12 Week Diary Challenge
 

My WW leader has offered a 12 Week Journal Diary Challenge. Anyone want to join me? She guaranteed that anyone sticking to keeping the journal would lose weight. Anyone game?

You can get these spiral bound Journals at your WW meeting. I think they cost $4 - the best four bucks I've ever spent.

If you want we can update each other once a week:
160 orig / 135 goal / 132 ideal / 139.6 current
- Goal: lose 5 lbs by mid Aug.

Enjoy using the Reflections page - I put down for leverage...
Jeans way too tight and used to be loose. Belt on last loop. Thunder thighs, Stomach rolling. And by August 2001 I want to be OK wearing a bathing suit. What's your leverage?

I also wrote: It's become real apparent that I have got to pull myself back to basics. Specific goals: max 4 alchoholic drinks per week. (I love wine with dinner) Aggressively limit fat and bread (restaurants slay me) Limit or cut out cheese this week. Bring Healthy Pop popcorn (2 points the whole bag) and 2 point Bars to movie. Buy and bring fruit to work.

Who's up for the challenge???

Count me in!
 

Hi patch30 -

I have one of those 12 week journals (I am a WW repectionist at our community meeting), but have never used it. I have been doing my journal on the daily journal online, but will faithfully record EVERYTHING in the 12 week journal.

I am up about 5 pounds from where I want to be - over the past few months my weight has creeped up these few pounds. :mad: I am still under my WW goal, but I want to be back at 142-145 (would love to get under 140, but that has seemed almost impossible.)

My meeting is tonight, so I will count that weight as my starting weight & report every week after that.

I need to cut down on the after dinner snacking (my most difficult time of the day).

Another lifetime member REC was also doing the 12 week journal to lose those last pounds. REC - if you're out there lurking, do you want to join us?? :smug:


6/20/01: 146.8 (down 1.8 from last week)!

Thanks for the push, patch30!

Do we just want to update this thread every week & add each weigh in as we go??

PS - I'll pull up the Lifer Bio thread if you want to post your bio. Please join us!!

Katie
191.8/148.6/153WW/142-145 personal goal/under 140 dream goal
:)

I'm in too. I have one and will try and copy down what i do here into the journal.

i can think of many things that i could add to my leverage list. I guess I would just settle for being at or near goal by the end of the year....

so, count me in as of today.

lala

Hey there Katie and Lala:

I'm thrilled to have ya and anyone else who wants to join the challenge. No matter what WRITE IT DOWN. And, yes let's all check in once a week for not only weigh ins but put some of your weekly / goals and reflections on the page. Also whatever we're having trouble with, put it down in the journal and write it up here.

How about we write down at the end of the week our daily range and how we did each day... for example

This was last week's:
Range 18-23 (old system went up to 25 pts, and I go there quite often and still lose)

M- 28 - 5 activity points = 23. Tu - 27, W - 23, Th - 261/2 - 2 activity pts = 241/2, Fri - 30 Sat - 38 - 10 activity points (major hike) = 28 pts. Sun 29 1/2 - 1 activity point = 28 1/2 pts.

Late night snacking is tough for me too. I'm on a celery and salsa kick right now, as well as the healthy choice popcorn I already mentioned (low fat /organic) amd those chewy 2 points bar really do help - I keep a box a work and at home - sometimes I eat 2! My feeling is if I want something tasty, then I better have something consciously, rather than when I'm resentful and bratty and eat everything in sight. Also there's a new icecream sandwich called Skinny Cow, and it's only 2 point. No it's not Hagen Daz but it'll do. I find if I don't eat enought fruit or protein, I start having candy and chips craving - so I've brought in apples and cherries to work. I need a pick me up around 3 or 4 pm.

Ciao Patch

I'd love to participate
 

I'd love to participate. I live in Portugal and we have no WW program here. I can't buy the jornal. Can I use the WW Jornal online instead??:?:

Count me in! pick me, pick me!

I'm actually using the end of another journal I have, right now, but I like the 12 week journal lots (I'm just using up the end of the other).

I think I just need to pay a lot more attention to this! I know how it works, and I know THAT it works, I just need to buckle down and do it. And, of course, eat my veggies!

My overall goal is to get back down to a size 12 jeans. What weight that is, I really don't care. When I was a 12 before, I was 180 pounds (I'm 5'9"). But, I'd like to be a 12. I'm sufficiently horrified by how I've let my weight get away from me right now that I no longer know what size I am now--I just know my 12s are far from fitting!

I'm willing to give it a whirl. I've been posting journals on the Fabulous 40s as well as keeping an Excel-based journal. If anyone wants a copy of the Excel spreadsheet I've been using you can e-mail me at [email protected].

Week 1 posting - Starting Week 2
 

Hey there Gals:

Wow! Thanks for all of you joining up. OK What's your leverage for Week 2 ???

Katie, Lala, Twinner, Mousie, and Myra you're all amazons :D :D :D

Twinner: - by all means use the online journal. What a great tool!

And Myra thanks for offering that excell sheet.

Here is my past week's worth : Week "1"

FYI - I couldn't go to my Monday WW Mtg (but as a Lifetime I have to check in for July) I'll let you guys know if there's any change in weight.

You'll see I "blew it" on the weekend. It's been my stumbling block for a looooong time :devil: :devil: :devil:

Ideal Range 18-25 (old system went up to 25 pts, and I've decided to use that as my limit - if I don't lose I'll cut it down in a few weeks to 23)

M - 19.5 - 5 activity + 3.5 (bnkd food points) = 8.5 pts bnkd
Tu - 23 (banked 2pts)
W - 23.5 (banked 1.5 pts)
Th - 25 - 1 activity pts = 24
Fri - 26
Sat - 35 - 1 activity point = 34 pts.
Sun 44 yikes - Italian dinner blues - 10 banked points = 34 points

I believe you can bank up to 10 points for the week, including activity. If you've read anything different let me know. Especially if I get to use Activity in addition to banked points!!!

I'm going to apply all 10 banked points to Sunday. My guess, though, is that I won't show any weight loss this week. :( :( :(

I get so mad at myself for having this blocked and defiant attitude on weekends. Any suggestions?

Let me know how you all did.

Patch

Here is my week 1:

Range 22-27

Monday: 25
Tuesday: 32 (but I was saved by activity points thanks to an hour step class and an hour of ashtanga yoga)
Wednesday: 24
Thursday: 21
Friday: 27
Saturday: 25
Sunday: 25

Hopefully I'll see a weight loss Wed. nite. Last Wed. I lost 1 lb. I'll let you know how it goes.

Myra
Lifetime since 1991
184/179.2/135

Can I join in still?
 

I weigh in tomorrow and am going to buy a journal. Can I still join in? I have lost 25.6 so far and am ready to take off another 25.


P

hey there gals:

and a special welcome to Pryia

One thing I forgot to mention. I always remember the frustrations but sometime forget the good moments.

This week I was able to occasionaly tighten my belt loop by one hole. May not seem like a lot, but I've been missing that extra inch of belt big time. It gives me hope that I'll be able to see some progress with the tight jeans if I just stick to WW program.

Hi Patch and everyone.

Consider me a late starter. I am just getting back to speed after lots of travel and social events. I have no problems journalling on-line from 9-5, but what happens after I leave the office is another story.

So, I found my journal. I journalled pretty honestly on Monday and today.

I guess my realization of the week is that I'm not where I want to be and where I was last summer. DUH :o . However, by realizing that my shorts are a bit tight and that I haven't been at the gym in four weeks was my wakeup call. If I can make it to they gym
at least four days this week and keep up with the journalling, then I'm on my way.

So, thanks for this thread. I'll stop whining now.

lala

Thanks for the welcome. I got the journal
today. Tomorrow I start my new week in my
new journal.


This weeks goal is to drink all my water.
That is a big one for me. But I can do it. I
am dying to see how much weight I lose for
journaling for 12 weeks straight.

I am down 22.8 pounds. Was 25.6 but I had a
gain this week. But no sweat. I am in a size
18 and loving it. Looking so forward to the
size 16. And I will be getting there before
I know it.

My biggest mini goal is 195.


P:lol:

Hope I'm doing this right...

week 1 (last week)

wednesday: 22.5
thursday: 24
friday: 22
sat: 24
sun: 29
mon: 23.5
tues: 24.5
(I have subtracted my exercise points)

since I'm going through the wild and wooly maintenance phase, I'm still trying to find the point range that will allow me to maintain. I don't think I want to lose anymore for the time being (never thought I'd say those words). My challenge is to listen to the body and eat when I'm hungry; also to increase exercise rate as seems needed by the body rather than going by the blinking numbers on the machine.

Hello to all -
Here is my week one which ending on Tuesday (I don't use any points I earn from exercise)

Wednesday: 20
Thursday: 23
Friday: 22
Saturday: 31
Sunday: 24
Monday: 25
Tuesday: 20

I exercised 6 out of 7 seven days & was good at watching the nighttime eating.

My meeting was tonight & I'm happy to report another loss of .8 pounds which brings me down to an even 146!! :D

Big challenge for me this week: going out of town on Friday to St. Paul for a wedding on Saturday - will be staying at my mom's house. My mom is naturally thin & is a wonderful support system - tries to accommodate me & is very helpful in having healthy food around the house. Need to concentrate on journalling & keeping up with the exercise.

No meeting next Wednesday because of the holiday, so I am going to try to go to a meeting on either Tuesday or Thursday of next week.

Katie
191.8/146/153WW/142-145 personal goal/under 140- dream goal

I weighed in last nite and lost 1.8 pounds! I'm so happy!

Okay, I've finished 6 days, my meeting is tonight, I'm rarin' to go...and TOM came early, and I'm holding about 5 pounds of water! UGH!

So here are my points, anyway.
Range 26-31, per my leader's suggestion due to my amout of exercise.

Day 1--33, 5 ex. points = 28
Day 2--28, no ex. = 28
Day 3--27, 4 ex. points = 23 (oops)
Day 4--41, 6 ex. points, 4 banked = 31
Day 5--36, 8 ex. points = 28
Day 6--41, 12 ex. points = 29

I just, this morning, caught the fact that you're only "allowed" to use 4 exercise points a day. Hmm. Never knew that. Even on the days I earn 12 points? I've been known to have days where I earn 19 or 20 points...even then? Day 3 I just wasn't hungry, and I came under points, but yesterday (the 12 point exercise day) I was starving all day. Ugh, such a headache!

My focus for this week is to stay within points considering the "only use 4 exercise points" rule. I don't exercise so much just so I can eat more--I'm a personal trainer, and I'm training for a 20 mile bikeride in August, in addition to my own workouts and sports and hobbies. Exercise is fun! I'm going to have to really pay attention, I guess, to what my body is telling me. I thought I was*, and eating only when my tummy growls, but you never know. So that's my focus for the week.

And my motivation for the week? Well, DH has a job interview, and if he gets the job we can go to MN in September for the Rennaisance Festival, and I'd like to be able to wear my gown!

4 exercise point max??
 

Mousie, where did you hear that? Or are you mixing up the 4 gram fiber max? I never heard that about exercise, though for me it's not a consideration (I max out myself at about 3 points of exercise a day).

I don't think that is true (it better not be as I exercise a lot). What the week 4 get moving book says, "Don't overdo it. It's never a good idea to overexercise as a way to overeat. In fact, it's not a good idea to earn more than an average of 4 points of activity per day (that's 28 points for a week's worth of activity) without seeking the advice of a certified exercise professional or physician." The way I read that is don't exercise more than you can take, but if you don't overdo for your fitness level you can earn more than 28 points a week. Is that how you read it?

Myra, I agree with your take on it. And since Mousie is a personal trainer, I'm sure she's doing the right thing.

Just out of curiosity, Mousie , if you do 20 points of exercise a day, do you eat all that as extra and how has it affected the scale?

boy, that is a lot of exercise!

No, I never eat 20 extra points in a day...wellllllll...okay, I never exercise 20 points worth and then eat those 20 points. I do have the occasional day when I just can't stay in my range, but everybody has those days. I don't make it a point to eat my exercise points, I just eat if I'm hungry.

Someone in the...um...General?...list is talking about max points, and they've said it's 4 points a day. So that's what I'm quoting. Was a surprise to me too!

I agree it's a bad thing to overexercise. Listen to your body, etc. There's recognized signs of overtraining, and I respect my body too much to put it through that.

How much exercise is that? That's 60 minutes of really hard cardio, 25 minutes of weight lifting and ab work, and 60 minutes biking at the Bay (9 miles).

As for how to scale's doing, the scale is stuck. Has been for awhile. So the debate is this: am I eating too much, or am I not eating enough for my level of activity, and my body thinks it's starving? I'm casting about for answers right now, but WW doesn't seem to have answers for people who exercise this much! I don't exercise to eat, I exercise because it's my profession. They don't seem to have answers to cope with that, though.

I also earn a lot of activity points, about 6-7 a day, 5-6 days a week. What I find works is giving myself permission to eat those points if I need to but not feeling obligated to do so. I try to listen to my body. I usually eat at least a few of those points but rarely all of them.

My latest thing is to try to listen to the body too in terms of not eating just because I have the points, or maybe eating more if hungry. Also trying to increase exercise as stamina allows instead of just doing what I always do. My experiment is in the very early stages - to early to report on anything.

Mousie - I think you're probably not eating enough. Why not experiment for one week with trying to take in a little more? What's the worse that can happen - even if you gain a pound, it will have been a learning experience. On the other hand, you might lose a pound or two!

Renaissance festival
 

Hi Mousie -
Saw your remark about the Minnesota Renaissance Festival - I grew up in the Twin Cities - did you? I love the Renaissance festival - when you talk about your gown, are you talking about working there & being one of the many "characters" that work at the festival? Just curious. I moved to the Madison, Wisconsin area about 8 years ago (only 4 hours from the Twin Cities), but I still really miss being "home." Am going up today for a long weekend; we are going to a wedding on Saturday.

Glad to have you here, Mousie (& everyone else, too!)

Katie
191.8/146/153WW/142-145 personal goal/under 140 dream goal

kt marie--No, I didn't grow up there. I have lots of friends there, though, and I've visited and they've taken me to Fest for several years. One year I DID live there--I lived in Roseville for 8 months, and that year I went to Fest 5 times! I've never worked there, I just have a gown and shoes, and my friends dress up too, and we go and have a marvelous time. :) I miss Fest, and I miss my friends so much! I'd live in MN if I could, but the winters bother my old injuries and I can't function. :( If only MN had weather like San Diego!

Hey there Gals:
 

Hey the gals and a special hello to Lala, Twinner and Pryia , how are you gals doing?

First of all, Congrats to Katie, Myra and Mousie for the weght loss. You go girls!!! And, LM... you're doing just amazing on maintenance.

This Thread is getting long. I'm going to start a New Thread - same title with a #2


Just a thought re Maximum points...

Mousie you bring up a really good question

Let's each ask our Weight Wathcher leaders regarding excercise/ activity points, and post it. MY WW leader is also a personal trainer, so when I go the coming Monday I will ask her.

I used to do Marathons and trained pretty hard as a racewalker . Especially towards the end of training, I was putting in 20 miles or 4.33 hours worth every Saturday. According to activity points I was averaging about 20 plus points on these days. I probably didn't use all of them, but I did take in approx another meal's worth or more throughout the day. I was usually starving for a tasty Bagel Lox and Crm Cheese and then a steak for dinner. And I would eat it. I still lost.

I think you gals may be right on the money regarding too much excercising versus not eating enough. When I went too low in points my body's metabolism slowed down, and even though I was excercising like a demon :devil: :devil: :devil: the weight stayed the same.

Mousie That's Renaissance Fair is a great motivator!:) And if you like, I can see if my WW leader (Susan C. is the personal trainer I mentioned before) is up for speaking with you directly regarding activity points.

take care gals and thanks for new insight.

Patch

Hi Patch30 and Kt Marie!!!

YES, I want to join you, although I'll be a week behind you.

I've had a hard time the last few months, but I'm sure the bound journal kept me from gaining even more weight than I did. I'm 3 pounds over goal, instead of what I want to be--15 below it. Day one, week one begins for me TODAY!!!! (I'm glad I had a decent day!)

My first minigoals are to get to goal so I don't have to pay my $12 and be more comfortable in my clothes.

(I'll put my other replies on the new thread, but wanted this one to be here to respond to Kt Marie in the proper place.)

REC

pulling up for Tigerblue