[Arabella]

The 21 Day Challenge was originally posted by Katrina, from an EDiets forum.(Thanks, Katrina! ) This thread is based on that idea, but is more generic: YOU decide what behavior you want to focus on (you might want to follow WW or some variation, or may just want to commit to a certain amount of exercise -- whatever behavior you would like to make a habit) and commit to that for 21 Days. Then you might continue on for another block of the same, or you may want to add another behavior. The idea is that it tales 21 days to form a new habit. Sometimes it takes a lot of starts before you get through the first block of 21 days but if you persevere, you WILL make it. And it gets much easier as you go along, until - YES! - healthy behavior becomes a habit!

21 DAY CHALLENGE

1. Your 21 days must be CONSECUTIVE days! That is the whole point in forming new habits.

2. This works on the "honor" system...no one will monitor you...if you "mess-up", you are only cheating yourself by not beginning again! The importance behind this challenge is to have 21 consecutive days of self control!!

3. What do the numbers mean that you see by peoples' names?? They stand for DAY/POUNDS LOST/BLOCK. 1/0/1 is Day 1, 0 pounds lost, Block 1.

4. Once you have finished block #1 (the first 21 days) you will progress to block #2...

5. For each block, you should state your rules and follow them for 21 days... repeat this as many times as necessary until you are at your goal. Your rules may be as specific or vague as you want: for example, I've considered just at the end of each day, asking myself whether my behavior would lead to better health (and weightloss) and counting myself on track if it did. Or you can stipulate as many rules as you'd like - if you want to change your plan, simply start over with a new Day 1.


Good luck to you as you complete your journey! YOU CAN DO THIS!!! It all starts with a single step... and following with a new one each day!!

[JoJoJo2]

I think I need a new start after over 1 1/2 years at a plateau. My rules are these:

Exercise regularly.
Eat healthy meals, no binging.
Use my foodmover faithfully and control the size of the portions.
Keep my eyes firmly fixed on the end goal of losing a few more lbs.
Smile at everyone I meet.

Consistency is the name of the game. Good luck, everyone.

1/0/1

[Amarantha2]

And on the run! Yesterday ended at 1860 calories, 90 total minutes of exercise (an hour's walk a.m., 30 minutes weights p.m.)

Babette: Thanks for posting the new thread. Hope all is going well for you today.

JoJoJo2: Long time no "see" (virtually speaking!) ... glad you are here and doing the block walk thing! Good luck!




2/164.5(-0)/1

[Wildfire]

Day 16 done by a frog's hair. I'm at 27 points, my max. I want to eat today. Anything that can't run away. It's stress, though...I found out last night my 85 year old grandmother broke her hip a WEEK ago. No one bothered to tell me. I had flowers sent today, I know she'll be touched to have them because we're halfway across the country from her, and she always appreciates when people remember her. I can't believe no one told me for an entire week. *sigh* Families.

Anyway, I have baby carrots on hand if the munchies get the better of me.

I'd heard that our McDonald's here has a new "Light" menu, so I went today to check it out. There are three salads, a veggie burger, a grilled chicken on wheat sandwich, bottled water, and a yogurt/fruit parfait thing. I ordered the chicken caesar salad. It was HUGE....nicely packaged in a plastic domed container. Could easily be split for two people. At $5.99 it was a bit expensive, but when I saw how much was in it, it seemed more reasonable. 8 points for the whole thing. I picked up the nutritional analysis and did the figuring. Not bad.

I just have to say I'm thrilled at how well we are all doing! Even if we face another Day 1, the point is that we are not giving up...we're facing that Day 1 with style and grace. I think we all deserve a pat on the back!

JoJoJo, glad to have you on the block!

Okay, I have boxes to pack. I've tried to convince things to jump in on their own, but the stubborn things want to be picked up and wrapped and placed inside the boxes. *sheesh* Whose idea was it to move again, anyway????

Hope you are all having a great Friday!

16/-6.4/1

[katrinabgood]

Well, 9 days are officially under my belt...tonight I was having some SERIOUS urges for ice cream, though...Thank God there's none in the house, it could have gotten ugly. I tried out my juicer today...made an orange/strawberry/blueberry concoction for breakfast...very tasty! Then before lunch I had an awesome lemonade made with 1/4 lemon (rind and all) and 4 apples...over crushed ice...oh my! So good! I'm going to muster up the nerve to try a vegetable drink tomorrow...

Our weather today was fabulous...if only it could be that way all summer long...80s, sunny, breezy, no humidity...ahhhh...it's supposed to get hotter over the weekend though.

I don't really have much to say, so I'll say Good night! Hang in there, gang...

[jelynn]

Can I try again ??
Haven't been doing so well, but am ready to face facts and get things going again. I love the idea of a 21 day challenge. I'm trying to focus on behavior as opposed to weight loss per se-- hoping that the weight will come off as I start taking care of my body! Should work that way anyway! I also do better as I get more good days behind me and this is a great way to monitor my days.
Rules for my block:
*exercise daily
*more water than soda
*portion control-NO BINGING
*etremely limited treats

Here I go around the block!!
1/0/1

[Amarantha2]

I realize I'm perpetuating the double thread dilemma, but feel moved to post on both right now. Keeps me away from food. Here's my report, also posted on the other thread, for Day 2:

I'm holding well at 2060 calories and 80 minutes of exercise ... an a.m. walk of 40 minutes and walking with my new poles for 80 minutes this evening. I love those things, reduces pain but actually they increase the health benefit and burn more calories.

Jelynn: Great to see you on the block, too! It's motivating to have so many people here. Good luck!

Katrina: Congratulations on Day 9 down! Sounds like you're enjoying your juicer ... blueberries are the best! I love to use them in smoothies! So high in antioxidants, too.

Wildfire: Congrats to you, too, for a frog's hair Day 16 ... do frogs have hair?
Thanks for the rundown on Mickey D! I may have to take a second look at them. Haven't been there for years, but the chicken sandwich and yogurt thing sound good. Good luck on getting ready for your move.

I had a midterm today in one of my courses and it just mentally wiped me out. I'm going to bed very soon. Think I'm too old to be re-educated! NOT!

Soon I'll be at Day 3, but for now:

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[indigogirl]

Just found this thread (tend mostly to look at the UK threads but am branching out a bit... )
Need to commit to some more structured plan than I am managing so far, so I'll join you if I may?

It's Healthy School Week where I teach next week so that should help keep me on the straight and narrow too.

My 21 day plan:
- 28 WW points
- to distribute my eating better throughout the day rather than eat a lot in the evening.
- more water
- some exercise every day, even if it's just 2 miles on the exercise bike.
- to post daily
- put it in God's hands.

1/0/1

Gill

[Yoyo Mom]

I have two simple habits I'd like to adopt: 1) Take my supplements (vitamins) every day and 2) Eat a salad with dinner every day I eat at home. Obviously, these are not difficult goals, but I haven't managed them yet. I'll give it a go!

1/0/1

[Arabella]

Good Morning Blockettes!

Wecome to the Block, Jelynn, JoJo (nice to see you two again -- what was the thread we used to post on together, with Crone too and Joanie and MiniMony and Joanie and Dena and etc.?) Indigo Girl and YoYo Mom!!!

Crone, I told you we would entice more people when they saw how great we were doing!

Wildfire, did I see somewhere that you're from Cape Breton? I'm on PEI, and lived in NFLD for a year. I think that "Wildfire" is a fabulous name for someone from Cape Breton. Primal place!

Katrina, I loved your tribute to summer. You've got the most wonderful attitude and spirit!

Let's make this a great day, Blockettes!
xo
babette
11/208 (-7)/2

[katrinabgood]

Good morning, all!

I just lost a l*o*n*g post...don't have the time to try and recapture all the wit and wisdom and world according to katrina... so I'll just say...

WELCOME!

yoyomom, indigogirl, jelynn, jojojo2...hope you enjoy your trip 'around the block' with us!

Gotta get out for a walk...see ya'll later!

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!! WE're all doing beautifully!

Hey, Wildfire--especially you--I didn't realize you'd made it to Day 16! You're an inspiration.
I'm up to Day 4 this time. Doing something different this time and keeping a journal, not just a food journal but going deeper this time. And Crone, I took a tip from you and am using a particularly beautiful journal that I've been saving 'for good'--green with celtic knotwork--I'm worth it!

Had an iffy moment yesterday when I wanted to gorge myself silly. Earlier I decided that I wanted to dye my salt and pepper hair and it turned out purple, actually more fuschia! So I ran back to the store [wearing a hat] for black dye. Now I just look "goth"--not a good look for someone pushing 40, but not as bad as the fuschia! oh me oh my....

[JoJoJo2]

Do we call ourselves "blockettes" or"blockheads"? Whatever, onward and downward we go in our attempts to gain a more healthy life. Good for us!

Babette, I remember you, and I'm pretty sure it was on the old "Christmas Lites" thread. That would be Christmas of 2000, and I was maintaining at the time. Crone was there, and Joanie, and Meme2, etc. I'm still maintaining with difficulty. Maintaining is as difficult as losing weight, but perhaps this "block party" will help with the efforts. I would still like to lose a few more lbs. Who knows(?), maybe it is possible. At any rate so far I am sticking to my program, and still smiling.

2/0/1 and still going

JoJo

[Wildfire]

Day 17 and I'm determined to make it to 21! My 21st day happens to coincide with my weigh-in on Wednesday evening. It's fate!

Well, last night I came close to throwing it all to the wind and ordering a pizza. Talk about a craving! I even went so far as to go to the pizza website and look at the menu....but then a little voice said "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!" and I shut it down and went to bed. Disaster avoided! *whew*

I'm a little puzzled at what my scale is telling me. According to the scale, I am down another 3 lbs. Although it is a digital scale, it isn't nearly as accurate as the WW scales. I find it hard to believe I've lost another 3lbs in half a week, unless it was a lot of water. I'm being really careful to weigh and measure accurately my food and make sure I'm eating properly. Maybe the fool thing needs new batteries???? We shall see on Wednesday.

Eydie, I made an adjustment a few days back to account for the week I was OP before I started posting on the block, for simplicity's sake. I just went back to WW a few weeks ago, so I'm now using that as my starting point. Don't worry about the black hair...it will make you look mysterious and interesting.

Katrina, oh...the post munchers got your reply? Someone probably forgot to feed them again! Wow...you were fighting the daemons yesterday, too? Must have been the solstice.

babette, yes, I'm originally from CB. I moved to the Toronto area five years ago to take a job. I didn't realize you were an East Coaster! You can take the girl out of the island, but you can't take the island out of the girl! Geez, and I was down to PEI last summer for a family reunion....we missed the opportunity to meet! Although my heart belongs to my island, PEI is breathtakingly beautiful. I could easily live there. We spent some summers in NFLD at a friend's cottage in Port-aux-Basques. The others would complain about the constant fog, but I thought it was beautiful hanging over the hills.

Welcome to Yoyo Mom and indigogirl and welcome back to jelynn!

Crone, I bet you did fantastic on your mid-term! You're never too old! I've seen these walking poles you're talking about. I always thought it looked much like cross-country skiing, without the skis. I used to do a lot of cross-country skiing and you really get an arm workout along with the aerobic part of it.

Got some good news yesterday at work...we're getting bonuses next week! *whoohoo* Don't know if it will be $50 or $1000....but who cares? It's unexpected money, and at the perfect time! Between paying the movers and having my mom's antique china cabinet shipped to me from the east coast, any money will help! And of course when you move, you HAVE to buy some new things....it's a law. Somewhere. Martha Stewart says so! Yeah, that's it.... ....don't mess with Martha!

Time to get my day in gear...there is a waterfront festival all weekend here with entertainment, craft shows, etc, and we bought a weekend pass. $10 each...not bad for three days! I'm packing my own lunch, though...I WILL NOT BE TEMPTED!

Have a great day, everyone!

[Amarantha2]

Woo-Hoo! So many posts! This block party is HAPPENING! You are right, Babette! The success of the Blockettes is becoming legendary in neighborhoods throughout the WORLD! JoJo, I think Blockettes is a much nicer name that Blockheads, don't you agree!?

My connection is about to die so I won't have time to post much more than welcome to all the new kids on the Block!!! I have to go out and walk with my wonderful new poles ... these are my new love object ... and also want to reassure Eydie that she is not alone in seeking colorful hair ... a few years ago, I decided to fulfill a life-long urge for RED hair and have been through several shades of floral fantasies since ... it is energy giving to me ... I see no reason hair has to be of a traditional color whatever our age ... people who haven't seen me for awhile politely avoid mentioning it or they say ... well, it looks so natural ... as if I were worried they might think heavens I DYED it ... I love it ... it's a hoot ... I'm thinking of purple when I get really old ... as in "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple ... and a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me" ... I've been through the red hat thing but it's too hot here, so the red hair was the best I can do ... a few more years 'till purple, though.

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