What do you look for in a WLC?

xdanikadrake

I'd really like to start an 8 week weight loss challenge, but I'm not sure what all to include? Weekly challenges, weigh ins, small group/big group, teams etc... So I'm asking, what do you look for in a weight loss challenge?

Kalikel

Free. It must be free and not run by some Beachbody coach or anyone who feigns a "we're doing this together!" thing as a scam, when they're really just trying to sell you something. Small-time con artists - don't want it.

Fun. Something that won't suck to do, like, "Let's all walk ten miles this weekend!" instead of a crazy "Let's eat 500 calories total this weekend!"

Friendly. Not something where people are honestly trying to win, but where they're all doing it together.

bpetrosky

I have learned to avoid contestifying weight loss. It tends to encourage temporary and ill advised weight loss practices to "win". It's hard to structure it to avoid that.

triciab79

I'm not social enough for these things. I actually didn't tell anyone other than my hubby that I was even trying to lose weight. My mom didn't even know. I just showed up 100lbs lighter one day and said Hi Mom.

Glinda1971

I was in one when I started this. Not only did you get points for losses, there were also points for things like:

Eating your 5 fruit and vegetable servings
Contact with your team mates -ours was on fb so we had a messenger thread
Keeping a food diary
Daily exercise minutes (Up to 60 counted per day)
Drinking water
And everyone set a personal challenge as well - mine was to eat my calories as I'm bad for over restricting. One of my friends did getting their 10,000 steps.

It was set up as a spreadsheet on google docs and everyone has their own page with weigh ins once per week.

ETA - if you google 8 week weight loss challenge one of the results is what we did.

callsitlikeiseeit

i dont do things like that. i know a lot of people like them... i think theyre stupid. i think if you can't be accountable to YOURSELF... you're doing it wrong. but whatever. different strokes for different folks.

i go to the gym 5 times a week for an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the day (on days where i have a water class, i then do my regular cardio after, making a longer workout)

i eat at a deficit.

it works. lol

cwolfman13

I think things like this often make people do stupid and unhealthy things in order to be 1st in losing weight...great...you're 1st in losing weight and last in actual health and fitness...yeah you.

Azurite27

I agree with others that challenges generally are bad since they tend to make people take things to extremes although Glinda's ideas are good and health focused rather than getting from point A to B as quickly as possible.