July Bootcamp Challenge
 

Here's my goals:

1. Break past the 250 barrier. (I'm at 255 today)
2. Improve my cardio endurance to 45 minutes on the bike/airdyne/spinner or doing the 3 mile WATP (this is in addition to the 1.5 mile dog walk as I consider it his exercise)


Here's my strategy:
1. WW with a South Beach twist.
2. Journal faithfully and measure out portions for accuracy.
3. Plan each weeks menu and food lists.
4. Avoid the salty peanuts.

For the week:
I will go back on SBD phase 1 for the first four days of the week with the exception of shredded wheat, milk and a small fruit at breakfast. I just can't see another egg for a week.

I will either ride my bike (heat permitting) or the spinner for 30 minutes twice this week and do the airdyne for 25 mintues twice this week.

I will get in the mornings and do my upper body with the 8 lb weights twice this week and once with the 5 pound weights.

:drill: :strong:

Hi Terri...way to go with starting the new thread. I am all for it.

My "short term" challenge goals are to
1. Kick my butt past the 180 mark. I have been stuck at 183 for a couple of weeks now.

2. Pick up the pace on my weights and resistance training. Aerobic activity is way okay, but I have been slacking off on the other and it is showing.

3. Get serious again. I am at a plateau because I am taking in more calories than I am expending, plain and simple.

I have picked up a new book by Jim Karas called "Flip the Switch" and it has been filling me with motivation and new ideas. This is not as hard as we make it sometimes. Eat it, burn it and lose it!!

Great Idea!
 

Terri - the new thread is a great idea, and I like the thought of a monthly challenge too.

So here are my goals for July:

Lose 10 pounds - that would make me 290 at the end of the month.
Food - 1650 cal - 60% carb, 20% protien, 20% fat (based on the evil trainer's food plan).
Water - 160 oz/daily
Cardio - 4x week
Trainer - this is a tough month with he and I both out of town for almost 2 weeks - I'll just take this one as it comes.

The big goal - I'm spending 5 days in LA next week, my goal is to watch/log what I eat and do my cardio daily. I've already found a 24 Hour fitness in the area.

Here's to a successful July Bootcamp!


psm :)

Can I join? I have a birthday coming up on July 29 and I want to break the 140 mark and hopefully be 139 by my b-day (currently 146). I am working very hard to lose & shape up as I'm getting married on Maui on October 25th.

Here's my plan...

1. Daily exercise (45 to 60 minutes) alternating cardio and strength training
2. Yoga at least once per week (in addition to above exercise)
3. Ice skating at least once per week (in addition to above exercise)
4. Eating small, frequent lower-carb lacto-ovo vegetarian meals
5. Drinking lots of water

I'm also using FitDay. So far today I've completed 45 minutes of strength training (I did The Firm Tough Tape 2 DVD workout) and here's what I've eaten so far today...

6:30am - 2 hard boiled eggs with 1 Tbs shredded cheddar and a glass of V8
8:00am - 12oz glass of non-fat milk
11:00am - handfull of peanuts
12:00pm - small green salad topped with cottage cheese & roasted bell peppers

Welcome Genesis!
 

And Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

psm :)

So far, so good....well okay, it's only been one day, but what the heck.

Food was good today, did the aerobics thing this a.m. and will be working with free weights tonight. I will be doing the upper body tonight, and the lower body at the gym tomorrow.

Welcome Genesis. Sounds to me like you are doing great so far. Nothing like a wedding in Maui to keep the motivation going.
:)

Hi Genesis! Welcome to the group! Looks like a great plan and great goals for everyone.

I just finished 31 kick-a$$ minutes on the spinner with my Johnny G video. I wasn't sure if I could make it that long - but woohoo, almost to the end!. :strong: No more spinning while watching Friends. :nono:

Food has been good today so, so far so good here too!

Let's kick booty this month. We ROCK!

:drill:

Thanks everybody for the warm welcome! Unfortunately I slept through my alarm this morning & missed my usual morning workout, but I am going ice skating this evening so I guess I'll just count that as my daily exercise. I usually skate for an hour and a half so I figure that's good enough. My legs are so sore today from yesterday's strength workout! No pain no gain!

Here's a link to my FitDay journal: http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...Owner=Tiny%5FD

my goal is so small compared to some others, but still my goal nonetheless :)

I want to be under 120 pounds, I am only 5'4", and I just prefer to try to stay at the low end of my healthy weight range. SO, I need to lose 4-5 more, and instead over the 4th I gained a few I think...

I NEED to work out at least 3 times a week, and I need to STAY AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE AND ICE CREAM , hahah! :)

so yeah, by the end of July, I want 122 or lower if possible. My goal is by the end of August which I think is pretty reasonable. I had SO much motivation when I started dieting at 165 pounds, and I need to get that back, somehow.

Monday....
 

Had a really good monday! Did well on the food, water, did my cardio, AND worked with the evil trainer!

Plan for today - same as yesterday, except no evil trainer.


psm :)

Tonya, don't worry about your goal being smaller than others. We all want to be our best, and yours is no different than anyone elses. Congrats on the loss so far....awsome!!

Went to the gym today and did lower body. Even tried some machines that I had never tried before. Actually, I am feeling a new sense of renewal, after being down for a few weeks. Just one of those cycles I guess. My new book is helping and is reminding me of what my goals were and that I can attain them.

Off to my muscle conditioning class tomorrow which is usually BRUTAL, but gets easier each time I go. Wish me luck!!

Hi Tonya,

Welcome to the group. As Simcoe said, it doesn't matter how big or how small your goals are. Its all about becoming more fit and healthier.

Today was another good food day. I've been logging it into Fitday - wow, that's time consuming - but it helps to know the mix of what we're eating. I did 35 killer minutes again on the spinner. I'll be going for our walk here pretty quick.

I won't be able to post tomorrow night. Keep up all the great work. :strong:

Tuesday
 

Did pretty well yesterday, only it was so :censored: hot here I couldn't force myself to go and do my cardio. Did VERY well on food and water tho! :D

Welcome Tonya!

Hope you all have a great (and not so very HOT) Wednesday!


psm :)

Hi there everyone,

Would it be OK if I jumped in a little late? I like that this group is a little more "cozy", and you seem like nice folks! :)

After a couple months of maintaining a 50+ pound loss, I've gained almost 20 pounds in about a month's time! (Scary!) I used to come here regularly and I'm happy to be back... the support here is amazing.

Anyway, I'm pulling up the old bootstraps and nipping this in the bud (well, it's pretty much bloomed now, I guess). I started back up again on Monday, full force, and I'm happy to say that it's been going well, and fairly easy. I guess I just need to remind myself how much better I felt when I am eating healthfully and exercising regularly. I still want to lose at least another 50 pounds, beyond that I'll see how I feel.

So: my starting weight on Monday was 275. By the end of the month, I'd like to see 260. I know that seems like a lot to lose in a short time, but I know my body and I'm pretty confident that these "new" pounds will come off pretty quickly if I do all the right things.

I haven't started exercising regularly again yet. I'm going to try to get at least one session in by the end of the week, and from there on out, exercise at least 3x a week. I work out with aerobics tapes as well as Pilates and weight routines.

As far as food stuff goes, I keep track on FitDay and try to keep it at around 1500 cals a day, 30% fat, 20% protein and 50% carbs.

Good luck to everyone! I look forward to getting to know you better!

Amy

Welcome Amy & Tonya...good luck reaching your goals. You can do it! ;)

Yesterday was a great day food-wise but I didn't get quite as much exercise in as I would have liked. I was only able to ice skate for 45 minutes, so I didn't reach my exercise goal for the day. But hey, any exercise is better than o exercise, right? :D

Today I've gotten off to a great start. I did my Minna Lessig "Emergency" cardio DVD workout (which is 30 minutes long) and I plan to go for a 30 minute walk during my lunch break.

As I stated earlier, my longer term goal is to be in peak shape by my wedding on Maui on October 25th. Well, I had a great surprise last night, a dear friend of mine who lives in Melbourne, Australia called me to tell me she will be able to come to my wedding! I haven't seen her in 11 years so I'm absolutely thrilled! I never expected her to fly from Australia just for my wedding! Yay!

Have a great day everyone! :p

I kept track on Fitday yesterday, stayed under 1500 calories Weee! :)

I also did my treadmill for 20 minutes, just to boost my metabolism it nothing else, and I did some situps, and leglifts, and lunges :)

it really felt good, I want to feel that good tonight, so I am aiming to do the same thing, I need to just remember how good it feels when I don't feel like getting off my butt and doing it!

Tanya, wow...it is amazing how quickly the pounds pile up again.
Congrats on not letting it get you down for good! I know how it feels to want to throw the towel. I do the same though and focus on how good I feel when I am on program. For me exercise has been the key, without it I would have not made half of the progress that I have seen.

Did my one hour muscle conditioning class this morning. I have been finding that it is important to do just as much muscle work as it is for aerobics. I tend to stagnate when I don't keep up with the muscle stuff. Remember muscle burns calories, too.

Anyway, hope everyone's day is going well. I am recording my food as well, which is a chore, but at least keeps us honest.

Hello

I have been dieting for 27 weeks now and lost 86lbs but I snapped last week and gained two pounds! I am determined to get back on track!

My goal is to lose 15lbs by the end of the month, weight train twice a week, pilates twice a week, cross-training once a week,and walk 3 miles every other day!

I hope you don't mind me joining your group so late in the month!

Good Luck to everyone!;)

Wednesday
 

RAken - 86lbs! WOW!!! That's great - and a 2lb gain isn't anything to worry about!

Did okay yesterday - went over on my calories, but I did my cardio and did stretching with the evil trainer. He was trying to work out kinks in a hamstring, knee, and shoulder - he had some success but he thinks that the Elliptical for my cardio is making things worse right now. So for the next two weeks the only cardio I'm supposed to do is swimming (NO Backstroke - bad for the shoulder) and the Treadmill. Now, as much as I HATE the Elliptical, I hate the Treadmill even more because it's sooooo damn boring! *grumble*

So that means I'm bringing my swim gear with me to LA-LA Land next week - hopefully the hotel pool will be nice.

Have a great Thursday ladies!


psm :)

I agree with Brunissen, Rakin - 2lbs is nothing to worry about considering what you have done so far. Way to go!!

Doing okay today, calories are okay and exercise on plan. I was obsessed with food yesterday for some reason. Not eating, but I felt hungry all day and all I could do was think about food. Why does this happen sometimes??? At the end of the night I was craving a carb so I had two frozen blueberry and fibre waffles with some sugar free jam which seemed to do the trick. Weird day, though. Maybe because I did alot of muscle training yesterday? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Well off to make the beds, fold laundry, empty dishwasher........

Hi everyone,

It's Day 4 back on "the program" and it's going well. I've been feeling a little preoccupied about food, but the desire to get back down to below 260 is keeping me focused.

I'm an every day weigher; it really keeps me honest and on track. I don't absolutely count on the numbers, except for my "official" weigh-in days, but I do like to make sure I am staying on track for the most part. Anyway, so far this week I've managed to shave off five of those 17.5 pounds I put on last month, which is great. The real test is going to be next week, though: PMS week! Yikes! I'm prepared to hang in there.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Amy

Hi ladies!

You're doing great! Not much time for catching up with everyone. Welcome to the new bootcampers! Good luck and work your booty off!

Wednesday was my day off from exercise. I decided since I had been hitting the spinner hard, I better give the knees a chance to recover. I did keep food OP with South Beach. Yesterday was also a good food day but I didn't get my 25 minutes on the airdyne done. Sometimes, DH is a major distraction. But I did do my morning conditioning exercise with the 8 lb weights and then walked the dog for 1.5 miles late in the evening.

Tonight, I will get my exercise in and THEN sit down to talk with DH.

Better get ready for work. Have a great OP day!

Let wear our sweat proudly! :drill:

Good Job Everyone staying with your plans!

I was good yesterday, I did cross training for an hour and stayed with my food program. I did my 35 minute pilates this morning and plan to mow the yard later.:D

simcoe- when I find that I am thinking about food all day and feel hungry, I drink lots and lots of bottle watered. Water seems to refresh me but most of all it takes away the hungry pains! Good Luck!:)

TGIF!
 

Lordy this was one long week....

Did really well yesterday - dead on with my calories and water, and I did 30 minutes on the treadmill at lunch....I don't know if that's going to help my hammy or not because it's really tight today. *sigh* So I'm debating between treadmill at lunch or just swimming tonight for an hour.

Have a good Friday ladies!


psm :)

Thanks for the advise, Rakin. I will try to stay focused on the water, maybe crystal lite for a change.

Actually, since I made it through the last "I am starving to death" day, things have been okay. We actually had cake in the house yesterday and I limited myself to one small piece with out too much trouble.

Did aerobics today even though I did not feel like it, but I felt much better afterwards. I am looking forward to a positive weekend. These are usually my downfall, but I have learned that I cannot eat properly for 5 days and then screw up for two days. It just does not work!! I know what is coming up and I have been planning my meals in my head, so I know what I am doing. Even if it kills me, which it won't, I will stick to it. These are just like any other two days, right?

Have a good one girls.

I did SO good tuesday and Wednesday, ate good, worked out both nights, but all week I have also been battling a really bad migraine. It peaks out in the morning as soon as I open my eyes, and I battle it all day. So yesterday I was doing really good, until I had a few beers and that sorta messed up my calorie situation, I also didn't work out at all.. Then today I just had to try those McGriddles from McDonalds, I rarely eat fast food but often my curiosity gets the best of me :P They were good, not as good as I thought, which is good because I know now, and probably wont go get one again for a long time. I was over on my fat grams today, but managed (even with McDonalds) to stay SO FAR at 1200 calories :) If I can handle working out I will... I really want to nail this migraine for good today, I don't think I can handle another day of waking up with a rubber mallet being hammered against the inside of my forehead .. :(

Well I hope you don't mind another one.

Since last week I have been off program. I have been on WW since Jan. and have lost 43.8 pounds. Well I will find out tomorrow cause I am going to a Saturday meeting and then to my regular Sunday meeting.

My July goals:
3 more weigh ins- to lose 5 pounds
Start excerising more- 3 times a week (at least 30 min)
Drink all my water every day

Okay and will I do this:
I can lose the 5 pounds by following WW
I will walk on lunch hours and after work and on weekend.
I will keep bottled water at home and have a bottle at work to refill


Can't wait to get to know you all better.


My username..bluvsu2--- B-Luvs-u-2

I call my son B and one day he put that message in my cell phone. It has been there every since

My family has thrown some curve balls my way this week, so I've been derailed from my exercise but have kept my eating in check. I am proud of that. Have not gone over about 1,400 calories all week (I think). I'm using FitDay to track.

I plan to get back on the exercise wagon tomorrow. I missed Thursday & Friday's workouts. Oh well, I strive for progress not perfection.

I did take a peek at the book "The Soy Zone" today and was interested. I'm a lacto ovo vegetarian and I've been trying to "eat in the zone." Controlling my carb intake and eating adequate protein really helps with weightloss. I will keep the "soy zone" in mind as I plan my meals.

Oh, I was irritated with a co-worker yesterday. I budgeted my food for the day & planned to include 15 potato chips with my lunch. When she saw me eating them she sarcastically said "So, you're on the potato chip diet now?" I wanted to slug her! I can't totally deprive myself of everything, but if I eat in moderation and control my portions I'll be fine. Oh well, she's heavier than I am :s:

Genesis-the one thing I have learned is the people who talk more about your weight loss and eating are the ones who have not decided to take control of their own yet. I have people at work who see me eating something and say oh I wish I could be on that diet. Well I am not on a diet this is my way of life now. And we all have good and bad days. But the good just need to out weigh (no pun intended) the bad.

Vacation gain was 2.4 so that is not to bad. Goal to get that off this week. I also think TOM is coming soon and that is usually good for a 4 to 6 pound loss. Don't gain that before but I always a have HUGE losses the week after.

Today is a cleaning day here and I will excerise too.

Have a great Saturday everyone!!

Just time for a quick report. I'm officially down 6.4 pounds since 6/23. Woohoo!! We're all loaded up with veggies for the weekend and first half of the week. I'll report in later with exercise accomplishments today (that will make sure I actually do some today so I can report it! :lol: )

Bluvsu2 - Thanks for the words of encouragement.

I weighed myself first thing this morning...down 3 pounds since Monday! Yay! :flow1: That's motivation to stay on track!

My fiance and I are off to see the Seattle Street of Dreams today. I don't know if you have the "Street of Dreams" in your area, but every summer in Seattle builders get together and build a dream neighborhood with huge, fancy houses that you can tour. It's a lot of fun to see the amazing homes & the beautiful decor. Then, after that we're off to the mall to register for our wedding. Then, after that we're going to see "Pirates of the Caribbean!" So maybe I'll keep myself so busy today I won't even think about food (yeah right!)

Have a great day everybody! :)

Genesis, it never ceases to amaze me what some people will think is their business. I have had one lady from my church of all places, say to me when I was on my way to a good-bye doo at the church, "you don't look like you need any cake". People think that because we are in varying degrees of overweight, that it is all of a sudden their place to comment on what we wear, eat, look like, how we exercise etc. I know for a fact that I am in much better shape than most of my "skinny" friends, even though I am carrying some extra weight.

Bottom line, I know where you are coming from. Okay, rant over.

Genesis-I am sorry that you have to work with people that are insecure about themselves so they have try to discourage you and make you feel insecure. You know what plan you are on and don't let anyone discourage you! The words maybe hurtful but actually they are jealous of you because you have set goals and are sticking to them! The problem is they don't have that self-control themselves. I have people tell me all the time if I ate those chips on my diet I would never stay on it. I also reply with If I had that attitude I wouldn't either! Keep your chin up and stay on task! Once you start seeing results so will they and they will envy you!

Since I have taken off some of my weight I have people tell me that I am inspiration to them! I thanked them but said I still have a long way to go! I know that I have made a lifetime committment not a 3 month or year one. Hang in there Genesis it will get easier to blow those type of people off!!

I have stayed on track today except I haven't had time to exercise! Both my boys have baseball today! One has a double header tonight and the other played at 9:00 am.

Have a Great Saturday!;)

RAken and simcoe, you're the best! Thanks for the support. Eating right for life is a struggle, but we can do it! :smug:

Hello bootcampers! :drill:

How is everyone's weekend? We've relaxed a bit with food for the weekend but certainly not like we used to do before getting committed three weeks ago. We've worked in some starchy carbs just to keep us from having binges later on. I'll work up the final food plan for the week and we're ready to get focused on the lean proteins and veggies.

Yesterday, we ended up taking two hour naps which is incredibly unusual for me so I must have needed it. We did some yardwork but I didn't do any cardio. I'll get my bike out this afternoon and take a spin around the neighborhood.

Looks like everyone is doing well especially with dealing with folks who try to derail your efforts. Don't ever quit no matter what anyone says

We're almost halfway through our bootcamp for July. Still plenty of time to kick butt on some fat! My plans for the week are to do three spin sessions with Johnny G video, walk the dog every night, use the 8 lb handweights three times, and do two 20 minute airdyne sessions. I want that scale to be under 250 by month end.

Have a great Sunday afternoon!

Hello Everyone!

I lost 4 lbs last week! So now I am at 90lbs off and only 11 more to go before the end of the month!

We had a relaxing Sunday! No Baseball! It was awesome! However, I didn't do any exercising over the weekend:nono: so I have to work extra hard this week. I lifted weights this morning and hopefully later I will be able to go for a walk!

Have a Great Monday!!:cb: :cb:

I had a not so healthy dinner last night (Taco Time veggie wrap with mexi fries:devil: ) but I kicked it up a notch during my workout this morning to compensate. Now, my muscles are fatigued & and I want to go back to bed (and it's only 8am!).

Have a great week everybody! :cb:

Hi guys. Sounds like most who have posted are doing really well. I had my first "on track" weekend in a long time and I am thrilled!!! This included having a dinner out and having a birthday party for my son. I am sure what helped is that I planned out my weekend, I knew what was happening and I had in my mind the whole time what I would be eating. It felt great to get through it on a positive note for once.

Exercise has been good also, did a 30 min. bike ride and some free weights on Sunday; had aerobics and a 40 minute bike ride today.

Also, last Monday I decided to stop weighing myself everyday which was stressing me out so today was my weigh in and I am down 2lbs to 181 :strong: My goal is to be under 180 by the end of the challenge so I am well on my way.

Keep it up ladies. We are doing great.

:bravo: Rhonda! Four pounds is great!

Doing well ladies! Food was good today but it was not a good exercise day. I have no energy whatsoever because of allergy problems. I will take the dog for our walk but it will not be at a fast pace. I did use the 8 lb weights this morning and its getting a little easier. Progress!