Singles March Challenge
 

Hello! Welcome to the Singles March Challenge, beginning 3/15 and ending 21 days later on 4/4.

While the group began as a gathering for those who are living with some of the same unique experiences -- shopping for one, going to the gym and feeling old and alone and frumpy, spending the night with the internet or The Apprentice and Ben & Jerry's, filling a closet with bridesmaids dresses, that sort of thing -- all who want to join are welcome!

The idea of a challenge is to post each day (or as best you can) for 21 days, recording whether you exercised, ate within your personal goals, and drank water (ideally 64 ounces). You can also add whatever thoughts you have, whatever you want to share.

For example, you might post
exercise: 30 minutes walk, 5 minute stretch
water: 8 glasses
food plan: ate within my plan and resisted the office donuts! I rock!
Then write whatever you'd like to share.

Or don't put any of that and just write what you want to!

Privately, you might record your weight and measurements at the beginning of the challenge and the end of the challenge. If you want to share your pounds and inches lost at the finish, we can then celebrate. :encore:


So far, we're five challengers strong, but more are welcome! :grouphug:

Well it's almost 6 a.m. and I did my two mile tape and almost through a 20 oz. bottle of water. So far so good. DM

I hopped on the scale this morning so I could let you all know where I stand at the beginning of this challenge--227! That's 3 more pounds down! Hooray! I'm a little pressed for time right now, but I'll let you all know my measurements and goals and so forth this evening. I just wanted to let you know I'm here and going strong (and spread the news about my loss).
~Elisha

Good Afternoon All
We'll it almost 1pm... and I have not had any chocolate at all... For me that is a big Hooray... Now I will admit I have been thinking about it.
I have had 24 oz of water... and I really need to work on that and for lunch I'm having a big salad with chicken in it. I was not able to weight in this morning to many meeting, but will do that tomorrow..

Oh, why do we sabatoge ourselves? Last night I ate so much junk it was like it was my last meal... I knew what I was doing yet I could not stop... WHY?WHY?

What a great way to begin! Elisha, congratulations on those three hard won pounds :goodvibes

exercise: I made it to the gym this morning, which was a huge accomplishment. I DO love to sleep in. However, thoughts of posting here tonight got me up and going, and of course, once I was done with the workout, I felt sooooooo good. It's not the workout I like; it's the stretching and feeling loose and unstressed and relaxed afterward.

Maybe I should modify that cliche, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels," into "No sleep feels as good as thin feels." *sighs* but I do love bed.

water:I've had 44 ounces of water so far and plan to make my 64 with dinner.

food: so far I've eaten within limit, mainly because I'm so busy in the day, I don't eat much. My demon is night time grazing. arrrrgh. How about you all?

~Shimmers~

HI,
I can't believe I am posting again. I did get 40 ounces of water in plus a SF soda. I also tried to eat more fruits and veggies today. I used to do Weight Watchers but that group closed so I am going to try to do it by myself. I am trying.... DM

Not Bad
 

I didn't do too bad on eating today. That is, I didn't eat a lot, but what I did eat wasn't that great. And I didn't drink much water. I had a hurried breakfast and then Mom bought me lunch out (Subway, so not as bad as it could have been), and then at dinner I had Diet Dr. Pepper, which I love, but I always drink it more slowly than I drink water, so my 1 glass of soda takes me 2 hours to drink, whereas 1 glass of water lasts about 15 minutes. But it's ok, because I did exercise today, and beat my goal time by 7 seconds (2 miles on the treadmill in 30minutes and 58 seconds! Fastest ever!). I love the feeling I get after I exercise, when I'm finally cooled down and realize that I'm another step closer to my goal....

Let's see... goals.
1. Drink more water. I am drinking more water than I used to, but by the end of this 3 weeks I want to be getting at least my recommended 64 oz. every single day.
2. Lose 4 pounds. Actually, I'd like to lose a lot more than that, but my goal is 5 pounds per month (I'm trying to be reasonable), so 4 pounds in 3 weeks is ok, right?
3. Make 2 miles in 30 minutes flat. That's my goal, 4mph. From there I'll start increasing my time again until I do 3 miles in 45 minutes, though I'm not planning on that happening in 3 weeks.

