~*Sizzling for Summer 2017 Challenge!*~
 

:sunny:Welcome to Riestrella's Sizzling for Summer 2017 Challenge!!:sunny:

Hey you. Yeah, YOU! You’re awesome and beautiful. If you don't think so then I'm sorry, but you are totally wrong. Go listen to some sexy music and dance in the mirror like it’s 1999 and believe you are delicious! Otherwise we’re gonna have a problem here.

However, I know sometimes when you’re overweight you can feel a little pudgy and a bit like a sad panda. ESPECIALLY when the hot season is almost upon us (anyone else feel like saying “summer is coming” instead of “winter”?) Not to worry though! You can do something about it! Amazing right? You have the ability to change your future and morph yourself into a delicious candy panda. High fives all around.

To help you along the way is another of my spreadsheet challenges! Please read the rules below before joining.

1. You can join this challenge at any time up until the final 2 weeks of the challenge!!
2. -->Click here to access the spreadsheet used to document your weigh ins!<--
3. Enter your Username on 3FC, your starting weight and goal weight for this challenge NOT your overall starting weight/goal weight.
4. Be sure to have your weekly weigh in on the spreadsheet by Sunday, because I make the charts on Monday. In the spreadsheet when the column is labelled "WK 1 8/31", that means the week BEGINS on the 31st August NOT the particular day you have to weigh in!
5. Check back in to the thread and I'll publish a weekly chart to show who's dominating over us all. Charts are Top 15 biggest losers only!
6. If you want to take a break from weighing in then right click the cell for that week and select "Insert Note" (definitely not a "comment" because these won't move with your username if new members join the spreadsheet!) and add your reason for not weighing in. If you have a week that you know you won't weigh in ahead of time - let me know and I'll insert the note for you.
7. If you don't weigh in for more than 2 weeks without a noted reason you will be moved to Standby. Come to the thread and opt back in if you want to re-enter the challenge!

Optional before and after measurements challenge! Read below:

• I've included a tab on the spreadsheet to enter your measurements! Measure yourself at the beginning of the challenge and at the end to see how much you shrink!
• -->Click here to access the measurements sheet!<--

That's it!* A huge part of this challenge is the community support, so please use this thread to talk to each other and update us on your progress. It’s less about just saying “today I weigh ___” and more about actually communicating with fellow sexy candy panda’s and talking about your life and all its ups and downs. Think of this thread more like a chat thread rather than just a place to post weights. We're here for you on your road to awesomeness!!

• Can I change my Goal Weight once the challenge has begun? ~ Yes!
• There's a - mark in my cell for a week, but I know what I weighed! Can I change it? ~ Yes! The more information you can put in the better. Let me know your missing weights and I'll input them myself.
• My weight changed during the week but I already entered my weight, can I change it? ~ OF COURSE! Just submit your weight again using the same form, no problems.
• The chat thread for my forum is dead...can I talk in a different thread? ~ Absolutely! We have 2 threads going, one in the Chicks up for a Challenge forum and the other in the 20-Somethings forum. Doesn't matter about age or if you're a regular in that forum or not, please hop in to the thread wherever you see it.

:carrot:Enter your starting weights now and the challenge begins April 24th 2017!!:carrot:

I'm in, too! Riestrella ~ I got the same error message when trying to add my username to spreadsheet - could you give us all access?

Thank you for this wonderful challenge - it means so much to me! You sound wonderful, btw! I hope you are doing well - we all missed you!

Oops, sorry guys! Should be good to go now!

Sounds like just the thing I need! Looking forward to seeing everyone's progress

Thank you so much for doing this, Riestrella!! I'm looking forward to this.

I've put a fairly conservative 11lb goal in, because I've got my birthday coming up in a fortnight, and a week in Germany (where I adore the breakfast breads!!) at the end of May.

Also, I'm challenging myself to weigh only monthly, hope that's OK. Please don't think I've given up if I don't post every week.

Wow! If I make the 11lbs off, I'd then only have 2 stone (28lbs) to target! It begins to feel possible!!

Good luck, everyone!! :D

Yay! My first opportunity to get in on one of these cool challenges! Looking forward to hanging out with everyone!

Whohooo!! Super excited to start this!! Thank you for organizing!!

Thank you for organizing this challenge Riestrella.

Definitely in! WHOOOOOOO! So excited :D

Thanks, Rie! Like water in the desert, I've been watching and waiting for the summer challenges to begin! Count me in, girl! :sunny:

Hey everyone!

So great to see some old and new faces around here! Thank you for all your posts saying how excited you are to see the challenge, you're the reason I keep doing them. You guys are awesome.

Though I'm not quite pumped about losing weight as I should be, I'm very excited to be running the challenge and interacting with y'all.

I thought I'd write some introduction questions for you to answer if you want to introduce yourselves to the group! Copy and paste and add some more questions of your own if you want!!

- Where are you from and where do you live now?
- How old are you?
- What do you do for a living?
- What's your favourite thing about summer?
- Any vacations planned for summer?
- Favourite food to eat in summer?
- Favourite drink to drink in summer?
- What's your food plan?
- What's your fitness plan?
- What are your hobbies?
- List 3 things you like about yourself

Rie's introduction:

- Where are you from and where do you live now?
I'm originally from England, but now I live in Atlanta, GA.

