Summer is right around the corner and I'm tired of being this size! I plan to make my goal weight sometime this year and I start my renewed efforts right now. No time like the present.

My goals for this challenge are:

1) to uncover and resolve why I permit myself to overeat,
2) to remember the person I was when I was at a healthier weight (seems like a lifetime ago),
3) to give the program my best effort every day...

...and if I follow through on these things, I'll make real progress.

Anyone care to join me????

Swan, I'm glad to see you again. I've missed you.

Sure, I'm up for a summer challenge. I've been very happy with my progress on my spring exercise goals, even though my weight loss has been at a snail's pace. (What else is new?) My new focus is less on pounds lost and more on getting and staying fit and active. I figure if I'm going to be fat for the foreseeable future, I may as well be fat and fit and active.

So add me to the challenge. My goals:

1. To work up to exercising five times per week.
2. To maintain a positive attitude toward myself and this journey, no matter what the scale says.
3. And speaking of the scale -- to weigh myself once a month. I'll be thrilled if I manage to achieve this one! I've got to stop the scale from ruling and ruining my life.

Lauren
274/216/fit and active

Hi Lauren - I've missed you too. Ever since the boards were changed, it seems like some people have disappeared. Or maybe it's taking them a while to find the new setup (which I like by the way). I'm happy that you're still here and working towards your goals too. :)

So far I've been very good. Or course, it hasn't even been 24 hours since I started this challenge. LOL!

Off to eat Lean Cuisine for lunch.

Hello, remaining challengers!

I am very interested in participating in this challenge. I've found with the demanding new job I've taken on, it's been very hard for me to find time for exercising during the week. When I'm trying to get into the office before 7am, it cuts into my available time for a.m. exercise! I'm hoping the commitment I make to this challenge will help me exercise regularly.

I've ordered a treadmill and heard it's on the way from a warehouse in Utah by truck. Hope it gets here soon.

So, I really want to begin running this spring/summer. That's what the treadmill's for.

My goals ...

- Run a mile without stopping (by the end of the challenge).
- Continue to exercise, make sure it happens at least 3 times a week.

Judy, watching the snow melt in MA
338/239.5/175

I did it!!!
 

Hi everyone!!!
WEll i did it i kicked my own butt, lol, and went to a meeting today to start over!!! So i am off and running, well not running with my feet, but with my self..........Lets see my goals for this challenge will be, to stay on track till the end of the challenge and beyond......the hard parts for me are
1) tracking
2)exercising
3) water
so i hereby commit to recommitt!!!!


Marion
252/228.6/126 :)

Hey ladies,

I figure I should start off by getting in on this challenge. Is there a time frame we are working toward? It's a summer challenge, does it end the first day of summer or something? I just want to know what the goal date is.

Over the next few weeks I plan to:
1 Drink all my water
2 Get 20 minutes of exercise each day
3 Keep my journal faithfully
4 Stay within my points
5 Go to a meeting every week

This is all I'm going to expect from myself this time. I'll set the bar higher next time. I just want to have a good first month. Wish me luck.

Ruby

Hi Ruby,
Your goals and mine are alot alike for this challenge!!! You go girl!!!!! As far as the date goes, i am not sure either. Today was my first day back and i can proudly say i was almost OP (didn't get to exercise) So hopefully tomorrow i will exercise and be totally OP!!!!


Marion
252/228.6/126 :)

Hi Marion,

I just rejoined WW on Friday. I was on this board last year and lost almost 40 pounds. You know the story, I gained it all back and a little more. Things just fell apart for me in the last 6 months of the year. It's a little depressing but I can't worry about that now. Time to move forward and stop letting my life pass me by.

I missed out on my exercise today too so I have to make sure I get on it tomorrow. Thanks for the warm welcome!

Ruby
(258.2/258.2/144)

Welcome everyone. Hey Ruby! Welcome Back! I remember you from last year.

The official end for this challenge is indeed the first day of summer (somewhere around June 20th). That gives us about 3 months to focus on these goals, but one can begin anytime. Of course, we'll be checking in throughout the entire period.

I had an encounter with a tasty coffeecake, but I counted all of my indulgences and using exercise points it will probably even out. Oh well. Otherwise, I'm doing okay.

Lauren, congratulations on your commitment to exercise. I remember when you were just starting.

Good luck everyone!

Good Morning everyone!!!!
I am up and ready to get started to a great OP day!!!Its great that we have this place to get together and stay on this journey together among friends. Will post again at the end of my day to let you know how i did :)


Marion
252/228.6/126 :)

Great to see so many folks joining us on this challenge!

Swan, I have indeed stuck with the exercising, and I credit these challenges for part of that. I've only missed one or two weeks during the past three months. What's more, I've really increased my strength, stamina, and flexibility. Did I mention I can now do "the 100" Pilates moves? I remember the first time I tried, I could only do 15! What's even more, I'm actually starting to enjoy these workouts, and they no longer make me hungry. (That first month was a killer!)

Judy, to run a mile! Wow! Go, girl. I may add that to my goals at some point, but not until I weigh a lot less. My knees are already iffy!

I worked out 3 times last week and have already worked out twice this week. I'm going for 4-5 times this week.

Onward and downward,

Lauren
274/215/down

Lauren - WOW!! You've really progressed haven't you? And I noticed that you lost a pound! Keep up the good work! It's amazing when you can feel the difference in your body. I, too, am so much more flexible than before (especially with my back). I've actually done a full back bend recently, held it for 10 seconds, and not injured myself. My yoga teacher comments on my improvements. Now if I could just get that scale to move. :) I've been hovering between 185-193 for a long time. Who knows, this challenge may be just what the doctor ordered. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I do the at home program and today I called for the updated materials so that I will know what everyone is talking about. From everyone's experience, is the weight loss faster with 'Winning Points' than with '1-2-3'?

Summer Challanage
 

Hi I am up to t his challange also..My challange is to get down to lose fourty more pds by June 20..I'm sure I can do it also..Been excersizing alot each day and currently weigh 301..I drink lots and lots of water and walk for my excersize and dance to Richard SImmons at nite..I also am watching the breads and trying to cut back for more of a weight loss..Wish you all luck and look forward to reading your e-mails..Take care your new friend Sherry

Hi, Sherry, and welcome. Forty pounds in three months?? Sounds challenging! I'm thrilled if I can lose that amount in a year! :) Good luck to you.

Swan, I've lost a grand total of 7 pounds since I started exercising in January. January and February went great weight-wise, at just under a pound loss per week, but March has been a bust. However, my measurements have indeed gone done a little bit and my clothes fit better, so I suspect I am indeed finally building muscle. I sure have a TON more energy; I can't believe the difference. DH says my body shape is really changing.

You can do a full back bend??? Wow!

Worked out again yesterday and will work out tomorrow. I just got a bunch of new workout tapes. I really enjoy doing workout tapes for some reason, and doing different tapes helps keep me interested. I'm also looking forward to going outside and walking again soon; spring is definitely in the air.

I just watched my new Paula Abdul workout tape -- I DON'T THINK SO. It looks like it might be fun some day. Not anytime soon, that's for sure!

--Lauren

HI everyone!!!!
I did it, i got off my you know what and got out and walked!!!!!! I walked for 45 minutes today, it felt really good!!!!!!!!


Marion
252/228.6/126

Woo-hoo!!!! Applause!!!

--Lauren

Gee Marion - were you reading my mind or something? Having exercised 6 out of 7 days last week, I was going to take tonight off. Then I log on and read that you walked. Now I'm going to make myself do something. Maybe I'll just ride my stationary bike. I don't have sufficient energy for kickboxing or step aerobics this time of night (8:35 p.m.). But because of you, I'll do at least 20 minutes of something. Thanks for the push! Guess that next time I want to be lazy, I'll have to stay away from here - too much positive peer pressure!!

Just had to log on to say that I spent 30 minutes on my stationary bike. And to think I was going to take the day off. That's the beauty and power of the internet and this site. I get motivated by people whose last name I don't know and I wouldn't recognize on the street. Thanks everyone! :)

Okay, okay, now you motivated me, i am going to go up and use my glider strider thing, i hate exercising indoors, would much rather get out for a good walk, but its pouring!!!! So off i go........................... :wave:

Marion

Today is my off day from exercise and I don't care what Marion thinks! Just kidding. LOL! I'm yawning as I type this.

By the way, will someone please tell me how to do all of those cool new things with the smilies?

Have a good on program weekend everyone!

tsk, tsk and double tsk, lol :nono: Its going to be a nice day here, i am going to take the kids for a walk to ames (department store) and then for lunch, should be about 4-5 miles there and back...........I have a nice double jogging stroller as they are big kiddos, holly is 7 and joey is 5. And then we are going out dancing tonight...........my problem will be staying away from too many cocktails.............we never go out............but i am so torn cause i dont want to ruin my first week back, its been a really good one so far.......hhhhhhhmmmmmm

as for the smilies it took me till yesterday to find them so dont feel bad, when you have the reply screen in front of you, put your curser over the smilies word, where it says smilies are on (over on the left), and then click it and it brings you to the website that shows them all. Now i feel better cause i thought i was the only one that didnt have a clue!!! LOL :o

okay i am outta here, gonna go get some breakfast and coffee while my kiddos are still sleeping, i cant believe my luck this morning, usually they are the ones waking me :D
So i guess for today they are just little :angel: :angel: He he can ya tell i am having fun!!!!!

Marion :wave:

Marion - I knew you'd be here and I wanted to give a good accounting of myself. After Pilates class, I made myself lift weights even though I didn't want to. :rolleyes: I sure hope you're happy. :lol: Some days it is so hard to exercise, isn't it? Good for you for planning that long walk of yours.

And thanks for teaching me about the smilies.

I just got in from a 30-40 minute walk!!! I am so excited and proud of myself for getting my butt movin again!!!!!!! Your such a good exercise doobee swan, i can't wait till i am as good as you, i will have to look into this pilates stuff you do. Talk to you all later, and thanks for keeping me motivated!!!!! I really need all your help so much to help me to this. Tomorow is my first weigh in day (since i restarted) but i am not sure if i can go tomorrow or have to wait till tuesday. My daughter has to have an endoscopy in the morning, so i am not sure how long we will be there, seems like when she had it done when she was 3, it wast horribly long. I have had such a good week, that i cant wait to go weigh in and see the reward for my efforts :)

Marion :wave:

Marion - Keep up the good work! Best wishes for your daughter's endoscopy and your eventual weigh-in. It's such a good feeling to be excited about a weigh-in instead of dreading it. Congratulations! :cool: I weigh-in very infrequently because I lose the same few pounds over and over again. Last night I got out my weigh-in history and realized that it took me 2 years to lose and maintain a 35 lb loss. :spin: Then I've been stagnating at about this weight for over a year. Seeing the evidence of this was such an eyeopener. :eek: I hope it motivates me to get off my butt and really work the program. I want to hit goal sometime this year.

As for exercise, I did my yoga class and weightlifting. I didn't have any time to do anything cardio, but I did sweat some during weightlifting. Tomorrow night is my funk dance class and more lifting. Some of the dance combinations literally leave me :dizzy:, but I enjoy it so much.

Good luck this week.

Heavens, everyone is really out there and moving around! It must be spring.

I made my goal and exercised five times last week. I averaged my exercise minutes for the past month, and it came to just under 19 minutes per day. So I need to beef it up this month; I want to exceed the 20 minutes per day average.

Tried out a couple new videos -- Leslie Sansone's two-mile walk, which is done at a great pace (two miles in 30 minutes) and Kathy Smith's Latin dancing. I enjoyed both, though Leslie's constant chatter gets to me.

Today I did one of my FIRM tapes, and I increased the weights. Yowza!

Here's my bad news/good news. The bad news is that I didn't lose any weight in the month of March. (I kept going from 215 to 216 and back again.) The good news is -- I lost an inch from my waist, almost an inch from my abdomen (my two biggest problem areas), and a half inch from my upper arm and from my neck. So yes, I'm finally replacing fat with muscle. If I hadn't been working out, the scale probably would've dropped, but it wouldn't have been as healthy.

Also, I'm loving the energy I have now. I'm planning our vacation in May, and for the first time I'm also planning all these recreational things to do. Usually I just want to hang out and read!

--Lauren

Hey Lauren!!!! Lost inches, huh??? That's way cool!!!! Congratulations!! :D It's interesting to see lost inches even when the scale hasn't budged. If you keep it up, you'll find that you'll lose sizes even when you haven't lost pounds. This is where I have been. At some point, I guess (I'm hoping anyway) that the scale catches up and finally moves in the right direction. And to think that you initially had a hard time making exercise a regular part of your life and now you exercise up to 5x per week. That's a tremendous accomplishment. I'm proud of you.

What is your hubby saying about your progress?

Hello

I haven't been here for a bit.... just couldn't get the exercise thinking right in my head........

I think I have it licked now!

My Goals are :
1. Work out with Taebo BASIC 3-4 days a weeks
2. Walk for 20-30 every other day
3. Go dancing with my husband twice a month

Of course the usual journally and water which are no longer challenges for me but I always have them in my mind.....

I'll post with updates as I work through the exercise challenge.

Brenda
430/339/180 in 2002 ----------->>> 9 more to hit that 100 pound mark :^:

Hello everyone!

I received my updated WW-at-home materials yesterday. That really gave me a boast about the program. There's always something special to me when I receive glossy new materials. And I'm not kidding. I always loved the beginning of school when the books and notebooks were new. Yup, I'm wierd. :D

Anyway, I decided to get on the scale so that I would be able to monitor my progress better. I was expecting the worst because I have been over points the last several days. I weighed in at 190.5 and was actually happy. It could have been much, much worse.

Now if I can just get used to eating fewer points. :^:

How's the challenge going for everyone?



235.2/190.5/171 - 10% goal

WAKE UP EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where is everyone????? Okay lets start with good news, Holly's biopsies all came back negative, mom is doing the happy dance:spin::spin:!!!!!! More good news is i went to my weigh in and lost 1.2 so yippee, i am doing more dancin :spin: lol. My grandmother gave me 25 dollars for my birthday, and i went out and bought a pedometer at the ww meeting yesterday, i am so excited to get started using it. The place where i go for meetings is having a contest, a walking club, it is running from now till snow flies NEXT year, better not fly again this year, lol.

Marion :wave:
252/223.4/126

Hey Marion - Glad that you are around!! And congratulations and applause for all of your good news. I, unfortunately, know the stress that medical crises cause so I'm really happy to learn about Holly's negative biopsies.

I think it's cool that your WW has a walking club. What a motivator!!

I'm still hanging in there. I have been making the most delicious no fat breakfast smoothies (orange juice, peach sorbet and a banana). Yum! And I'm still exercising! I'm hoping to break this plateau and move into the 180's and beyond.

Good luck everyone!

Gonna go buy new sneakers!!!!!!!! Happy dancin again :spin::spin::spin:

Marion :wave: