The Holidays are one of the toughest times to try to lose weight and eat healthy. From Halloween leftovers to Turkeys and Mashed potatoes to pies and holiday candy we all have our challenges. This challenge will be a long one>First we will focus on healthy through Thanksgiving>Then through christmas> and we will finish off the year with a commitment to 2010!

There is no failure in this challenge. We need to be honest with ourselves with what we eat and move on.

During the holidays it is especially important to get in some form of exercise everyday, this will help us reach our goals.


For any newbies, the traditional copy and paste:

Women on... WHAT??

Okay, let me explain that "Women on WEED" is not what you might be thinking. During previous challenges, a group of us formed a great bond, and we've been challenge buddies ever since. We use the word "WEED" as a mnemonic device to set daily goals, an easy and very specific way to remind yourself during your day to take care of your body, and to nurture your Mind, Mouth and Muscles... it really does help. After all, we are all taking this a day at a time, right?

If you join this challenge, you will see it often - and you are encouraged to give it a try. 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. Don't forget to make it specific!

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. Or, you can use "D" for a a daily affirmation - it's an opportunity to say something good and positive about yourself. Sometimes, when we fall short - and we ALL do sometime - we are tempted to berate ourselves. Although 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.


Well here it is! Jump right in, tell us about yourselves, your goals, your home lives, your healthy plan, etc. We LOVE newbies! And we LOVE our regulars! Welcome back!

Hi I am Jeni, I have two kids and a husband. I have been losing weight very slowly for the last3 years. I am a calorie counter and a runner, in July I finally started strength training and I am loving it.

W: I average 80 oz of water a day. I think water is especially important for me because it helps keep my hydrated and full.

E: Like i said I am a runner, I usually get in 3.25 miles each workout then I get in my strength training. usually 20 minutes worth. I am going to add in an extra 10 minutes to my cardio workout to try and start losing again. I workout 3-4 days a week depending on my work schedule.

E: I try to stick to 1200 calories but have more trouble on my days off.

D: Usually my daily goal is housework related, but every once in a while I need a reminder that losing slowly is a good thing


My main obstacles in losing weight is my work schedule. I work 12 hour shifts 4am-4pm and I am exhausted by the end of my shift so I rarely workout after work.

I ended my Haloween challenge at 141 (Fridays weigh in)

My official weigh in for the start of this challenge will be tomorrow. I really just hope to maintain through these holidays, but I would love to be able to get back to the 130's. (my lowest for last challenge).

Hi All! Completely waned last challenge but managed to lose #1. Better than a gain! This time round I have to post my daily WEED.

I'm 36 mother of two and trying to lose the weight I gained after I quit smoking and after having kids. I am a fast gainer and a slow loser. My biggest challenge is what I eat, hence the name Grazie.

This weekend has been a bust. Stuffed my face all last night and today. Got to stop now.

Tomorrow's WEED

W- drink it
E- C25K
E- on plan
D- cals in vs cals out

It's so on... oh it's so very on! It's so on oh it's very very on!

Hi Girls! My intro:

I am 38, getting married in 12 days, bout to start my 4th week of bootcamp. Lost 10 lbs last challenge (first reported solid loss EVER this year). I am a management analyst in local government, own 2 businesses with FH, have 4 kids (20,10,8,5) and am fired up to get through the holidays and hit Jan 1st well into my new years resolution! We can do this!

GRAZER - Yes! You here daily. Even if just to say "HI" GOT IT?

SHARI - You have been a loser girl!! Literally... lbs coming off! Keep up the positive attitude woman! Give yourself the gift of health for Christmas... would ya!!!!

Jen.. .thanks again for keeping us rolling. It seems so strange that we have held together for YEARS on the WOW thread!

Mtiggie - Miss ya.

You other WEEDERS better get your healthy holiday cabooses here soon. And if you are newbie checking out the thread.... just post a reply. Come on... its your time!

MY HEALTHY HOLIDAY WEED: 17.2 LBS IS MY GOAL.

W - UP IT TO 90 OZ A DAY!
E - BOOTCAMP 3XWEEK - EXTRA CARDIO 45 MIN 3 X WEEK - EXTRA ABS
E - NEXT 3 WEEKS CONTINUE ON PLAN NO DAIRY NO FRUIT NO PIZZA OR BEER!
D - IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO REWRITE THE SCRIPT, BUT "I HATE BEING FAT" CHANGED TO "I'M GOING TO BE HEALTHY".

Decided to put my goals in GREEN
Week 1: 198.8
Week 2: 196.8
Week 3: 194
Week 4: 192.8
Week 5: 191
Week 6: 189
Week 7: 187.2
Week 8: 185.2
Week 9: 183.4
Week 10: 181.6

Never fear!! Mindy is certainly here!!!

The news is ugly, but here it is. For the last challenge I started at 181.2 and ended at 180. Only a loss of 1.2. For Oct. I actually gained .4. How that happens is a mystery. If someone would just hand me a plan that works I would follow it with no problem. trying to figure it out on my own is killing me.

I am going back to July when I lost 5 pounds. I was working out most days for 45 min. and had at least one cheat meal a week. I am going to try that in Nov. and see how it works. If that fails, I don't know what I will do next.

Kris- Hard to believe you are getting married in just a few days. Have a great time girl.

Jeni- Just keep plugging away. We both understand the nature of slllllooooowwww but steady.

Grazer- Welcome back. Let's hit it hard.

Shari- Glad to hear you had a fun outing.

Tomorrow will be no fun. I get 6 more children, due to some changes at our building. I am also inheriting one huge behavior problem. That should be fun. We also have conferences until 8:30 pm. I will have 30 student now. What are they thinking??? Wish me luck.

Hey everyone! Well I've tried a few challenges in the past and only finished one of them due to an overload of school work. Now I am finally ready to stick with my plan. I am 22, and a soon-to-be college graduate. I will be graduating this December with a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Biology. I do have a heavy load of school work this semester (19 hours) but I just recently quit my job so that I have more time to concentrate on both school and exercise. I am in it for the long run!
I will do my official weigh in for the challenge tomorrow morning, my ticker is probably way off. But my goal is to lose 15 lbs by the start of 2010.

W - I'm gonna start off with 64 oz.
E - I am going to try to do some type of cardio for at least 30 min, 5 days per week
E - I am aiming for between 1200-1550 calories a day
D - Taking things one step at a time

Morning and love the idea for the new challenge.

I am Mavis, 43 and way depressed lately. I was Mrs. Focused, getting my running in, working on everything, kids , their schedules, work & school for me and then my kids left for college and I've have been spiraling out of control ever since.

For right now I will just focus on getting back to my weight from this spring, which was in the 140's, am going back to look in a minute, but I think around 145.

**Just went and looked, was 148 when I left on vacation in April!

W 100 oz a day works best for me.
E Need to create a new plan and stick with it. Heavy on veggies and protein, lighter on diary and grains. No sugar!
E Hate that part the post. Back to crunches, also working on my running again, need to find something I like, I don't like running. I do like what it does for my butt though!
D Job, school, need to find me time in there somewhere. This class is over on December 10, but til then, class every Monday and Wednesday from 6-10 after working every day. Need to make better choices than a Coors Light and a bag of chips when I get home.
I am going to really try to get this all under control.

Hi. Is it alright if I join? I haven't posted much on the forum yet, I'm pretty shy. I have had an awful time trying to get back on track lately and I think a challenge would be good. I feel totally burned out with weight loss, and need to jump start my motivation again. Maybe it will help with the shyness too. =)

My name is Olivia, I'm 20. I've lost 50 pounds already, over the course of about a year and a half. I have 30 more to go until I reach my "ultimate" goal, but I've just decided to work on a mini goal of ten pounds by the end of February. The holidays are hard for me because all my favorite foods pop up, and when it's cold and dark out they seem extra inviting.

I think WEED is a cute idea!

W - Still working on getting my 64 oz
E - 30 minutes a day minimum, five to six days a week. Strength training at least 3 days per week.
E - 1,700 Cals max, eat more veggies, only one treat allowed a day after dinner.
D - I need to remember that I don't have to be %100 perfect all the time to succeed, I just have to keep moving on after each mistake. A mistake doesn't mean failure, giving up because of it does. No matter how far I think I've let myself get off path I know I can find my way back, if I can stop beating myself up long enough to look at a map.

Zoochick and Bunneh~ I cant wait to get to know both of you.

Grazer and Mavis it is so good to see you. I want to see you both back here again and again!!!!

Shari~congrats on the loss and the 3 hours of walking!

Kris, lady you are so on fire!! You are totally awsome!

Mindy, you will get out of the 180's and back into the 170's it will happen for you.

Well my WI wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't unexpected. I didn't make my workout yesterday, I didn't do anything yesterday. I literally stayed in bed and munched on halloween candy and chips and horrible horrible food. But I am not letting it ruin my week. I am moving on.


Week 1: 144


I started my day out with a good workout. Since Tommy was coughing yesterday I thought I better get up for my workout before DH left for work. I went to an aerobics class for 60 minutes (LOVED IT, I forgot how awsome it is). The class does 35 minutes of cardio and 25 minutes of weights and abs Then after the class I ran for 40 minutes, 3.6 miles. WHEW I FEEL AWSOME!

W 100 oz today
E done see above,
E 1400 calories
D NO CANDY!!!! Fruit instead. stick to my calories. I cant make the scale move, but I can make the right choices by sticking to my calories and exercising.

Hi all! My name is Andrea. I'm 33 years old and also working toward a B.S. in Psychology. I am happily married and have a four and a half year old daughter who is the light of my life.
I decided to lose weight after giving birth to Madison in April of 05'. It took 2 years, but I went from 263 pounds down to 149. That was 2 years ago. I struggled losing the same 6 pounds over a year ago and this past year I basically threw in the towel.
I'm now at 189 pounds after losing 6 pounds over the past couple weeks thanks to these very inspiring and motivating ladies. I'm very pumped and ready to finally hit my goal by Christmas. I'm pumped and ready to get this weight off and get in shape!
My WEED for tomorrow
W~64 oz
E~TBL workout and the Gazelle burning off at least 1000 cals
E~1200
D~I'm going to hide the Halloween candy so it's not in my site nor my reach! Milky Ways are the devil!

I hope you all have a fabulous day!! Let's do this!!

Hello ladies!!!! I tried to post this morning, made this mad long post and LOST IT. So I got pissed off and threw my laptop. Here we go again. LOL

I'm Michelle, 33 yr old. Mom to Robert (who will be TEN YEARS OLD on Nov. 25th. omg) and Rachel (5). Wife to Michael (12 years! with an anniversary in Dec)

I am a nurse, on leave of absence for treatment of a drug and alcohol problem, been out of work since April. But I'll hit my seven months sober this month and my life is so much better today than it ever has been. I got to mail a letter to my board of nursing petitioning to get my license back (with restrictions) and my AA sponsor sent her letter of support today! So I should be hearing VERY VERY soon that I'll be allowed to seek employment.

I feel like I am on the cusp of getting back everything in my life that I have lost. I am so close darnit! People ask me if I'm worried, with the economy, with the stigma of my restrictions, stuff like that. And normally I may have been, but what AA has taught me is that my Higher Power will get me where I need to be, will help me find and land the job in the place I need to be. If you're going to pray, why worry? And if you are worrying, why pray?

So in getting my life back, I know I need to get off the bench, stop being a spectator in my own life, and get back in the drivers seat. I took a hiatus to re-evaluate, to reset the system and now it's time to fly.

Yeah, I get kinda philosophical these days.

Typical, general WEED for me:
W- I'm like Jeni, I try to hit the water pretty hard, 3-4 liters/day. Rarely I like Crystal Lite but I try to avoid it. Unfortunately I probably drink too much coffee with half/half but still, glad I don't drink soda anymore.

E- I have my Wii with at least two workout games but kinda slack off on those. Have exercise videos and DEFINITELY don't do those. Have a treadmill that is kinda rickety but I'll do it once in awhile and have a cool ab lounger which I do get on. I belong to an all ladies gym near my house, only $15 a month and when I'm on my A game, I hit it hard there. Especially now that both my kids are school agers, I'd like to find more time to get there.

E- Try to count calories, not too strictly or formally. Increase fruit, veggies, lean proteins, whole wheats, high protein, high fiber, lower carb, I know a little about glycemic index, so I try to be aware of what my body and blood sugar are telling me, to avoid binges and irrational eating.

D- Lately has been various recovery things. I like that what I struggle with in my addiction/recovery are issues we can ALL talk about and relate to. I'll do today's D and share with you the promises of AA....this is how I want my life to be!

*****THE PROMISES*******
If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.

We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.

We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.

We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.

No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.

That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.

We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.

Self-seeking will slip away.

Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.

Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.

We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.

We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.



Are these extravagant promises? We think not.

They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.

They will always materialize if we work for them.

Alcoholics Anonymous p83-84


Sorry about the long post, let's get together and do this!!!! Oh wait my goal. Hmmmm....todays weigh in was 248 which feels like a fluke but I'll roll with it. So my goal will be 230, 18 pounds is doable. Oh and my husband is on the bandwagon too, he is in a thing at work about health and he found out he needs to work on his cholesterol and he's actually been motivated for a couple weeks now. So we're going to do a head-to-head challenge. So working out what the terms are going to be and what the reward is going to be.

Well I weighed in this morning at 177. I know that at least a few pounds of this is water weight and I'm hoping it will come off quickly. So my goal weight for the end of this challenge is 162.

W: I'm at 48 oz..and about to drink another 16 oz glass
E: I've eaten 1557 for today
E: only did about 15 minutes of cardio so far
D: still taking it one step at a time

Michelle. I miss you so much! I cant believe Robert is going to be 10! I so hope you get your license back, and I will be keeping my fingers crossed!

Jelly~Hows it going babe! I'm taking all the candy to work tomorrow.

Zoochick~ one day at a time is the best way to do it!


I haven't touched the candy yet, but I have come close. I doing well on my calories and I am about to make dinner. I pulled something in my shoulder today and I think I may go to the y to sit in the hot tub after DH gets home.