4th of July Challenge!! Please join me!

Count me in!!!

Since I'm a teacher, school for us will end in 2 weeks giving me even more time to concentrate on losing some poundage. My goal for the 4th of July is to lose 8 more pounds, putting me at my half way marker. Ideally I hope to lose more than that, but I don't want to set a high number and be disappointed if I don't reach it.

My goals:

1. lose at least 8 more pounds
2. Increase my water intake from 3 liters to a gallon.
3. Increase my veggie intake as well.
4. Oh..and of course, to keep off the junk food too!

hey,
im just new from last monday abd i just saw this challenge!so i'd like to be join y'all!
next week i start my examens for a whole month so the studying and watching the food combination is not that great but i'll try.
my current weight is 87,7kg(193 lbs) and i'd like to be at least 75kg by 14 august(wedding of my cousin!!) so that's 12kg to go!!
wish me luck and all tips are welcome.

my goals for the 4th of july are:
-drink 2,5l /day
-lose between 8-10kg(that's about 17 to 22lbs)
-no more junk food or max. once a week
-go to the gym for an hour everyday or at least 5 times a week

Welcome Michelle! :flowerforyou:

It's so good to see that folks are starting to feel better!

For my check-in:

MFP Starting Weight: 185
Challenge Starting Weight: 160
Current Weight 5/23 - 158.3

The scale is finally starting to drop again after a three week plateau. It's moving slower than molasses in January, but it's moving in the right direction :bigsmile:

Have a great Sunday!

Katie

Good morning everyone! :flowerforyou:

Today (Sunday) is my official weigh-in-day and I think I should start reporting in a more organized way so I can keep better track of where I'm heading in this challenge. Here then, are my stats according to my records:

Challenge starting weight: 108 kilos (238 lbs.)

Today's weight: 106 kilos (233 lbs.)

Total loss to date (May 23) : 2 kilos (5 lbs.)

May 30 -

June 6 -

June 13 -

June 20 -

June 27 -

JULY 4TH -

4th of July GOAL: 100 kilos (220 lbs) - or as close as possible!!

I will be posting this report every Sunday from now until the end of the challenge and I encourage all of you to do somethng similar. My goal of 13 lbs in the 6 weeks left in this challenge is a bit of a stretch, but I believe it's doable if I stay within my healthy eating parameters, so I'm shooting for it! If I DO reach my goal of 100 kilos by the end of this challenge - I'm warning you - we will have a PARTY :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: in this thread!!! :laugh: Considering that the last time I was 100 K was in 1995, I believe I'm entitled!!

Have a GREAT day everyone and remember: swim suit weather is almost here!!

Amalia

Amalia - Your doing wonderful And you deserve a party for all that hard work ....YOU CAN DO IT!!! I am up for a party too whether I get to my goal or not LOL!!!

Let's do this! My goals are mainly for working out and weekend eating.

1. Workout 5 days/week for 30 min.
2. Go for walks with the kids and dog, 3-5 days.
3. Drink 6-8 glasses of water, especially on the weekend.
4. Eat smaller portions at home.
5. Cook more meals (healthy of course).

Welcome ....good goals. Although I am interested in why only the weekends?

Soonto be...,

You must have missed her later post where she explains why the weekends were what she was concentrating on. It does make sense. If you can't find it, look for my last post in which I quote her answer to this same question and give some suggestions about how to be successful.

BTW, EboniA,
I'm glad my comments helped. It sounds like there is some interest and support among your family and that will help. Good luck.

Barb

Barb - Thanks for letting me know , yes I did miss it , not sure how but I did Again thank you for letting me know!!

4th week check in

Hi Everybody! I got in 14 miles this week so that was good and I did well on my eating. The scales did not move this week but I usually have one week out of the month that it doesn't Hopefully it will show a good loss next week.

Have a good week!

Starting weight: 211
Current weight: 185
Goal weight: 150

:flowerforyou:

Hi I am not sure if my posts go here or where? But my weight today is 168.2 I am losing but slow

I am here to check in , kind of late in the day but I have not been feeling well today and just trying to take it easy!! My weigh ins are on Saturdays and I lost another 2.4 lbs. this past Saturday so I am very happy about that!! A total of 9 lbs. gone in three weeks time so not to bad!! I sometimes wish I could see a faster weight loss since I have a lot to lose but slow and steady wins the
race

I honestly can't remember what week I started this challenge and I really wish I would have written it down in my ticker so I can't remember what my starting weight was at the start of me starting this challenge But right now I am at 348.8 lbs. so I am FINALLY under the 350's which is HUGE for me since that has been a hard thing to do in the past but I FINALLY did it I have started and re-started weight loss so much that it's ridiculous but I always seemed to have issues getting below 350 lbs. but I have done it so I am VERY HAPPY with that!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful evening and a wonderful week ahead

Michelle,

I can tell you the thread was started 4 weeks ago today, Sunday April 25th. Your first post was two weeks later on May 9th. Perhaps this will help you figure out where you were when you started the challenge.

******************
I am finally back on track, partly due to this challenge. On April 26, I weighed 197. As of today, I am 191.5--my lowest weight since joining MFP, so 5.5 lbs. lost in 4 weeks. This is not a super fast result, but with my limited exercise schedule in the past 4 weeks, it is not bad at all. I would rather be down 5.5, than UP!!! If the weather will ever stop misbehaving, I can start doing my exercise walking at the same level I was doing before Winter set in.

Hope everyone has a good week. BTW, We have 6 weeks until July 4th!!!

Barb

Barb- Thanks for that information ....I will take that information and figure it out!! Congrats on the 5.5 down , that is awesome!! Whether the weight comes off fast or slow it is still coming off and that is what needs to happen to get to goal

Hi everybody! My main goal was to be at 199 by July 4th. As of this morning, the scale read 214. I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it unless I really go cold-turkey cutting out the sweets. I'm such a chocoholic that it's killing me. I have switched to dark chocolate, but I find I'm wanting some type of chocolate candy every day. I limit it, and account for it in my calories, but those calories could be used better than chocolate candy, kwim? I also need to kick up my water intake. I'm so bad about drinking enough water. I think I had 1 bottle yesterday (about 2 cups)... yikes! So, while I'm not doing too great, I'm still here, admitting my weaknesses and staying accountable. This is a new week and I will make the most of it!

I have the same problem if water tasted more like A&W i be in the clear. And also I love chocolate it should be one of the food group or it is atleast it is for me.

Hi everyone, checking in for week 4 a day late. Was outta town and I was very bad eating wise (family get together), so I'm quite happy I maintained. Gonna step it up this week!

Here is my week 4 weigh in

4/25~145
5/2~ 144
5/9~143.5
5/16~142.5
5/23~142.5
July 4th goal~ 135
Actual goal ~123

Good luck to everyone in week 5!:flowerforyou:

~Jessica

Hi everybody! My main goal was to be at 199 by July 4th. As of this morning, the scale read 214. I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it unless I really go cold-turkey cutting out the sweets. I'm such a chocoholic that it's killing me. I have switched to dark chocolate, but I find I'm wanting some type of chocolate candy every day. I limit it, and account for it in my calories, but those calories could be used better than chocolate candy, kwim? I also need to kick up my water intake. I'm so bad about drinking enough water. I think I had 1 bottle yesterday (about 2 cups)... yikes! So, while I'm not doing too great, I'm still here, admitting my weaknesses and staying accountable. This is a new week and I will make the most of it!

I have the same problem if water tasted more like A&W i be in the clear. And also I love chocolate it should be one of the food group or it is at least it is for me.

Ok Ladies, here is my "Water Seminar"--things I do to make sure my water intake is where it ought to be, as well as some hints from others.

For myself, when I am home, I have a covered cup that carries 16 oz, and I fill it up when I wake, and make sure I get one cup down before I eat anything. That is easy for me, because I usually have it in the bathroom and sip from it while I am bathing. The biggest challenge I have to succeeding in completing this task is a "Yorkshire Terror" named "Bradley" who likes to come and put his paws on the edge of the tub and knock the mug in there with me!!!:laugh: :laugh:

I fill it up the second time and take my supplements and the one med I take in the morning, and that usually takes care of at least 1/2 to 3/4 of another mug, so now I have had almost 32 oz of water. I finish the rest of it with my breakfast and fill it up for the third time to sip on for the morning. This means that by lunch time, I have usually already had 6 glasses of water (48 oz)!! and the day isn't even 1/2 way over!!

By doing this, I can have all my water drank by dinner time, and that means at night I SLEEP--rather than waking up multiple times to pay a visit to the bathroom.

Another thing I do when I go out is always make sure I have a bottle of water in the car (it holds about 24 oz). This is great insurance against snacking also, as I can often take a drink and keep from needing to eat something right away.

Another MFP member said she made a rule that she couldn't sit down and post on a thread until she drank 8 oz of water!! Hey, whatever works, right?

Now for tips to deal with the flavor of water. I don't mind drinking plain water, but I know other people have an issue, and some regions' water tastes better than others. You can add sliced lemons or limes to your water, or even a splash of lemon juice, if you don't have the fresh fruit available. There is Crystal Light. Some people prefer to use tea as part of their fluid allowance. As long as it isn't too strong, and you don't add milk to it, I don't see a problem. Let's face it, tea is made with water!!!:drinker: :drinker:

So, drink up!! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: Your body needs water to function best, and it helps you flush out toxins and excess sodium, so "Bottoms Up!!":drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

My fitness goals are:

1. exercise AT LEAST 30 mins a day AT LEAST 3 days a week
2. play golf (walking) with my husband every chance I get (exercise that doesn't feel like exercise)
3. use my dog for an excuse to walk every chance I get

My weight loss goals are:

1. Lose at least 10 lbs by July 4th but preferably be down to at least 160 by then.
2. Be back to a comfortably fitting size 12 by then.
3. Try to lose another 5-10 lbs by the birthday party July 31st (weight = 150-155)

My nutritional goals are:

1. Plan and track my food EVERY day
2. Drink all my water and get all my fiber in EVERY day
3. Find healthy options of food/restaurants that I can eat when we go out so that weekends don't ruin all the work I did all week

My mental/emotional goals are:

1. Stay positive about what I'm doing and what I can achieve
2. Get to bed earlier at night so I can get enough sleep and get up on time and start my day right
3. Work on getting/keeping everything else in my life in order so it will reduce my stress levels

SW: 174
CW: 172
July 4 GW: 160 (would love to be 150 by then but not sure that's even possible in 9 weeks, so maybe by the 31st for the party!)
Ultimate GW: 125 (preferably by Aug. 2011 at the latest)

Sherell

UPDATE:
CW: 171

I kinda did a redo on Sunday, I "started over" with a new eating plan (and "diet" is no longer in my vocabulary! because this is for life....a diet is temporary, which for me means so is the weight loss!) and so far so good. I initially kind of jumped in head first without a plan of what or how or when I was going to eat/exercise and playing it by ear each day wasn't getting me far. I took a couple days "off" last week though I still tried to be fairly good, and spent the time figuring out what my new eating plan was going to be and started over on Sunday. I felt great the last two days and feel great this morning too! I'm eating good foods and I've gotten to the end of the day and hadn't reached the low end of my calorie goal AND wasn't hungry. I made myself eat a small snack since it had been a few hours since I had eaten and I wasn't even to 1200 calories yet to get myself there so my body wouldn't go into starvation mode. But I had to MAKE myself eat something. I wasn't craving anything and haven't been since I started! I'm loving this and hope it continues to go so well!

Also, I have been trying to walk my dog more, now that it's finally gotten warm here and the rain has stopped. Didn't get a chance to play golf this past weekend but hoping to this coming weekend. I think I'm still on track to lose a total of 10 lbs by the 4th of July. And now that I have the offline version of MFP for my iPod touch I have been doing much better about tracking all my food every day. I've also been trying harder to drink more water and doing better on that each day. It feels good to be making my body feel so good! I hope to be under 170 by the weekend and I hope that milestone and the way I'm feeling will soon energize me to start doing more exercising (I need a lot of motivation in that area! :blushing:)

Amalia, I love the question. I didn't plan on the breadsticks at our company lunch today. I ate one because I thought it would be so good and worth the calories. It wasn't!!! It wasn't that good and sooo not worth it. I will never eat another Round Table Garlic Parmesan Breadstick again.

I really like posting daily, it motivates me but maybe that's just because I'm new. I still think there are daily struggles with food, exercise, kids, significant others, work, etc. that sometimes get in the way of our MFP goals. Blogging helps me a lot too.

I have a question for everyone. Once you meet your 4th of July goal, what will be different in your life?

For me, I hope to have a new job. I just started looking but I feel self-conscience about how my clothes fit. By the 4th, I hope to look and feel better in the clothes I currently wear, especially my work clothes.