March Madness Challenge
 

All of you 40-Somethings who are looking for the next challenge - here it is! We are looking to challenge ourselves to lose as much weight and get as fit and healthy as we can by Saturday, March 31st 2012!

Everyone who wants to participate should post their goals for what they want to accomplish over the next month and a half. I am pretty loose about the kinds of things people should post to take part in a challenge going forward. If you want to post your daily/weekly weigh-ins, great! If you want to post your menu/food diary for the day, great! If you want to post about your exercise progress, great! If you want to post about the emotional challenges and daily hurdles you are facing, great! However you want to approach this challenge thread is up to you.

Here are my goals -

- Drink at least 6 glasses of water per day.
- Maintain a higher protein and lower carb diet (including lots of green leafy vegetables!).
- No snacking between meals.
- Get in at least 30 minutes of exercise per day.
- Post on 3FC at least once per day - and on this thread at least once per day.
- Lose at least 5lbs (that would put me at 158lbs).

Anyone care to join in? Let's make March the most successful month we have all had yet in 2012! :carrot:

I'm in!! I love March Madness. I'm a College Basketball fan so it fits right in.

Goals for March:

Lose 12 pounds. This should put me low to mid 220's. Hoping this will put me at 25% BF or less.
Eat 6 times a day.
Control my calories. Stay within my limits unless planned otherwise.
Exercise 6 days per week. Run 3, lift 3.
Support others.
Drink more water.

Thanks for starting this Guacamole

Andrew - those sound like great goals! I love your energy and determination - it really does inspire me to keep going.

I have a "Holy Gaucamole!" moment to share - today I stepped on the scale to find that I have lost a total of 50lbs today! I have been waiting for this milestone for awhile, so I am excited to finally have made it. My next big milestone will be to get to 149lbs, when I will officially be in a normal BMI range. I am thinking that I might get there sometime in April or May.

Now to stay on track today! Have a great on-plan day, Andrew!

Congrats Guac. 50lbs is HUGE!! You Rock lady.

Count me in for March Madness:
NO SMOKING
Maintain my weight loss
Exercise 7 hours a week
Complete 4 week boot camp that starts Feb. 27
Would love to lose 5 more lbs but I need to keep a positive outlook even if it does not happen!!

I couldn't stay away, so I'm joining yet another challenge. Andrew & Guac, you were both so encouraging & supportive. I loved how you updated almost every day. That showed real dedication & motivated me.

Well as of yesterday my weight was 184.2, since I averaged about 1.3 pounds per week, I'm going to set my goal for the end of February at 176, which is 1.3 pounds per week. I also want to try to take my vitamin every day & maintain a calorie deficit every day.

NEMom, I quit smoking in October, well I cheated once or twice a month since then except I have been totally tobacco free all of this year. It's hard & I still get the urges, but I'm getting them way less often than I used to. I wish you all the success in the world on that!

Let's all meet our March goals!

NEMom - Thanks! :) It actually means a lot to hear praise from someone who has been there done that. You know how challenging this weight loss process is and how much each little milestone counts in encouraging further success.

kandd416 - Glad that you are joining in! I think it will be really helpful to both you and NEMom to have each other for support in your non-smoking efforts too! You can kill two birds with one stone!

Just thought of an upcoming challenge for me...my kids have a long weekend home from school this week (starting tomorrow), and that usually spells disaster for my diet! So, I am going to try to hang on to my current weight with all my might over the next few days.

Here's hoping that we all have a successful day!

Good morning, folks! Doing well and staying on track. Had a higher carb dinner and breakfast this morning, but still well within my calorie range as long as I stick to plan today. A total of 2 lb weight loss this week, which for me is great! So, my goal for next week is to up my exercise and stay to my eating plan. This next few days with my kids home will be challenging, but hopefully, I won't do too much damage. I know I will have to be forgiving with myself for going a bit off plan, though.

Good luck, everyone!

Not sure how well I'll do, since I've already started off by not losing any weight this past week, but here goes.

March Challenge

1. Drink 6 glasses of water a day
2. Exercise 35 minutes a day
3. Keep my calories under 1350
4. Eat healthier
5. Continue to only snack occasionally and on healthy snacks
6. Lose 5 pounds

Welcome, kandyrews! Great goals! I went 5 weeks in January/February without losing a single pound! It was awful! However, after staying persistent in my efforts, finally my body let the pounds go and I lost 5 pounds in 1 week! Just keep doing what you are doing...there is no set timetable for weight loss. Everyone loses weight at different rates during the course of their journey. It will happen if you stay the course! :hug:

kandyrews, nice to see you again. It's frustrating not seeing the scale move when you know you're doing what you should be. But it will eventually move.

I've discovered that I'm getting pretty compulsive about logging everything that I eat. My husband sometimes gets a little annoyed when I have to jump on the computer in the middle of something, but I want my numbers to be spot on.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

guacamole Thanks, yes I'm not ready to give up yet. I did lose 5 pounds from January to February, it's just February that's dragging, but I'm gonna keep on going & hope that the weight comes off one day.

kandd416 My husband gets annoyed with me too logging all my calories too. He can't believe how serious I take it. lol

Hello, everyone. Today is my off plan day, and I didn't do too badly. I definitely don't have that feeling of accomplishment I have at the end of an on-plan day. Feeling kind of blah. Three annoying things happened that are bothering me.

1. My lower back is killing me - it has been hurting for the past 3 days. Sciatica is rearing its ugly head again and I'm not sure why. Lesson learned - still trying to figure it out - it might have been hauling at least 10 laundry bags up and down the stairs throughout the week. However, that's not unusual.

2. On Thursday night I mentioned to my husband that I had a craving for ice cream. By Friday morning, the craving was gone and I was looking forward to moving past it. However, on Friday afternoon he bought me a pint of the ice cream I'd mentioned. Now it is calling my name from the freezer. I ate about 1/4 cup, but the rest is still there. No one else in my family likes this flavor, so unless I throw it away, it's all mine. I know my husband meant well, but for some reason, it's really upsetting me to have that temptation about to derail me. I don't want to hurt his feelings by throwing it away now, but if I can hold off eating it until he goes back to work on Monday, maybe I will toss it then. Lesson learned - never voice aloud my cravings in front of other people - especially my husband.

3. My mother-in-law had yet another talk with my husband about her concern over his weight, and my husband yet again blamed me for not making healthy foods for his lunches or dinners. He says he does fine until he comes home and then overeats on all the "junk" and unhealthy dinners I make. He did this a few months ago and I saw red and started screaming at him. This time, I stayed calm, told him he needed to take responsibility for himself, and told him I was not to blame. I'm still highly annoyed and disgusted. Lesson learned - people will deflect in any way they can to blame their lack of success on someone else. It's easier than having to confront their own failures.

Hope you all had a better day.

Hi all, count me in please.

My goals:

1. To lose 5 kilos (11 pounds)
2. To eat breakfast EVERYDAY
3. To drink 6 glasses of water a day
4. To incorporate more exercise into each day
5. To continue to make the healthy choice with food

Best of luck everyone :)

Welcome, Tkkoz! Sounds like you have a plan! Glad to have you join in!

These challenges keep me focused, so I'm in!

My goals aren't ambitious when you consider I've had a 2-month hiatus (thankfully with no gains) from my rigid diet & exercise program.

Getting back to it has already produced some positive results.

By March 31st:

Lose 5 kgs
Take a class at the gym once a week as opposed to solitary work on machines
Get my yogurt intake back to an occasional treat, instead of a daily snack

The latter two will challenge me greatly, so this is enough for the end of March!

Much strength to everyone!

March Goals:
1. Drink 70 oz of water a day.
2. 3/31 weight goal 145
3. Follow my pre-planned food plan ~ MFP
4. Walk 20 miles per week.
5. WEIGHTS!
6. Vitamins
7. Each week, have one day when I dress up pretty. Feel good about myself!

------

Valentine's goal; I met most of my goals, but I fell short with water intake, vitamins and weights. I will do better this month :D

Espressowhip - love the step by step goals! We are all individuals with individual challenges.

Sum38 - Glad to see you here! I really like the one day a week of dressing up pretty!

Well....I caved in to the Ben & Jerry's last night. I ate the whole thing. This whole weekend has pretty much been a bust. It really scares me when I binge and go off track, because I fear I will spiral out of control again. I received more comments about my weight loss this weekend, and I feel like...just wait a few weeks and I'll be fat again. It's like I don't trust myself to stay on plan and it scares me. :(

One day down... I managed to only have one yogurt last night (as opposed to several). I don't plan to falter on this goal, so maybe it'll be less obnoxious is I only post when/if I fail to keep my goal. :cool:

Although I have to admit that after the stroke of midnight, the Fat-Habits[tm] said, "It's officially the next day, so you could have another."

Espressowhip :1
Fat-habitsl: 0

It's difficult to learn to trust anyone, least of all yourself. Don't dismiss that trusting yourself has to be earned, the same way trusting someone else who's let you down does.

Make promises to yourself that are healthy, and reasonable, then keep them. Trust will follow.

Next time, and you know there will be a next time, throw it out! Your DH will get over it and you'll feel much more empowered!

