Welcome to the sixth challenge for 2004! Whether you are a returning Challenge Chickie, or new to the group, welcome!



Can you even believe that we're into July??? Where did the first half of the year go? I'm sure if we take a mid-year review, we've had many successes along the way. Victories- scale related, or not, as well as setbacks. Here is our chance to set out once again with a clean slate before us...

We have 2 months until Labor Day. We're in the hottest part of the summer, the time where we just want to lounge around, sipping something cold, and not think about breaking a sweat- we're doing enough of that without the thought of working out. We all know, though, that it's the combination of healthy eating and exercise that's going to keep us moving towards our goals, and this challenge can help keep us moving in the right direction.

Whatever your program, whatever your fitness level, you can participate.
Post your goal(s) for the next 2 months, and join us for support and encouragement. Anyone is welcome to jump in and join us- please, make yourself at home.

This Challenge thread is being set up as a place where we can all come to share our progress, our struggles, our triumphs, and to cheer on those who are committed to a healthier lifestyle, and to just talk!

Want a Challenge Avatar??? Click here for several different choices

Let's get it started.....let the challenge begin!

My Goals....

Food:
*Stay on plan
*Prepare in advance, when possible

Water:
*96 oz water before I leave work each day (4 24oz glasses)

Exercise:
*Exercise a minimum of 5 days each week
*Do something physical each weekend to add activity

Weight:
*Reach my 50 pound loss during July
*Stealth # in mind for Labor Day

*Journal food & exercise every day

Ok, I'm updated, and ready to go!

Woo! I'm here and raring to go!

Goals for this challenge:
1. Getting below 200 pounds (less than 10 pounds to go!)
2. Exercising at least 4 days per week.

Yes, those are the only 2 goals I'm setting, but they will be hard enough!

Oh, and I should probably add journaling/posting more often. I was kind of lax with the posts during the 4th of July Challenge.

~Elisha

Ok, I just finished updating my goals for the challenge. I've really got to buckle down and get back at this with a vengeance. Especially after the last challenge where I had a net loss of nothing! Now that most of the chaos is over, I've got a better chance of staying in control of the little things.

It was raining this morning, and that definitely makes for being lazy I didn't want to get out of bed, so I waited until the very last minute. I'll do my workout when I get home from work.

Plan for today-
Breakfast:
1 apple & cinnamon cottage double
8 bite size mini wheats
12oz diet coke
24oz water

Lunch:
3/4 cup chili
3/4 cup ditalini pasta
16oz Minute Maid Light- Raspberry Passion- to try & see if it's any good

Afternoon workout:
at least 1 mile WATP

Dinner:
TBD- depends on how I feel.

That's about it for this morning. It feels good to be starting off fresh with a new challenge. Have a great Tuesday, chickies!

Hey all!! You know I'm in.

SW/CW/GW: 235/180.8/150

Only about 30 lbs to go!! WOOHOO!!

Food goals:

Eat actual meals and keep what I eat healthy. No skipping of meals or pretending that it's okay if I forget to eat, which I do a lot... none of that!

Water: Drink some. I'm bad with this. I don't like having to pee every 3 minutes.

Workouts: 20 min of ellipitical, 5x week, plus hiking/biking/stuff like that on the weekends for at least 1 day.

Personal goals: do a great job at my new job, and even though my feet will kill me for being on them for 10 hrs, be happy that I am able to do a whole workout all day, every day that I work. I am lucky here!

Clothing goals: Grey cargo pants w/ grey tank top, and the ability to wear them in public.

I'll update later on my day today, I just woke up. I'm gonna grab some breakfast, do my workout & get everything going today. Hope everybody has an awesome day!

All right, here's my update for the day.

Food -

B - banana (wasn't very hungry)
L - bag of popcorn & a can of tuna fish
D - egg drop soup & an avocado

Water - 1 bottle down, 3 to go (if i can somehow do it!)

Workout -

30 squats w/ 2 lb weights
300 uber-intense situps
16 min ellipitical (i wanted 20 but i couldn't breathe... stupid cold!)
5 min upper body workout

Other than that, had a good weekend. Went up to the ice caves w/ the hubby, which he'd never been to before. Much fun was had. 4th of July was fun, too. Went to a giant party at a friends house and got to see a lot of people from high school that I haven't seen in 4-5 years.

