Hello everyone! My name is Alison, and I am 24 years old. I am currently in graduate school working toward a PhD in industrial engineering. I also teach dance (tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, etc.) part time to little kids.

I have been gaining weight since I left high school. I used to dance every day for hours at a time. Then, when that stopped, I, of course, started gaining weight because I was still eating the same amount of food. In total I gained about 48 pounds over a period of 6 years. I started my first diet 3 years ago and have dieted several times since. However, I've never lost more than 10 pounds or so before tuckering out. I began this journey in mid-March with my boyfriend, and we are not stopping this time. We have definitely started thinking of it as a lifestyle change, and we have both been pretty successful.

I can't wait to meet the rest of the white and pink team! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Hello again ladies! Sorry that I am posting this late. Good luck to everyone in this week's challenges!

Exercise Challenges
1. Exercise 4 out of 7 days this week for at least 30 minutes. The exercise can be either cardio or strength training. It can be at a gym, at home, outside, or anywhere else you'd like. Squeeze it in during your lunch break at work or while your kids are at their extracurricular activities. Whenever it is and whatever it is, make sure it happens at least 4 times this week

1 lbs advantage for everyone who succeeds


2. The last week of our month-long challenge!!! Run, walk, bike, and/or swim as much as possible this week. Keep track of the distance you cover doing each activity. At the end of the week, the person with the most miles in each category will get an advantage pound. This will be a month-long challenge. There will be advantage pounds given out each week as well as advantage pounds given out to the people who've gone the farthest in each category at the end of the month.

1 lbs advantage for the best performer in each category


3. This week is the challenge's halfway point, so I thought we'd do something to commemorate that. We are going to do a short fitness test. Then, during the last week of the challenge, we will do it again to see how much we've improved! For this challenge you need to complete a 1-mile walk test or 1.5 miles run test, depending on your current level of aerobic exercise. For both of these tests, you are timing how long it takes you to complete the walk/run. In addition, count how many push-ups, crunches, and burpees you can do in one minute as well as how long you can hold a plank position. If for some health reason you cannot complete any parts of this fitness test, please do not try to do so. However, not trying just because something is hard, is not a good enough excuse. You will be surprised by how much you improve over the next 9 weeks!

1 lbs advantage for everyone who completes the fitness test


Water Challenge
4. This week we are going to focus on increasing our water intake. If you currently get the recommended 8-10 glasses of water a day, try to continue that this week. If you do not currently get the recommended 8-10 glasses of water a day, try to increase you water intake by at least one glass every day this week.

1 lbs advantage for everyone who succeeds



Other things we've talked about in the past
Take a rest day
Keep drinking water
Incorporate more fish into your diet
Don't forget breakfast
Eat 5 portions of fruits/veggies a day
Try to cut down on added sugars
Think about how many colors you are eating
Make sure you get enough sleep
When things get tough, remember why you are doing this
Keep trying new activities and exercises
Stay active on the discussion boards
Say no to dessert every once in a while
Eating healthy lunches / packing your lunch


In Summary:
1. 4/7 days of exercise = 1 lbs advantage
2. Person that walks/runs/bikes/swims the farthest = 1 lbs advantage (This is the last week!)
3. Completing the fitness test = 1 lbs advantage
4. Increase your water intake by at least one glass unless you currently meet the recommendation = 1 lbs advantage


Thanks to everyone who suggested the challenges for this week! Please keep coming up with awesome ideas, and post them to http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/996673-challenge-ideas

Hey everyone! So I mentioned earlier that I'm headed out on vacation this weekend, and I'll be gone for 10 days. I'm hoping to at least get on MFP each day (to keep my "days logged" going), but I probably won't be writing much if at all. That also means that I won't be able to easily message people that haven't weighed in yet. On a similar note, I won't be able to easily put people's weights into the spreadsheet. If you all could do that on your own this week, I would greatly appreciate it! Finally, though I won't be able to post results on Wednesday like usual, I promise to post results for this week and next week once I return! Please don't give up on me or this challenge, just because I disappear on vacation for a bit! Oh, and I promise to still post a new challenge on Sunday, so don't think you can take it easy for a week