"That which is in our power to do, is also in our power not to do."

Don't let one slip up crush you!

As of today, I have lost 17 pounds. I finally dipped below 150... I hung in 150-153 range FOR EVER. ~ But I am focusing on the positive; 17 pound loss is nothing to sneeze at :D. I am REALLY hoping to get down to 145 by the end of March. That would bring me to 20 pound loss; half way goal.

All of a sudden my belly has gotten really soft and flappy... I read about another member who was having the same issue. -- So I was doing some research. -- When I was not showing any progress on scale, my measurements were going down (thank goodness; it kept me going).... Anycase, I read that once the fat goes from hard to soft, it is an excellent sign. That means that I have decreased the fat around the organs and this is just fat between my skin and muscle. Unsightly, yes, but healthier for me.

I feel totally motivated to finish this journey.

I hope everyone is sticking to their march goals today! :hug:

Sounds like you all are staying on track and seeing progress! Having an ok day today...today is a new day after all. Kids are still home until tomorrow, so I know that food challenges will come up later today too. Looking forward to my schedule returning to normal tomorrow....

I am way too scared to step on the scale...I think I'll give myself a few more days to "recover!" before doing any weigh-ins.

Yup, I need more challenge! Thank you Guac for starting this! Awesome :D CONGRATS ON 50!!

OK so here are my goals:

* Staying 100% plan as outlined by my nutritionist (which usually means eating MORE than I want to!)

* Moving EVERYDAY and staying on my training plan (which I get Thursday).

* 100oz of water a day.

I'm in :)

hey there everyone. i'm in as well. i know its 21 Feb now, so thats a month to lose 2 kilos or maybe a little more.
Tikkoz...i'm in melbourne as well..nice to hear from you.

Goals;
Keep drinking my 6 glasses of water
keep doing low carb and high protein meals
keep avoiding all snacking
keep doing 40-60mins exercise per day
gym class 4 days per week
keep smiling sweetly at my husband when yet again i need to get on the computer to update my stats
keep strong when temptation (in the form of morning teas) strikes!

Oh, I know the sabotage thing ALL TOO WELL! In my world, it's called exercise :)

When I was able to get to the point where I said, not I *can't* have this but I don't WANT this, then the power shifted. *I* had the power over the food, and not the other way around. Slip ups only become an issue when they grow up into a way of life. I took the last two weeks of December off because we were back home and I was kinda freaked about it because I was up a little but I watched it and by Jan 7th I was at my preXmas weight and back on track. Absolutely, we have to learn to trust ourselves and believe in ourselves. I just got a ring from Endorphin Warrior that says 'believe' for this very reason. You got this!

I'd love to join in. Even though I'm a maintainer, I seem to need constant reminding, or I start to slack in my efforts. I haven't been tracking and my weight has gone up about 5 pounds.

Goals:
1. Track all of my foods everyday
2. Don't buy the foods I can't control myself around even if they're healthy (lately it's been red grapes).
3. Continue to exercise at least 6 days a week
4. Lose the five pounds I "found".
5. Drink at least 64 oz. daily

Mind if I "pop in" every once in awhile? Just became a 40-something this month. I'm finding that I need better goals than just losing weight. It's so slow lately that I end up feeling like a failure even when I'm on plan. I do need to concentrate on drinking more water though. I blacked out in my kitchen this morning after 45 minutes on the elliptical. I think I was dehydrated, but scared the heck out of my kids and I don't want a repeat. So here are my goals, and as long I stick with them, I'm not failing!

- Drink 64 oz of water per day (usually add lemonade Crystal Lite though)
- No unplanned snacking
- 45 minutes on the elliptical 5 times a week (take water downstairs with me)
- eat under 1400 calories per day
- Keep posting regularly

This week i am doing very well with all goals :carrot: im eating breakfast, drinking water (not quite enough though), making good food choices and using the dreadmill :) hopefully it shows on the scale!

Work is evening out now the students have settled in, which means i am not so stressed and am not reaching for red frogs (lollies).

Hey fiona46, you are the first aussie ive come across on here, good luck!

Have a great week all :)

I stayed OP all day. Actually I meant to eat more, but I just was not hungry.

I ended at 1400 cal. I took a 9.5 mile walk.

I drank my water, but forgot to take my vitamins.

Scale was down another 1.5 pounds, which brings me down to 146.5...another 1.5 pounds and I have lost 1/2 of the weight I want to shed :) I may hit that 145 by the end of Feb :D and then i will adjust my March weight goal.

Great job everyone!

Today was my weigh in day & the scale was up 1 pound. It's a little frustrating when I know I've been totally on plan. But that means it's either hormonal or water weight. And as bloated as I'm feeling, I'm guessing water weight.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Kim

Hi Kim,

Ugh; I hate water weight :mad:

By the way, I am from MI as well :D

Well I'm all full of myself because I had a training appointment yesterday, which usually kill me, and then took a yoga class last night... I think the yoga really helped with the usual post training session soreness because I feel better than usual today! I really need to focus on workouts so this felt pretty good :)

Have a great day!

Hi, everyone! I woke up very sore this morning, as I have for the past week. My lower back is killing me and makes me want to lay in bed all day. I'm not sure what's wrong, but I think I need to see a doctor. I have shooting pains going down both of my legs.


ETA - My husband has been nagging me to see a doctor, but honestly, I have had my fill of doctors telling me that the cure is to lose weight! I know that if I were thinner, I probably wouldn't be having this back pain, but I can't magically take off 30-40 pounds in a week. When I was at my heaviest and having multiple health issues, I got so tired of doctors treating me as if my illnesses were my fault. I really don't think hearing another "professional opinion" that my weight is the culprit is worth the co-pay and my time! However, my husband said it could be arthritis or disc compression and I might need a cortisone shot or even surgery - so I should go. Ugh! Anyone else hate seeing doctors when they are overweight?

Here's hoping you all are doing better than me!

Guac-Go to the doctor please. This does not sound good.

I am still working on no smoking. Getting my food on track this week after a not so good weekend but my scale is up 2lbs. Ick.

Still here. Did my workout today with no fainting - yay! Think I was dehydrated and low on iron yesterday. Made sure to take my water with me to the basement so I wouldn't have to wait til after and it seemed to work. Only 32 oz water today but 42 oz of Diet Coke (large from McD's - love their drinks and hate their food). Obviously need to work on that! Scale was up a little today, but so what? I know I was dehydrated when I weighed in yesterday, so to be expected that it would go up again. Calories are on track to stay under 1400 - pasta tonight but I always cheat more than a serving onto DH's plate and less than a serving onto mine. He's 6' and needs more calories than I do so it evens out. Then I add asparagus to my pasta and it looks like we're eating the same amount of food. Silly trick, but it works for me.

Guacomole - at 162 for your height, your doctor probably won't say anything about your weight. I was 152 (I'm shorter than you) the last time I went and my doctor was thrilled with my weight and didn't even seem to care if I lost more. Hope you're feeling better soon!

My doctor use to have complete disdain for me. Even a sore throat got blamed on my weight. It was ridiculous! Since I started losing, she's become incredibly supportive. Keep in mind, she knew me at my normal weight, what I saw as disdain, was probably unprofessionally conveyed concern.

No yogurt again last night, my calories have remained below 1210, and exercise is the usual grind (which I enjoy). But I only have 3 days left to work in a class! Will I or won't I? Hmm... the suspense is mounting!

The scale has been going in the right direction, so this week's weigh in is already primed to make me very happy!

I love my doctor. -- She, herself carries a few extra pounds. She was pleased when I had lost my first 10 pounds, I can't wait to see her again at 20-25 pound loss. -- She is the only doctor I have felt comfortable with; I feel I can truly open up to her.

This morning I weighed myself & am down another pound. 2 pounds in 2 days. So I am now back to exactly what my weight was last week. Obviously water weight. But I'm hoping I can lose another pound tonight. Ha! I'm being greedy now.

This gain has me wondering, does anyone see some type of gain before a loss? I've been reading someone's diet blog & it seems like that happens for her, but I've never really tracked my weight close enough to notice a cycle. I have started to weigh myself daily to see if there is any type of pattern, but it will probably take a few months to see.

Kristiina, what part of Michigan are you from? I'm in Van Buren Twp. (Belleville area). My doctor of 10 years just moved out of state, I've tried a new one, but Dr. David Scott was the best!

NEMom, keep working on the not smoking. It's hard I know, but you can do it!

Guac, I agree. Get yourself to a doctor. Pain like that is not normal!

Have a great day.

Kim

Hi, guys! Thanks for all your concern. I do have an appointment on Friday morning. Blah! I'm not expecting any miracle cures.

kandd416 - Congrats on the 2 lb loss! Sometimes I gain during PMS/TOM and then lose when it is over. Also, sometimes if I exercise hard for a few weeks, and then take a break, I lose a few pounds. Although, I might be losing muscle mass or retained water instead of fat.

I'm doing ok with my diet, although I haven't weighed myself since last week before my long weekend with the kids. Strangely, I feel bloated and kind of PMSy even though I am not due to get my period for another 1 1/2-2 weeks? Ugh. I guess I am just achy in general with my back.

Have a great day, everyone!