Bought myself a couple of skirts, a couple of shirts, and a fallic cake pan... yes, that's right. I bought a cake pan in the shape of the male sexual organ. For my best friends' bachelorette party this weekend!! You naughty little chickies!!! Anyway so this weekend will be hard, because I'm stuck with a giant room full of women and a buttload of chocolate and cake, but it's all good.

Lost a few more lbs, definitely fitting into everything better right now. Definitely proud of myself.

ANyway, today is a couple of quick tapes, a bunch of cooking, and a bunch of cleaning. Hope everybody has an awesome day!!

OMG Lucy- what a horrid cake pan! LOLOLOL! Gonna do some decorating? LMAO!

*wolf whistle* looking good, chica!

Ok, I'm in on the challenge

My goals:

Food:

~Stay on plan
~eat more fruits; less white flour foods

Water:
~at least 80 ounces of water each day

Exercise:
~a minimum of a 30 min. cardio, and 30-60 mins. pilates or yoga at least 6 times a week
~weight train at least 3 days each week
~run a minimum of 30 minutes 2-3 times a week; which includes at least one long run of at least 1 hour, in preparation for the Long Beach half Marathon in October

Overall weight loss/inches lost:
~lose at least 10 pounds by labor day.
~Lose one clothing size (go from a size 10 to a size 8)

There you go. So far today I've eaten an 8 grain bagel with cream cheese. My lunch, snack and dinner goals include: garden salad with turkey, and vinegrette dressing (no white bread roll); chicken and veggies for dinner; and for an afternoon snack: dannon yogurt drink (forgot what it was called); and after dinner snack: strawberries.

Thank you for this challenge

Hi Bonni, and welcome to the group! Your goals look good- very doable! And I have to say- we have the best chickies- these women amaze me! Good to have you here, too!

Ok- I did my afternoon exercise today to make up for this morning & lounging around in bed. I did 1 mile of the 3 mile WATP tape, since that one seems to get you sweating fastest. Dinner I think will be soup & 1/2 a sandwich, since I'm really feeling sore & the heat might help the sore parts.

Also, since I'm warmed up, I've got some funky, uptempo music playing, and I keep moving to that....as long as the feet move & the body is swaying, it's burning calories, right?

Will do a final peek into the journals for the evening, and then call it a day. Hope everyone is off to a great start!

Oh- Julie posted this in the 4th of July Challenge, and I thought it would be worth taking a look at- at least, these are my reasons...

"What are the biggest obstacles?" I think that complacency is one of my biggest obstacles. If I miss a day exercising, it is so easy for me to just blow off the next day, too. Plus, the weight comes off slowly, but you have a bad weekend & can undo 2 months worth of work like *that* which can feel like we're going in the wrong direction.

"What keeps you motivated?" my one-on-one talks with those who understand why this is so important. My 3FC chickies who are willing to listen to why I struggled, and then kick me in my large tush & prod me back onto the straight & narrow. The desire to see my house built, and to be able to enjoy it with my husband. The health benefits that I have seen in the last 6 months, and a loss of just under 50 pounds that I can confirm on the scale. And trust me, there are days, and weeks, where none of that can motivate me & I struggle just to keep my head above water.

"Why do you stay with 3FC???" We're all fighting the same fight. Whether it's 15 pounds, 50 pounds, 150, or more...we're all struggling with the same demons, and can turn to others. It's like having friends who have known you all your life, because they truly understand, where the anorexic bimbo at the office who gained a quarter of an ounce is tugging at her size 0 clothes hanging off her saying "Oh god, this makes me look huge" will never understand. It's the place I know I can vent, or be totally whiny, and I'll get the support, understanding, and nudge I need. Oh, and the tazer

((((( Julie ))))) I'm glad you're back, chickie- I missed you!

Count me in, of course!

Today was Day 1 of my journey to begin "again"!

I am going to answer my questions that I asked on the 4th of July Challenge (my last post) which Jennifer answered so eloquently in her post here. Thanks, Jennifer! I'm glad to be back and also glad to have you "actively" back with us!

What are the biggest obstacles? For me, it's laziness mixed in with my desire to do what I want to do with no regard to the consequences. It's not thinking of the long term plan when I want that brownie or that chocolate shake (which I had today, BTW). It's saying I will work out...tomorrow...only tomorrow never seems to get here. It's not staying comitted! It's losing the motivation. And so many others!

What keeps me motivated? Identifying daily goals. Writing them down...here and having the support I crave to follow through with those goals. Accountability! Telling someone else I will do something is different than just telling myself I will do something. That motivates me (although I have erred in this area as well)! Remembering how good it feels to exercise and to eat right and how good my body feels when I am consistent with both of these things! And lastly, a little vanity goes a long way...I must admit that hearing from others that I am "looking good" or "losing weight" is motivating to me.

Why do I stay with 3FC? Because, for the very first time in my life (and I have attempted to lose weight many many times in my life only to lose interest and gain most or all of it back) I feel a connection to all of the women who struggle in much the same way I do. I feel support when I say that "I did this or didn't do that" from everyone and I feel accountable to those with whom I have developed a friendship which I know will last a lifetime! And being accountable is one of the most motivational tools I have found to work for me. But mostly, I feel love and compassion from all of you who struggle and rejoice on a daily basis when I pour out my feelings and thoughts and get responses which are uplifting! You are all my friends and I'm so thankful to have this place to come and pour out my heart!


Hugs,
Julie

I know that right before vacation, I was gaining momentum and losing #'s. I had been attaining my daily goals and that felt good. It also felt good to be as low as I have in this journey (167). I know that I can do this again. I need to find that momentum again! So...

1.) I will write daily goals and try to be inspired by what others write.

I know that the combination of
2.) balanced diet and exercise (5-6 times weekly)
works to lose the weight (albeit slow, but it comes off eventually)

3.) Remember how good it feels when I am exercising and eating right!

4.) Appreciate the little "moments" in life!


So my goals for tomorrow are:
1) Pack a lunch
2) Exercise at least 30 minutes before work
3) Drink 60 oz. water before leaving work

Evening ladies!
Today was an ok day. Calories came in at 1633, so I'm in good shape there. And water was good too. Didn't get any exercise in though. I don't have any excuse, I just didn't do it.

And now for Julie's questions...

What are the biggest obstacles?
Being lazy. Not having a regular schedule at work. My parents bringing home Twinkies and chips and other foods I shouldn't even be around. My own complete lack of self-esteem/confidence. The depression that comes and goes. Not having enough money to buy the healthy foods I want, or a gym membership, or a place to live with access to a decent place to walk/run/bike.
The ONLY obstacle is the fact that I make excuses for not doing the things I know I should do and am completely capable of doing. The obstacle is my own rationalization of my actions, or inactions as the case may be.

What keeps me motivated?
Coming here every day. Looking in the mirror and not wanting to spend the rest of my life looking like I do now. Hating what I have let my life become.
But also my friends who encourage me. The guy that looks a little longer than is necessary. The fact that my pants that used to be tight are now loose. People asking, "Have you lost weight?" The desire to stay healthy for as long as possible. The desire to be thin and to finally be able to think of myself as beautiful.

Why do I stay with 3FC?
This is the only place where I feel like I'm not being judged. Aside from you chicks here, there is no one on the planet besides me and my doctor who knows what I weigh. I can be myself here and not worry that other people are going to think I'm fat or ugly or stupid or lazy or anything else.
And everyone here has been just plain wonderful. Although I have been on many diets in my lifetime, this is the first time I have ever had any form of support. And this is the only time I'm actually losing weight. It is a great comfort to know that I'm not alone in this battle, and that even if I slip up you chicks will be right here to help me get back on my feet. I've always felt sort of alone, mostly because I thought my weight excluded me from a lot of things, but here I feel like I actually fit in, like I'm a part of something bigger than just myself. I would say that you couldn't possibly know how good it feels to have this support, to have found this website, this haven, but I'm sure that you all feel the same way about it that I do, because we are all in this together.

And Julie, just in case you haven't heard it enough times today, we're glad you're back.
((((((HUGS))))))

~Elisha

Elisha, I think you've said a mouthful there- and I think we can all identify. Heck, the only people who know what I weigh are some of the chickies here, and my husband (who, after we got the digital scale, had to hold me while I cried for about an hour straight when I saw the true number, after 2 months of working my butt off & thinking it HAD to be lower than that, and then thinking dear god, what the heck was it before I started this??) Even my mother doesn't know...and I know that thin people who have never had to struggle the way we have can't fathom what we go through. It just doesn't dawn on them....