Okay, my brain-train just derailed, so I guess that's all for now. I'll keep you updated.

Whew, goals. hmmm. I think just being here everyday will be a goal to accomplish. A few pounds would be nice too. I'm just beginning anew, so I'm going to count every little gesture as a success! 64 ounces, 30 minutes on the treadmill 5 x a week, and reducing my nighttime eating -- these would be True successes. And day one, I got it done! wooHAH

HI,
I did my tape again this morning and also did my 40 oz. of water and a can of diet pop. (I am sooooo craving for a Subway sub.) I am not doing so good on fruits and veggies today. I also binged my way through 1/2 bag of Nestle Treasures. DM

Went to the gym this morning and then walked my dog on the dunes this evening, so that feels Great. I had bunches of water, although I don't know how much, probably about 6 glasses so far. And I ate within plan -- now to see about the night grazing. argh.
Work stress and pms got to me today, but I was comforted by they gym and sunset on the dunes, looking out over the bay. Hope everyone had a great day.

Hello All!
So stressed today :hyper: I did not make it though my first day of South Beach...but today is a new day.

Hi gals - think I'll join in your group if you don't mind. I'm 40, single, never married, no kids and doing Body for Life. I'm just finishing up my 4th Challenge and have had great sucess with this program. I live in Upstate NY.

I'm wondering, are you open to talking about dating, and stuff like that which we deal with as overweight singles?

I'll post more tonight when I'm home from work.
Cindy

Hey CSIers (that's Challengeras Singularus Intrepidus--our latin name ... :) )

I've now been to the gym 5 days in a row! I can take tomorrow off without guilt, but I'm going to try to keep the run going as long as I can. I only did 15 minutes on the bike because I just can't get into it -- 2 treadmills were broken and the other two had a waiting list. But I stretched well afterward, and then tonight came home and walked my dog. So I reckon that 40 minutes or so. I know a sustained raised heart rate of 30 minutes is better, but today there were *sighhhs* obstacles. lol.

I've eaten within plan and had a yummy sandwich at lunch -- turkey, lettuce, cucumber and grilled red peppers, okay with one slice of provolone, but only one thin one. Water I'm still working on, but added a big bottle-o-Dasani to my office today and sipped on that.

1Day, hope you'll tell us how South Beach goes! I adore carbs and fear the withdrawls too much to try a low card diet, but I hear SB is less stingent than Atkins about that. Wishing you well!

Cindy, for myself, I'm open to talking about dating things and such, especially since I think losing weight is only part of my desire for a total move to wellness. I was so unhappy with my last relationship, I gained 60 pounds in two years. I also lost myself as Any sort of priority in my life. Now, like to believe I make myself important to me when I do good things for myself like say no to a meeting and go to the gym instead or take my dog for a walk on the beach or buy the expensive little tub of frozen yogurt because I want to and I can. And I like the little bits of "dating" attention I'm getting as I lose weight -- and look forward to more! :cofdate:

Hope everyone had a great day!
~Shimmers~

Whew! I made it back! I've been technologically unavailable for a few days (meaning my computer went all wonky), and I found out that not checking in here every day is bad for my diet. Last night I went a little off plan on purpose, kind of to prove to myself that I can still eat the food I love as long as I do it in moderation, but apparently I was wrong, because I didn't stop... well, until right now, I guess. Yesterday was my day off from exercise, and today is going to be so hard to get back on that treadmill, but I will force myself to do it. That's one thing I'm getting pretty good at. I made up a new exercise schedule for myself that starts on Sunday, one that includes both upper and lower body strength training. That's another goal for me: add regular strength training.
I've been trying to get all my water in, but I figured out that I'm cheating a little. I'll write down a glass of water, then I won't drink the whole thing. But I'll drink it, say, in the morning or during dinner or whenever, and I'll log it as another glass. Tsk tsk tsk. But even if I was drinking all the glasses I write down, I'm still not drinking enough.
Ok, brother is waiting for the computer, so I'll write more later.
~E

Just put in my 13 hour Thursday ... ugh. Those are just brutal. And day 6 at the gym didn't pan out. I woke up with a rotten pinch in my neck. But I ate right and drank a fair bit of water and felt good with the day. Only a short post today. Hope everyone made their goals!
~Shimmers~

Hi,
I have been unable to post because I haven't been home. Gone for meetings, the eatings been OK but the place I am staying did not have an exercise room, I was hoping to walk on a treadmill since I can't do my walking tapes. This computer is so slow that I didn't think I was going to be able to get to 3FC. DM

Didn't make it to the treadmill yesterday. But it's ok, I can still meet my weekly exercise goal of 5 days, if I exercise both today and tomorrow. I hate exercising in the middle of the day, and I hate getting up early and climbing on the treadmill, so that usually means I workout late in the evening, after dinner. Which is good, because without working out I'd probably be eating. But on nights like tonight, when I have to work until 9:00pm, which means I won't get home until 9:45 or so, it gets to be a little late, plus my feet are tired from standing. Still, I can do it if I want to. Or I might do it before I go. It's hard to tell with me.

Today's goal: get back on track with eating! AND get on that treadmill!

It's comforting to see others have the same obstacles I do. I can't seem to find that ideal exercise time, and an uneven teaching schedule doesn't help. I taught until 9 last night, blowing both an evening chance And making me tired for the next morning. I'm going to head to the gym here in a minute, though, since it's a gorgeous evening and I was tempted to go to Borders Books, anyway. Might as well go to the gym instead of drinking coffee and buying more stuff. lol.

I have Got to figure out how to eat better during the day. I hate making sandwiches and hate even more spending what little money I have. So I often go on coffee and trail bars most of the day until I'm famished at night. Maybe put apple sauces and apples and waters and such in my office?

I'm off to the gym! Have a great night!

Just got back from the treadmill! All those sore, tense muscles feel So much better now. Imagine. ... Why is it I resist so much when it feels so good?
~Shimmers~

I did make it to the treadmill yesterday, in spite of (and partially because of) a bad back. I made it there today too, but it didn't last long, because of my back again, and because I broke down in tears about 9 minutes into my slow walk. I just got the mail and read over all of my bills and realized exactly how much money i DON'T have... scary stuff. Why is it that I let all the bad crap in my life get in the way of... all the other crap in my life? I feel like such scum right now. I can't pay my bills, I can't find a decent job, I can't find a guy I'm happy with, I can't lose weight, I can't eat healthy foods, I can't even walk on the stupid treadmill today. I can't do anything right. And now I've got to get ready to go to my crappy job, and I'll probably just mess up even more while I'm there. How did I let my life get like this? I'm smarter than this. How could I have let myself get to this point?

*deep breath*

Everything is going to be ok. I don't know how, but it will all work out in the end. There is a plan.

Sorry guys, I just had to get that off my chest. I'll feel better soon, and when I do, I'll get back on that treadmill. Promise.

~Elisha

Miss Elisha, my heart goes out to you! I've been through times when everything just seems Wrong, and I know I'll go through them again, because life cycles this way, but so long as we have friends we can vent with and cry with and feel sad with and then just get plain mad with -- it's easier to keep in mind that times will come again when everything feels right.

I teach at two schools and my shedule for fall just got totally messed up, and I've been battling some sort of aimless blues for a week, so my sympathies are totally with you. All I can say is you're doing Lots of things right, and you ought to give your inner critic a good talking to. Sometimes, you have to treat yourself as kindly as you do others -- by forgiving yourself, giving yourself a little slack during a hard time, counting every small success and half-accomplishment. Do what you can, and be patient with the rest. These are things you'd do for a friend if she were having a hard time. Why not do it for yourself? And what do you mean you can't lose weight? You've already lost 21 pounds! And what do you mean you can't exercise? You walked 9 minutes! It Does count and it Is success.

Hope you're feeling better,
~Shimmers~

Morning everyone! Just signed on to check out my computer following a room reshuffle. Hope you're having a beautiful Sunday. ... Does anyone know why our smiley to our thread is now scowling? I can't figure it out. lol. :p

I'll check in later, once I've been out for a walk.
~Shimmers~

Good morning everyone! It's Monday once again, and that means weekly weigh-in time for me. I stepped on the scale and it said I had lost 9 pounds this week. There was a moment of jubilation before my logic kicked it--no way, certainly not this week. When I stepped of it reset not to 0, but to -6. So I readjusted the stupid thing and tried again. It says I'm down 1 more pound. Given the week I've had, I expected to be back at my starting point, so a 1-pound loss is great.
I started my new exercise schedule yesterday, and I've stuck with it so far. :LOL:
Today: treadmill and UB workout, water, healthy foods.

Have a great day everyone!

Yikes, I didn't check in yesterday! And I was trying to be so good. Today is off to a quiet start, but hopefully I'll get to the gym in addition to getting a buncha paperwork done.

Scales, argh. Two days ago, I was down 1.5 pounds; today, I appear to be up 6. How is that possible? I'm going to just do the tape measure for a while, I think. Of course, with girl-time pudginess, Nothing feels good, so maybe all I can do is drink water, exercise and Wait. :p

Hope you have a great day!

Happy Tuesday everyone! Good news--I can see my collarbone! I know it sounds weird, but it's awesome to finally see some progress. On track with the exercise, although today's time was a little longer than yesterday's (31min 45 sec today, 30m 54s yesterday). I'm trying to speed up, but it's just not working. I think it's because I've walked about 6 days in a row (though now always energetically). Tomorrow is my scheduled day off, and I have it scheduled so I don't go that long without a day off again. Let's hope it works!
Okay, hope everyone else is doing well!
See you tomorrow!
~E

Elisha, you're doing great!
I had a quiet day today -- stayed home with some sort of yucka lethargy thing. Went to the doctor this afternoon and hope to get to the gym tomorrow morning. I'm setting up the gym bag! It's been way motivational checking in here each day. It reminds me of my goals and it presses me to have Something positive to share.
See you tomorrow,
~S~

I had a lovely day and got in a long, brisk walk with my dog over on the coast. The sunshine is SO very welcome. I tried living in a rainy climate for a year and came scampering back to coastal Cal. We have a summer marine layer, but enough sunshine to keep me up. Other than exercise, I ate well, but I'm struggling to get my water in. I used to be so good about that too. Hmm. Gonna have to think on it.

I live about 20 minutes from the coast in a bedroom community. Have you noticed how there is Nothing available for singles who want to walk and be outdoors in the suburbs? Everything is geared to home and back yard. I can't even walk comfortably in the neighborhood with it's silly sidewalk construction and everyone else's bad dogs (who get loose and beat up my poor, leashed pup). I won't complain much though, since I Do have the coast trails which have other walkers so I'm not out alone and leashed dogs, so my Kenji isn't jumped.

Anyway, a good day. Hope yours was good too.
~Shimmers~

Looks like it's mostly just you and me, Shimmers!
That's ok, two is better than one anyday!
Today was ok for me, I got in my LB workout, and today was my scheduled day off from the treadmill. It was weird though, all day long I felt like my body just wanted to move, like I actually wanted to get on and walk. But I didn't because I know my body needs time to rest, and I know how tough my walk was yesterday because I was worn out. I didn't do too great on eating, but not terribly bad either.

What I did do was completely rework my resume, and set up an interview for tomorrow, and found a bunch of other jobs to apply for just as soon as I write a decent cover letter. I know I shouldn't think of it this way, but I really think losing weight will be so much easier once I get a decent job and stop worrying about paying my bills. Besides that, I'll be able to get my own place again (I can't wait to live by myself!), and I'll be able to have only the food in my house that I want in my house, as opposed to here where my parents do all the grocery shopping and buy crap I don't even want to see. I'm thinking I might go low carb once I move out. I was reading the Carbohydrate Addicts diet, which is designed more for being healthy than for specifically losing weight, and the basic plan is that you eat low carb for 2 meals a day and snacks, then you can have carbs at dinner. I can do that. That's what I usually end up doing anyway, I just need to focus my efforts a little.

I WISH I could walk on the coast... unfortunately, it's about 6 hours away. Our closest walking trail is about 10 minutes away, but I never go there. Maybe I'll start when the weather warms up a bit. There's just something about these WV hills that keeps me walking on the treadmill instead of outside--perhaps it's that it always seems like I'm walking uphill! It makes for a good workout, but it's really hard to keep a steady pace.

Anyway, today was decent. I just need to focus a bit more on the eating side of the coin and I'll be in good shape. Literally!
~Elisha

Ooooh, today was a good day. Got in my 2 miles on treadmill (tied with best time of 30 min 54 sec), UB workout, decent interview, good eating, feeling good. Could use a little more sleep though. I think I'm going to try to hit the sheets before midnight tonight (wish me luck on that one!).
I just love days when I feel motivated. I'm still excited about the whole collarbone issue. All I can say is, Keep It Coming!

Hope everyone had a good day!
~Elisha

Elisha,
I agree! We may be two for the moment, but we're a dedicated two! No beach for me today, but I did walk my dog through the neighborhood, finding time in marathon-Thursday to eat right and be active. For whatever reason, the city has replaced the straight sidewalks with these little U-shaped bends that twist around the trees in front of each house. Very cute to look at but not much fun to walk ... basically, you walk between one house and the next, then do a small toggle to the right and a small toggle back, then continue on a straight line to the next house. arrrrgh! Much better to get to the coastal path, but today there wasn't time.

I think I'm gonna have to break down and buy water bottles. The convenience of the diet soda can is wayyy too persuasive. Isn't it silly? My environmental self is at war with my dieting self that says "Phooey on the packaging. If it's in a handy single-girl box, it means I'll eat it." I HAVE managed to kick fast-food. I've been fast-food free since August of 2000, but the convenience and calories of Starbucks still gets me. As does the convenience of all things packaged and processed. How do you manage to eat right as a single??
~Shimmers

And congratulations on the collarbone!!!

A good day here -- a long coast walk and good diet, although still working on getting in water. Tomorrow, I'm off to a birthday party for Andrew, who's 5. Wish me luck against the cake!

Ugh! I did terrible today! Mom brought me fast food for lunch, and then we all went out to Mexican for dinner. While I admit that I didn't eat as much as I usually do, it was still a whole bunch of unecessary calories. And I was so tired by the time I got home today that I didn't get my workout in. But it's ok, because I can still meet my 5 days a week workout goal if I workout tomorrow. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself, and know that I will be right back on track tomorrow. However, tomorrow is Grandpa's birthday, and probably the last one he'll have, so if I have to sacrifice a few calories to making him happy, I'm not going to worry about it.
I did get in some mall walking though. And Mom bought me a new cell phone, on her plan, so that's one bill I don't have to pay. Hooray!

As for how I manage to eat right... well, I mostly don't. I don't want to say "I can never eat fast food again," or have to cut anything completely out of my diet, because I know that's unrealistic. I'm just trying to cut back on everything in general--2 chicken strips at lunch instead of 4, 4 potato logs instead of SuperSize fries. It's really easy to cut back, considering how much I used to eat. I usually clean my plate and empty the basket of tortilla chips and guacamole at the Mexican place, today I could barely finish my burrito. I get fuller faster, and I actually stay fuller longer. I'm just trying to listen to my body, let it tell me when it's hungry, and when it's full. For the most part, it's working. I realized that our bodies WANT to be healthy, and they actually know how to be healthy; all we have to do is let them. I have to quit letting my brain or my emotions override my perfect biological system, the body that is designed to keep me alive and in optimum health.
If you're worried about consuming too much packaging, try buying one big bottle of water and refilling it. I'm trying to cut out the diet soda, since I realized that drinking it makes me nauseaus (listened to my body--but of course there's a Diet Pepsi sitting here as I type this), and I try not to have more than one a day. I'll buy a case, say, when it's on sale, and take one can to lunch with me, then that's it for the day. But the less I drink of it, the easier it gets. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true--the more I drink the more I want. That's how they get you!

Whew! Enough rambling from me for one night. I need sleep!
Have a good day tomorrow!
~Elisha

eek! busy birthday weekend! but I did work out today and get in my posting. yayyy. I'll write more tomorrow. It's a small accomplishment, but it does feel good to have this here, reminding me of my goals and my daily need to keep in touch with myself and others. It's so easy to let days and weeks slide without any awareness.

Busy birthday weekend for me too! My eating was terrible all weekend, and I didn't get any exercise in, but my scale still says I'm down a pound from last week. I wonder where I was before the bad weekend?! But I'm back on track now, and I'm still losing, so all is well. Treadmill time in a little while... I really should start walking before I stand at work all day--my legs are killing me! Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do.
Have a good night!
~E

Woohoo! I just met one of my March Challenge goals: 2 miles on the treadmill in..... (drumroll please)..... 29 minutes and 57 seconds! That's a whole 57 seconds better than my best time! I'm so excited I could just burst! I didn't think I could do it, but there it is.
On the down side, that means I have to increase my time to 35 minutes tomorrow. Oh well, keep pushing, that's how the weight comes off. As I said, you do what you gotta do.
Have a wonderful evening!
~E

Hi Miss E, hope you had a great session at the gym. I only got in a small walk with my dog late this afternoon. I had a rotten sleep last night (I Know better than to take naps), a long day today, and I feel a cold coming on, so I'm drinking lots of liquids, getting vitamin C. argh. If I sleep and wake with even a little sense of wellness, I'll get to the gym in the morning.

I think you're right about our bodies, although mine Is suspiciously keen on scones, muffins and all things bread. Still in all, I do think if I can interpret the cues properly, my body tells me what foods energize, feed and truly fill it. I also relish the feeling I get from exercising -- if I can just overcome the numbing mental resistance that comes from working with my mind all day instead of my body. I sometimes think I should ration my affection for the computer. I am no tv addict, but the computer? yes.

Hope you doing Fabulously.
~Shimmers

A good walk today, despite moving to mid-cold-stage, and good eating, if Still lacking in water consumption. grrr. It was a long day, but a very good one. Hope yours was productive and positive, Elisha!

Hi gals - I'm here to crash your party again. Sorry for disappearing - it takes a while for me to get into the habit of posting at various forums.

I'm a Body for Life person, and am having my week off between Challenges right now. So, I'm kind of taking work out as optional this week, but trying to keep my eating in line.

I read an article recently about 10,000 steps of walking daily helping with weight loss, so I'm considering trying to add that to my exercise, in addition to my morning workouts. I'll start with a 20 minute walk at lunch, and then see how the day plays out. Probably a bit ambitious of me, but we'll see how it goes!
Cindy

Ok, so I didn't increase my time on the treadmill. I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Yesterday at 30m47s, and today was 30m04s. Tomorrow is my scheduled day off, then I think I'll pick up with 35 minutes on Friday. Oh my gosh! I can't believe tomorrow is April!!! Where does the time go?!?
But, the faster the time goes, the faster the pounds go, so it's not a bad thing. I'm going out to dinner with a friend tomorrow, but it's a friend who just lost a lot of weight and doesn't want to gain it back, so we'll probably both have a nice big salad. I love supportive people! Hooray for healthy friends!
A co-worker complimented me today on my weight loss. I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now, like I can do anything. I love this feeling!
Hope you both had a great day!
~E