Featherweights: JULY CHALLENGE!

You're on Page 1 of 8
Go to
  • Seems a lot of us have goals and mini-goals to meet in about a month, and some want to do a '30-day challenge', so I thought I could start a thread where we can keep accountable together. So...


    FEATHERWEIGHTS 31-DAY JULY 2011 CHALLENGE

    Post your July goals. What is your July 1st start weight & where you want to be (changes in weight, &/or shape/size/measurements)?

    What is your plan of attack?

    Check in daily here with your weight, exercise & calories in (if you count).

    Support and vent to your fellow challengers.

    Check in on August 1st with your accomplishments!



    These next 31 days are going to mark a nice change in a lot of us! We CAN meet our goals! Who's in? What's your goal?
  • Awesome idea!

    Starting Weight: 132.4
    August 1st Goal: 128

    Plan of attack: Continue exercising 4-6x a week and counting calories.

    This month is going to be tough for me because my husband is coming home from a 6 month deployment, so there will be many celebratory dinners and two vacations thrown into the mix!
  • Starting weight: 130
    August goal: 125 or a drop down to at least 18.5% body fat plus a 5k at the end of it

    Plan of action: Morning run everyday for at least 30 minutes (or go for a swim if muscles are too sore), pilates for an hour everyday and 30 minutes stretching, hour long walk after dinner and overall just burn 700-1000 calories a day in exercise Also count calories and increase protein to a minimum of 80g daily.

    In case you haven't noticed I just LOVE exercising and I find it so much easier to decide to eat healthy high protein, low fat (and high GI if it's just after a particularly hard work out so as my muscles can repair properly) meals if I base them around what nutrients I'll need in order to train to the best of my ability.
  • Hi all,

    I am new and excited to join you ladies in this challenge! I've been lurking for a while, and I really love this forum.

    Starting Weight: 116
    August 1st Goal: 111

    Plan of attack: Things have been utterly crazy in my work life lately, thanks to a recent promotion. I gained five pounds (ouch) and I blame stress and not making myself and my wellbeing the priority that it always should be! So, this month I want to lose the weight that I gained by:
    - Revamping my diet: I want to give up sugar, real and artificial (except for fruit of course), and while flour on a daily basis. I will allow myself it for a treat (ie: a piece of cake at a birthday party). But I really want to scrap it from my daily lifestyle. I've been reading a lot by Gary Taub, and I really believe what he says about sugar being a TOXIN for our bodies. I also want to eat 8 servings of fruit or veggies so that the hungry monster doesn't kill me!
    - Getting serious about calorie counting: I am going to plan my meals the night before/that AM and will stick to it rigorously
    - Working on the mental stuff: I have a problem with binging and stress eating. I have found Beck Diet Solution helpful in the past, but never completed it. So I will be recommitting myself to that program.
    - Exercise: I was always a dedicated daily exerciser, until all this work stress kicked in. It was how I offset the damage from the point prior. I am going to get back into it and give my lazy elliptical routine a major kick in the a$$ with a mix of running, spinning, and Jillian Michaels.
    - Forgiving myself: I have still weighed daily for the past month, and I have been beating myself up for letting myself go. But you know what? It happens. I want to forgive myself and move on.
  • Ah great, exactly what I need! I am going on holiday on 2nd August, and need to keep on track

    Start weight: 67.7kg

    Goal weight (2nd August) 65.5kg (goal) or a flat stomach, whichever comes first

    Plan of attack: Keep to a whole foods, low sugar, low carb, high protein diet (1,500 calories a day). Try to walk around as much as poss, even with crutches, and do Pilates and or weights 4 x a week. I have lots of time on my hands now because we're in the school hols so I'll try to use it productively

    I'm not going to seriously weigh myself until 2nd August because:
    a) It is getting on my nerves!
    b) I have to wear a massive clumpy post-surgery shoe, my foot is really swollen and I swear that makes me heavier than I would be normally. Soooo I will weigh myself on 2nd August, when all the bandages etc come off I'll check in with my daily calories and exercise though
  • Yes! I will def. join. Love that all you ladies have such ambitious goals! You girls are awesome. Sheesh, I couldnt imagine burning 700-1000 calories in exercise a day. I can barely do my 2.5 mile run everyday and thats only around 200 calories!

    SW:136
    Aug 10: 125.8
    10.2 pounds!

    Goals: Hard 30 minute exercise at least 5 days a week.
    Calories: NO more than 1500 AVERAGE for the week.
    Food plan: Barely ANY processed foods. All clean!
  • My weight goal is modest this month. It is simply to not GAIN any weight. Optimally, I would like to lose 3lbs, to get to 129, but with all the fun and activity going on, I will be happy with just not gaining.

    Regarding eating habits: July is going to be a binge-free month. I will also keep striving to eat more healthy whole foods. All too often, I will choose one serving of potato chips for 120 calories, instead of a banana, or some almonds for the same amount. I will remind myself more often of what my body needs versus what my mouth wants.

    Fitness wise, I will keep running 3 miles 3 to 4 times a week with a longer run thrown in here and there. I will keep working on my push-ups and try to increase it from 10 to 15 by August.

    Start weight: 132.
    Goal: 129 to 132.
    Eats: 90% of what my body needs/10% of what my mouth wants.
    Exercise: Keep sweating off the fat and stress by running every other day. Tone up these flapping arms by doing push-ups, tricep dips, and hand weights.
  • So great to see you girls join in!!!

    My Goals
    Start Weight: 125.6 (as of this morning )
    Goal Weight: 117, Lose 8.4 lbs
    Fit into my beach clothes from last year for our big beach vaca in the beginning of August.

    Plan of Attack
    ~Exercise about 6 times/week. Take a day off to spend at the pool.
    ~Burn over 800 calories/day through intense cardio (running, elliptical, aerobics), strength training, outdoor walks & hikes and some pilates & yoga.
    ~Eat 1400 calories or less/day.
    ~Try to minimize my sodium intake & up my protein.
  • Am loving the 'Burn over 800 calories/day' goal skinny fast If you're up for it we can compete with each other to see who can burn the most calories in a day?

    Anyways over here in Scotland it's about 11pm so here are my results for the day:

    ~2.8K morning run (and I only walked for 6 minutes of it)
    ~pilates for 70 minutes plus 50 minutes pilates stretching spread throughout the day
    ~instead of that hour long walk I took the same route (4.8K btw) and ran it in half the time (got back an hour ago and I feel AMAZING)
    ~Consumed a bit under 1300 calories
    ~Consumed a massive 99g protein!
    ~Burned 930 calories

    Am feeling very proud of myself and let's see if you can beat that skinny fast!
  • love this idea!

    Starting Weight: 122
    August 1st Goal: 118/119 (just to break out of the 120s is all I really want!)

    Plan of attack: listen to the nutritionist...which is scary because I have to eat MORE which is terrifying to me (she thinks 1200 is the lowest i can eat AFTER exercise...meaning on days i work out and burn 400+ she thinks i should be consuming 1600 calories!)

    I want to start using myfitnesspal calorie tracker more religiously again. ive been lazy about it. and I want my minimum amount of exercise to be 4x a week, for at least an hr.

    Wooh! I go home to california august 1st, here's to hoping I can look hot in a bikini by then
  • I'll join in.

    SW: 127.8 (but I've been at ~125.5 until today so I suspect there's some water weight in there)
    GW: 124

    Plan: 1. Stick to 1200-1400 calories on off days, 900 net calories on running days 2. Run/walk 5mi 3x/wk in no more than an hour, working up to 6mi in an hour by the end of the month.

    Results today: ran/walked 5.2mi in 1.05, 600 net calories so far

    Whoa Chooks! You're off to quite a start.
  • Great goals you guys!

    @JuliaTN after yesterdays almost 5 miles my legs are KILLING ME but I still want to burn at least 700 calories today so I was wondering (since you are a runner type) if you know of any other types of exercise I could do that will still let my leg muscles recover aside form swimming and using an elliptical?

    And if anyone else read that as well then feel free to offer any contributions
  • Fantastic - I will join you!

    Goal #1 - Get in a 10 mile run before 7/31.
    Goal #2 - See 159 on the scale. This will be the first time in 6 years!!

    SW - 161
    GW - 159

    I know 2lbs seems awfully slow...but that's the way it's gone for the last year. Immensely frustrating since I train 6 days a week and count all my calories. Oh well, I see the muscle mass increasing and the body fat decreasing - so let's just KEEP WORKING!!
  • Quote: Great goals you guys!

    @JuliaTN after yesterdays almost 5 miles my legs are KILLING ME but I still want to burn at least 700 calories today so I was wondering (since you are a runner type) if you know of any other types of exercise I could do that will still let my leg muscles recover aside form swimming and using an elliptical?

    And if anyone else read that as well then feel free to offer any contributions
    Cycling is a Quad heavy cross training activity. I hurt myself, running, at least once a season - and I end up on the bike. Not sure which muscles/joints are hurting, but cycling is something that is impact free so your joints can rest as well. Also, a long, gentle walk does wonders.

    HTH
  • Chooks! I'm up for it!! Sounds motivating

    My totals yesterday:

    Consumed about 1400 cals (1300-1500?), but my protein was a tad low & sodium was too high (I treated myself to avocado 'sushi' rolls and Vietnamese summer veggie rolls for dinner instead of watching my nutrients.)

    ~elliptical for 4.4 miles
    ~treadmill at an 8 incline @ 4.5mph for 2 miles
    ~strength training (total body, but 1/2 was arms alone) for 25 min
    ~tried that youtube aerobic workout, the 9 min one, thx Chooks
    ~stretching & a few yoga exercises for 30 min while watching tv
    TOTAL burn around 1100 calories

    I'm sore today. I planned to run this morning, but my 5 year old woke up sick. I may hit the treadmill for a run still. My sodium intake was high yesterday, so I am afraid to weigh in, lol.