Welcome to the fifth challenge for 2004! Whether you are a returning Challenge Chickie, or new to the group, welcome!



June is here, and we're officially into hot days and less clothing. Sleeveless shirts, shorts, tank tops, and the dreaded bathing suits! It stays lighter at night, so no excuses why we can't get some activity in each day, right? We all need to find the balance between eating right and exercising- both are equally important to getting the pounds off.

Whatever your program, whatever your fitness level, you can participate.
Post your goal(s) for the month of June, and join us for support and encouragement. Anyone is welcome to join us- please, make yourself at home.

This Challenge thread is being set up as a place where we can all come to share our progress, our struggles, our triumphs, and to cheer on those who are committed to a healthier lifestyle, and to just talk!

Let the challenge begin!

**** Want a cool Challenge Avatar? Click here for several choices!

My Goals....

Food:
*Stay on plan
*Only deviances will be 1 birthday extravaganza on 6/17 and 1 scheduled dinner out with hubby

Water:
*96 oz water before I leave work each day (4 24oz glasses)

Exercise:
*Every work day morning- minimum 1 mile WATP or 30 minutes on the bike
*Afternoon exercise- Upper body, lower body, resistance bands, WATP, or bike
*Weekends: 10 miles on the bike, or 2 miles WATP minimum

This is all super-critical now with the house stuff going on- there's going to be a lot of stress & uncertainty going on for the next month...a lot of things still up in the air. Time to make sure that I've "idiot-proofed" my routine so that I can do it without thinking- and that's half the battle.

I'm ready for this, big time! Printing & pasting everywhere

My goals are very similiar to Jennifer's AKA The Focused Dragon, with the exception of her birthday bash. Hey, can I splurge on that day too? I was getting close to a major goal and I messed up. I started backsliding and now I have to re-lose those pounds I gained and this sucks dirt. I'm feeling focused and well, angry. Anger can be as good a motivator as any. Clenched teeth, June, here I come!

I'm here!!

Goals =
* Foods on track every day and no after dinner snacking ANY MORE unless it's sugar-free jello
* 25 min ellipitical 6 days per week, NO EXCUSES
* Fit into the ugly green dress by June 30th.
* Take off June 16th (and maybe the weekend before or after) for my awesome birthday.

That's about it, really. Not gonna post a specific "must lose this many lbs" thing becuase that's just not realistic for me, anymore. With the last bit of weight that I'm fighting, it's the hardest part, and it's not fair for me to expect it to all disappear in a month or two, because it just won't happen that way.

Looks like we have a birthday month here, Lucy....back to back, too

I just have to work even harder to make sure that I pay attention & do what I need to.

Today:
Breakfast:
diet coke- still woefully over-full from the crappy weekend food.

midmorning-
1 cup sugar free hot chocolate (50 calories, 9g carbs)

Lunch:
3/4 cup bowtie pasta
2 meatballs
sprinkle parmesan
4oz can drained pineapple

Dinner:
Chickarina soup- just trying to keep it light.

Jennifer - That's right!! Our b-days are right next to each other, aren't they? Woowoo!!

I did 17 min of ellipitical today. I'm strapped for time and energy at the moment... got one **** of a cold that is whooping me for no good reason (Grr!) and I have been just super busy and it doesn't help, eh? Had a 1/2 sandwich for lunch and about 1/3 cup rice a roni, gave the rest to the dog. I just didn't want a rice cake.

Anyway, now off to the chiro, then back home to do more tapes and deal with the FAFSA stuff for college. Looking hopeful that I'd be able to start in Fall, if not sooner!! WOOWOO!!

New avatars are up if anyone is interested....I'm calling it an evening- dinner was chickarina soup with extra water to help fill me up, and 1 oz of fat free cheese & 9 slices of turkey pepperoni to get my protein in.

Now, I'm going to go do a resistance band circuit or 3...it feels like a Monday, for sure!

Catch you chickies in the morning, where I hope to report good news- at least the 1 mile WATP tape, no matter what.

I had to take Thursday off so we can go deal with financing stuff for the new house....wish me luck! I'll try to behave that day- at least I know I can get up in the morning and do a super-intense workout, because I don't have to have my butt in the office at 8am!

Have a wonderful night, chickies!

Howdy Folks,

I'm new to this site but not new to dieting...sigh.

So I would like to join your challenge if I may.

My goals for June:

Change the bad habit of snacking whenever I sit at the computer. It's just water or plain ice tea for me!

Exercise! I need to go back to hiking more than once a week so I am aiming for a 5 mile hike 3 times a week.

Rewards will not be food!!!!! I think I will reward myself with a manicure if, nope when! I succeed.

Okay that's enough for now. Phew that was tuff!

Gotta love those smileys!!!

So, here we are into June! What the heck happened to May, already? I'm as happy to see it go as I was to see it get here! No lbs lost, no lbs gained! Right about where I was at the beginning of the month! I weighed myself today and I am at 170.5 which is up l# (much better than the 5# I was anticipating) from last week! *Sigh!* After the binge weekend I had along with the PMS bloat happening, I'm happy it's only one!!!

So...goals for June...pretty much the same. Stick with my plan of eating and exercising...hoping to do *some* sort of exercise daily even if it's just l mile of WATP in the morning. That's better than nothing which was pretty much the existence of my month in May!

My other goal is to start hiking! I have checked out the trails and I don't remember if I mentioned it here, but felt a little wierd about walking there...it felt pretty isolated to me. But since then I have talked to a bunch of people and they seem to think that that particular park is well monitored and safe! Of course, my Dad had to tell me that I could get lost easily on the trails if I'm not careful! Thanks Dad! So I'm going to get a good compass, a decent pair of hiking type boots/shoes and just "dig in" and do it...this is the month! I have hubby's support (of course, he doesn't jump up and down to volunteer to go with me, but at least he's not saying "don't do it!" ) He even mentioned something about borrowing a GPS from some guy he works with to do some geocaching on our vacation at the end of this month! Hmmmm! Maybe I CAN persuade him to go with me!!!

Mary & Lucy...great to see you here! Please stay with us even if you just only check in once a week or so. It helps to know that we aren't in this gawd awful struggle alone!!!! I miss my chickies when they aren't here! I become depressed and irritable and even *angry* sometimes!!!! Not a pretty sight, if ya know what I mean! And it sure helps ME to be accountable to ALL of you. If you aren't here, who the heck is gonna tazer my a** when I stray!!!!?? Oh yea...we always have our fearless leader, Jennifer (aka...too many to list here, but my hero anyway!)!!

CACritter...welcome! Your goals seem reasonable! Maybe you can give me some tips on hiking! 5 miles 3 times a week! Geesh! I am aiming for ONE 5 mile hike this month! But then, I do need to do more walking and just plain getting in shape! My butt is getting bigger again! I can just feel the muscle wasting away! ARGH!!!

I can't beleive this is the 5th challenge this year! Whoa! And we still have a few of the original members! Yea! I want this to be my personal best challenge yet! I KNOW I can do this! I just know it! I am not aiming for#'s because like Lucy said, it's just not gonna work for me, either! But I can be honest with myself on a daily basis and be happy about who I am and what I am aiming to be! I need to find a good quote for June!

Hints on hiking...hmmmm.

Carry a backpack - something small. In it you should carry the 10 essentials.
* whistle
* a knife
* matches
* a bandana
* a map of the trails in the park you are hiking
* a compass (and the knowledge of how to use it to align your map)
* a small first aid kit with moleskin (or duct tape)
* an extra layer of clothes (a jacket usually)
* a flashlight
* some high energy food source (luna bars or mojo bars are good)

and of course water.

You should be able to recognize whatever poisonous plants are in your area, like poison ivy or poison oak. (leaves of three, let it be! although if it has thorns it is most like raspberries, LOL)

All of this can help you if you get lost and should make you more confident to hike on your own. I love walking in our local park - Rancho San Antonio has lots of lone walkers/joggers. And they have trail docents wandering around too, if you need help.

Remember to look up occasionally and admire the beauty around you. I can't tell you how many people I past staring intently at the dirt they are walking over. Take off the earphones and listen to the birds singing. It is so wonderful out there in the forest!

Have fun hiking!

Current Weight: 160.5
Current mini goal: 154 (by June 26)
Next mini goal 150 (July 13)

4th of July goal 152 (July 4)

Long term goal: 135

Stay within 1000-1300 Calories Daily
Eat healthy, low-fat, and sugar
Drink water

Biggest Challenge: Getting back to exercising everyday.
Mini-challenge: bring in additonal exercise to do in afternoons besides walking in the morning.

Did my 1+ mile this morning WATP! Ate a healthy breakfast of Kashi Go Lean, melon & cheese! Coffee! Ready to roll for the day! Yea! I will do my best today. I will think about what I am putting into my body today before I do it! I will work hard and smile often!

CAcritter...thank you sooooo much for the tips! I actually got a book from the library (50 Best Hiking Trails in Lower Michigan) and your list practically mirrors the list they had in the book! You are da woman!!!! Compass...learn how to use it with a map! LOL!!!! I love it! I sure hope my girlscout days come back to me there!!! I can just see it now...me walking through the woods....oops! How do you use this darned thing, anyway???? LOL! That would be so typical of me (blonde and all!!!) So tell me...do you ever get fearful? Alright...I'm gonna talk myself right out of this again...stop it, Julie!

Today for lunch I have planned:
a breast of bbq chicken (left over from Sunday night) and asparagus, melon.
for supper...I don't have anything planned. Must do that today!

Have a super day everyone...Turtle, did you get your mile in this morning????

Hey all! I am new to this site and just started my new diet(hate the word!!!) today. I am going to try the slim fast plan for 2 reasons. #1 how hard can it be?? haha.....#2 I'm a sweet person. I will eat sweets all day if I can. So why not indulge my sweet tooth with these shakes(the chocolate royale is very yummy and chocolate---need I say more?

Here are my goals for June
1. Stick with the slim fast plan. Every day except Sundays, and then eat in moderation.
2. Drink 8 glasses of water a day
3. make for 15 days of exercise this month

That's it. I'm not going to bog myself down with too many things, or I'll definately lose this challenge

By the way, my name is Lenna, I am 24(almost 25) and have been married a little over a year. I am 5'4 and weighed in yesterday at 211. I'm not going to weigh myself again until july 1st, as I seem to have an obsession with the scale, so it is packed in a box and will not see the light of day until after we move in to our new house.

Hope everyone having a good day!!

LEnna

Tried on the ugly green xmas tree dress this morning.

There is some good news, although my day is sucking royally. (FAFSA is destroying me mentally and emotionally and i am so upset because I'm just convinced I won't be able to get financial aid and my stupid TOM went AGAIN from the stress, I'm sure, but then my emotions are just out of whack and UGH I just want it to be over!!!!!!!!!!!)

I fit in the dress. The only part that relaly needs work now is my stomach, which I'm certain I can whoop in two months, right? Plus, it's now to the point where a stomach-holder-inner would help a great deal, and I just need a slip to toss under it to make things look better. WOOHOO!! At least one thing is going the right way. Less than 1 inch from being able to button the 32x30 jeans in my closet, you guys.

Did 10 squats so far, a little bit of ab workout... waiting for the Financial Aid dude to call me but he was supposed to call at 10 and he still hasn't. If he doesn't call by 11, then to **** with it, and I am going to go work out. I'm sick of waiting for other people when they can't be on time and I'm ahead of schedule, ya know?

Blech. Anyway... yeah. There was a little bit of ice cream in the freezer and I felt like crap when I woke up so I ate it. Now there's no more ice cream to destroy my plans for world domin--- I mean domination of my abs.

TOday's food is okay, still within calorie limits.
B - well, it -was- gonna be 2 rice cakes w/ peanut butter, but it turned into 1/8 cup ice cream.
L - 2 rice cakes w/ peanut butter and a bottle of water
D - taco stuff (making it extra spicy for myself!)

Workout is 20 min on the ellipitical, 30 squats, the usual, etc etc.

Blah. I'm tired and sick. Sorry... I'll have a nicer post later.

WElcome to all the new chickies, btw!!! WOOHOO!! Well it's almost 11 and I am sick of waiting... so I'm gonna go workout and to **** with everything else for the day until I've had my ME time. YEA!

Hey chicks!
I'm here for the challenge!
Goals for this month:
Get back into the exercise habit. 4-5 days per week.
Strength train 3-4 days per week.
Lose 4-5 pounds this month, putting me at 210 or lower.

I'll catch up more later.
~Elisha