my bodies response did was remind me that I always want to feel great! I do mostly protein and fat and alittle veggies (not a fan).. but I do have a salad just about every day (romaine) and take fiber tabs... It is neat to see what everyone has found to eat that will keep them happy and help them in this journey! I just saw a report on TV (ABC with Diane Sawyer) and they were talking about diets and people regaining etc.. that 85% of people will go off the diet and regain.. while 15% of the people are "Super" Dieters and keep the weight off (they say if you make it past 2 years... it gets easier)... I am curious to see how those 15% manage their weight loss journey and their stratedgies.. I just keep reminding myself.. if I really want that (fill in the blank - pizza, icecream etc) it will be there tomorrow... If I still want it... Helps me to get past a craving!...... and - WE are ALL PART OF THAT 15% here on this forum! We have help everywhere.. How lucky we are! That is how I feel.

Hello everyone,

My goal this time is to post more than my weekly weigh ins. Here is my info to start:)

START WEIGHT:306.9
GOAL WEIGHT: 285
TOTAL TO LOSE: 21.9lbs

Week 01 - JAN 06 - JAN 12: 306.9 lbs (start)
Week 02 - JAN 13 - JAN 19:
Week 03 - JAN 20 - JAN 26:
Week 04 - JAN 27 - FEB 02:
Week 05 - FEB 03 - FEB 09:
Week 06 - FEB 10 - FEB 16:
Week 07 - FEB 17 - FEB 23:
Week 08 - FEB 24 - MAR 02:
Week 09 - MAR 03 - MAR 09:
Week 10 - MAR 10 - MAR 16:
Week 11 - MAR 17 - MAR 23:
Week 12 - MAR 24 - MAR 30:
Week 13 - MAR 31 - APR 06:
Week 14 - APR 07 - APR 13:
Week 15 - APR 14 - APR 20:
Week 16 - APR 21 - APR 27:

Good Morning...:coffee:

:cheer2: Happy to see all the posts...I had better get to reading.


"It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect It's successful outcome."
-William James

LARRY - Well you are definitely overdue to come on back then lol .. my dad was in the Canadian Navy when he came to NZ as part of his tour and met my mum, finished the tour, came back and never left lol. I am very blessed to live in this country for sure .. but then I have seen some BEAUTIFUL scenery and met some lovely people in every country I have been to as well (England, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Canada .. and a quick stop in Chicago and LA) ... I think it makes you appreciate the beauty more in your own country when you get your eyes opened to the beauty elsewhere. And yeah .... middle of the year is our winter so no surprise about the weather lol ... but its still definitely mild compared to what is happening over that way!

UBEE - Thats the spirit hun ... just don't get so giddy you fall over lol ... that new plan sounds great ... I have decided we can't keep calling these plans diets .. that sounds like its only a temporary thing doesn't it? I think we need to start calling them Lifestyle Plans ... boy that sounds proper lol .. unless of course it is a plan that is just a temporary thing for you .. then sure .. call it a diet lol .. I look forward to seeing more of your giddy on the boards through this challenge :)

WANNASKIPANDLAUGH - Your place sounds lovely .. and I have never heard of a HoneyBell fruit ... but it sounds so lovely my mouth is watering at the thought lol. Aitkins .. now I thought I that one .. and I have done it before (yes it was on my list of NZ diets lol) ... but I missed things too much to cut them out completely .. so instead I cut them back .. and Im not a huge meat fan anyway lol .. other than chicken so I sorta fell down on that too .. but I do love my vegetables :) I think that 15% is definitely a true statement ... its like giving up smoking I think .. Each year on my anniversary of quitting I asked my dad for a cigarette, not to smoke it per se .. but to see if it was still appealing ... the 1st & 2nd year I could tell I would be happy to take up the habit again .. but the 3rd year I was almost sick (only one puff each time btw) ... so I think while it might take 4-6 weeks to change a habit .. it takes more like 2-3 years to fix it into place lol. As I am getting rid of all the clothes that are too big for me now I have another reason why the weight won't be coming back on .. can't afford another wardrobe lol .. at least as I lose weight I have a better chance of finding my size at the op shops lol.

STARFISH - That is fab hun, I look forward to seeing you babble on the boards too :)

ISLES - Loving todays quote :) Im gonna have to note some of them to do little cross stitch bookmarks I think :)

I signed up for the Christmas challenge, and fell off the wagon terribly. Last year I lost 40lbs and gained 20lbs back, so I'm back with a vengeance to shift those pounds and more!

I joined the gym three weeks before Christmas and am loving it. It's meant that my bad eating over the holidays hasn't caused too much of a set back, and although I'm not seeing any weight chance, my clothes are ever so slightly looser, which can't be bad!

I'm making some lifestyle changes too- I've decided to cut out dairy for two months, and see how my body reacts. So far I'm not missing cheese and cream and yoghurt as much as I expected, which is a relief. I'm also doing no white bread for two months, no matter what. I've managed to convince my flatmate that now is a good time to be healthier, so she's started swimming and is thinking about food more (I find it difficult when someone gives me a lot of food to not clear my plate, and for a long time she insisted on serving me huge meals, which was not helpful). So I'm working on a support system here, and plan on turning to you guys for support too- and to give it also. :)

I'm also in NZ, and I've been sitting around moping about the terrible weather here- it's cold and rainy and it's supposed to be summertime, and I hate cold Christmases. Then last night on the news they showed us how bad the weather is in the States and UK and I feel a bit guilty now!

Anyway, here's my goal:

START WEIGHT: 278
GOAL WEIGHT: 250
TOTAL TO LOSE: 28

Week 01 - JAN 06 - JAN 12: 278
Week 02 - JAN 13 - JAN 19:
Week 03 - JAN 20 - JAN 26:
Week 04 - JAN 27 - FEB 02:
Week 05 - FEB 03 - FEB 09:
Week 06 - FEB 10 - FEB 16:
Week 07 - FEB 17 - FEB 23:
Week 08 - FEB 24 - MAR 02:
Week 09 - MAR 03 - MAR 09:
Week 10 - MAR 10 - MAR 16:
Week 11 - MAR 17 - MAR 23:
Week 12 - MAR 24 - MAR 30:
Week 13 - MAR 31 - APR 06:
Week 14 - APR 07 - APR 13:
Week 15 - APR 14 - APR 20:
Week 16 - APR 21 - APR 27:

Hey Ferris .. welcome back :) I know what you mean about the weather .. I am sitting in my lounge and listening to the rain outside and thinking .. you know .. it aint that bad .. at least it won't be a brown summer like last year was .. so dry for weeks the streets looked brown and icky with all the grasses dried up and plants dying etc ... soooo Im thinking its not too cold .. and the weather might be wet .. but we have had some good weather for sure :) Good to have you so well organised for this challenge .. definitely home support makes a big difference :)

Ferris I am not sure how old you are but please be careful about your calcium intake if you have given up dairy, bones matter especially for us ladies!
Well I haven't found myself this excited about a weight loss challenge for a VERY long time! I am not sure if I am "giddy" with excitement but I certainly have a warm fuzzy feeling and a bubble of excitement contemplating a life where my knees don't ache as much!!!
One of the big TV breakfast programmes is running a Motivation Nation thing during January, you sign up and get daily motivational texts to your mobile. It is run by Jessie Pavelka which is an added bonus!!

Good Morning :coffee:

Work has been a zoo and I have my yearly physical tomorrow (Thursday) so I have been getting organized for that at night....I always swear I will be organized but seem to still have to search for stuff when I need it... :mad:

I will post more later...



We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.
Aristotle

Hey Katt and all,
Last summer when I started really getting serious about my plan I refused to call it a 'diet' and called it a LIFESTYLE PLAN. I did that because it meant I could have anything within my calorie range but I just made better choices and did not blow calories on something high in them most of the time. I told myself I could have it but I just CHOSE not to. With me it seems to be a way of tricking your mind. As long as you know you can have something then it's ok to choose not to have it.

Definitely agree with this ... I know when I have seen people post that are giving up this that any everything else that they enjoy more often than not they fall off the wagon in a big way .... unless they have set a time frame then their mind seems to be like .. oh .. ok .. I can't have it now .. but I can have it later ... I think that is one of the biggest problem with a lot of the plans is that they expect you to give up something that you may have enjoyed for years instead of teaching you that you can have it ... just this is how you can have it ... and yes .. like you I too don't like wasting calories if I can help it ... that is why most of my treats if I have them are at the end of the day and only if I have ample calories left and not a lot of time left to have anything lol .. I don't think I have really given up anything for any length of time .. just cut right back .. I am giving up chocolate for the first month from today though as I have my addiction kicking in again after Xmas and had a little binge on it last night .. fortunately its now out of the house and I can't do that again .. but this time I DID feel guilty ... not because I had it .. but because I had so much of it :( But today is a new day and a new start so not going to dwell on those calories that I wasted.


Soooo how is everyone bearing up in the cold zones?? I hope you are all keeping safe and well?

Just chillaxing at Starbucks with my Trim Latte Single Shot waiting for my ride to the shop .. only a couple more days then I close up and start looking for work again ... at least I can focus on getting the house cleaned up properly and clear out some things .. rearrange a few rooms etc ... so that will be some energy spent. ... TOM is due to arrive which is probably what trigger the binge now that I think about it .. the headaches are a killer and Im a little more tetchy ... but its a good day .. even with the rain and gloomy skies .. Im still in short sleeves so I ok about that :)

Hey Nightkatt and friends!

I am back and ready to jump back into this thing.

Tomorrow I will do my first weigh in and my week 1 will start... (my weigh in days will likely be Wednesdays after this week as I tend to go out on Thursdays right after work).

I wish you all the best with this challenge! and will post some more details tomorrow with my weigh in, I just couldn't wait to join the challenge!

Nightkatt- I'm way down the bottom of the South Island, so even with the 30 degree heat, it didn't get too gross and brown. I'd like somewhere in between though- if we could actually hit 20 degrees at some point before Feb, I'd be pretty happy! I'd almost talked myself out of joining a gym, because I was thinking I could start walking/hiking over the summer and see how that went- luckily I ignored that instinct, because there's no way I'd be outside in this weather for very long!

mountain walker- that's a really good point about the calcium- I'm in my early 30s, so it's something I need to be more mindful of that I was. Your advice made me check out my calcium supplement supplies, which I've been taking for the past couple weeks, and they're getting a little low, so you've reminded me to add them to my shopping list!

I'm dreading Monday morning- I'm on annual leave at the moment, so I've been going to the gym at 8 or 9am. From next week I'm back in the office, which means getting up at 6 to fit a workout in. I'm hoping I manage to maintain my sanity!

Also re: chocolate addiction- anyone got any good advice for how to break it? I don't/can't each chocolate myself, but my flatmate is addicted and she wants to cut down on how much she eats, but is finding it to be difficult. I have no advice to give her (I'm a cold turkey kinda girl, because I can't slowly wean myself off things, since I'm prone to binge) but I wondered if any of you guys have managed to fight off chocolate cravings?

As I am a chocoholic (I even have a certificate to prove it lol) .. I found that the best way to cut it down or out was to limit access. Instead of a big bar of chocolate get one of those little bars, works out more expensive but that doesn't come into the equation. When the chocolate craving hits find a distraction until the worst of it has passed .. have a couple of cups of water and then allow yourself a piece or two .. but you need to SUCK on it .. not chew it. If its a really bad addiction like mine was/is then all I can say is clear it out for a month .. that will get over the worst of the cravings, the headaches and the tetchy feelings lol .. have dark chocolate instead of milk .. and allow no more than a small bar in the house each week. Its not easy .. but if I can do it .. anyone can lol

Hi..I am shocked to report that I am going to the fitness center and enjoying it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really never expected to type those words.

So, I am trying to work on my "food"....At the beginning of 2013 I did Dukan and lost 20lbs fast..but then got so constipated I couldn't go on.:mad: I liked the way the food went..simple. So I may do some of Dukan, calorie count and add in a lot of lettuce!!! :lol::lol:

pjvw34, I like that Lifestyle Plan....sounds more "friendly" than diet.

Katt, things are warming up here..it was only 6 degrees below zero today. :cp: Chocoholic here also...I found Werthers hard candies coffee&chocolate flavor...I have them at work for when an attack happens.

Well, better work on my grocery list for tomorrow...doctor visit in the morning and Wal-Mart after work...:whoo: