Summer has officially begun, kids are out of school, next weekend is July 4 weekend...the season of BBQs, parties, road trips, and vacations is upon us!

Maybe you're going away for a week or two or three and you want to make sure that you stay on track to maintain your weight loss, or even continue to lose while you are gone. Maybe you're having a staycation - but between back yard grillouts, ice cream socials, and other summer food events are facing temptations to go off your eating plan. Maybe the change in schedule with having kids at home and other changes are throwing a wrench in your exercise schedule.

Whether your difficulty is eating well and exercising while visiting out of town family members with their homebaked desserts, not letting campfire smores derail you, too-hot weather discouraging you from outdoor exercise, navigating BBQs where it seems like the only thing the menu is hotdogs, hamburgers, ice cream and fat-laden potato salad - this is the challenge for you!

Here's how it works. We will start this weekend, Saturday, June 27 and will complete the challenge on August 15 - which at least for me is about the season when summer events begin wrapping up. Share with us the tough spots you anticipate facing during that time (weekend trips, an extended vacation like a cruise, lots of parties) and how you plan to overcome them, and share with us your goal - do you want to maintain weight loss, or even continue losing during these long, crazy, summer days? Your goals may be scale based or behavior based - like committing to sticking to your exercise routine even while away, or planning ahead by packing food to avoid drive-thru fast food during a long car trip.

I know we will all have different schedules and different obstacles to overcome, but we can come together to support each other over these weeks of summer. Who's in with me?

I'm in although i have no clue how I will be able to stick to my routine when i go away! My plan is to go for a week in August to NY and other than that I"ll be home. My goal for August 15th is to lose 15 lbs.

Hi beautiful - thanks for your reply. Well, we can support each other. I'm looking at your stats and realizing we are in the same ball park.

I'm going to be away in Boston pretty much the whole month of July (I leave after the 4th) taking some classes, so I need encouragement and accountability to stick to my plan while I'm there. I'm planning to take healthy food with me (healthy canned soups, oatmeal, dry beans, nuts, fruit etc) since shopping is a pain up there because I don't have my car. I think what is probably toughest is hanging out with other students while avoiding the wine, chips, cookies, ice cream, and other munchies that are always present. I walk a lot while I am there (again, don't have my car) which helps me get exercise in, and I'm bringing my 30 day shred exercise DVD and hope to that regularly while I am there.

What are some of the concrete steps you want to take to help you reach your goal?

Hi Blue!

Well as of this morning I am 214 so we really are the same!!

While you ar in boston will you be coming online? I find the challenges help me with motivation as well as a system of rewards.

My plan is to walk to pick up my kids from camp at least 2x a week. I plan to do my exercise DVD's about 5 x a week and try to keep a good supply of fruit around. When I have fruit that I love I am not tempted by junky stuff.

BTW how tall are you?

Hi Beautiful - Monday is my weigh in day and I'm at 212.5 which is great because I have finally achieved my first mini-goal of a 10% loss. Now my sights are set on getting out of the 210s and into the 200s. I'm 5'7 1/2" so we are about the same height as well!

Yes, I will be online all the time while I am in Boston, so will definitely be keeping up on the thread.

Planning to walk to pick up your kids from camp is great since that is built into your day - how long of a walk is it? Which exercise DVDs are you doing? As I said, I've been doing the 30 day shred and will be taking that with me to Boston. It's super convenient because I can get a workout in in half an hour, which is helpful on busy days. I will take my swimsuit too as I have access to the school pool.

I've already started to gather healthy food to take - canned soups, canned tuna, nuts, cereal, apples, that kind of thing. Seriously, I think my suitcase will be filled with food - I don't know what airport security will think of that. My biggest downfall in past years has been getting sucked in to eating out a lot, making late night trips to the ice cream shop down the street, that kind of thing, so by planning ahead and bringing food (and cooking supplies like a pot, pan, measuring cups) I'm hoping to bypass that - and to save some money! I'm also packing my scale so I can continue to do daily weigh-ins to keep myself accountable.

Have a great week!

Hi Blue my official weigh in day is friday! I just find weekends hard so sometimes I don't lose over the weekend so I prefer to weigh in on fridays but as of today i am at 213!

It looks like a mjor thunderstorm is approaching so my plans for picking the kids up may be derailed! But I did do my DVD this morning. I forget the name but it is a kickboxing video and it has 4 different videos on one DVD that I bought for $5!
It sounds liek you packed a tonne of food!! Can you go grocery shopping when you get there?

Packing your scale is brilliant! I think i will do that too when i go away! I've coem to the realization that the only way to stop yo yo dieting is daily weigh ins for the rest of my life!

What type of diet are you on?

Congrats on your low weigh-in, it looks like we are moving together! Are we the same age, too? I'm 28. How did you decide on 135 as your goal weight? I picked 159 because it is the highest weight that is in the 'normal' BMI range. Once I make it there I might try to lose more, but since I have no idea what 159 will look and feel like, that is my first goal.

I'm not following a specific diet - kinda sorta trying to do the insulin resistance diet which consists of limiting carbs to 30 g at a time, and always balanced w/ protein. I have insulin resistance, and can be a real carb fiend, so I feel like it works for me. I don't count carbs or calories exactly, but I do keep an eye on the numbers to have a sense of where I am. When I lost weight in the past, it was on WW and it worked as long as I stayed on the plan, but I didn't want to do it for the rest of my life. So by trying to be more flexible and not have a specific diet but just develop good habits I'm trying to take it off slowly, once and for all.

It's tough for me to shop in Boston b/c there is not a grocery store near where I will be living, and since I don't have a car I'd have to lug things back in bags several blocks. I'll buy some stuff - veggies, milk, etc while I'm there but want to take as much as I can with me. Plus, everything is more expensive there than here.

Are you following a specific diet plan or couting carbs or calories or fat or anything?

Hi Blue
How are you doing? Sorry I was MIA yesterday we went to Niagara Falls on an impromptu mini vacation!! I was able to stay on plan though so that was good. I weighed in today at 210!

I picked 135 as my goal because it is the middle weight for a healthy BMI. I figured that seemed normal. Also my sister is 120 and she looks amazing so I figured 15 lbs higher is about right. I wouldn't mind going lower but basically somewhere between 140 and 120 and I'll be happy.

How did you find out you were insulin resistance? I have PCOS so in addition to doing the fat smash diet I am also taking metformin. Have you tried it? It's hard on the stomach. Oh BTW I am 30 so we are also close to the same age! Where do you live? I'm in Toronto.