May Day May Day Challenge
 

Helllllloooooooooo my fellow friends .. here we go again :)

While Im sure the majority of the members on here are heading into Summer with absolute glee after a freezing winter .. over in my neck of the woods the temps are dropping and the craving for those comfort foods are calling lol .. BUT .. its still a journey and I am hoping this challenge will encourage me to keep on alert :)

So each week if you grab the below and add your update to it that would be faboo (fabulous in case that is not a word that you know lol).

Remember to make your goal realistic .. keep in mind that staying on the journey is just as important as reaching the goal .. in fact you learn a heck of a lot more about yourself on the journey than when you have reached the end of it .. so embrace the ups and downs, the twists & turns and remember to be honest with yourself if not others :)

Would like to also suggest that you take your measurements this week and note them somewhere if you don't want to post them here .. and maybe brave a pic ... would suggest you wear something fitting well and when you do the updated pics you wear the same/similar outfit so you can really see the changes :)

So here we go .. I will babble of course .. but Im going to be sharing recipes too and pics and just general chat when the mood strikes .... and I hope that you will too so I have something to answer or read after a long cold day at work lol :)

WHOS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE .. ITS A MAYDAY MAYDAY .. the journey continues!!

START WEIGHT: 243.8
GOAL WEIGHT: 220
TOTAL TO LOSE: 23.8
ACHIEVED:

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 243.8 (START)
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

Thought I would share my dinner tonight lol .. its pretty cold over here ... sleet and wind .. yup .. winter is tapping on my door ... but its a filling wee bowl of uber goodness so thought I would share in case the heat hasn't quite hit solidly where you are yet :)

Chicken, Corn & Barley Soup

300g Chicken Breast (meat only - no skin/bone)
1can Creamed Corn
1.5 medium Carrots
120g Potato
1/2 Parsnip
1/3 Onion
1/4 Red Capsicum
1/4 Green Capsicum
1/2-1tsp Minced Garlic
1 Spring Onion (Green Onion)
500ml Chicken Stock
200ml Water
2/3c Pearl Barley (dry)

1 - Peel & chop into cubes the potato, parsnip & carrots. Roughly chop the onion, and roughly fine chop the capsicums.
2 - Put the chopped vegetables with the garlic into a pot and sauté until well heated through, but don't brown (about 10 minutes).
3 - Add in the stock & creamed corn and stir through, lowering the heat to a simmer and adding in the barley. Simmer for about 50 minutes (to soften barley), stirring occasionally.
4 - Remove and skin or sinew/fat etc from the chicken breast and slice into log looking pieces, then slice those logs into finely sliced pieces (about the size of a postage stamp when laying flat, but the thickness of a coin). Finely slice the Green Onion.
5 - About 10 minutes before serving turn the heat up a little, add in the chicken and spring onion and stir through to separate the chicken bits. Cook through until chicken turns white.

This is quite a thick soup .. I suppose I would call it a chowder really. It makes 5 servings (of about 2.5 ladles).
Each serving -
Calories - 304
Calories from fat - 29
Total Fat - 3.2g (5%)
Saturated Fat - 0.2g (1%)
Cholesterol - 38mg (13%)
Sodium - 635mg (26%)
Potassium - 1011mg (29%)
Carbohydrates - 46.1g (15%)
Dietary Fiber - 9.7g (39%)
Sugars - 7.4g
Protein - 21.5g
Vitamin A - 4%
Vitamin C - 22%
Calcium - 3%
Iron - 9%

(Percentages based on a 2000 calorie diet by the way lol)

Very Low in Saturated Fat
High in Dietary Fibre, Niacin & Selenium
Very High in Vitamin B6

Will share the Beef & Mushroom one next (I am allergic to mushrooms so this one is my hunnys)

Beef, Mushroom & Barley Soup

1.5 medium Carrots
120g Potato
1/2 Parsnip
1/3 Onion
1/4 Red Capsicum
1/4 Green Capsicum
1/2-1tsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

10 medium Button Mushrooms

1c Pearl Barley (dry)
500ml Vegetable Stock
250ml Water

300g Lean Rump Steak
1 Spring Onion (Green Onion)

1 - Prepare the "italic" vegetables the same way as for the Chicken soup, but use olive oil as well
2 - Thinly slice the button mushrooms (makes about 1.5c), after the 10 minutes for the vegetables add in the mushrooms and stir through for a further 10 minutes until the mushrooms soften.
3 - Add into the pot the stock, water & barley and stir through. Turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 50-60 minutes, add more water if its getting too thick.
4 - Trim any fat off the meat and again cut into logs which you then thinly slice. Thinly slice the spring onion too. Add both about 10 minutes before serving and stir through. Cook until meat changes colour and its mixed well through.

