Rise and shine, chickadees! It's a new year and a new challenge!

It started with jcatron243's Thanksgiving Challenge... and we got through Hairy Holiday Heck with our New Year's Challenge. Now, the Women on WEED are starting up a new one!

Are you in your fitness groove? Or maybe, like me, you were in one and got a little derailed during the holidays? Or maybe you never quite got into a groove and you're looking for a kick in the butt to get into happy, healthy habits?

THEN THIS IS THE CHALLENGE FOR YOU.

Here's how it works:

The challenge will last until February 14, Valentine's Day. Set yourself a reasonable, attainable weight loss goal to get to by that day. It's that easy! We will have Weekly Thread Chats, starting every Monday until the end of the challenge.

You may choose whatever day you're comfortable with for your weigh-in day. Also, don't feel like you only have to weigh in once a week - some folks like to weigh more frequently than that, and that's just fine. Speaking for myself, I just happen to prefer a weekly weigh-in because that way I do not become obsessed with the scale. After all, successes are not ONLY measured by the numbers on the scale, but in the ways we change our lives for the better.

We're all here for support and motivation - and together, by being here for each other, we will get our groooooove on!!!

The only hard and fast rule for the challenge is to BE HEALTHY. Be realistic, get enough calories, challenge yourself physically without hurting yourself.

ALSO - let me explain that "Women on WEED" is not what you might be thinking (although we are continually amused by it). During the challenges I mentioned earlier, these wonderful women who bonded with each other started using the word "WEED" as a mnemonic device to set daily goals... and it really does help. After all, we are all taking this a day at a time, right?

Here's what it stands for:

W - Water intake. Set a daily goal for how much water you're going to drink. Although there is conflicting research as to how much to actually consume in a day, we all agree it is important to drink lots to stay healthy. So make it a goal!

E - Exercise. Efficient, healthy weight loss isn't going to happen unless you incorporate some kind of physical activity in your life. Everyone does it differently; some go to the gym, some work out at home, and some find ways to sneak in little bits of exercise all throughout the day. Set yourself a goal, even if it's small. Little bits done often WILL add up over time!

E - Eats. Being that we all have different eating plans and weight loss philosophies, this is sort of a wild card. Whatever plan you're on, set yourself a plan-appropriate daily eating goal for the day.

D - Daily goal/Daily affirmation. This is another wild card. It doesn't even have to be weight-loss related! This is the spot where you list something you want to get accomplished. Also, we've recently also started adding daily affirmations to the "D" element of the WEED - you can take this opportunity to say something good and positive about yourself. Sometimes, when we fall short, we are tempted to berate ourselves... and where it's good to recognize when we don't reach our goals, it's also good to remind ourselves of the awesome parts of ourselves. So go ahead and remind yourself of that in the "D" part of WEED.

Now that THAT is all explained - I hope to see all the W.O.W. regulars (a terrific, smart, motivated bunch of ladies!) and maybe some new folks, as well! Chime right in and share your February 14 goal with us!

MY GROOVY GOAL FOR FEB. 14:
-I weighed in at 172 this morning - I hope to be 168 by February 14.
-My weigh-ins will be on Fridays.

AND my daily WEED for today:
W - 96 oz
E - Already done! I did 45 mins cardio at the gym, and I also did core strength training.
E - 1200 calories (I'm a calorie counter)
D - Get the filing DONE today. Also - I'm proud of myself for not moping around anymore, grabbing the reins and just doing it!!

Have a wonderful day of happy, healthy choices! Can't wait to see you all again and meet some new folks, as well!

MY GROOVY GOAL FOR FEB. 14:
-I weighed in at 283. Not sure if that is right, as I just started on Thurs. at 289(water weight?!?!) I will officially know on Thursday. I hope to be down 10lbs. by Valentines Day!*
-My weigh-ins will be on Thursdays

AND my daily WEED for today:
W - 64+ oz
E - Going to join a gym today and start walking on treadmill. Going to see when they have aerobic classes.
E - Just watching what I eat. No bad snacking. Portion control.
D - Get my daughter's room cleaned out. Still a mess from Christmas

I am soooo ready to do this

* This may change, as I may choose to weigh in at the gym instead of at home.

JennyWenny, welcome! Saw you on the New Year/New You thread and am very glad you could join us! These challenges are a great kickstart to living healthy.

Joining the gym is a great step - good for you! That was probably the biggest change I made, and it made the biggest difference in my weight loss. Not only that, but it has really turned into an escape for me; I put my headphones on, get my tunes going and I make it my "Me Time" - I only take care of me during my gym time. And that feels great!

Don't be discouraged about the scale - it could very easily be water weight. I heard a personal trainer at the gym tell one of her clients that you can gain 5 - 10 lbs from water retention... which is insane!

So you seem to be doing the same thing I'm doing: controlling portions, cutting calories here and there. Do you like it so far?

Good afternoon to all you WEEDy women out there.

So I guess it's official now. We're up to our next challenge. How very.......ummm challenging.

I hope to be getting and keeping my GROOVE on in a big way. Today, (well yesterday as that was my weigh-in) I am 210 pounds. I have been very fortunate, in that up til this point I have been pretty lucky in the scale department for the most part. I am absolutely dreading when that is no longer the case. And I know it is inevitable . February 14 is 6 weeks and a day away. I'm looking to lose 15 lbs by then, which is 2.44 lbs per week. For Valentine's day I don't need chocolates or jewelry I just NEED to be FIRMLY in ONE-derland @ 195 lbs. Mr. Scale DON"T FAIL ME NOW!! But it's not up to the scale, it's up to ME. I in turn control the scale and those numbers. It's my choice to eat healthy and move myself. So therefore I most definitely need to stay on the path I've paved since September 4, 2006, the path of eating healthy foods in healthy sized-portions and adding movement, activity and exercise to my life. I might have to tweak and adjust as I go along, because staying 210 lbs at a mere 5 feet tall is simply not an option.

And now on to today's WEED:

W - water, at least 10 glasses. I have spent much of the past week in the bathroom. It's not my favorite place in the world, but when you've got to go, YOU"VE GOT TO GO.
E -ahhh, exercise. Do my 3 sets for the day and continue to sneak in extra movement/exercise at every opportunity.
E- Unfortunately I'm having a muching kind of a day. . So since I've nibbled enough calories to almost make up a meal, I believe I will be skipping lunch and having a small snack instead. This food thing will NEVER, EVER be totally licked for me. Not by a long shot. It is a constant struggle, though some days are easier then others. This is not one of em.
D-Already did a bunch of paperwork, I need to do some more. And I would very much like to stick to me E's.

Have a great day everyone. I hope to see this place fill up soon with all the regulars and some new faces too.

JennyWenny welcome to the group, I hope you gain from it as much as I do.

Hi ladies!!! I am definately going to be getting my groove back on. Starting with the basics. WEED all the way and exercising. I will start off slow and work my way up.

In August I was hoping to have lost 50 pounds by v-day. Well, that is not going to happen. I am plenty proud of myself for getting where I am, even if it is taking longer than I thought it would. I am going for an 8 pound loss by V-day. According to my scale I have put on 5 pounds over the holidays. So I am going to lose those 5 pounds +3 and get to 158. I think I can do it, my resolve is pretty strong.

Today was my last icky early day!!! My body just got used to it too, 4 hours into my shift my sister called, Makie was throwing up!~now she can make herself do it (I know its a lovely trait, both my kids can do it) so I asked my sister if she did it on purpose, but she couldn't tell. I got off early (I finished my main chores anyway) and sure enough she has flu like symptoms. I shipped my boy off to his great grandmas (both have had flu shots) so I can take care of Mak and sanitize the house. (at least the toys) . This crud has gone on long enough. My kids always get sick when they go to my sisters house. ALWAYS. They (my sisters household)are just getting over a virus that has had each one (from 6 months to 50 yo) down for 4-6 weeks. I think the main reason it lasts so long for them is because there are so many people living there (and not one purell bottle ACK) but I don't want to do it again! My poor baby.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
W~120 oz
E~40 minutes (I hope)
E~1200 cals
D~ clean living room/fold laundry/*Lysol*Bleach* everything(mostly done.)

. . . . (Thought I'd get a different grooooooove going this time--giving my Old Groove Buddy~Mr. Dancing Carrot~a much needed rest! ) I'm liking The Belly Dancer Groove better than Mr. Banana methinks---ooooh wait - what about this guy? Oh yeah baby . . . now that's got my GROOOOVE going!

Hi Again Challenge Friends and New Friends! Since I have an already outrageous goal in Our LC Challenge - gonna get more conservative here @ Groovy WEED - (conservative & WEED = oxymoron? ) . . . but I'm in such a rrobin induced ZONE . . . think I can pull off another 20lbs! Looking at it this way: If I don't - I'll still be fitter and healthier from trying!

I reported today for my first day of day shift hours since around 1996 . . . so going to have to report my WEED for today and WEED for tomorrow in advance:

W: 100+
E: Made it to the GYM baby!!!!!/10,000+ steps!!!
E: OP
D: Calm the Panicked Masses

W: 100+
E: Gym&Pilates
E: OP
D: Continue calming the herd

I weigh in on two days (Fri) but then go with the weight I weigh on Mondays - weighed 225 yesterday and then again today at the gym.

We also did our measurements @ LC - and since I'm determined to continue weight lifting to bump start the Menopause Mania Metabolism--want to change these factoids whether the scale moves or not, you know?

Waist: 43"
Hips: 50"
R. Thigh: 26"
R. Arm: 14"
Bust: 50"

I thought of you all today when I wanted to give up at the gym--especially you rrobin! It helped me keep going when I wanted to curl up on the mat and watch Gerald Ford's Funeral!!!!

ROCK ON Groovin' Gals!!!!

Yaaaaay! I'm so happy to see all of you here!!!

I have a really good feeling about this challenge - we all have great goals, but more importantly, everyone is super-psyched and feeling their groove! I will be absolutely tickled when we all reach our goals... and we all will, I just know it!

Robin, dear friend, so glad to see you - and I do hope your day got better. I hate those munchy days when all I want to do is graze on stuff all day, so I can really sympathize. Tomorrow is another day... and I know that with your guts and your willpower, you'll be just fine. And I bet you were fine today, too - sometimes, being grazey ("grazey" is not a word, I just made it up) is a good thing. It keeps your metabolism buzzing!

Jeni - won't it be nice to get back to normal?? Or as normal as it can be with two little ones and the Crud bouncing around between everyone! I think that once your schedule evens out and you're back to routine, those pounds are just going to fall right off of you! You ARE going to do it, I have faith in you!

JasonsLea - Hi there! I do the same thing with my water - I actually keep track of how much I've done by counting out six 16-ounce bottles of water. When there are six empty bottles sitting on my desk, I know I've hit my W goal for the day. I should really try the Big Gulp thing, though - much better for the environment!

100percentME - Hi hon, glad to see you here - you sound so psyched, and that's soooo contagious! And yeah, the WEED jokes never get old. Cutting soda is so hard, but it really IS worth it to cut it out because even the diet sodas can sabotage us with caffeine, sodium, etc. I was never a big water drinker, but now that I'm making it a habit - just like my morning coffee - I feel weird without it and I actually enjoy it.

*~*~*~*~*

I had a very successful day today - hit all my WEED for the day EXCEPT for the "D" of getting the files off my desk... and that wasn't my fault because our goofball receptionist played hookie from work today. I had to cover her spot (again) in addition to doing my own stuff, which means that I was away from my desk for most of the day. Foo.

Time for me to go to bed now - SO tired. I've been packing boxes since I got home from work. Every time I think about everything that's going to happen in the next few weeks during the big move to the house, my stomach gets into a twist... this is my first house, and although it is SO exciting, I am really nervous! Hey, that's a great idea - whenever I get the urge to snack, all I have to do is think about the Big Move... and poof, my appetite is GONE!

Good night, ladies!

Aud - you snuck in while I was posting! Good to see you - your energy is so awesome, and I love it when you bring that to this group!

And WAY TO GO for pushing it at the gym!!! You're in your groove..!!!

Going to bed now for real!

Suz, when I say Big Gulp cup, I mean those 32 oz plastic cups you get from like convenience stores and fast food places in general. Our cabinet is filled with them! And I'm usually the only one who uses them. I always make sure I have a large cup of water by my side always!

Hey Aud!

Aud, you wanted belly dancers, well belly dancers you got!!! man you're full of motivation and good groovin vibes. Okay where is Greg Brady right now?
Or was this the dude you preferred? Greg you out there? Groovy man. Okay, I gotta ask you - What's an LC challenge? I'm drawing a total blank. And thank you kind lady for thinking of me in such a kind way.

Jeni, you poor thing, I can't believe your kids are sick again. Ummm, maybe next time they visit sis, they should wear some kind of protective gear? Like a spacesuit or something? I hope she's feeling better AND THAT NO ONE ELSE CATCHES IT!!!!! Glad to hear you're getting back to a "normal" (haha) scheduele.

Good to see both 100percentme and jasonslea back!!!!!!

Suz, I'm so excited for you for your big move. Although it most definitely is a nerve wracking event it will all be worth it in the end. Glad you hit your WEE, sorry to here you had to do someone else's duties and couldn't complete your D. Doesn't seem fair somehow.

As for me and yesterday's WEED - I AM SO GLAD YESTERDAY IS OVER! Just really kind of grazed all day. Granted it was on chicken breast, spinach, broccoli, carrots, red peppers, spaghetti squash and broiled tomatos. Yup, I basically went through all the leftovers in the house. I'm pretty sure I didn't hit more then say 1400 calories, I never wound up eating a regular meal, except for breakfast. Skipped lunch and dinner. Again, everything I ate was healthy, but I ATE IT ALL STANDING UP. I picked and picked and whatever. It was a yucky, kinda outta control feeling. And I hated it. Today I will try to feel human once again and eat like a normal human being, you know with a plate and a FORK. What a concept? The other E was good, but I didn't get in a walk. Def did my W. D, could have done a bit better.

today's WEED

W- Drink it like it's going out of style
E- Do it like my life depends on it (it kinda does in fact)
E- Don't do it like it's going out of style
D- Get end of year filing and tallies done -BORING, but it's GOT to be done.

Have a stupendous day everyone!!

JasonsLea - yeah, that's what I mean about the Big Gulp - I've got something similar at home, one of those huge plastic Big Gulp type cups... it'd be much better for me to refill that three times during the course of the day as opposed to drinking six 16-oz bottles of spring water. Even though we do recycle, that creates a lot of waste, and I don't want to contribute to the Earth's problems.

As I lay here in bed trying to find motivation to get out of bed (my muscles are sore!), it sounds like springtime outside... there are all kinds of birds singing. On his way out the door, DH told me that the high temp today is supposed to be 60 degrees. In January!!! I live not far from Philadelphia, and I can tell you that 60 in January is NOT NORMAL for us. I don't understand this weather at all... but I may take advantage of it when I get home from work today and take the dog for a nice walk for my E today. The gym certainly isn't happening today. Ow ow ow ow.

Doin' my WEED, feelin' groovy...
W - 96 oz (always!)
E - Take Jack for a walk tonight. Maybe Pilates, too.
E - 1200 calories
D - Pack 5 more boxes. Get holiday decorations down. Laundry. Daily affirmation: No time like the present; no day like today.

Get into that groove and have an awesome day, everyone!

Good morning!

Ok - going to give this a go. Daily WEED posts

Today:
W - 32oz
E - Cycle outdoors if the weather is mild, 60min cardio indoors if not.
E - Avoid sugar
D - Today's to do goals:

• Get tree undecorated
• Make an appointment for hair cut/color
• Mail old PS2 games to my nephew in VT as promised

Daily Affirmation: If I want it bad enough, I can make it happen.
Truth be told, the only goal that is weighing on my mind is my goal to get out on my bike. Am really wrestling with how important it is to get some miles under me vs. babying the tendinitis in my knee. Thinking of throwing my bike in the car and driving down to the pine barrens where it is really flat.

But I feel sooooo lazy. That seems like SO much work - I need help! LOL I need to just do it!

Ladyinwhite - welcome! If you've got tendinitis, maybe in addition to getting on the bike, you could do Pilates, as well. Pilates exercises are very adaptable to those who have physical conditions that prevent them from doing some conventional exercises. Gotta let those tendons heal!

If you're looking to also do an exercise-related challenge in conjunction with doing your WEED, Jeni's got a great January exercise challenge thread going... go take a peek there and see what it's about!

Wow - you've been doing great losing weight!! Awesome!