Happy New Year, Chickies!

It's 2005...a brand new year, and a brand new chance for success!

Ahead of us are endless possibilities...new opportunities for healthier choices. New days, weeks, and months ready for us to decide how to use them. We've come so far in 2004- look at everything we learned. The triumphs and struggles, the gains and losses, the laughter and the tears that have made us who we are. And look at the tremendous group we have built!
I can truly say there are no better supporters than our group.

I know we've all struggled individually over the last year. Some with food choices, some with sugar, some with water, and exercise, and balancing all areas. We're not going to get things together overnight, so this first Challenge of 2005 is to work on one thing. Just one area which has been the biggest problem for you in 2004.

We'll take the next 30 days to work on this. It takes 21-28 days to build a habit, so we've got a few extra days, in case we slip up.

I hope you'll join me in making 2005 our most successful year yet!

Let the Challenge begin!

Want a New Year's Avatar? Click here for a selection

Here I am! I am trying to make this first 30 days really count and with having gained probably 5#'s (i will weigh officially on Monday) I will start with that!

Here were my areas of weakness for most of the year:
*Difficulty avoiding/staying away from sugar and those kinds of products.
*Lack of consistency with planning meals and working out
*started toning, but did it for a short while and then stopped altogether!
*stopped working out in November!
*water intake once the weather cooled off dropped considerably!

Here are the areas of improvement for the year of 2004:
*Started using splenda vs. sugar in most things.
*choose lower calorie/less sugar products over fully loaded products.
*Made exercise a priority for about 2/3 of the year!
*Learned about fitness vs. "getting buff" and applied that to myself for several months (which is when I started seeing losses, BTW)!

There are several areas which need to be revisited this month but like Jennifer says, pick one and start there, so....
Here is the area I need to focus on for the first 30 days:
Consistency with:
1. Making food planning/healthy eating a habit...planning, planning, planning!
2. Working out on a scheduled basis. I have the schedule all made out
for working out...just need to stick with it!

OK, well that's it...Happy New Year everyone. I'm not feeling well today so if I get in a workout it will be amazing!

would have to be the commitment & follow through with the exercise. Even if food & water are right on target, without the exercise, nothing happens, then I get lazy, and food & water start to slide. So for this month, it'll have to be:

1. Plan to exercise 5 days a week
2. Start back slowly with the 1 mile WATP, and then build from there
3. Complete my exercise log in the journal daily

This morning, I slept in a little, then made breakfast for hubby. I wasn't hungry then, so I waited & had a brunch of an apple & cinnamon cottage double, 2 slices of pepperidge farm cinnamon bread, and 2oz of skim mozzarella cheese.

Hubby is making me sugar free kool aid as I type this, and I finished my 1 mile WATP before getting the challenge set up. I'll get the new avatars done sometime today- just need to resize & upload them & we'll be underway. I hate to put them up plain, because people tend to help themselves, so it'll have something on it, but be pretty simple.

Okay, time to relax a little, and later, I think I'll even get on the bike for some afternoon movement.

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone!

My goals for the new year are pretty simple - I want to get back into the routine of the diet and exercise plan that I know works for me: :

1) 1200 calories / 20 fat grams per day
2) 8-10 glasses of water per day
3) At least 4 (45 min - 1 hr) yoga sessions per week
4) At least 4 (30 min) cardio sessions per week

I know that if I can get into a routine, this is a plan I can stick to. Soooo... Hopefully this challenge will help me stick to this long enough to establish that routine.

Good luck to all! We can do this!

-Lauren

I'm here! Happy New Year, chicks!

I did learn a lot during 2004, and now it's time to refocus and start applying all the things I know. The main thing I know is that I have to exercise regularly if I want to lose weight, and I have to pay attention to my calorie intake. I'm also going to start paying attention to carb/fat/protein ratios, and the food pyramid, and try to work in more veggies and fruits. And drink as much water as possible.

I've got my goals/resolutions for the year written down at home (I'm at Steve's right now), and I'll post them in the morning when I do my measurements/weigh-in. I'm going to post all of my goals, not just those that are weight-loss related, simply because I know I'm going to talk about other stuff during the year, and you'll all get to read all about it, so you might as well know what I'm talking about.

This is going to be a good year for us, I just know it. We've got a great group here, and it's only going to get better. This is the year for us to meet our goal, lose the weight, and grow stronger as individuals and as friends. I wish the best for all of you in the year ahead of us, and look forward to hearing about all of your setbacks and successes.

~Elisha

You guys know I'm in.
I haven't come up with my resolutions as of yet that way I got on here to get some ideas. I think Jennifer, hikein, and Lauran your goals sound great and have helped me come up with a few I need to do as well.
I weighed this morning I have lost .5lb not much but still its a lose. My hubby is sick just when I get the 5kids back to their houses lol. Now I have another baby to deal with hehe but thats ok.
Well I"m gonna go check on hubby take care,
Heather

Heather -

I'm impressed that you've lost any at all! I haven't weighed in over a week, but I know I've gained at least a pound over the holidays! :sman:

-Lauren

Okay...new avatars are up...if you find anything else you like, or want something personalized, PM me & I can make any changes

I'll be back in later to update....we had chickarina soup for lunch- yum, and very low calorie, too! Getting back on this horse, and this time I'm hanging on & not letting anything throw me off course.

Hope everyone is having a great first day of 2005!

You know I gotta be here

I have decided on the following five resolutions for 2005. I posted them at 1:06 am this morning on the journal.
1. I will continue to work toward a healthier life style by eating less and exercising more. Eating less unnatural sugar and “white” carbs as to keep my diabetes II in check. My wellness is also aided by regular daily exercise which also helps toward keeping me mobile (arthritis) and reducing my blood pressure and reducing stress (hypertention & depression) and keeping my heart pumping and circulation moving (edema).

2. I will continue to work toward my PMAC Level II

3. I will work toward becoming more organized at home and at work by keeping lists and checks and planning and scheduling chores and tasks by priority.

4. I will keep better track of my/our finances by tracking spending and deposits as they happen.

5. I will try to reach out and make some new friends and touch base with those who I’ve lost touch with.

The one thing I want to work on specifically for the next month - and my area that needs the greatest amount of forcus - is getting in some daily exercise. I enjoy it while doing it, but for some reason I always come up with excuses not too. I need the motivation.... So I will report here (starting Monday) reporting my daily exercise. No more excuses.... that should be my new motto

A Safe and Happy New Year to all ...
Joy

Happy New Year!!

There is nothing like January 1st to make you reflect on the year past, and plan for the year yet to come. Last January 1st, I committed to a healthier lifestyle.....and signed on to 3FC with a born-again enthusiasm. I spent the next 8 months reading and learning, trying to find the right program for me and the right group of chicks to keep me motivated. The football coaches would call it a 'building year'.

I feel like I have laid the foundation for the rest of my life. I know what I have to do.....eat right, exercise, drink water......but, more than that, I have to use my brain. I have to apply everything I have learned; I have to be conscious of the daily choices I make regarding my health.

Specifically, for January, I will focus on exercise. It has been my most difficult struggle in 2004. And it is the linch pin of my entire program......if I can exercise regularly, everything else falls into place and I see positive results.

The year ahead is full of challenges, but I know we are ready for them. This is an incredible group....together, we can do anything!

Squabb, Great goals! As are everyone's. I'm still working on a list of goals and/or aims (I'll call mine aims because I want to be different ). I'm also working on a list of things to be thankful for. 2004 was a great year for me. I quit my old job and got a new one, took a pay cut, but then got not one, but two raises (confirming my decision) and I've cut my stress levels at work from a strong 8-9 to ZERO! I won tickets to my first concert which just so happened to be the band I am totally obsessed with BARENAKED LADIES!

I had a small success in losing weight, but quickly quit when it didn't come off as fast as I thought it should be. I've got a sneaking suspicion that it's not just me, it IS harder for me to lose (maybe because of that stupid gastric by-pass). I was actually jogging... oh don't get me started on that again, you know how I whine. But if that's the cold, hard facts, then that's that. I'll have to deal with it. If I don't lose some weight and soon, I've got serious consequences to deal with. I'll just simply have to work harder.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good about moving my arse again. Seems I have no choice. This polyester straight jacket, they call a uniform is creaking at the seams and if I don't do something AND NOW, I'll have to ask for a leave of absence or something. It took so long to get the uniforms, once ordered, it's not going to happen quick enough to bother ordering them again. And no, although it may be possible to have them altered, I'll not give in and do that. Better to just bite the bullet and move my expanding butt.

My sister lost close to 90 pounds with Weight Watchers. That's all I'll say about that.

Okay, no promises that I'll post here every day. But I will subscribe and read up on all of you, I'll post daily in my journal (which you are all welcome to participate in) and I'll be fighting this fight right along side all of you. Hip hip hoooooray!

Oh, how I need this challenge!! I learned that eating your way through the Christmas holiday can rapidly result in a 10 pound weight gain. But, I'm trying not to look back at that, and instead, focus on what I CAN DO ABOUT IT. I've been to the grocery store and stocked the kitchen. I've had the all important "chat" with myself about why I need to do this once and for all. Is this worth it? Absolutely. Am I worth the effort? Absolutely. I feel like I am at "rock bottom"..gosh it's a bad place to be.

I know what a terrific group you are, and I believe that being a part will help me to be successful...and perhaps I can be of some support to some of you as well.

MY MAIN GOAL I think for starters is to get my food portions/water intake under control. I also would like to get my exercise going..and I am going to be working on that as well. I want to get my vitamins started again too.

I hope you all had a terrific and restful 1st day of the year!!

(((((Hugs))))),
Lisa

One thing I forgot to say was that I know that without many of you here/this group...I would have quit a long time ago, so I thank you for being here and cheering me on and helping me through the tough times. I know there will be tough times ahead this year as well, but I have learned where to go and what to do! You all are truly my friends!

I wish I was feeling more up to exercising today because I would have started, but unfortunately, the intestinal flu has gotten the best of me and I have been chasing back and forth to the toilet most of the day! Let me just say that Ihope none of you are afflicted with this because it sucks! Blah! So much for upbeat and happy beginnings in 2005!!!

I promise, though, that if I am feeling better tomorrow...I will workout somehow!

All of your goals sound great! Let's do this together...and since so many of us are making exercise a priority....I feel a challenge coming on!!!!!

WOW everyone goals sound wonderful. I was to surprise that lost weight too. OK I came up with 8 different goals for this coming year.
2005 Goals
1) Limit Cola intake to 2 per week
2) Exercise at least 3-6 times per wk
3) Keep my food and activity journal up to date
4) Make sure not to eat high pnt snacks at school
5) Stick to my custom ww plan
6) Get up to drinking at least 60oz of water daily
7) Start being happier with myself
8) Find one thing each wk I like about myself and focus on that whenever I get upset or depressed
Goals Week of Jan. 3-9:
Exercise at least once this week
Water to be 40oz daily
keep food at pnt range 18-23 daily
Ladies I know we can do this lets all get to working hard and having fun....

I was surprised! Yesterday went really well for me. I ate within my point range, drank my water, and had the right amount of fruits and veggies. No exercise, though- I have this icky cold! I'm going to try the exercise bike today...maybe at least 20 min. on there would make me feel better about starting "Exercise in 2005". I found the neatest thought, and I wanted to share it with you:

Steps along the way
Progress is made in steps. Be willing to take enough steps, and you can get wherever you want.
Imagine walking to a destination that is one mile away. The first step doesn't seem to take you very far, though if you keep going you'll be there in half an hour.
When working toward a goal, the intermediate steps may seem tedious and unfulfilling. Yet in reality, they are the very essence of fulfillment.
That fulfillment will be realized when the steps are all taken. Keep going, and the achievement will be yours.
Whether the goal is modest or highly ambitious, taking sure and steady steps will get you there. When you're willing to take the necessary steps, there is no limit to where you can go.

Though the goal may seem distant, the pathway is not. The first step is right in front of you now.
-- Ralph Marstonv

*I just loved this!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a super day everyone!

Lisa