How old are you?
I just turned 28!

- What do you do for a living?
I'm a freelance video editor. Lots of sitting around at home, I need to get out more!

- What's your favourite thing about summer?
Summer is my least favourite season, so it's quite hard for me to pick something I like about it! I guess my favourite thing would be summer nights when you can still walk around in summer clothes without getting chilly (at least in the deep south!)

- Any vacations planned for summer?
Not a one! Is September still summer?! I've got a trip to Japan planned for then!

- Favourite food to eat in summer?
Ice cream! I've just discovered an independent ice cream shop in town, I love their salted caramel ice cream mmm. Health food wise I do love melon in the summer. Reminds me of vacations with family.

- Favourite drink to drink in summer?
Iced tea I think.

- What's your food plan?
Reduce amount of grains, no snacking after dinner.

- What's your fitness plan?
I want to run 3 times a week to begin with, not sure how long I'll keep it up since it gets humid here. I hate being outside in the humidity!

- What are your hobbies?
Watching films, video games, hiking, jigsaw puzzles, drawing and playing the piano.

- List 3 things you like about yourself
1. I'm super organised. Not just with my apartment/belongings, but every aspect of my life! I keep in regular contact with friends, I organise events, whenever I go on a trip I love to plan exciting itineraries to make the most of the trip. I love being organised!
2. I'm creative. I've always been drawn to the arts, I love that my life revolves around it. It can be tough financially sometimes, there's always that fear of failure, but I know I can't live any other way.
3. I'm adventurous. I love the idea of travelling, I've lived in 3 countries, I love trying new things - I wouldn't say I'm adventurous to the point where I live TOO spontaneously, but I'm someone who likes to change things up every once in a while and live somewhere new :)

Your turn!

Love this, Riestrella! What part of Japan will you be visiting? I also love traveling! And happy belated birthday!

- Where are you from and where do you live now?
I was born into a military family, so I am from "all over." I currently reside in Miami, FL.

- How old are you?
29

- What do you do for a living?
I work as an advisor for college students, but I will be leaving this to pursue doctoral studies in the fall. I will be a full-time student again, and I cannot overstate how excited I am!

- What's your favourite thing about summer?
Now that I live in Miami, everything I liked about summer prior to moving is pretty much year-round for me now. But when I didn't live in this lovely tropical paradise, I always enjoyed the warm weather, hanging out on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and that overall laidback feeling that seems to emanate from everyone when it's nice out.

- Any vacations planned for summer?
I am planning a surprise trip for my fiance's birthday to Montego Bay in August, and I really want to hop on these cheap Costa Rica and Cuba tickets sometime this summer as well. I just have to figure out how to make the latter work with all of the travel restrictions! I absolutely love traveling (probably because of the whole military family thing), so I try to take a trip every 2-3 months or so.

- Favourite food to eat in summer?
Definitely fresh fruit, but particularly mangoes and pineapples.

- Favourite drink to drink in summer?
I am an avid water drinker through and through, but sometimes I feel inspired to add some fruit to my water for a more refreshing mouth feel when it's really hot. Beyond water, I also tend to consume more champagne spritzers and cocktails in the summer, which is probably because I tend to go out with friends more during this time of year.

- What's your food plan?
I am currently eating a high raw vegan diet (90% raw), though this will likely shift to be a raw until dinner WOE soon. I plan to increase my activity level and find it easier and more affordable to increase my calories with cooked vegan foods. My goal for when that time comes is to have fruit for breakfast, a green smoothie or salad with raw dressing for lunch, and a small cooked dinner after working out.

- What's your fitness plan?
I don't currently have one since I have been focusing primarily on eating better and addressing my binging. I do plan to increase my activity in May, however, and I tend to feel best when I exercise at least four times per week. This will likely consist of three weekly yoga or strength training sessions and a few long incline walks.

- What are your hobbies?
I LOVE to travel. I am always on alert for opportunities to fly somewhere new. I love planning vacations/trips, which always happens when I am on the plane on the way home from one. I subscribe to all the travel alerts and am a frequent flyer in a couple of airline programs. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE traveling!
I also really love to read and learn. The topic doesn't tend to matter -- I just wanna know stuff. I've been told that I was a curious (read: nosy) baby, so I'm guessing this isn't much of a surprise to anyone.
I also enjoy cooking, dancing, and going to concerts. I try to go to at least three concerts each year.

- List 3 things you like about yourself
1. I like that I am solutions-oriented. I definitely have days when I can become bogged down with issues to the point of inertia, but that is atypical. For the most part, I acknowledge the problem and immediately begin looking for and implementing solutions. I think this is why my friends always come to me for advice.
2. I like that I am very accepting of others. I am very open and upfront about who I am to others, and I find that others feel comfortable doing the same with me because I am not judgmental.
3. I like that I am willing to try nearly anything once. I am not scared of the unknown, and that makes life really vibrant to me.

its all about the journey
 

New to this forum. Decided to join because I have a milestone coming up and I need to make major changes. I'm turning 60 this year and I gotta get off this weight rollercoaster. This is it! Time to take it off and keep it off. This is the perfect challenge for me.