LEAN BY LABOR DAY - NEW CHALLENGE - *size limited* (starts w

Hey everyone..looking foward to doing this challenge with you! :bigsmile:
We can totally rock this RIGHT!!

I am 37, married & we have a 18 yr old son. A year ago I really started to focus on my fitness & found MFP..since then I have managed to lose close to 50 pounds but I still have a ways to go. I feel like in the past few months things have stalled for me..the weight is not coming off like it was before and out of frustration I guess I am letting my eating habits slide a bit more often. Summer is especially though..alot of socializing/drinks/food..you know how it goes right! I exercise alot so that is not the issue..I need to be a little more diligent in what I am eating. So for exercise I do Taekwondo 3x a week (normally 4x but we drop one class in the summer), bootcamp (I have 5 sessions left), walking, running (just getting into this) and home workout dvd's such as Jillian Micheals, TaeBo, Jackie Warner. Most weeks I am active every day..but occasionally I will take one or two rest days.

Happy Monday everyone! I am so excited to be a part of this group. Okay, my weigh in for today is 256.6 lbs.

A little about myself...I am 24 (turning 25 on Aug. 6th) and have been overweight since childhood. Everyone on my fathers side is obese and has major health problems. It scares me to think that I have inherited that so that's why I have decided (finally) to do whatever I can to make sure I don't turn out like that. I am on a mission to get down to 160 lbs (I started at 275). Although, to be honest, I would be happy just getting down to 200. I did get down to 160 when I was a teen and I felt and looked great but then due to injury and depression I rocketed back up. I know if I did it once that I can do it again! I am 6 feet tall. I am a writer/artist/childcare provider. I am obsessed with crochet, books, music, movies, kumihimo, crystals, meditation, anything artsy and I adore animals. Well, I think that about sums it up.


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Hi my name is Jen. I am a married and mom of 2 beautiful boys. Last September I needed a hysterectomy- and it turned my world upside down. I have always had issues with my weight but this put me over the edge. In Feb I joined a weight loss competition in my area and lost 20 lbs- and that is as far as I went. When it was over I stopped working out. Now I want to get back into it. I work full time and the boys have a bunch of activities. I know I need to do this for myself. I know I need to get up early and take an hour just for me. My starting weight was 216 this morning. Can't wait until the final weigh in !!!!

Hello everyone my name is Renee. I have been married for 12 and we have 3 kids (Son 10 and 2 girls 8 and 6). I am a stay at home mom. I started MFP the end of April with a starting weight of 173.2. My starting weight for this challenge is 153.2 (yesterday was weigh in 7/17). I just got lazy and that is why I put on the weight. I am blessed to be a healthy person. I just ate what I wanted when I wanted, in turn that is what caused the weight gain. I just watched the scale go up and up,but didn't do anything about it.. I have let myself get out of shape and it dawned on me one day that what if something happen to one of my children and I need to get to them quickly. I was to out of shape to run to them. I need to be in better shape to play with them, be a better mom for them (better wife to) and to save them if needed. I have lost 20 pounds since joining and seeing the scale go down has made me so proud of myself. I have done this all at home with walking/running, and hiking with my family. I have been doing JM 30DS for the past 12 days and will continue with more of her dvd's after this one. My current profile pic I took yesterday will be my starting photo for this challenge. I look forward to being a part of this group and the motivation.

I want in if there is space.

My name is Courtney and I live in Houston, TX. I am 31, married, with a 3-year-old son. I have been dealing with weight issues since forever, and my pregnancy compounded the problem with the introduction of hormonal imbalances. So now I have about 175 total lbs to lose. I have lost 10 so far.

Anyhoo, let me know if I can get in. I would like to lose 15 lbs by Labor Day.

Hi, everyone! I'm Nancy. I'm a late-joiner. #28 on the list and VERY happy to be "in"! My husband and I have 3 sons, ages 4, 5 and 9. I am 35, 5'6", medium build but overweight at roughly 178 lbs. I never really struggled with my weight until I met my husband! I got comfortable, then had kids! Was on bed rest for 5-6 wks before having #1 = weight gain + no muscle tone. This made for a bad combination and for 2 yrs I was in a pretty bad depression. But when DS1 was 2, I found a combination that worked - slimfast (free online support) and a Walk Away the Pounds DVD by Leslie Sansone (4 Mile Super Challenge) and lost all I'd gained plus! Then I got comfortable, but stayed around 145-150 until babes #2 came along - I didn't want to end up on bed rest again, so was careful and did only light walking with stroller outside and low impact miles with walking dvds. Then DS #3 came along so quick after #2, I did not have time to fully drop all weight gained and added a little more to it! I work full time, had a long commute and hubby works long hours, too, so I was pretty much in charge of kids, house and my job 100% on my own for 6 out of 12 months. Not much time for me!

Beginning of 2009 I joined Weight Watchers. I got down to the 160's, but then my group disbanded. I found a new group, but it wasn't the same. Then I got a new job which added a bunch of stress (I am a stress eater) and the icing on the cake was fall of 2009 when my mom, who was my best friend, was killed in a tragic car accident. That's when I really lost it. I had lost just about every solid thing in my life except my husband and my children, but they mostly just continued to demand I take care of them rather than stop and notice I needed someone taking care of me for a change. So, when I stood in front of a plate of brownies and decided if I would have one or not, I'd eat one, then 2 or 3 because I had lost so much I was not going to deny myself food, too. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone, but it is literally what I said to myself as I ate whatever high cal thing I wished to consume.

Over the past yr and a half I went from 160 back up to 178. (I was 186.6 when I started weight watchers back in '09 so I haven't gained it ALL back, but most of it.

I have a really hard time getting motivated to exercise, but do enjoy it and like it when I'm being active on a regular basis. I've been with MFP for a few months now and have enjoyed joining a few challenges like this and getting to know people. Even though i still struggle in the food department, I have at least picked up the exercise end of things which has prevented the scale from climbing any higher!

I'm in another challenge right now that is based on Jillian Michaels DVD Ripped in 30. It runs through July. That one will tie nicely into this one and this one will keep me going a while longer. RI30 is a 24 minute work out - closer to 30 with warm up and cool down. It is a righteous beast of a work out! But I'm enjoying it! Also, my husband has decided he wants to walk every night so we've been doing 2-3 miles each evening.

Today is my day off so I'm going to take advantage of it and squeeze in an extra hour of exercise!! I look forward to reading other people's intros later!! Thanks, Amy, for starting this and for letting me join late!

Hi everyone.

My name is Jen from TX. I am 28, married with no children. I have always had a struggle with my weight, especially after i met my husband 11 years ago. Most recently i lost 55 pounds only to gain back about 44 within the past year. I am looking forward to shedding the pounds once and forall! It's going to be tough..I currently have a full and part time job. My mother was recently blessed with a kidney after 6 years on dialysis, and just when i thought i would have time to concentrate on myself my mother in law was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I know my health is important especially since i hope to start a family some day. I have polycystic kidney disease and PCOS so i know the smaller and healthier i am the better

SW - 303

Wow! Love reading all the introductions.

Do we get to start points with last night's sleep?

Sleep will NOT be a challenge for me because of my chronic fatigue. I could sleep all day if left to my own devices. Thankfully, my kids are usually NOT about lying in bed past 8:30 in the morning, so devices are never left to me. LOL

Yes, I would like to know this too. Do all the challenges begin today or last night?

Hello Ladies,

As the only male of the group I feel honored to be surrounded by so many beautiful women. Just last year I was obese with no motivation to change until I found TOPS a weight loss suppport group with chapters all over the USA and Canada. With the support from TOPS, I lost 45 pounds in 5 months. I was TOPS King for the state of Maryland due to my success. I continue to keep the weight off but I want to tone and lose about 10 more pounds. My goal is to also help others so please feel free to send a friend request. Looking forward to helping all of us reaching our goals.

TOP