Serving size is the same as for the chicken soup

Calories - 265
Calories from fat - 57
Total Fat - 6.3g (10%)
Saturated Fat - 1.3g (6%)
Sodium - 332mg (14%)
Potassium - 555mg (16%)
Carbohydrates - 39.2g (13%)
Dietary Fiber - 7.2g (29%)
Sugars - 5.0g
Protein - 18.9g
Vitamin A - 4%
Vitamin C - 31%
Calcium - 2%
Iron - 14%

High in Dietary Fiber
Very High in Vitamin B6
High in Vitamin C

Both of these can be frozen .. and definitely taste better the second night lol.

It's funny, but I just learned (on a completely unrelated thing I was working on) what a capsicum is! I always thought it was an unusual vegetable and I found out it is what people in the US call peppers - how funny!

Your soups sound delish, I will have to try some soon!

I may work up the nerve for some pics, but I will set some goals for now: 1. exercise at least 5 days a week, and don't binge eat on the weekends! - That sounds like a good start! Thanks for the challenge!

I hope this is okay, I took this mornings weight as my "pre-challenge" weight, I will weigh in on mondays, except the final which will be on that sunday.

A lower goal than last time and I'm not even sure i'll make it. I'm really refocusing on healthy eating, and getting my blood sugar and blood pressure under control which means no more skipping meals. Adding in snacks, and a lot of playing around with stuff to figure out hunger levels. (which ultimately means more calories for me and ergo slower weight loss since generally I've ignored hunger and been stubborn for the first 59lbs I've lost. ) With all that this feels like a rather ambitious goal. I'm really not going to be too hard on myself if I don't make it. At this point weight loss is not my PRIMARY objective , its part of the picture but its not the part i'm going for "at all costs..." type of dealio.


START WEIGHT: 294
GOAL WEIGHT: 269
TOTAL TO LOSE: 25
ACHIEVED:

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11:
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

Love you guys so I'm in!
Will weigh in on Monday.

LOST - Arrghh .. knew I forgot to alter something lol .. I have learnt with my cooking so many different versions for the same thing .. courgette/zucchini ... Capsicum/pepper ... even Kiwifruit is starting to get a new name -Zespri .. darned if I like that one lol .. Love your goals .. and I really hope you do decide to plunge into a pic for yourself to look back on if nothing else. My only regret is that I didn't do it when I was at my highest .. in fact I pretty much avoided cameras so I don't actually have pics of me at my highest .. and it was rather daunting to wear my fitted clothes too for my pic when I started my first challenge in August last year ... will post my pics below from August to my party dress last week .. not going to a party lol .. but had bought the dress to get down into and I finally did so decided to take a quick pic for my review (Aug - April) :)

SILENT - I think your goal is pretty realistic and I love the fact that you are thinking not so much about the loss itself but the journey of discovery which I think is the most important part of the journey ... the weight will come and go, but the discoveries about yourself and the journey will be long lasting and will effect how the weight loss goes anyway. I find that when I am adjusting how I eat that my weight tends to go up for a few weeks while my body adapts .. then it starts dropping again .. so I don't expect a lot of loss myself the first couple of weeks cos I am trying to make sure I have breakfast every day now instead of fasting for 12-16 hours like I did in the Xmas challenge last year :) Only down side is that I seem to feel hungrier now that I have breakfast! Darn it lol.

UBEE - Love you too :) So pleased you are jumping on board :)



Okee .. so here is my August pic last year (this is pretty much it for a posed pic of my bigger weight .. I tended to avoid cams if I could before this) .. and then at the beginning of the year I had bought the pink dress with the thought that I would fit it by my birthday (April 25). When I bought it I couldn't get the zip up so definitely had some work to do lol .. I thought I would try it on on the morning of my birthday and I didn't even have to undo the zip!! So I got my hunny to take a pic ... we didn't do anything for my birthday btw lol ... but I never do .. was just happy that even though I didn't reach my weight loss goal I fitted a dress easily that I (subconsciously) didn't think I would :)

http://www.kattsgifts.co.nz/gallery/...t_copy%7E0.jpg

Humm .. just looking at that pic ... I think I may have to treat myself to new glasses when I reach my goal too .. these ones really dont work for me anymore lol. Sigh .. vanity much Katt???? ;)

I'm excited for all of us! I'm looking forward to this challenge and for the first time in forever I'm not dreading summer! I'm actually anticipating it. I have a lot of various plans and that hasn't happened for some time. I've missed out on so much for so long but not anymore!

I decided to aim big this time since I did so well last challenge. And even if I don't get there I'm sure I'll get close which is a-okay with me!

Good luck everyone!

START WEIGHT: 226.8
GOAL WEIGHT: 185
TOTAL TO LOSE: 41.8
ACHIEVED:

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11:
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

Oh I so missed you all and when I saw this thread I smiled big time! Nightkatt.. you look AMAZING in that purple dress!! WOW! You look like a different person! Look at your results. That is a BIG time proof picture! :)

I hope everyone had a very nice Easter and now onto the summer holidays! But those won't bother US! RIGHT!?! lol

I will start on Monday (my 56th Birthday) as that is also the end of my 1 week back to Basics Atkins induction eating and I hope to have a new low! Right now I am sitting at 224.8.

I am so looking forward to this challenge and you're company and words!

SW 4/28 225.8
Lbs to lose: 29 lbs
GW - 196.8 oh wow

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11:
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

@kat - yeah i'm eating a lot more calories, I don't think the scale will go up its just not going to move down as slowly I ate 'too much' yesterday. So I need to keep an eye on that. I brought a snack but I'm only eating it if I feel like I need it this morning I ate a snack yesterday AM and it just served to make me MORE hungry.

Okay.. I'm in. Thanks for the challenge and the yummy recipes! I will come back and put my start weight and goals etc. tomorrow!


START WEIGHT: 291
GOAL WEIGHT: 52 pounds to start with
TOTAL TO LOSE: 20 pounds for May
ACHIEVED:

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 289 (-2)
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18: 286 (-3)
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

You look great Katt! :)

Count me in for the challenge. I weigh in on Fridays, so I'll wait until the 2nd to post my current weight, if that's okay.

START WEIGHT:
GOAL WEIGHT:
TOTAL TO LOSE:
ACHIEVED:

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11:
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

Excited!

WATCH - Thats great ... you did incredibly well last challenge and Im sure that you will behave better than me on the second lol .. I sort of got a bit lax .. on the plus side I didn't go so lax that I went up .. but I definitely didn't lose the 50 I lost in the first challenge .. so will be cheering you on for sure :)

WANNA - Welcome back hun and its lovely to see you on board here too. Thanks for the compliment too :) Felt really good to be able to fit into that dress for sure .. especially when I hadn't hit my goal lol. Had a lovely quiet Easter over here .. but now the cold is really hitting so while I will miss the salads and the summer options, Im sure winter will offer a few more challenges for me to cater to lol .. Have you got any plans for your birthday?

SILENT - That is exactly my problem .. the earlier I start eating the more I want to eat .. its very annoying really. I have just had a bowl of cereal so Im hoping that will keep me going through the day a little more than the toast does so I don't want to keep picking.

DOGPAL - Welcome on in .. glad to have you on board :)

STEPHANIE - Thanks :) And welcome on board .. any weigh in day is fine .. Im doing mine on Fridays or Thursdays this time round rather than Mondays .. so Im hoping that change will help with my losses a bit better :)



Well off to work .. starting a little earlier than originally rostered for as I have a new wall display to set up :) AND I get to wear PJs all day!!! lol ... we are doing a fun Mothers Day promotion and the team is supposed to be in the sleepwear for the day to help with sales so when I get to work will get into them all .. taking a teddy bear with me too lol .. and I will be sure to get a pic.
Its only half a day at my main store .. then I have to drive over to another suburb to work in another store lol .. and yes .. I will be staying in my PJs lol .. I love getting dressed up for these sorts of things .. the rest of the team aren't so enamoured though .. so chances are it will be like my other jobs where I was the only one in the costume lol ... I have been a Witch and Fiona (Shrek) for Halloween, a Clown for Red Nose Day (Fundraising for kids charity), shaved off my hair for kids cancer research .. so wearing PJs at work is soooo not a big issue lol ... especially compared to getting on the train in full clown costume rofl ... actually .. I may have a pic ... darn .. can't find it right now .. but will look when I get home .. better get going!

Have a great day all!

Okee .. found a few pics I thought I would share ..
The first is when I had my hair shaved about 3 years ago .. this was almost at my highest weight .. about 20 pounds short ... and I had just had my hair cut shorter (was halfway down my back) before I had decided to go all the way for a good cause ..
http://www.kattsgifts.co.nz/gallery/...ics/Shaved.jpg

This one is me in CLOWN mode .. and yep .. I think this was nearer my highest weight .. hated having my pic taken .. but I had done this for another good cause (Red Nose Day in NZ) .. I actually got on the train in the morning in rush hour to go to work fully dressed and made up lol .. did get a few interesting looks .. even better when I got on board (no seats available of course):
"Gooooood Morning Ladies & Gentlemen, don't forget its Red Nose Day today so remember to support the collectors when you see them and get your red noses and have a lovely day" at which time I just held onto the hand rail and shut up looking anywhere but at anyone .. these two lovely lil old ladies were sitting in the seats next to where I was standing and they looked at me, smiled and said "you are very brave young lady" .. after giggling I said " no way .. if I didn't have the makeup on you wouldn't hear a peep!"
http://www.kattsgifts.co.nz/gallery/...Katt_Clown.jpg

