Introductions and Challenge Goals - Get Through the Holidays

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Hi, I'm Sharon! I and 48 yrs old, have been with MFP for almost a year and have lost 35 lbs to date. I have over 100 more to go and am shooting to reach my goal weight by my 50th birthday - about 14 months away. I know I can do it - it's just ACTUALLY doing it!!

I formed this group because being from western New York - the Fall and Holiday season is my biggest challenge each year. I love the Fall - not just the change in seasons, or the beautiful pallette of leave colors on the trees...I love Fall comfort foods! And then once the holidays hit - I usually undo any good I've done the rest of the year. Last year with MFP, I made it through the holiday season with an actualy weight loss - and I thank a challenge team and a handful of great MFP friends that were there to help me get through it. So I wanted to pass that on for another year! And so we have the Let's Just Get Through the Holidays Group!!

Here are my 3 goals for the next 3 months:
* Lose a minimum of 10 lbs by the end of the challenge
* Work veggies back into my diet - at least 2-3 servicing a day
* Get back to the gym - at least 2-3 times a week

I will start a new weekly topic thread on Thursday, September 27th - to get us going. These weekly topics are for you to update how you are doing on your goals. You can also use them to post your weight loss, or anything else you want to track weekly. Thursdays have seemed to work good in the past - but if you weigh in a different day of the week, just log in on that day and post to the thread.

Good luck to everyone! If you add me as a friend during the challenge, you will also see in your home page when I post new topics. I recommend also friend-ing others in the group so you can see when they post as well!

Have a great last week of September!

Sharon (LovinLifeChik)
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Replies

  • cah0806
    cah0806 Posts: 112
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    Hello! My name is Christy and I am 33 years old. I am married with two girls, an almost 12 year old and a just turned 2 year old. I live in North Carolina and work as an itinerant (traveling) teacher of special education students, specifically those with visual impairments. I also teach my 2 year old's AWANA's class at church on Sunday nights. Between voice lessons, gymnastics, church, school, and my husband's 60 hour a week work schedule, we stay super busy. Oh, did I mention I am also taking continuing education classes and seeking my National Board Certification this year?

    Because we stay so busy, I find myself eating fast and not healthy and skipping workouts. My weight fluctuates about 5 pounds at any given time. I seem to be hanging on to those last 10-15 pounds despite my daily trips to the gym all summer!! I am also an emotional eater and stress is a major trigger for me.

    I joined back in 2009 after my sister recommended the site. Since then, I have lost 30 pounds, got pregnant, gained 40 pounds, lost all that weight, and now just kind of hover in the 160's. I had a fitness assessment at my gym last week and my BMI was 27.5%. So, I am not too far from where I want to be, but can't seem to break the plateau.

    My three goals are:
    1. Committ to a minimum of four thirty minute workouts and give it them my entire focus!!
    2. Log all of my food daily.
    3. Lose at least five pounds

    This time of year is really hard, especially living in the south. You know we fry everything!! Looking forward to getting to know you!

    Christy
  • AmandaJ
    AmandaJ Posts: 1,950 Member
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    Hi, I am Amanda and I am the mom of four children. I have let myself get completely out of shape and need to lose weight and get fit again. Looking forward to some motivation!
  • HarlowS
    HarlowS Posts: 287 Member
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    Greetings! I am Sarah from Charlotte, NC (but home will always be south FL!). I am 32 and am a mom to three boys (7, 5, and 11 months). I am a teacher, but have spent the past year working as both a teaching assistant and professor for Ashford University's online program. I also do freelance work on the side. It is great to work from home, BUT temptation is always there!

    Although I never was overweight growing up and in college, my three pregnancies (two back to back) had me packing on the pounds. In the long run, I need to lose 50 more lbs. Like Sharon, fall is my favorite time of year. Everything from beer and sausage rolls on Sundays, sweets and treats for Halloween, and the constant snacks offered from Thanksgiving to Christmas, make me feel a bit overwhelmed.

    I am grateful for MFP and all of the challenges that I have done to help me thus far. I just have to keep moving forward.

    My three goals are:
    1. Log food every single day.
    2. Complete JM's 30 Day Shred in the month of Oct. (This is my third try and I have never made it past day 21!)
    3. Drop a pant size (I am in-between sizes and it is frustrating!).

    I look forward to supporting everyone. Please feel free to add me :bigsmile:
  • SweetMe1
    SweetMe1 Posts: 73 Member
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    Greetings from Oregon!

    I weighed over 300 pounds five years ago and have just broken the 200 pound mark. Yay me! LOL I joined a week ago and my goal weight is 145 pounds. I have four sons and three daughters-in-law and I'm going to be a first-time nana in November.

    I think I picked one of the hardest times of the year to lose weight, but here I am.

    My three goals
    1. Eat more fiber and vegetables
    2. Keep away from the bakery/candy aisles when grocery shopping
    3. Be patient with myself.
  • alisonmaynard70
    alisonmaynard70 Posts: 20 Member
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    Hey there! My name is Alison. I am from Kentucky. Just as you figured, I am overweight and have been most of my life. I am 41 (42 October 24th) and I know the strain of the holidays ALL too well. I joined MFP the beginning of this month, but only started doing it a week ago. I have been over 300 pounds for a very long time, and I am SOOOO ready to get down to the 100s again.

    My goals:
    1. Allow myself guilty pleasures without over doing it.
    2. Logging food honestly and faithfully through the holidays so I will better know what to do if I falter.
    3. Stay positive even in the face of failure.

    I have to lose 5 dress sizes before my brother gets married and to do this I have to stay true to my journey of getting healthy. that is why I am here!
  • jenguhl
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    Hello from Indiana! My name is Jen and I am a 40 year old mom of one. I have a pretty sedentary job opening new accounts at a bank and I LOOOOOOVE to bake and cook. Fall is a time that I start gearing up for my Christmas baking. I take an entire week off of work to bake cookies. Ridiculous, I know. I quit smoking and started exercising several years ago but I ended up still gaining 15 pounds. Can you imagine how many pounds it would be if I didn't start the exercise? What I would like to accomplish with this challenge is:

    1. Exercise at least 4 times a week.
    2. Quit drinking soda (pop, here in ol' Indiana)
    3. Add a fresh fruit or vegetable to every meal
  • ttsfaith
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    Hi, I'm Tammie. I live in Virginia and I have been overweight most all my life . I have had 4 children 2 boys & 2 girls . My 2 daughters are still at home ages 13 and 15 . I am a CNA and have been ubable to work due to Fibromyalga . Which is a type of artheritus . I take medicine for this and have to be careful not to overdo it. If I do to much it takes me about 3 days to recoop and during that time I feel really tired and drained . I have a long term goal to reach 150 pounds , currently I have close to that to lose. I know it took time to get in this condition so it will take time to change my lifestyle of no exercise and eating unhealthy . I am determined to stick with this and do it this time for good . So my 3 goals are as follows:

    1) Exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes each time. While listening for cues from my body not to go to hard to soon.
    2) Keep a food journal each day to help me stay on track. I'm trying to stay under 1500 calories per day.
    3) Lose 15 pounds by Christmas.
  • geogie54
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    Hi All, Georgina here. I live in White Rock BC Canada and have been carrying my weight for too..... long. I will be 55 in the month of Oct. and need to lose 30 lbs. I am tired all the time and I do believe it's from carrying the extra pounds. So this group sounds like the place to be.

    My goals are as follows:
    Walk at least 3 times a week.
    Log ALL my food daily
    Lose 15 lbs by Christmas

    Good Luck to all and it will be great to get to know everyone!!!
  • hmorrish
    hmorrish Posts: 20 Member
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    Hi my name is Hannah and I am a part time Legal Assistant and Mum to a 16 month old Girl. I decided to try and get back into my pre-pregnancy weight as my little girl is running rings around me at the moment and I really want to keep up with her.

    I also love this time of year but when the weather sets in I can find the motivation to exercise is just not there. I love walking, and when I get out I feel brilliant, its just need more motivation to get up and get active.

    My three goals are:-
    1. To lose at least 20lb by Christmas
    2. To enjoy my time at the Gym (i'm presently going during my lunch hour) and to try to get out walking at least once a week with my little girl
    3. To try and resist those little temptations of picking at my little one's food

    Hopefully I can keep to these goals and by New Year I will feel more confident in myself and believe that I can actually do something when I put my mind to it.
  • Dot2Dots
    Dot2Dots Posts: 137 Member
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    Hi, I am Dot. I am 44, married & live Michigan in the country with the cows and chickens. They say the average person can gain between 5-10 lbs. during the holiday season, well I hope NOT to be one of them !

    I have just finally started seeing the scale move downward as I was at a plateau for almost 6 weeks or so. My highest weight ever was 190 lbs. When I started MFP, my weight was 172 lb. my current weight is 159.3 lbs. and my goal weight is 145 lbs.

    I have the exercise routine down pretty good now. I really want to tweak my diet more, find more healthy alternatives to what I am eating now.

    My three goals are:

    1. Eat less processed foods.
    2. Try one or two new recipes a week from the skinnytaste.com website.
    3. Lose 10 lbs.

    Feel free to add me on as friend ! Be sure to tell me you are from this group. :smile:
  • tialynn1
    tialynn1 Posts: 886 Member
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    Hello my name is Lynn. I live in Pittsburgh, PA. I started this year weighing 190. By summer I dropped to 146, over the summer I gained some of it back because I was doing a lot of traveling. I have started the scale back going down again. I am at 151 now. My goal by Christmas is to be 140. I go to San Diego to visit my brother, sister-in-law and family every Christmas. On Christmas Eve the whole family gets together. I want to show up there looking like a whole new person since last Christmas.
    I know it is doable since I have just finished my college degree. So, now I just have to concentrate on 2 jobs and weight loss.

    My 3 goals by Christmas are:
    1. Eat more fruits and vegetables
    2. Eat less junk and soda (before summer I was getting good at it, I picked these bad habits back up over the summer. I am having trouble rekicking the habit again)
    3. Start doing more strength training and do some jogging intervals
  • tamelab
    tamelab Posts: 892 Member
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    Hi. I'm Tammy. I'm 41 years old and just celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary. I have been on MFP for a few years now on and off. I had back surgery last year after I tried the Insanity workout and ruptured a disc. I gained 30 pounds after my injury and am working to get it back off now. I was not at my goal when I got injured, and I now need to lose 20 more pounds to get to my original goal. I work full-time, go to school, play softball, work out at 9 Round boxing studio, have a 12 year-old boy who plays football and trombone in school band, a shift-swinging husband and a college freshman at the University of South Carolina - Columbia. Wow, I'm tired after typing all that :laugh: I'm excited about joining the group to have some accountability. Thanks for inviting me! Hope everybody has a great Wednesday:smile:
  • AmandaJ
    AmandaJ Posts: 1,950 Member
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    I didn't post three goals so here they are:

    01) drink more water
    02) exercise at least four times per week
    03) eat breakfast
  • misskelli22
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    Hi! I'm from Pittsburgh but am originally from Western, NY also, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda to be exact. I'm married with 3 kids, 7, 9 & 11. I slowly started gaining weight and slipping into bad habits when the kids were born which has been depressing, making it hard for me to do what I need to about it. Before that, I was always curvy, but slim and healthy. I used to workout a lot and was even into figure skating and karate so I enjoy exercise once I'm back in the habit. I never divulge my weight, don't allow my picture taken and won't wear swimsuits. I'm definitely an emotional eater and have too much of my self-worth focused on my opinion of my appearance. I got into some good habits last spring and was on a losing streak but got all off-track during a very tough summer and gained it back. I've been in a rut for too long and the holiday season sure is hard with so much junk food around...so my goals are

    1 - complete 10 day Master Cleanse
    2 - more green smoothies and raw food
    3 - lose enough to allow my picture to be taken with my kids before the end of the year
  • jfthomas76
    jfthomas76 Posts: 34 Member
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    Hi everyone,
    I'm Josie and I'm from Massachusetts - I've been on MFP sincw Februsry but I've been mostly using the tracking features not the support and I think it's time I added that in. I've lost 35lbs so far but still have a long way to go. Fall and the holidays are a tough time for me with all the great food, fairs, & get together and I love to cook & bake. My goals are:
    1) Be more consistant with my exercise, yoga & swimming
    2) Drink more water
    3) Lose 15lbs by December 31 so I can start the New Year smaller than I've ever been as an adult.
  • Joy1611
    Joy1611 Posts: 36 Member
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    Hi, I'm from Texas and I am 34 years old. I am a social worker, a wife, and a step-mom. I first joined MFP in January 2010, then about 6 weeks ago I got really frustrated with myself and deleted my profile because of my lack of motivation and progress. Last week, I rejoined. Trying to get back on track during the holidays is going to be tough, but I need to do it.

    My goals:

    1. Exercise 4 times a week for 30 minutes or more.
    2. Drink 8 cups of water daily and limit diet sodas to one per day or less.
    3. Limit sweets to one serving 4 days a week or less. (Sweets are my weakness. I can eat them all day, every day.)

    Starting Weight - 275
    Goal Weight by the end of the year - 250
  • LovinLifeChik
    LovinLifeChik Posts: 126 Member
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    Welcome everyone! I am so happy to see so many people who want to put a priority on their health during this season - known for excesses! I hope we will all find this group to be a support mechanism during the next few months, a new friend maker(!!) and an inspirational tool from one member to the next!

    I get down on myself, as much as most others do, about my commitment and then lack thereof - when it comes to my health! I formed this group to say enough already - I know this is a hard time of year, and I'm going to get through it feeling good about myself and my dedication to getting healthier and more fit! With such a great group of people - all going through the same thing - I know we can do it!

    Sharon
    LovinLifeChik
  • tamelab
    tamelab Posts: 892 Member
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    Hey Christy...Good to see you again. Thanks for the invite:smile:
  • tamelab
    tamelab Posts: 892 Member
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    Hey Amanda...good to see you again. I didn't post my 3 goals on my original post either:laugh:
  • tamelab
    tamelab Posts: 892 Member
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    Hello again...forgot to post my 3 goals


    1. Lose my last 20 pounds to reach my goal weight (and not find it again lol).
    2. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
    3. Drink more water (any would be more at this point).

    Good luck everybody:smile: