INTROS AND SPREADSHEET.....

fitmom_pam1976

Hi Guys! I have finished to put the spreadsheet together.

Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuCWOx0Ny9NvdFBmaEFzS094aTdMMjVSb2pEUWp1QkE#gid=0

I have also put together a video for you guys. I want to apoligize ahead of time for the noise (my son singing and screaming) in the background. I have done these videos in the past when the kids were in school. BUT with them being home, it is difficult to find QUIET time! LOL!

Here is the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb8Ruw5kM1I

Please remember to post your Starting Weight and Goal Weight on Thursday 8/22. And also post an Intro on this thread do we can all get to know each other. Wishing you all a GREAT week! I will be posting a Week 1 challenge shortly. I am trying to get another video together..... if I can get my son to behave! HA!!!!

As I mentioned in the video, I appreciate any feedback, suggestions and ideas!!!

Pam

IowaJen1979

Thanks, Pam! I love how high tech we are. :-)

Also - there is a Google Drive app for iPhone and iPad (and probably droid products) that allows you to access Google documents. Very helpful if you're away from a computer and need to log your weight.

I'll kick off the intros. My name is Jen (or Jennifer). I grew up in Iowa and it is still very near and dear to me, hence my screen name. I now live in Chicago and am enjoying city life. I have been overweight my whole life and reached my all time high last year (for various reasons), at 246 pounds. At the age of 33 I was already feeling the effects of being overweight - sore knees and feet, out of breath all of the time, etc. After the holidays I assessed my situation and came up with a plan. Thanks to MFP and these challenges, I have lost almost 60 pounds. My weight loss slowing down considerably a few months ago so I started running in June, with Couch to 5K. I started noticing a difference in my body towards the end of C25K and am excited for this challenge to keep my momentum going! I have signed up for my first race on 9/22!!! My other favorite workout is Zumba - I'm REALLY addicted to it. I like to cook a lot and I am really diligent about meal planning. I use recipes from Skinnytaste.com and emilybites.com a lot. They're great websites if you used them already!

Looking forward to reading everyone's intros!

P.S. Pam - you look AWESOME!!!!! Great job!

AZRunnerGirlinErie

Okay, here I go

My name is Christie and I have been on this weight loss journey since December 2012. I had gained a lot of weight over the last few years and was not happy with my lifestyle and choices. Up until May 2013, I was steadily losing weight and was accomplishing my goals. These last few months though I have plateaued and it is absolutely due to my diet. I quit logging and stopped paying as much attention to what I was eating.

I am very excited about this group and am looking forward to getting back on track. My biggest challenge is my diet and training my mind & body that I don't need so many calories.

I exercise fairly regularly - Crossfit 4x/week and I am starting to increase my cardio, as well. I have completed two 1/2 marathons this year including The Biggest Loser 1/2 marathon last Saturday. I am doing a Tough Mudder this Saturday and the Megatransect in September.

SW - 180
CW - 152
GW - 130
Back on Track GW - 147

Thanks so much for starting the Back On Track Challenge. I'm really looking forward to it!

neon7girl

Hello!!

I'm Jane..and in Central PA. I started a year ago and have lost 35 lbs. I have done a few Beach-body programs and am taking a break from that stuff as I am bored with it all. I have just started C25K(one week 2) and so far, so good. Blew out my medial meniscus in December but worked out with pain because I'm stubborn like that. I kinda got stalled on my weight loss back in May when I had a Hyster and then again in July to have my knee surgery.

With all this, taking classes, and getting a promotion at work, I have really lacked any motivation and am hoping this short challenge will be what i need to get my head back in the game. I'd like to drop another 50 lbs or so. I'm kinda disappointed that I am not farther along and had hopes that at this time, one year later, I'd be on my homestretch. Oh well, I'm back and ready to see what I can do here.

Thanks for listening!

valenisia1

Hello Everyone

I am 23 years old and have a lovely husband and daughter. I've been using MFP since the beginning of this year(January) with a starting weight of 231 pounds and lost about 40 pounds(weighing 191 pounds). No excuses!!!! but after my daughters birthday in June I started eating bad food and gained weight and weighing 207 pounds... I then decided just 3 weeks ago that I needed to get back on track and have been doing really well...... So far I've lost about 15 pounds...Yayy and now that I've come across this group, im very excited and looking forward to seeing more results.....

Thanks again PAM for this awesome group....

Good luck everyone and feel free to add me :happy:

P.S- I will post my starting weight tomorrow.

pmhandlo11

PAm awesome video...your so techno savvy...and you look GREAT!!!d

My name is Paula, I live in NE Pennsylvania. I started my journey in October of 2012. I had gone on a Strict Low Carb diet in the early part of 2012 and ended up in Kidney failure!! YEP you heard it right! I was extreme low carbing, exercising everyday, and dehydrated.....ended up in the PCU for 2 weeks and dialysis for 5 weeks. (it's a long story but that's the condensed version)
SOOOO, after a long road I decided that the only way to get healthy and fit was hard work and a PROPER diet. No quick fixes for me ever again. So I have lost 23lbs....originally it was 32 but have gained some back......I am now ready for this Challenge!!! I really enjoy working out....it's "my" time for me and I"m looking foward to getting back to that on a regular basis. I was hoping to be at goal by now but on JUNE 1st hubby fell off a ladder and shattered both ankles so this had to be set aside for awhile!!! That's okay tho, I knew all along I would get back to MFP!!! --Thank you for reading and I look foward to getting to know everyone
-Paula

Alsison

Nice work on the spreadsheet Pam!!

Hi Everyone! My name is Alison!!.. and I can't wait to get started!!

Cheers!!

6mimi

Hello everyone! My name is Mary (Mimi is my nickname). I am 39 and will turn 40 on August 30th. I am the mother of two (a 19 year old and an 11 year old). I have been in Pam's previous fun challenges and am looking forwards to this new Back on Track Challenge. I was down about 20 pounds at one point but unfortunately gained most of it back (most of it from stress eating when my son had some serious health issues earlier this year). I am working through some health conditions right now (fibromyalgia, migraines, extreme fatigue and pain/weakness in my left arm) but in no way am going to use that as a reason not to reach my health goals. I am one determined woman!!!:bigsmile: I love healthy food and being active. My main problem is probably portion control and making sure to stay in my calories. Right now I am on day 5 of not eating glutens to see if it helps my fibromyalgia at all. I am happy to see so many of the previous challenge members and send out a big welcome to all the new people joining too. Please feel free to send me a friend request if I haven't sent you out one yet. Good luck everyone!!

Leeann1979

Hi everyone! I am Leeann, I am 34, have an 8 year old daughter, and a boyfriend of 4 years. I have yo-yo'ed my entire adult life. I have never been seriously overweight, but have lost and gained the same 20-30lbs for about 14 years. Its been frustrating.
I always did the ultra low calorie method, and always gained it back once I started eating like a human again. I refuse to go that route again. Diet is my main problem, as I am a picky eater, and don't like many veggies. I like fruit and eat quite a bit, but dinners are difficult sometimes because I usually end up with a carby side like potatoes. I have been fairly faithfully logging on here for almost a year, and haven't lost a pound. In fact, im 10lbs heavier.
For exercise, I am a tennis player. I play several times a week, I play in leagues and tournaments. I also go for walks, do the elliptical, treadmill, bike etc, do an occasional dvd such as the 30 Day Shred, swimming, and some strength. I go in streaks though. Tennis is consistent, but the other exercise isn't. I need to be doing more.
I also have a sluggish metabolism and am tired often. I have a thyroid disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and it sucks.

I am looking forward to this challenge and hope to shed a few pounds and make some friends along the way!!!

Maalea

Hi, I am Malea. I live in Vienna (Austria).
In the last few months, I didn't lose much weight, or gained it right back again. This summer i went on a trekking vacation where I lost some inches (yeah!), but now that I am back I need to get back some good habits about eating and exercising, so this challenge is just perfect for me.

My favorite workout is walking and biking, but i plan to join a gym to get more variety and (hopefully) kickstart my weight loss once again.

arains89

Hey everyone! My name is Amanda. I am from Baltimore, MD. I live with my wonderful boyfriend and my two children. My son's name is Adrian and he is 5 years old and my daughter's name is Peyton and she is 11 months tomorrow. I have been working to lose weight since the beginning of the year after (a few months after I had my daughter) so far I have lost 51 pounds from the day I went in to have my daughter and 39 since the day I got home from the hospital (I lost 12 from having her). I started MFP at 172 and am now around 145. I weigh less than I did before I had either of my kids. I am feeling great and my goal is really just to keep shredding fat and to tone my body. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you and I am hoping to shed a few pounds in the process!!

jenfoxjercha

Hi my name is Jen. I am 37 years old, married for 9 years and I am a mother of an 18 year old who is a senior in high school. I have a full schedule between my son's activities and my own. I work out in the morning before work and then I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu three or four times a week. I would like to be able to compete in a year or so for the first time. I have only lost 30 lbs so far since I started in 2011 but my black belt reminds me that I have lost fat and gained muscle so I have lost more than 30 lbs in fat. I have gotten a little off track like most this summer and I was looking for a group to get me back on track. Thanks for doing this group!!! I'll need the extra help as marching band is about to start and I also have a college class in September. My already busy schedule is filling up.

gdneff

Hey y'all. My name is Ginger. I am 42 years old, married for 21 years, with a 20 year old son. I have always been big, but I always had a number in my head that if I ever got to or close to, it was def time to do something. Unfortunately, I have come close to that number (280). Not only have I gotten bigger than I ever wanted to be, I have also had a medical scare and a wakeup call this summer. It is believe that I have a herniated disc that is putting pressure on my sciatica (am trying to get this confirmed with MRI), and my daddy (66yo) was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer in June. Talk about an eye opener. I never thought about how you can be here one day and then get news like that and have your whole life turned upside down. Made me realize that my husband (who is 10 years older than I am) may only have so much time left and I want to make the most of that. We have talked about riding our Harley's across country after he retires. I def want to be able to do that and want to be comfortable doing it. Right now, every time I see a picture of me on my bike, (or any picture for that matter), I just cringe.

Anyway, I am def looking forward to this challenge. I started on MFP back in January, lost about 10 pounds and then life got in the way, so here I am again. I have def made up my mind that this is the time. There is no other. Its now or never, and I am not waiting any longer. I know this is not going to be easy, but what in life that is worth having ever is? I am a picky eater, and don't care for veggies, but am sure I will find a way to make this work.

Good luck to everyone. Please feel free to add me if you want. We can all use support and encouragement in this journey.

Have a great day.
G

omgsmg

Hi everyone, I'm Sandra! I've been part of MFP for a little over three months now. My sister actually inspired me to join. This is my first group, so hopefully I can keep up and we'll see how it goes.

I'm 28 years old. I live in NH with my husband and our nine month old daughter. I'm a stay at home mom right now and never thought it was going to be as tough as it is. It's just me and the babe all day every day while my husband works. I don't have any help and my only support emotionally through all this is my husband and my best friend. My family doesn't ever visit even though they are about 30 minutes away, but that's a different story for a different day. Let me see, I'm a crafter, a talker and I ramble... (a lot),

My WHOLE life I've been overweight, and not just a little bit over weight, severely overweight. I've always been "the fat girl" or "thunder thighs" or "the girl who stopped growing taller, just wider", etc, etc. I would always laugh with the people making the jokes, but obviously was hurt by it. To this day I still am. I'm not trying to make this a sad sob story. I'm not sure why I've always been so big, I have always been very active and besides having a thyroid condition I am very healthy. Never had an joint issues, no back pains, nothing that people my size tend to usually have. While pregnant with my daughter I was my biggest. I was 450lbs in November last year. I ended up giving birth to my daughter prematurely because she just decided Thanksgiving weekend was a good time to come even though she wasn't due until after the new year. So the end of the year was a very tough year for us, we spent it in the hospital. By January because I was so depressed and stressed over everything I had dropped 50lbs very very quickly. I know it wasn't healthy but I couldn't help it. Once my daughter came home I decided I needed to keep up the work and continue to lose weight, not just for me but for her and for my husband. He is very supportive, except he is a man who loves his food, so it's a struggle sometimes. I was doing great and then I decided now was time to join this site in hopes to keep myself motivated and was doing great. Losing almost 2lbs a week. Then I just stopped.

I gave up entirely and started to gain a bit of weight back, not much but enough to bother me. I told my husband it's something we both need to do. I told him the things I wanted to do but it's just not possible this size so he decided to sign up and join the site and now we're doing it together and it's SOOO much easier! Until last weekend, when we went out to eat TWICE. I know I could have ordered a salad or something but of course I didn't. So really this challenge came at the best time.

I'm down to 365lbs now. So, I've come a long way. 85lbs is not too shabby. It's something I should be proud of and some days I am but it's still a streuggle because I don't always see someone who has lost 85lbs. I see someone who still has a LONG way to go. Loving myself has never been easy, but I just take it one day at a time. So, thank you again for starting this challenge.

Sorry for rambling, but feel free to add me anyone and GOOD LUCK!

kathleenann1962

Hi Pam,

I found the spreadsheet but did not find my name on it. Can I add it or is this something you need to do?

Kathy

User name: Kathleenann1962

lcast89

Hello all!My name is Lupita.I'm a 24 year old SAHM of 4 kiddos.They're 7,5,3 & 7 months.I joined MFP in March and have yet to lose more than 2-3 pounds.I feel as though I get discouraged too easily, be it by my homelife or late night cravings.I weigh 137 lbs right now.My goal weight is 120.Looking forward to getting to know y'all and getting that extra push to lose the extra weight.

WendyCollinson2004

okay, I will try this again. I lost everything I was writing on here before, because my computer went haywire.
I am a 36 year old mom, I have a 3 year old daughter (who by the way loves to run like her mommy), and I have a boyfriend (who is her daddy). Both my boyfriend and I like to run.
I work part-time at a Sears in the mattress department. I have almost finished a Retail Management degree, but I am having some issues with that degree. So while I work on those issues, I am taking my first class towards being a personal trainer. The class is fitness and wellness.
I joined MFP in October 2011. I have done some of Pam's challenges before and I give her credit for helping me lose 40 pounds last year because of the challenges. I have kept the weight off for the most part, but I have seen recently that the scale is creping in the wrong direction. I have gained back 5/6lbs of what I had lost. At least, it isn't that much, but it is enough that I feel it.
I love to run. Yes, I said love. Some people would think me crazy or insane, but running gives me a release that I never knew I needed. I seriously wish that I had found that I loved it when I was in high school and not almost 20years out of high school.
I don't remember what made me what to start exercising in June of 2011, but I remember bothering my boyfriend about joining a gym. He was a little nervous about it, afraid I wouldn't go. I went and I lost. YAY!!
Feel free to add me to your friends list or I will try to add you when I find time to do so.

I will post the beginning weight tomorrow on the spreadsheet, but my goal weight for this challenge will to get back down to 140 pounds. I think I would like to also add that I want to measure my waist and I would like to be at a 36. I think I am at a 40 now.

ashelizlow0491

Hiya everyone my name is Ashley, I'm 22 years old and i live in MA with my boyfriend and his family. I have always wanted, since i was little, a child. I've been over weight since I was a little girl but I wpuld like to be healthy first. I have never known how it feels to go to a store without someone telling you they don't have your size. I have always turned to food as a best friend when I was made fun of by kids and even family. I'm not going to type my whole story since it will take long but I am glad and reasy to start to get healthy for me so that I can do things I have always wanted to do and glad that I will have support from all of you guys.

candacel24

My name isn't on the spreadsheet. Can you add me or is it too late?

carrielynn62

Hi, everyone my name is Carrie I'm 51 years old and I live in Michigan.I have been married for 26 years and have 2 grown childern and now a son en-law too. I joined MFP in January of 2012 and lossed 20 lbs, this past Febuary we had some Family health issues[ my son-en-law had an anurisim and had brain surgery, my brother had a stroke and my nephew was in a snowmobiel accident all with in 10-day's] I spent over a week in the hospital with our daugther [she wouldn't leave and I wasn't leaving her alone]I was in Ohio for 3-weeks and our son en-law is doing wonderful, my brother and nephew are as well, that said I got off track and need to start thinking of my health again. My lowest weight was 177 and this morning I weighed 185.
I'm hoping to lose 8 lbs durning this challenge.

valenisia1

Hi again

I've entered my SW and GW into the spreadsheet.

SW-191.8lbs (87kg)
GW-183.0lbs (83kg)

Good luck everyone and looking forward to seeing some results in 4 weeks

lali226

Hey everyone! My name is Laura (Lali is my nickname) and I'm 31 years old. I recently moved to Indiana from Florida. I have a cake decorating / party services business with my mom. I’ve always been a yoyo dieter and an emotional eater, so with my recent life changes, I’ve gained a bit of weight. In addition to that, I was recently told by my doctor that I have prehypertension, so my main motivation is to be able to help control my blood pressure via healthy lifestyle choices.

I'm new to MFP and this is my very first group challenge. I’m really excited about joining and look forward to getting to know everyone.

Good luck and please feel free to send me a friend request!

Note to Pam: Thanks so much for getting this group started!

tleonhardt

Hello everyone,
I am Tami. I am 51 and am highly motivated to lose the weight that I've gained in the past 8 months post-surgery. I am ready to reclaim my "slimmer" me and find new ways to exercise and stay fit. I am grateful to have a challenge to help kick-start this effort.

cdziallo

Hello, I'm Catherine and I'm getting serious about getting healthy for the sake of my 1 yo daughter.

fitmom_pam1976

Welcome to everyone!!! Forthose of you that can not find your names on the spreadsheet, please feel free to add your names to the list. If you have any problems accessing the spreadsheet u can send me your info. Good Luck!

Pam

AprilOneFourFour

Hi I am April. I live in the UK. Work from home sitting down all day!

Weight has been creeping the wrong way (my clothes tell me, I haven't weighed myself in ages and am dreading doing it today). I'm hoping that being accountable will help. I like the idea of 4 weeks because I will stick to something that length. And I'm looking forward to some challenges.

I tend to be very good for the first half of the week and really blow it at the weekend.

Thanks for taking time to set this up Pam.

Look forward to checking in regularly and completing the 4 weeks in better shape than I started.

Off to weigh myself and write a meal plan for the week.

fitmom_pam1976

It is Weigh in Day!!! I am sooo excited!!! Here goes:

SW: 148.6
GW: 144

Let's get Back on Track guys!!!

AprilOneFourFour

Wasn't quite as bad as I feared, but my ticker moved backwards

SW: 161
GW: 155 (That would be pretty hard, but will go for it)

Maalea

SW: 185.2 :-(
GW: 180

A little bit more than 1 lb per week should be possible...
Let's do it!

yspen42

CW 271

Goal weight 260

Looking forward to the challenge

Thanks

arains89

SW: 145.6
GW: 140

Big goal but I will try my hardest!