Yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo YO! Here we be in the Great Hall putting up holiday and peering anxiously through the stained glass window for the Winter Solstice.

Insofar as the club o' s known as the Courtly Challengers, Regal Reducers and Merrie Maintainers hath seemingly reached a consensus that the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21) would be a good target date for a weight loss/maintenance challenge and insofar as this time is also related to a number of other winter celebrations me thinketh this Great Hall should be dedicated solely to said weight loss/maintenance challenge. Accordingly the palace lackeys have been busy transforming the Great Hall into a gathering place for those s participating in the challenge.

Insofar as this late fall/winter season be the last shot this year the s will have to reach their weight goals for 2003, methinks we should GIVE IT OUR ALL because we do seemingly seem to collectively feel that weigh loss/maintenance/fitness is an important part/goal of our individual and nonvirtual lives. SO LET'S GO FOR IT!!!

Accordingly, we asketh that said s who feeleth inclined should come into this Great Challenge Hall AT LEAST once a day (or otherwise if they so desireth) and BRIEFLY post only their COUNTDOWN (e.g. anything they want related to counting down the days and actively working on their weight loss/maintenance/fitness goals on the GIANT WHITE BOARD in the center of the room! We, the Winter Solstice, Etc. Countdown Committee, chaired by the Court Jester ask that all future posts be brief (that means YOU, Amarantha) and only related to the challenge countdown!!! (No rambling, Amarantha)!

Over and out, yurs in fitness, from the Winter Palace!!

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-LA!

I'm in!

Today's Exercise: 45 min. step aerobics video [6:30 AM]
20 min. dumbell routine
2 miles treadmill [3:00 PM]
15 min. yoga

Food: Indulged in reasonable lunch at a Mexican restaurant---food for the rest of the day will be low-fat and low-calorie. Planning on salad with LOTS of vegetables and fruit. [Hoorah! Clementines are back at the market!]

Have not weighed this week, and may not until next week, given the time of month it is.

I am still going for 7 lbs by the Solstice.

Did good on food today so far, and am not hungry for anything else tonight.

Except water...I could drink a river dry today!

Well, ok, was going to post here tomorrow but thanks be to s Eydie and Wildfire for joining Ms. in the Great Hall of Giving Thy All (for the winter challenge).

Today I did have a few too many points (lengthy explanation on other thread) but REALLY GAVE MY ALL in the exercise department: 40 minutes at gym, 15 outside jogging in street (I now hate treadmill) and the rest doing intervals on recumbent bike indoors. Drank full bottle of water with a very high quality hydration powder I ordered from them ... loaded with the B12 and other stuff ... definitely not the gator, but it gets me drinking more.

Brevity!

went over by 300 cals. today, but did my regular exercise which was good. portion control is what i need the most work on-tomorrow i will be on target with that too.

Brevity mode.

Happy to report I came in at about 1600 calories yesterday which includes the 1 a.m. slimfast bar. However, got no exercise in due at least partly to the lack of sleep. So I'd say a B. But it's one good day on my weekend challenge so that's an extra happy face.

Spent good amount of time packing up more "too big" clothes so that was an additional motivator. Bye Bye, too bigs.

I am checking in here too today as I need an extra dose to kickstart my plan that ran off into the ditch.

So far today, I have had a great beginning....

Stoneground wheat bread (2) slices
w/ 2 spicy bean veggie burgers-- some of you might think that's a heavy breakfast but it keeps the stomach noises away and I need to figure out away to keep this hand to mouth activity to a minumum (Sp)

Off to the showers!

Ohyes I'm in for this one I'm hoping to lose another 7;bs before the solstice also go to the gym more regularly and the usual not drink too much alcohol!

so s the is here with you all

c'yas

Breakfast: cereal and toast

Lunch: Instant chicken noodle soup (75 cal/cup...may have 2!)
Suppose I should have something with it....will update later.

Exercise: Hoping for a neighborhood stroll later in the crisp air.

Got on the scale this morning and I've gained a pound. Yippee.

Welcome, o' Kiwonk, from the pasture next door! Glad thou decideth to tally and dally here in our hall, where we GIVE OUR ALL!!!

Amarantha be reporting early that she's NOT going to do the Monday weigh-in and will continue with plan to skip for the week. However, she be still OP but hath delved mightily into flexpoints as she be stressed from writing the story from heck to satisfy the royal taxeditors! Will returneth tomorrow to this hall/thread! Pretty good brevity, huh?

Hidy Ho neighbor Kiwonk! Glad to have you in our hall!

Just had four crackers with the soup earlier.

Dinner was rotisserie chicken, four small potato wedges, 1/2 cup of pasta salad, and ice water. Geez, you can tell I don't low-carb!

Didn't get the walk in today...ran out of time after spending two hours on the highway looking for my interview spot. Now I'm just too freakin' tired. And cranky.

G'd evening. I'm happy to say I'm pleased with myself again tonight. Not a perfect day but a solid B. So feel I did pretty well on weekend challenge and that rounds out a full week of being pretty OP. Don't think I've lost an actual pound, of course. Lowest number I've seen all week is the same lowest number that has shown up a time or two before. Of course, that means I've undone the damage I had done last week and puts me down POUNDS from Monday morning. But I'm only counting virgin losses. I notice clothes looser and more abdominal "contouring" to keep me going.

So while one good week does not a journey make, at least I managed one. And tomorrow is Fresh Start Mondy already!