Im Diamond, im 20 years old.

i would love 2 b part of this challenge

SW: 330
GW: 179

I'm really bad at checking in, and it's going to be worse this summer - but I want to play too!! I'm Krissy - I'll be 20 in May.

My start weight is 172 and my goal is 127 for now. I hope to be to 145 by the end of August (eeek!) - That'll have me at a 5 lb loss for the first two weeks of the SBD and then a two lb per week loss for the rest of the summer. So - I'm re-starting the SBD (did it last summer, and was REALLY successful! just couldn't keep it up in the dorms here at school with no kitchen), as well as doing the C25K, and the 100 push up/200 sit up program - and I also bought a cute green jumprope from walmart for 2 dollars! Yeah! (All of this on top of a new job starting May 4th working for the tourism industry here in AK)

Anyway! That's MY plan! How are you guys tackling it?

I should join - sounds like a good idea.

SW: 158 lbs
(alltime) GW: 110 lbs

You should totally check out the Ziplock steamer bags if you haven't. All you need is a mini-fridge and a microwave. My boyfriend and I use them, and we can have fresh salmon and steamed broccoli from our tiny dorm room thanks to them, and the whole meal is done in like 6 minutes! Pop some raw fish in the bag, add some seasoning, nuke it for 4 minutes - and it's delicious! You can also use them on shrimp and chicken! We've tried the shrimp, which is great - but no chicken yet Definitely worth a google

I want to join! I'm a 3FC newbie and am really looking for a challenge like this. I'd love to ring in the new year looking a little hotter than I did last NYE!

Well, I'm Angie, a 38-yr-old married mom to 4 girls - 17, 17 (step), 3, and 2. The little ones are wearing me straight out. I need to lose some of this fat and get some major energy to keep up with them! I don't want to be a laim mommy. I also work full-time so I have a full life here, but I just need to do something for me and get healthy once and for all.

I've used those microwave bags too - they are great! I've never used meat in them because I cook for a mob here. But I have done quickie veggie steaming for myself. I'll put in the frozen broc/cauli/carrot mix with some butter spray and Mrs. Dash and eat it right out of the bag - yum!

Good luck everyone!

Hey Angie!

Glad you're signing up! It's really exciting to see this thread grow! Do you have a diet "plan" you're following?

hey i was wondering what type of cardio and diet plan is everyone using?

I'm doing the South Beach Diet and the Couch to 5 K running plan (it conditions your body to go from being a couch potato to running a 5k or three miles, in something like eight or nine weeks. For week one, you run thirty seconds, and walk 90 seconds, then run 30 seconds, walk 90 seconds, over and over for about thirty minutes and you do this three times the week. Then the second week pumps it up a little harder, etc etc) there's a really great podcast that accompanies the Couch to 5 K that plays music inbetween when a guy tells you to run and when to walk and I find it really encouraging

im doing healthy eating and calorie counting. i go to the gym 5 days a week i do 30 mins on the treadmill. i wanna do the elliptical but i can hardly last 2 seconds without passing out lol. i also do a hour of water aerobics on monday, weds, and friday. i am not losing the amount of weight i would like to any suggestion to improve my workout and how can i get on the elliptical?

"They say" a healthy amount of weight to hope to lose is 1-2 lbs per week, and if you're losing more than that you have to worry about it being muscle mass instead of fat that you're losing. At the same time "they" also say in the first two weeks of doing the south beach diet you can expect to lose as much as 14 lbs in the two weeks - but I think that's water weight your body lets you get rid of.

Are you drinking enough water with all of your gym time? I know if you're not getting enough water flushing through your system, your body will hold on to every little bit it can which can cause you to gain weight instead of losing it, despite lots of calories burnt.

As for the eplitptical - it's probably just a matter of slowly pushing your self a little bit at a time, and pacing yourself! I know with running, 30 seconds in to it and I am DONE, so I had to start with speed walking and work up to 30 seconds of running, then work up until I could even start the first week of the C25K! It's a long tedious process but it's worth it

For more help you should definitely ask people in the "calorie counter" thread. I get a lot of advice by reading those posts and I'm not even a calorie counter, so I bet they can help you a lot too And welcome to 3FC !

Hi again! I'm just doing the healthy eating/exercise program with my goal of 1600-1800 cals, at least 64 ounces of water a day, at least 5 F&Vs a day, and as much activity as I can stand.

Exercise-wise, I have a great metropark near me I want to start out at and when the bugs get too bad I'm going to do videos and I have an elliptical (a/k/a clothes rack) that has been begging to be used as well. I want to take the kids to the playgrounds at least 3 times a week and run around and I'm getting a zoo membership so that'll be a lot of walking around too.

So I definitely have a plan in mind. I'm a newbie to 3FC but I'm a seasoned weight loss veteran. I've lost and gained so much weight and have been on every "diet" imaginable. I know a lot of you all can relate. This is no easy journey but we can do it! We will be the next success story!

~Angie

My advice for the elliptical, because I love that thing at the gym, is be sure to reset it yourself to the easiest setting first. It is not automatically at the easiest setting by default when you get on it. Make sure the pedals are not inclined and are the most comfortable, and make sure there isn't any resistance. Then build up your strength over time. Start out at 5 mins. Don't be embarrassed. Everyone has to start at the beginning. You can do it!

thanks Banapple. I thought i was the only one who used my exercise equipment for a clothes rack lol!!!

Will there be a new thread started for the first weigh ins? Or are we just suppose to report in this thread?