11 replies to this topic

[Scott Johnston]

Ok, We are all tired of the cliche's and ads for a new you. But the reality is I am overweight and not successful in doing anything about it. This forum is to address just that. Lose some weight, gain some fitness and flexibilty and yes just feel better, while still able to eat and drink a bit. Hopefully with a few good ideas, some motivation and encouragement from other members and some plain old "get it done" we can be successful!

[bettyjoan]

So...what's the plan? I've never participated in the Challenge before, and I'd be interested in jumping on board, but are we still following the same protocol as in previous years (i.e., 10% of body weight by Memorial Day)? Should this forum be used to post weights/goals, or just ideas and "atta boys"? Thanks for the info!

[DonRocks]

So...what's the plan? I've never participated in the Challenge before, and I'd be interested in jumping on board, but are we still following the same protocol as in previous years (i.e., 10% of body weight by Memorial Day)? Should this forum be used to post weights/goals, or just ideas and "atta boys"? Thanks for the info!

I can set this up however everybody wants, but Scott wrote me and asked to do it this year, so it's his show (with a deferential nod to bilrus for running our "classic" Fit For Summer Challenge forum three years ago).

[Scott Johnston]

Betty,
I feel this Forum should develop as the participants join to meet their needs. My personal goal is a 10% weight lost (280 pounds - 28 pounds = 252 pounds by mid June). I hope to post my progress, gain ideas, share successes and hopefully get encouragement when I need it. As part of the past challenge, there was also an option to have a secret challenge alias if you want to not use your regular screen name.

So...what's the plan? I've never participated in the Challenge before, and I'd be interested in jumping on board, but are we still following the same protocol as in previous years (i.e., 10% of body weight by Memorial Day)? Should this forum be used to post weights/goals, or just ideas and "atta boys"? Thanks for the info!

[bookluvingbabe]

Is there any interest in starting this again for 2012?

[Anna Blume]

Is there any interest in starting this again for 2012?

Not just yet, but soon?  I am not eager to count calories or weigh more than my dried pasta and baking ingredients, but I would be happy to start using some of the other strategies that led to progress last time: exhaustive food diary and gradual increase in hours walked each month. I've accumulated so much cheese over the past month or so and I am not into throwing out perfectly good food that melts.

[thistle]

Sure, I would be up for this, things have changed since the last time I checked in, but I would like to chart my progress, I would really like to include physical activity, but I'm procrastinating....maybe if I had to be accountable, I would include everything....

[bookluvingbabe]

Well I'm on Day 4 of the Whole 30 http://whole9life.co...egory/whole-30/  (No grains, sugar, sweetners, legumes, dairy or booze.  I'm sure I'm forgetting something...)

 

So far I can say it doesn't suck.  I've resorted to frozen ice cubes of coffee to cool my coffee off enough to drink it first thing.

 

I'm also using MyFitnessPal to track calorie intake--not required but I needed to get a sense of how much I was eating.

 

And I bought a Fitbit to track activity level and sleep levels.  If I can get the (Expletive deleted) thing to work, I think that will help get me to move more.

[Anna Blume]

Good luck!  Are you planning on giving up legumes, grains and dairy forever and ever or just for now?

 

We're all different, but outright denial triggers cravings and resentment for me. Moderation got me through the last challenge. Slowly weaning myself away from sweets after the holidays is current strategy, one that is lenient enough to permit a chocolate salty oat cookie at Teaism, for example, as long as I stop bringing home store-bought goods and ingredients for baking.

 

I also plan on cutting back on baked goods as soon as I get through my freezer's stash of naan, Struan, rolls and cornbread, replacing sandwiches with salads made with wheat berries, brown rice, barley, for example. As someone without Celiac disease, though, I would never give up all Whole 30 denies its followers. Legumes are an important source of protein since they help eliminate or reduce animal products.  And I would never, ever give up white pasta or the occasional cup of stubby white rice for risotto and paella. 

[bookluvingbabe]

Temporary and then see how I feel as I reintroduce stuff.  I'd been doing an 80-20 paleo/primal thing but that was really more like 50/50 and that wasn't working for me.  At a minimum I see myself treating grains as a treat in the future.  Legumes don't seem to bother me so I suspect they'll come back at some point.  Right now the only hard part is the lack of cream in my coffee.  I'm sure it will get harder but I'm really trying to reset my cravings.  Fingers crossed that it works.

[thistle]

One of the things that was easy for me to change was to use coconut cream (the top of stuff in the refrigerated canned coconut milk) in morning coffee, to replace artificial sweetener & 1% milk. Actually, that was the only really easy thing...but it wasn't too painful, just a little more work...good luck & hang in there....

[bookluvingbabe]

Thanks!  I tried that and found it gnarly.  I'm not a big coconut fan so I'm not surprised it didn't work for me.  I also found the no-sugar-addded sunflower seed butter pretty nasty.  

 

I'm day 7 now.  Still going well.  Very aware that I want a sweet bite of something at the end of a meal.  Normally I'd pop a piece of chocolate in my mouth.  I found myself foraging for fruit instead.  Trying to make sure I'm actually hungry before I do eat the fruit.  So far I only seem to be hungry about half the time.  

 

Baby-steps...