And this is TODAY!! Yep .. off to work dressed in my PJs lol ... I was the only team member that dared to dress up in our Sleepwear for the day at both of the stores that I worked in today ... I even walked down the street at lunch time to go to Starbucks to get myself a much needed coffee lol ..
http://www.kattsgifts.co.nz/gallery/.../photo%7E0.JPG
(not the clearest sorry lol .. was a quick one on my phone before we got dinner ready lol)

Speaking of dinner ... hunny offered to treat us to Fish & Chips for dinner ... but I said nope .. how about home-made burgers instead? So we went to the supermarket on the way home and I got a chicken breast for mine .. and he got some beef patties for his .. so yummy and I think it was definitely a healthier option .. even though I did have 3 bread rolls lol .. BUT I hadn't eaten all day so Im not going to feel too bad about that :) Probably shouldn't have done it the night before weigh in now that I think about it .. but oh well .. still reorganising my days and plans so will hopefully settle down after Mothers Day for at least a few months :)

Hope everyone else is having a good week!?

REMEMBER - YOU CAN SIGN ON UP TO THE CHALLENGE ANYTIME!!! JUST CHOOSE YOUR GOAL AND START LOGGING IN :)

I'm in, too!
 

I'm weighing in today and then I won't weigh again until the 12th. I just wanted to get going and hopefully have a little bit of a weight loss before my trip to Europe in June! I didn't make my goal last time, but I lost a good 30 pounds and that's fine with me! I'm going to try Atkins on Monday for 2 weeks and see how it goes.... best of luck to you all.

Starting weight: 375.5 pounds
Goal for June 12th: 349 pounds (26.5 pounds)
End goal: 330 pounds (45.5 pounds)


Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 375.5
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

I had my hubby take a picture of me that I will post tomorrow with my "official" first weigh in.

KATT: I love your photos! I asked my husband, who is a Kiwi, what Red Nose Day is and he knows of it, but wasn't sure why people do it. Do you know? Also, I LOVE your pjs! How cute. :) Sounds like you have a fun job. I just got back home after spending a year living in NZ (we lived in the Wairarapa, but I got to see almost the whole North island during our honeymoon) and your posts make me miss it.

Hope everyone has a great day! I will be back to check in tomorrow.

Hi Stephanie ... I moved to Wellington from the Wairarapa 5 years ago! lol .. loved it over there and do miss it .. but its close enough to get to :)

Red Nose Day - This is a fundraising day (lots of events happen through the year for it as well ... but then its highlighted by the RN Day) ... the funds go to researching childrens illnesses from Heart defects to childhood cancer to genetic diseases, Asthma to Rheumatic Heart Disease .. even Strawberry birthmarks! (because these are the most common form of benign tumor). Two of those areas are close to my family, having a nephew born with a heart defect (he going great now at 17) and another nephew lost to leukemia, I do try to support them when I can .. including shaving off my hair :)

Okee .. so first weigh in .. and nope .. not a good one .. in fact I think its one of my worst and I dont even have TOM to blame .. just my birthday and a very erratic work week where I just had no routine at all!

START WEIGHT: 243.8
GOAL WEIGHT: 220
TOTAL TO LOSE: 26.3
ACHIEVED: +2.5 :(

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 243.8 (START)
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18: 246.3 (+2.5)
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

Okee ... well .. hopefully this next week will be a little more on plan .. I know what I did wrong this week .. I fell into chocolate basically .. just couldnt stop eating it .. nothing would distract me .. so its slap myself round the head time and back on track .. Ive checked and all the chocolate is now OUT of the house and I have said to my hunny not to allow me near it again .. back to square one from last year .. no chocolate .. not even a nibble ... grrr me lol .. but I do know why .. and I am pulling myself back before I let it go any worse :)

Nightkatt! you have the right idea! Havingn FUN with life!!!! I love love love those PJ's! You could be a model! I swear! and what else should we be on this earth.... but to help people smile and feel good... Then our soul sings and laughs too! :)

I have to ask... Why did you weigh in 2 weeks ahead of time??? Its only 5/2 today and the 1st weeks weight is not even due.... are you going to be MIA for a week?

Katt: Good job getting rid of the chocolate! This is just a tiny setback. You got this!! :)

Alright, I got my "official" weigh-in this morning, so here goes!

START WEIGHT: 330.4
GOAL WEIGHT: 305.4
TOTAL TO LOSE: 25
ACHIEVED: ??

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: (Will be weighing again 05/09)
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

And here is a "before" picture that my hubby snapped the other day for me. (I usually avoid full frontal body pics AT ALL COSTS, but I figured I may as well go all in for this.)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...ps4957bc7b.jpg

WANNA ... um ... no .. I must be having a brain fart and forgot what the weigh in week was lol .. so .. will make that my starting weight then .. whew .. don't feel quite so bad now lol. I do love life ... it probably started when I was born really .. doctors told my mum I had 24 hours to live and I proved them wrong .. at 4 I was caught in a rip and stopped breathing by the time they got me out .. again came back A-ok :) Ive been in 14 car accidents (none of which I was driving and I was always the only one hurt lol .. just call me Crash Test Dummy) .. I lost my 11.5 year old nephew to leukaemia, almost lost my sister in a car accident a few years ago and then a couple of years ago she was diagnosed with melanoma and (like me) she is beating the odds ... life is way to precious to not embrace the moments good and bad .. cos without the bad you can't really have any good to know the difference :) Smiles are free so give em away is what I have said to my staff and try to live it .. don't get me wrong ... I have had other things happen in my life that didn't make the days overly rosy and hard to get through, but I think that is where my stubbornness comes into it lol .. and the fact I get more bugged with myself when I let those feeling linger ... and I have realised .. you never know when your smile or funny moment or your hello could really make a difference in a strangers day, they could be having the worst day and your smile or hello could help them get through it .. remember .. there are no strangers .. only friends we have not met :)

STEPHANIE - Uber proud of you for posting the pic ... it is hard the first time .. but really ... as you start seeing the changes you will actually look forward to the pics so you can really see the changes ... when I did my first month one I had a hard time seeing any change until I posted it on here and was told what was different lol .. and its definitely not the same as what you see in the mirror of a morning :)


So early start and OMG what a week next week .. don't mind though .. keeps me busy but lots of work on so that makes me happy .. was hoping my pay would have shown up this morning .. but no such luck .. so that is 3 weeks no pay ... ah well .. gonna just keep plodding and looking on it as a good pay packet next week then lol .. I hope :) We are going to a book fair this morning so I can get another bunch of books for the winter ... and then I start work at midday. I only had Friday off (yesterday) this week ... so I really chillaxed in my new PJs cos I was so tired .. and at the moment I am down for Wednesday & Friday off next week .. but will see cos Wednesday tends to be the one that gets used up lol .. but Friday I am baking cupcakes to take to work on Saturday for the customers to celebrate Mothers Day weekend .. thinking of Lemon/Coconut ones .. .or maybe just coconut ones with strawberry icing .. decisions decisions lol ..

Better go ... need to drink a coffee before I brave the book crowd .. but will come back and have something for breakfast/brunch before I head out to work.

Had a lovely dinner last night too ... my chicken (as usual lol), carrots, broccoli, brussels and cauliflower .. oh and a few potato pompoms ... need to get some more veges on the way home I think :) Oh and with my left over chicken bits I made scrambled eggs for our dogs :) So spoilt lol.

EASILY - Welcome on board .. Im pleased you are doing your own pictoral collection to refer to .. you are right .. mirrors are a bunch of liars the little bogwarts ... some days mine are wonderful when I dare a glance .. others its like give me a paper bag big enough for the whole package lol .. I do respect them though .. definitely never want to break another one ... did that once .. and every year for 7 years I actually broke a body part (mainly ankles lol) Didnt realise until about the 5th year of breaking something and wondering what good person in a past life did I kick the heck out of to get bitten so often now lol ..



So today was a good day .. TOM arrived last night (arggggh) .. so now the chocolate is really hard to avoid .. so Im not going to .. well ... not completely lol .. but I will hold off for as long as I can by getting the cross stitch back out and using it as my craving bribe lol :)
Got up early even though I went to sleep at about 5am (I was hoping to sleep to about 11 as I didnt start work til 1 and I really wanted to see what it was like to sleep so late lol) ... but no such luck .. still slept in (for me), but was up just after 9 .. so a little tired tonight :)
Good breakfast of cereal, a banana and a Symbio yoghurt ... then off to work .. had a bottle of water and a nut bar .. then home to a lovely dinner that my hunny cooked .. rotisserie chicken, carrot, broccoli, beans, kumara (Sweet potato lol) & a potato .. all with a little cheese sauce .. so delish .. and of course another big glass of water :)

Gotta go .. getting bugged by Pepa for some attention as I have been away most of the day lol .. have a good Sunday all .. cold and windy and raining over here so nice to curl up to watch a little Agatha Christie :)

Blustery gales going on outside at the moment .. LOVE this weather .. well .. when Im home lol .. just relaxing with hunny watching a Miss Marple ... loving my Agatha Christie reruns :)

Had a good day at work today .. completely fouled up my plan for eating lol .. last night I was good and made 2 ciabatta rolls with chicken, lettuce, beetroot and a little of the leftover cheese sauce as a spread for my lunch today .. wrapped and packed ready to go ... and no I didn't forget it lol .. grabbed it before I went out the door .. then off to work ..
8am saw me open the main store I work at .. then at 9am I had to drive about 30 minutes to our popup sale store to have it open by 10am .. on Mondays its so quiet we don't have anyone else rostered on there so no lunch break, but Im supposed to chill near the counter and nibble .. only I got so busy sorting out some of the new stock that arrived, reorganising the racks and repacking some of the boxes that I didn't realise the time had flown by (along with about 15 customers lol) ... and next thing I knew it was 4.20 and I figured no point eating my lunch now cos it will be dinner time soon enough ... finished at 515 then headed home getting here at 6 .. where I had my bread rolls and a coffee .. then just had supper with another coffee and a few plain biscuits :) Sooo not quite to plan .. but as Im working in the main store tomorrow (8-6) I should be able to get in a break for lunch so will try that again :)

Almost bedtime and I need to ring my daughter .. she managed to get her restricted license after her second attempt so very proud of her :)
In NZ we have a 3 step drivers license ... first is learners which you have to have for 12 months before you can go for your restricted, then you have to wait 1 year before you can go for your full license. There are ways to speed it up like doing driving courses etc which can halve those times. When you have learners you can only drive with another licensed driver, restricted you can drive on your own but only between 6am-10pm, and you need a special note on your license if you need to have children in your car, so its convoluted and time consuming but now she has that part it won't be long before she is fully licensed :)

Okay... time to start :) and May We ALL have an easy summer/winter of losing weight! and I wish you all lots of happiness too this summer! (Winter - NightKatt!)

SW 4/28 225.8
Lbs to lose: 29 lbs
GW - 196.8 oh wow

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 222.2 (-3.6 ) Total loss= 3.6 good start!
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

START WEIGHT: 226.8
GOAL WEIGHT: 185
TOTAL TO LOSE: 41.8
ACHIEVED:

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 225.6 (-1.2) TOM
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

TOM has a very annoying way of either popping up or ending at the wrong time, leaving me to deal with small losses. But a loss is a loss.

Here we go! Good luck everyone!

SW 263
Lbs to lose: 15
GW 248

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 263
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

START WEIGHT: 294
GOAL WEIGHT: 269
TOTAL TO LOSE: 25
ACHIEVED: -3

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 297
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

Sometimes you just never know when the perfect moments in your life will occur! I had my 56th Birthday yesterday and not one of my long time friends had time for me nor remembered (Lets wait til the weekend when "we" have time and we can party with you.. well NOT! as my Birthday was yesterday and not this weekend and I am always there for them on their birthdays... so another lesson learned!) but my newest walking buddy friend who I met just 2 months ago went out (after our 3.3 mile walk) with me to have a Margarita (well 2! LOL) and we sat and talked at this restaurant sitting outside along the road watching people drive and walk by and overlooking the Intercoastal waterway (river that runs the length of the east coast of Florida) and see the reflecting lights of the Island Condos on the river. It was a perfect night... So Perfect I think God wanted it that way for me! This was one of the best moments of my life and I thank my new friend (He is attached already rats) for helping this come true for me!. So just a note... Sometimes you just never know when a Magical moment in your life will occur... as IT WILL! :)

Happy belated birthday wana! It sounds like such a lovely time. Life is so short and precious. It is hard when we want to enjoy it and others are so busy doing whatever it is that they think is so important.
Stephanie you are so cute!!!
Katt love your jammie picture and you look awesome in your dress!
I am going to have to find a before picture because the scale messes with my little mind!
I just want to add I love reading about Wana B-Day and Katts daily life! I really find how others spend their days interesting.

Wanaskipandlaugh: Happy, Happy Birthday!

Okee ... sorry been AWOL .. will catch up first :)

WANNA - Wow .. great start hun .. I can tell you whooshing isn't on holiday :)

WATCH - Even with TOM as a visitor you had a great loss .. not a common thing (with me anyway lol) .. so great going :)

SILENT - Im a little confused by your weigh in .. but Im happy to see you here and posting and hope you are warming up where you are now?

WANNA - Apologies for not posting a big HB to you on time ... Im one of those awful people that doesn't forget ... I just don't remember at the right time ... its usually I remember a week before and think "Oh, Kates birthday is next week I need to remember to give her a ring" then before I know it 2 weeks have passed and I remembered that I forgot the darn thing! Mind you I tend to avoid my own birthday cos its rarely a good experience for me. But I am glad it ended up being a lovely time for you .. not sure about the Margaritas .. i think I would be more a few shots of tequila lol .. or sambucca :) And it sounded like the perfect day for you too :) Hugs

UBEE - I want to add that I love seeing you on the boards ... you keep me thinking and Im usually smiling when I read your words :)

EASILY - Glad your health is getting back on track and you are feeling so positive :) And Im sure the odd off plan moment won't affect what you are doing too much .. remember its got to be a life plan and something you will be happy to stick to or play with for life to keep you where you want to be ... so cutting things out that you enjoy is definitely not something you should do otherwise it will just keep calling to you and you will overdo lol :)



So how is everyone doing today? Sorry I have been away but got a bit busy at work and home so not online much. Was going to be spending today at home but had a surprise instead, my daughter and grandkids came down for the day so we went out to the beach for a coffee and a nice walk along it .. then we went to the mall and had a Frozen Yoghurt at a new place that had just opened up there .. so lovely :) I got some clothes for the kids and a few little cars for my grandson and a baby in a pram for my granddaughter ... plus some CDs for my daughter for when she drives .. oh and a few DVDs for the kids to watch this winter ... don't often get the chance to treat them and I missed my lil mans birthday at the beginning of last month so this was a belated nice day ... then we came back to my place and got out of the cold weather (which had started) for a few hours colouring in and playing with the toys and cuddling .. so lovely day :)

Just had dinner which was a lovely meal made by my hunny ... my first little bit of steak in months (cos Im not really into eating red meat) with a heap of vegetables ... but with TOM I have been a little run down so hunny thought a little bit of lean steak would be a good thing ... Lets just say I loved the vegetables .. and the dogs got a nice treat after I ate enough of it lol ..

Back to work tomorrow .. then Friday I need to get baking for work on Saturday cos its a grand opening for the new name and ownership of the outlet mall that I help out in .. so Im going to make some Lemon & Coconut cupcakes ... and maybe some pancake muffins ... or some chocolate cupcakes .. will decide on the day lol .. then they go to work with me on Saturday for the Mothers Day shoppers :)

Don't know what my weight will be this week .. Ive been all over the place so will be happy with a pound down if anything ... especially with TOM around :)

Thank you Ubee! I too love reading of people's lives and their interesting things they do and say (and feel inside! :) )

Thank you Dogpal, NightKatt and Easily for the wishes :D :D ... Finishing up the Birthday finally - tonight with my Parents (now its present time! and PIZZA time.. 1st time in a year for a real pizza and I choose - Chicago THIN style!.. :D) that is why I am not weighing in until Sunday! OH don't you know it! LOL But then its BACK TO WORK tomorrow... This 160 lbs I am in the middle of losing... well.. it is not as fast I had hoped.. but then... I am not perfect and that is okay. I still am way lighter than I was this time last year and more than 1/2 to my goal ! and that is the best Birthday present ever!

WANNA - Sounds like a wonderful way to spend your birthday week for sure :) And while it may not be as fast as you would prefer .. keep in mind it didn't take a year to put the weight on .. it won't take a year to get it off .. and the slower the better in the long run as it then has a better chance of it staying off (not to mention giving your body the chance to adjust at a steady rate rather than a roller coaster flash flood of whoosh lol )

Morning off for me ... but might go and visit a friend before work .. have to make my hunnys lunch and drop it off on my way ... then a quick stop at the supermarket on the way home (need coconut & lemon ... and whatever I decide is going to be the other cupcake whatever I need for that one lol)

Have a good day all!

Katt - Not sure whats confusing I gained weight, so I am negative three pounds away from my goal , which means I need to lose 28 to get to my goal it doesn't CHANGE my goal its simplse math... the amoutn of weight I have LOST is negative :)

294-297 = negative 3.

If I had lost weight the number would be positive....

Silent thanks for explaining that! My little brain could not figure it out either.
Wana how did your pizza taste? I hate it becaue some things taste better and some are like yuck after you take a break from them.
Katt that was quite the splurge with your family. Do they were grandma spoils me t-shirts? Glad you all had such a good time!
Easily Amused so happy you are seeing a positive change in your health and scale!!!
I am really noticing the change in my attitude when I can get outside and walk. This past winter traumatized me. My latest trick is I walk to the other end of town (1 mile) and buy a lottery ticket. It motivates me to walk because "What if today is my lucky day!" It is only a dollar and I am so worth a dollar a day. Besides, WHAT IF I WIN! Whatever it takes...

Hi everyone! Love the idea of this challenge! I'm all for challenges lol

Ok so I think I'm doing this correctly - please correct me if not :) I have been doing daily weigh in's so I have my starting weight on 5/5.

START WEIGHT: 343.00(5/5)
GOAL WEIGHT: 298.00
TOTAL TO LOSE: 45.00
ACHIEVED: 3.2
CURRENT WEIGHT: 339.8

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11:
5/5 343.00; 5/6 341.6; 5/7 341.0; 5/8 340.6; 5/9 339.8; 5/10 ; 5/11
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

Hi everyone! I have been reading, but waiting until today to check-in. I'm down 2 lbs. this week. :D I've got a rough couple of weeks coming up because my husband & I are having a small wedding ceremony (for our family here in the US to see as we were married in New Zealand) next weekend. So there will be lots of treats and eating out while we have people visiting from out of town. But I will stick to my plan and not over-indulge.

So I have been very busy (and STRESSED) getting ready for that.

Watchoutforthatcar: Congrats on your loss!
Ubee: Glad you decided to join and thank you for your sweet comment. :)
wannaskipandlaugh: Happy (belated) Birthday! I am so glad you had such a fabulous time with a new friend to share it with you.
Easily Amused: Congrats on your loss! That's great. Totally jealous of your fitness monitor - I have been wanting to buy one and may have to budget for it soon. :D
Nightkatt: Hope you had a great morning off and a lovely visit with your friend. How are things going?
silentartic: Glad to see you here! Hopefully next week will hold a big loss for you.
Ali06: Hi and welcome!

Hope everyone has a fantastic week. Keep up the GREAT work. :)

START WEIGHT: 330.4
GOAL WEIGHT: 305.4
TOTAL TO LOSE: 25
ACHIEVED: 2.0

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 328.4 (-2.0 lbs.)
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

Hi everyone .. I no longer know what day it is lol .. My Thursday morning was quite nice catching up around the house, didnt end up having time to go visit my friend in her crystal shop cos I had to pick up and drop off some things with work too .. was busy at work in the afternoon ... then I was up late reading and thinking thats ok ... I have tomorrow (Friday) off so will be able to nap if I get tired ... NOPE! Instead on Friday (after going to sleep at 1am) I got up just after 6am and started my day .. had breakfast and then saw my hubby off to work then started on the baking ... 3 dozen cupcakes later and another dozen baking I get a phone call from work to ask me to come in lol .. sure! So finished that batch, turned everything off and went in to work .. got home about 6pm, helped cooked dinner, iced the cupcakes, packed them up, then finally relaxed before heading off to work today yet again in my PJs .. but it ended nicely with dinner out with friends :)

Oh and the cupcakes all went to work to give away to our customers .. I still have just over a dozen left to give away tomorrow .. but hunny is hoping that I will bring a few of the Lemon/Coconut ones home lol ... (the other ones were Chocolate/Peanut)

So weigh in ... well I didnt recover completely from end of the last challenge .. but closer :) And the doc is happier with me losing between .5-1 pound :)

START WEIGHT: 246.3
GOAL WEIGHT: 220
TOTAL TO LOSE: 26.3
ACHIEVED: - 1.6 pounds

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 244.7 (-1.6)
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31:

ALI - Welcome on board :) Lovely to have you here ... for your weigh in we just need one of the weights :) Choose a day of the week and post just that one :)

The losses are doing well for most so far if not everyone .. so great job ...

Sorry need to go to nap lol .. been a very long couple of days and I have another full day for the next 4 before I (think I) have another day off ... never know at the moment lol ..

katt. Omg I couldn't have made those cupcakes lol. I woulda ate them all!! lol sweets is still my weakness. Abstinence is the best policy for me lol

And thanks for the info on posting weights. I'll use the last day of the week...I'm doing daily weigh ins for other challenges right now.

I'm in. I'll be weighing on Friday mornings because I got in the habit of doing that last year when I was buddying up with a friend. Might not post a lot and will just use the edit.......just want something to keep me more "honest" than I've been for the last few months. Thanks for getting this started.

START WEIGHT: 347.8
GOAL WEIGHT: 316
TOTAL TO LOSE: 31.8
ACHIEVED:

Week 01 - MAY 05 - MAY 11: 347.8 (START)
Week 02 - MAY 12 - MAY 18:
Week 03 - MAY 19 - MAY 25:
Week 04 - MAY 26 - JUN 01:
Week 05 - JUN 02 - JUN 08:
Week 06 - JUN 09 - JUN 15:
Week 07 - JUN 16 - JUN 22:
Week 08 - JUN 23 - JUN 29:
Week 09 - JUN 30 - JUL 06:
Week 10 - JUL 07 - JUL 13:
Week 11 - JUL 14 - JUL 20:
Week 12 - JUL 21 - JUL 27:
Week 13 - JUL 28 - AUG 03:
Week 14 - AUG 04 - AUG 10:
Week 15 - AUG 11 - AUG 17:
Week 16 - AUG 18 - AUG 24:
FINAL WEIGH IN - AUG 31: