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"Every-Day" 21-Day Challenge -- A-COUNT-able through the holidays!
Okay, everyone, as is the tradition, I start a new thread when I personally start a new challenge.
Below is a short explanation of how this challenge works so all you newcomers can take a look and decide if you're game or not! I hope you are! Hop aboard and enjoy the ride. We've got a great bunch of supportive people, so I hope you'll give us a try. A lot of people try for a while and then disappear.. I hope some of you will keep trying. There is NO shame in starting over. Remember, it's not over till you give up. And our motto around here is: NEVER GIVE UP!!...Just start OVER!! EXPLANATION AND RULES: It works like this: you decide you'll do something for 21 days straight, every single day, so keep it doable. Then you count ....one through 21.....and if you flub it, you MUST go back to zero and start over again. Everyone will be on different days. You can start anytime. At the beginning of the challenge you declare what level it is -- Level 1, 2, or 3. Level 1 means you feel it's a relatively easy challenge for you and means you only give yourself ONE pause day (see explanation of pause days below). Level 2 would give you two pause days and so on... And taking NO pause days is what I'm going to call "aceing a challenge," as in "I'm aiming on aceing this one!" Yowzah!! :cb: With a pause day you pause in your counting and continue the next day with the number you left off with. Pause days are NOT substitutes for days, i.e. Day 12 -- Day 13 -- Pause Day -- Day 14..... I suggest taking a pause day late in the game (better to go back to Day 1 early on) if you need a break or screw up when you're well into the challenge, meaning, when you're on Day 15 or something like that. In any case, the trick is to keep going. The momentum builds and it's great incentive to stick to your guns, cause if you don't.........back to START you go. :( And the really great thing about this challenge is that you are forming new habits that will wipe out the old! AND, you get to do it with a great bunch of really supportive people to whom you are accountable! :grouphug: THREAD GUIDELINES: In the interest of maintaining structure, a sense of solidarity and facilitating support I ask anyone who wishes to join this thread to please strive to follow the following guidelines while participating in this challenge and in posting. 1. Although this is a fabulous support group, the focus is to be on your CHALLENGE/S and/or other people's challenge/s AND weight loss, whether your challenge is about it or not. Please keep the challenge a priority, although we welcome chattiness! :lol: This means tell us what day you're on when you post and it's a good idea to make regular mention of just what your challenge is. This an action-based thread. Our members are ON a challenge, RESTARTING a challenge, or just in between and looking to start up again REAL SOON. ;) We also welcome posts from admirers, encouragers, and old friends! 2. Please refrain from posting food logs or recipes, except where you are really looking for help and advice on your eating. If journaling is your challenge, please keep the journaling off the thread and in a notebook or blog and just tell us if you've done what you set out to do. We have ALL types of dieters here, low-carb, high-carb, low-fat, high-fat, vegetarians, meat-lovers...please use simple mentions if you have something you want to share and then links and/or private messages to do so. 3. Please do NOT go into glowing accounts of any slipups, food indulgences or binges, what we here call "food porn." Simple mentions are fine, but use of smilies :censored: :tape: etc. as substitutes where possible is encouraged. 4. Please keep this a secular thread. Of course, passing references to your beliefs, a bit of introduction about your beliefs, brief faith-related words of encouragement are fine. :angel: 5. Please show support, support, support! This is key. :grouphug: You can waffle on about yourself but please, at least occasionally,come up and look around at others and what they are doing and MENTION it with words of encouragement and/or praise or sympathy. We understand "busy," poor computer connections, and bouts of self-pity and life problems where the focus turns to "me" and dealing with those problems, but these should be temporary, not a habit! ('cept in the computer case.) In conclusion, let me say, the above are just that, GUIDELINES. Please realize that these guidelines have been added in an attempt to keep this a supportive and beneficial thread, at the LEAST, to those who need it MOST, those for whom weight loss is the hardest and, more often than not, the most crucial as well as for those who still, perhaps despite great success, know all too well that the road they walk will always be a slippery one. :^: The guidelines are also meant to cultivate an atmosphere of consideration and concern for ALL, not individually, but AS A GROUP. Well, all's said. Please join us!! :wave: |
To everyone...this is a CONTINUATION of the old thread..no need to start over. Newcomers are ALWAYS welcome!!!
Got through the day. I'm not happy with the way my body is responding to eating clean. It seems to be absorbing MORE calories, holding fluid, bulking up, I don't know, but I feel and look (I think) bigger than ever. :( It's very hard to gauge with clothes since they are all stretchy these days and I absolutely hate taking measurements (nothing like having to look at the fat let alone measure it! :barf: ). I think I have to stop going with "feelings." They are my downfall. "Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts." This is what I need. Well, here's to a successful, productive day. No smoking -- Round 4 -- 2 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 6 completed 1 pause taken |
I really love the concept of this, so let's give it a try. For the next 21 days I will be cooking all of my own meals, breaking that addiction to fast food. This is an extremely hard one for me, so level 3. It's after midnight, so I will consider this day 1 of 21.
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Day 8, round 2 for me today. I'm really making this a habit and I appreciate that this thread gave me the actually push to do it.
What is my goal? To dance through at least 2 songs every day. I'm not much on exercise and I find it boring. I avoid it like the plague. But, I have been enjoying this little danceathon of mine. I put in my ipod and let it go to any song and I dance according to whatever comes on. Sometimes it's slow and other times it's fast. I try to interpret the energy and emotion of the song. It's making me committed to a little bit of movement each day. I am really busy and it's hard to make time for exercise, so this challenge keeps me on target. |
Day 1 of round 1, cooking every meal at home to break the fast food addiction cycle. Usually mornings are hard because I want to pull through McDs for a fast breakfast sandwich after i drop the kids at school...but they are home today so I don't have to worry about that :) I feel confident and motivated so this shouldn't be a problem today.
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Purple, you can do it! I'm doing something similar this evening. Making a WW recipe for homemade Lo Mein instead of getting Chinies/Japanese food. I'm getting my son and husband shushi and they can have some of what I am making as well. I'm going to enjoy it.
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really too much...
Yet another day from **** yesterday and I just want to cry all the time. I really can't take this stuff anymore. Now the other cat has run out and not come back out night although I left the cat door open (freezing the room in doing so). I had just come home and let her out of the cage to play and then went outside for a moment to bring in the wash and accidentally left the door open. She ran out and though I saw her playing nearby and crying she wouldn't come back in. This morning I walked around looking for her but there is NO sign whatsoever and I have to go to work. It really pisses me off that, after all the care and good home I gave them, they just run off. Well, it sounds like a lot of the men I have known... :( Other than that, the day was crap as well except for my challenges. I had to give up visiting my horse because I had work to finish. Determined not to waste the day, I got to the gym and went through the motions again despite quite a bit of pain in one hand. Then I discovered that my cell phone had broken (no idea how but the screen seemed to have suffered a blow) and I spent most of the night trying to get a replacement and having to pay for that and go tomorrow to pick up a new phone and blah, blah, blah. The only GOOD thing that happened during the day was I got a haircut that I actually like! Please, please, please, that some good things happen to me today... No smoking -- Round 4 -- 3 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 7 completed 1 pause taken ************** purple -- Welcome! :welcome: Your challenge sounds like a great one and I hope you had a successful liftoff! Yes, you can do this. Just think of all the gross stuff hidden in fast food and the money you are giving to mega companies that don't deserve it or pay their employees enough but make HUGE profits! I quit smoking nine weeks ago and the motivation for me was NOT giving the government any more of my money (there was a big price hike). Sometimes health, even though THE most important thing, loses its efficacy as a reason. Well, do whatever it takes and good luck! derry - Happy dancing! |
Red, so sorry about the cats. I hope you find them.
I had a decent day yesterday. Used way too many of my WW points, though, but I still danced! Today is round 2, day 9... can't believe I've danced for this many days in a row. Time flies. |
Got through another day but was feeling pretty weak. Got to the gym but had to cut way down on the poundage. No sign of the cats... I had a bit of sugar yesterday. It was really minimal but I'm taking the pause. This is the way I have to think, NOT, as I used to, where a "pause" meant a binge.
Weight is up again and my clothes are tight. Don't know and am getting to the point where I don't care again...a dangerous and self-sabotaging point.... No smoking -- Round 4 -- 4 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 7 completed 2 pauses taken derry -- That's great that you're dancing so consistently! Time is funny, isn't it? Sometimes it flies, sometimes it drags, I guess it's a matter of learning to distract yourself. So, like now, when I'm focusing on and bummed about my weight, I should distract myself with other things. :^: |
Well, weight-in this morning showed a slight drop in weight, which has me right on track for my pound-a-week-weight-loss target. It's not much but I suppose it's the best weight, slow and steady. Got to keep it up. May I have the....whatever it takes.
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The one cat came back!! Hurrah! :dance:
Too much going on here and am taking a day off the gym today. Boyfriend from years ago (unamicable ending!) bugging me with early-morning phone calls, wanting to meet. Damn, I hate these stalkers! Bunch of lunatics. :mad: No smoking -- Round 4 -- 5 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 8 completed 2 pauses taken |
Red, such good news about the one cat! Now, keep that door closed! Maybe the other cat will show up too?
Today is day 10, round 2. I hurt my back and I almost didn't dance, but I did. I did some back strengthening exercises to. Maybe you should meet the X boyfriend? You never know. Purplefirefly, how are you doing? |
No smoking -- Round 4 -- 6 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 9 completed 2 pauses taken |
Good job!
So tried... but I did dance. |
I'm in serious danger right now of going out to the convenience story and buyin a LOT of junk food to stave the cravings and appease my anger that I am fatter than ever! What is going on?
.....well, I am doing it again...thinking that I can eat whatever I want as long as it's NOT junk food. It would seem perhaps not...I don't know. It just ticks me bad.... :mad: |
Well, I made it through last night. I ate a lot of other food (no wonder I don't lose weight, I'm compensating well! :^: ) and then I played the piano and that distracted me. I almost went out right before going to bed but though, why do that if I'm going to sleep?!?!? There is something that makes me do it because I feel deprived or entitled or some warped thing. It's NOT a matter of logic obviously or hunger. I have to figure a way to get around this, much as I did with the smoking....
Well, today I go out to the mountains to see my horse and I ALWAYS end up stuffing myself with whatever junk food I can on the 4-hour trip back. It's the train ride, especially the end, because I can't sleep on the train and I just hate it. I'm too tired/uncomfortable/irritated to read and so end up assuaging my feelings with food. It doesn't really help but then again does. It's also because I don't eat enough good good because there really is no place to. I am determined not to do this today. It will be REALLY hard. Wish me luck. No smoking -- Round 4 -- 7 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 10 completed 2 pauses taken |
Why do you keep a horse so far away, Red?
I danced again today, running later and going to bed... will look back to see what day I'm on tomorrow. |
Today is Round 2, Day 13... I shall dance again!
Now, I do have a confession. I tried ONE push up yesterday. It was not successful. I may start a new challenge of trying one push up each day until I can get one that looks really good. Then, I might try to go for two of them, etc. I'm not so such about it yet. I might try it a few days and see if I think I would truly stick to it. I would think anybody ought to be able to do a few push ups. Think about in the military when they say "drop and give me 20". Well, that would not be possible for me at all. I bet those flabby arms of mine would look well toned if I could do some? |
Just a note...
Eating clean has fallen again.... :( Continuing on the no smoking ok..... No smoking -- Round 4 -- 10 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 0 completed |
Day 15, round two here.
Red, you can do this! Keep up the good work. I wish the others who were doing this would come back. Is everyone so busy getting ready for Christmas that they are not bothering with their efforts? I refuse to let my best interests slide over this. It is in my best interest to dance/exercise each and ever day. My body knows this. |
Glad you're still here with us (me), derry! :sunny:
Yesterday was a lousy day. I went through the motions at the gym but having to be at work, stuck in the office, just set me off on an eating binge. I hate it so much, having to be cut off from the world, dealing with horrible people. I even wanted to start smoking again. No smoking -- Round 4 -- 11 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 0 completed |
Day 17, round two.
I'm amazed at myself that I am continuing to do this. Maybe this is just my time to finally make this happen? I don't know. I truly am fed up with myself allowing a situatin to remain out of control. I've had my ups and downs, including the loss of boty my parents in the last five years. Emotionally, I've been a mess and my way of self medicating has been food. I have kind of a no excuses attitude towards myself. I know I'll be eating some extra foods over Christmas, but that doesn't mean I need to stop dancing! |
I just can't seem to get into a challenge. It's like there is NO reward for doing it anymore. Or, the "benefits" seem so small that the "benefits" or "punishments" of NOT sticking to the challenge don't seem to matter.
I guess nothing seems to have worked for anything significantly positive in my life this year and there have been HUGE setbacks that had nothing to do with any of this stuff. I have no support from others around me. And I have never been one to care about myself enough, which I know is sad but it's just they way it is. I wish I could be really selfish. I really do. I wish I was so hung up with just ME that I would have the motivation to do things. Maybe that's what I have to focus on....ME! And change all the screwed up tapes in my head (that are constantly reinforced by society) that say you have to think of others etc. etc. I wish I could be truly "mean," which, you see, is more of the tape in the very choice of words. Sigh. I am really sick of not getting anywhere at all. Maybe I need to think about where I really want to go and think that it IS possible to get there. Well, it starts with decisiveness. OK....today I will NOT eat any sugar at all and NO junk food either. Even writing this...I don't have my heart in it but I know that not doing the things I hate to do are only going to make things worse for me. Even though I may not feel like making progress now I just can't allow myself to lose ground. Hang in there!!! :strong: No smoking -- Round 4 -- 12 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 0 completed :flow1: |
Still couldn't handle it, though I DID get a lot of walking in and the sugar binge did not start until late. I think I'm going to back off for a while and concentrate on exercise again. Eating is just my downfall. I eat junk because I have no appetite for good food and I hate to cook and/or prepare anything. Until I get over that or find an acceptable way around it's just not going to work to be beating myself up with failed try after try. I'm glad I am not smoking. The reason I stay with the challenges even thought it's my FOURTH round is because I know from past experience that it's about now that things get tough again.
No smoking -- Round 4 -- 13 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 0 completed |
Got through an evening on the town with NO cigarettes. Hurrah! :bravo:
No smoking -- Round 4 -- 15 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 0 completed |
Looks like I'm all in this alone again....
Maybe it's time to close the thread and finally end years of these challenges... No smoking -- Round 4 -- 17 days completed Eat clean challenge -- Day 0 completed |
Don't know whether that is a good idea Red. Sorry life is not good for you right now but at this time of the year there is no support from anyone for anything. It's a lousy time to be alone.
Hang in there friend - it has to get better |
Redballoon, it's your no smoking that putting on the weight. when you stop your body slows down for a while until it ajusts. Stick with your program ...it will change... and the weight will fall off. Well done on the quitting.
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Is this the MaryL that used to post as Mary Leueleu??? Years ago????
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LOL It is,,, what a good memory you have. I haven't been in here for ages.
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Nice to meet up again Mary. Happy Christmas to you and yours. Hope it is not as wet as ours. We still have the thread here in Support groups. Usually it has Worldly in the title. Jump in sometime and say hello. You'd be surprised who is still here.
Red, I hope that you will have some sort of Christmas up there. I wish you the best for the new year and hope life picks up for you. |
No smoking is going strong and I had some real temptations. I almost decided, what the heck, just tonight, but didn't smoke! Hurrah! It would have likely been the start of the old snowball.
I have decided to give up on the no-sugar challenge for now. I need to cut calories, that's the main thing and to do that AND cut out sugar would cause me to feel too deprived. So, I'm going to focus on the calories now. The reason I am overweight is because I eat TOO much, period. So, new challenge is recording everything and keeping an approximate tally. That alone will help me cut back. I've been doing in unofficially for a few days now and I no longer want to binge on sugar or whatever because it makes so little of any effort I do in the gym or other exercise. Finally, I'm saying, to **** with this, all this effort and I still get the very condescending attitude of others. No smoking -- Round 4 -- 19 days completed ************** Shad, thanks. That was sweet of you to come in here and give me some support. I'm hoping things can get better, that I can MAKE them better, but I'm just so beaten down that I can't even imagine what it is exactly that I want. I mean, I do know, but even hope has flown the box and I am having an impossible time luring her back. Mary, thank you, yes, maybe you're right. Maybe it is the smoking, or the no smoking that is putting on the weight. It was coming off and though I know I was not healthy it was a huge mental boost. Sometimes I wonder if that is not the better way. Take off the weight and then tackle the smoking.....but, that said, it's been nearly three months now and I don't want to even go through the gross part of getting addicted again....I'm going to try the hard way and count calories, something I absolutely hate (as much as watching my spending) but I know it's vital (they both are...). |
Hi Red. Tried to get in touch on Facebook this morning, but by the time I got around to you, you were offline.
Catchya next time. |
Well, the calorie thing is not well defined but i am going to take it slowly, meaning I will allow more leeway in things in the first round. So, I'll call yesterday complete. Again, no smoking. And Round 4 will end today! That's 16 weeks with no smoking. Not bad.
No smoking -- Round 4 -- 20 days completed Calorie watch challenge -- Day 1 completed |
Well, though I'm talking to myself here, for what it's worth, I completed another round of no smoking and kept aware of what I was eating yesterday, which, to put it bluntly, was crap. Incredible. But it is changing things, this awareness. Last night I even had a dream that I was setting out on a world journey and I stopped in some drugstore and was saying that I should mark the journey with a change, like eating real healthy or something. What I think this was showing was that I am feeling a real change in my outlook. I am starting to WANT to do something better and that shows true progress. I mean, the only way I could stick to better eating is to make them part of my life, part of my routine and that is going to necessitate desire. So, perhaps allowing myself the junk, yet deciding I have to be accountable for it by recording it, is bringing about this desire. Good stuff! :yes:
No smoking -- Round 4 -- 21 days completed -- CHALLENGE COMPLETED!! :bravo: :cp: :encore: :cp: Calorie watch challenge -- Day 2 completed |
Good stuff indeed
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Hi Red! Hi Shad! I finally owned up to my shame and came back--after how long? I don't wanna know----all I know is, this board helped me awhile back and I just need to log on every day and read my threads and get motivated AGAIN, after my deliberate turning away from my weight/workout/diet obsession a few (or more!) months ago.....
I still have never made my goal, and for once, just once, I'd like to get down to it. First I need to reverse the backslide....of about 14 pounds...... |
Hey!! It's me and I'm back!
I didn't dance for a couple of days, Christmas and then I got sick. So, I re-started today. I'm on Round 2, Day 1. I almost made it to the end of round 2, but that's just how it goes. Hope all is well with the rest of you. |
Well, I got to the gym and even did a bit on the bike and elliptical in addition to the weights. I've got to up the cardio to knock the fat off. I watched the calories and just by doing that I know I consumed less than I would have had I not watched them. Still, it's not going to have me losing any weight, but I guess this is an important step nonetheless. When I stop the mindlessness maybe I can start really making progress.
Right now, what happens if I crack down is I then go crazy when I can't take it any longer. It's something mental, some feeling of "Oh, I've made SO much effort!" when it's not really that much effort at all, it's just SO different from what I would normally do....mindless face-stuffing. It sucks. My life sucks, but I gotta keep at it.... No smoking -- Round 5 -- 1 day completed Calorie watch challenge -- Day 3 completed ************** Shad, thanks! :hug: modcat, Welcome back! No shame in what you did. Only shame would be not to go at it again! derry, good to see you too! :yes: |
Glad to see a few others here, it's good for motivation when we are all working towards a goal and communicating.
Red, I take not that you are on the threshold of the 140s and about ready to drop into the next "decade" of weight from 150. You go girl! You can do this! I'm right here to support you! I'll dance with joy for you when you get that last one pound off and get into the 140s! As for me, I'm struggling to get down into the 150s now. At one point, you and I were close in weight and then I lost my way. I'm ready to go at this again and I hope to make it stick this time! So, today is Round two, day 2. : ) I'm going to dance! I have a cold/cough/runny nose thing happening, so the dancing might be slower, but I'm still going to do it! I also bought this gorgeous pineapple at the store yesterday and fresh pineapple, grapes and bananas will be inviting snacks in the next few days, fresh and healthy! Homemade chicken soup for me as well, to help my cold. Red, do you use chopsticks all the time in Tokyo? I got trainer left handed ones for Christmas. My daughter found them for me. I'm such a "******" (a word I can call myself, but would never call others) when it comes to using them. I'm what they might call severely left-handed and I just don't "get" when right handed people try to show me how to do things. |
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