"Every-Day" 21-Day Challenge -- Counting the days to victory!!

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  • 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...

    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 nonsecular 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!!

  • Ok, people, there we go with the new thread. The guidelines are just that and there really is no difference from before. I just thought we should get it out there so we don't have any surprises along the way.

    I'm still not decided on my new challenges... but they are likely to be similar to last time, if not the same.

    Hope to see you all here real soon! noodle!
  • Hi! I've lurked around your old thread before, and I think it'd be a good time to start my own 21-day challenge! It seems a lot of you here have had good success with this, so I'll give it a try! I'm still kinda brainstorming about some challenges, but here are a couple I think I'll do...

    1.) No pop (level 3...i'm addicted to mountain dew)
    2.) Eat 2 fruits/veggies every day (level 1)

    And then I also have a question. I want to do a challenge that goes along with my workout plan...and I have 1 day off each week. Do we count that day off as a day or a pause day? Thanks in advance!

    I'm so excited about this, and I look forward to meeting all of you!
  • Day 3 below 60 carbs challenge- level 2

    55 total carbs for today!


    How are all the challengers doing today?
  • Hi Danzer! Your challenges sound great and we look forward to having you with us. Yes, workout programs don't work well with this "Every-Day" Challenge because it is supposed to be just that, something you do every day. However, if you think you can do it, you could take your pause days...it would just be tough to finish I suppose. Another suggestion would be to make the challenge parameters are bit vaguer, such as "exercising every day" and then allowing your "exercise" on your workout off days to be something else, something gentler, such as walking or a relaxing yoga session. Whaddya think?
  • Just so I can sign up and get emails with new posts...

    Today is Day 20 of my running challenge.
    The challenge continues till the end of February so that I can continue working towards my 500 minutes of running goal, but I'll start a new count on Feb 22nd.
    And I want to start another challenge now that I work and commute won't eat up 12-13 hours each day.

    And as I stated on the old thread, tomorrow is my last day of regular computer & internet access. My current job ends so no access at work and the person whose computer I'm using at home is away until March 8th. So only the library between now and then. Things should get better between March 8th and 20th, but then I'm going on a trip until mid-April, so I'll be totally offline. However, I'm intending to continue with 21-day challenges, and I'll try to report how I'm doing at least once per week.
  • Curly! You posted while I was. Running late here but just wanted to say, YOU ROCK!! How do you do it?!?!!?

    Sushi -- wow, a sudden flurry of action. Had to pop back in and edit for you so you wouldn't feel left out! You are doing great as well...what are we going to do without you when you're off on disconnect?!
  • red - thanks for the suggestions! I think I'll use the your suggestion of doing some kind of really light cardio on my "off" days. So my third challenge will be to exercise every day, and I think I'll put it as a level 3. Thanks again!
  • haha Red its been much easier with the stomach bug...

    Welcome to the group Danzer!
  • Day 18 completed on the no-wine challenge. Only 3 days to go!

    Curly, I love the new avatar. Much curlier... must be the lack of carbs in your diet.

    Danzer, to the nut farm.

    Not feeling chatty tonight. Better tomorrow.
  • hehe must be the carbs... cuz its sure not the humidity.. it was 2 degrees here this morning! that was a good one carla!
  • Hello everyone!

    I've seen this thread a few times before and always thought it was a neat idea, I'd like to join! I'm not too sure what my 21 day challenge would be though! So I think Im going to sleep on it and post tomorrow when I come up with something!

    BTW you all seem to be doing great so far!
  • I would like to say and to Danzer and Trixie.

    My Challenges are:
    LVL 1- To not eat chips.
    LVL 2- Drink 8 glasses of water.
    LVL 3- Walk before every shower no matter how early or late in the day it is.
    I am on day 6 of my challenges and they are going very well.

    My first week of a new healthy lifestyle is over and I am proud to report that I am down 7lbs
  • Hey Hey Ladies!!!!!!
    HOwdy Rowdies!!!! How's it goin in Challenge Land??? Thanks for the new thread Red!!!! Looks like the rules are nice and easy to follow.

    Danzer!!!!!! I think your challenges will be great!!!! The Fruit one is gonna be good for ya! I haven't dared to do the pop one yet... i am addicted to Diet Pepsi with Lime!!!! trixie!!!!! Just read the posts and you can get a really good sense about what everyone else is doing... They all have great ideas! GOOD LUCK with your new starts ladies!!!!

    WTG Angel!!!!!! 7lbs!!!!!!!! NICE START!!!!!!!!!! I am SO jealous!!!!!!

    Red... Com'mon girl.... I'll tell my challenges if you tell yours!!!! (sounds like a weinie welding contest!!!!)

    Hope everyone is doing good... Sushi.. I totally can't believe how well you are doing... 500 minutes!!!!!!! Have you ever been on flylady.net? They have a thing from the American Heart Association... it's for exercise and stuff... it's called Bless Your Heart and they have a place for you to log your minutes every day... I don't know all the details as i just read about it this am. thought i'd pass it on though. Take care!!!!!

    P.S. Curly girl... CUUUTE Avatar!!!!!
  • Hi everyone

    Thanks for starting this new thread Red, I've been waiting for it.

    I've been following this thread for sometime now, and I think it's great. You're a great bunch, very supportive and all. And Red is just wonderful, not everyone who starts a thread checks in as often, nor put so much effort into it as she does.

    I soooo much want to give this challenge a shot.

    So here goes:
    level1~ no diet soda
    level2~ exercise at least 30mins. daily
    level3~ no red meat

    And for the record, I'm starting today.

    Have a great day everyone.