Lose 10 lbs in September Challenge

Quick check in. I have posted #3, had no problem with #2, but drinking the water is where I am struggling. I am horribly addicted to diet dr. pepper. I have quit many times, but always fall back. I have been running on empty the past few months, so I went back to it as my "pick me up". I don't drink coffee or tea, but I think gotta go cold turkey (AGAIN!). My aim is for this Saturday, I will be out of town camping in the north woods - hard to find a soda and my dh promised not to pack any. Prayers and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Would it help at all if I told you that diet pop is actually worse for you than regular pop? Because it's sweetened with artificial sweeteners your body is expecting calories that it's not getting and therefore hoards calories that it does get which causes you to retain weight.

Thanks! I know this in my head, but my addiction and lack of willpower overrides common sense. I WILL QUIT AGAIN!!!

#2 Found a web site called hundredpushups.com. It is a six week program that helps you build up your upper body strength by doing 4-5 sets of pushups three days a week, based upon how you initially test, so it could be 4-5 sets of 3 pushups on day 1, etc.

<a href="http://www.hundredpushups.com">one hundred push ups</a>

Thanks for the site! It sounds neat - I'll check it out.

This week's mini-challenge will involve all three aspects:

1. Drink AT LEAST 8 glasses of water EVERY DAY - our bodies are primarily water and WILL NOT FUNCTION without the proper amounts. 64oz is an absolute minimum daily intake just for your body to function - so how do you expect to lose weight if your body is dehydrated??

This challenge will not be that difficult to me. I already have been drinking at least 8 glasses. But I need to get rid of the diet coke as well.

2. Try a new exercise that you don't normally do or haven't done in a really long time. For women this might be weight training - a lot of times we have AWESOME cardiovascular systems but no muscle whatsoever, but our muscle is the fat-burners in our bodies. Also, sometimes our bodies simply get used to what we are doing and thus the dreaded plateau. Try to confuse your body this week and report back with what you did and how you liked it.

I don't think I will necessarily need to start a new exercise, I just need to ACTUALLY START EXERCISING again. I know that it worked last time, I just need to get off of this 3 month no exercise cycle.

3. Think about (and share if you feel comfortable) what got you to where you are today. Why did you let yourself go? What was your awakening moment when you knew something had to change? What situations trigger you to not make healthy decisions and how can you control those situations? Life happens, and sometimes we need to focus on what happens in life and how we react to those situations and be ready to deal with them when they arise.

I wanted to do a quick check-in with my replies more for me and to hold myself accountable (it's written down now! lol)

Challenge 1: Drink 64oz of water.
- I just bought an 18.5oz bottle so I can further keep track of my water intake. This means I have to drink 3-4 bottles a day. I find if I set day markers for when I want to finish drinking 1 bottle's worth it makes it easier for me. So far, I've been able to drink 1 bottle's worth of water during my drive into work, then another bottle's worth by mid-afternoon, then lastly, 1 bottle's worth at the gym. It helps to chug water at the gym because I can usually drink about 2 bottle's worth by the time I'm done. I hope I can use this method to keep up with drinking water. I find now that if I don't have enough water, I don't feel the same. My body is getting used to being hydrated!

Challenge 2: Try a new exercise.
- I'm going to try using my zumba game for the kinect. I've had it for months, but have been putting it off.

Challenge 3: How did you get in this situation?
- I got in this situation by not working out and eating badly. In 2004, I was weighed at my heaviest of 198 lbs. I then started working out in the AM and PM and I took up swimming exercises. I also joined LA Weightloss and that helped with my diet. By 2006, I was at my lowest weight of 135 lbs. I'm 5'1 in height. It was so hard for me to lose any further. I believe that then I got into the mindset that I wasn't able to lose anymore and also that I wouldn't gain the weight back. I don't know when it started, but I believe stresses and dramas in my life at the time got the better of me. I started eating more emotionally and slacking on working out. In the past, I used stress to motivate me to work out, but for some reason I just started making excuse after excuse. In the end, I wasn't making the right choices in dealing with stress and my diet and motivation were affected by it. I told myself I would never be at my heaviest again.. but now I'm at the point that I'm even heavier. When I hit the 200 mark and even went past that to weigh at my heaviest of 210lb, I realized that I have to stop this and get back on track. It was so hard to admit to myself I had fallen so far from where I was. My diet counselor had mentioned that while it was great that I realized I need to turn my life around, that it seems that I hold a lot of anger and resentment about it. He said that in addition to telling myself to change I need to also FORGIVE myself for the mistakes I have made and move on. He said holding onto that guilt will only weigh me down more. That is something that I continue to remind myself. I was so close to reaching my goal weight back then and so I need to keep motivating myself by saying that if I did it once... I can do it again. I need to not fall into that hole of depression and self -wallow and instead deal with life issues with change and action.

MINI-CHALLENGE FOR WEEK 1:


1. Drink AT LEAST 8 glasses of water EVERY DAY
I need to keep better track of how much I am drinking but all I drink is water or soda and I drink all day while teacheing because I talk soooo much!

2. Try a new exercise that you don't normally do or haven't done in a really long time.
I have to take my runs inside this time of year and don't like being on the treadmill long. I think I'll get my step out of the basement and use it a couple times a week across from Jillian and treadmill intervals.

3. Think about (and share if you feel comfortable) what got you to where you are today.
I LOVE FOOD! I've been running for years. I've always been overweight. I love food!

:drinker: We are almost to weigh in day!! :drinker: excited! :bigsmile:

Although I'm just excited because I managed to lose the 2lbs I gained from labor day weekend which only put me back to where I started on Sept 1st..but boy am I glad they came off -now hope they stay gone and then some for Friday Morning!

1. Drink AT LEAST 8 glasses of water EVERY DAY -

No problem, especially of late. It's become a habit, so I don't even think about doing it anymore. And having a number of refillable bottles around really seems to help.

2. Try a new exercise:

In the last couple of months, I've added Zumba to my core group of exercise activities, and am loving every minute of it. I'm also going to try some more yoga .... I've done some, but not enough to feel comfortable with it. I'd love to do a flow class, and am hoping that, with a bit of practice, I'll feel comfortable enough to do one.

3. Think about (and share if you feel comfortable) what got you to where you are today. Why did you let yourself go? What was your awakening moment when you knew something had to change? What situations trigger you to not make healthy decisions and how can you control those situations?

While I'd gotten a bit overweight during university, it wasn't until a major car accident, followed by two high-risk pregnancies (and the accompanying C-sections) that my weight got really out of hand. I'd begun trying to lose weight last summer, but this year's physical exam and the high blood pressure pills that I now have to take (related to the last pregnancy) were enough to give me a kick in the rear end to be more proactive about taking responsibility for my fitness level. Stress is, for me, a big problem, as is habit. I've completely changed the way that I cook and shop for groceries, so that's certainly helping ... and not having unhealthy foods around when I'm stressed is a good thing! I still have my ups and downs, but the ups are getting longer and the downs fewer and farther between.

First WI this week! Quite a big one this time around, did a lot of pushing my wheelchair over the weekend which helped. Lost 5lbs this week! :O

SW - 200.1 (Thursday Sept 1)
Week 1 - 195.1 lbs (Thursday Sept 8)
Week 2 - xxx lbs (Thursday Sept 8 15)
Week 3 - xxx lbs (Thursday Sept 22)
Week 4 - xxx lbs (Thursday 29)
Total lost - xx lbs (Saturday Oct 1)

This past week I have gained 2 pounds!! I'm never gona lose 10 pounds!! This week I won't even lose 1 pound ! I was verry sad about that but we will go on!

You can do it! I'm having a hard time as well! I've only lost 5 lbs since MARCH. I haven't weighed in for this week yet, but I'm hoping it's good.

Don't let yourself cheat over the weekend, and start off fresh on Monday! We're all in this together, and I got your back.

QUESTION:

I am pretty new here and have read a lot of conflicting things. Simply put...If my calorie goal is 1200 calories than my net calories at days end should be 1200, correct? If I burn 300 exercising, I should eat 1500 for a net of 1200?

Sorry, I know people ask this a lot and I searched the forums and read a number of different things. Is what I gathered correct?

Thanks

The math on that is correct, yes, but it's a very controversial issue. Most people on MFP will tell you that whatever you burn exercising, you need to eat back and just don't go over your calorie goal. My personal trainer told me that this concept can be dangerous and counterproductive to weight loss. Your body needs fuel, especially if you're working out a lot, but the point of creating a deficit is to lose weight. The bigger the deficit, the more weigh you lose. I personally strive to eat a minimum of 1,200/day. My MFP calorie goal is 1,220. If I exercise and burn off 500 calories and I'm not hungry, I leave my net calories at 720 and don't fret too much about it. MFP will scold you if you consume less than 1,200, but not if your net is 1,200. The thing about losing weight is that everyone's body is different. Some things that work for some people don't always work for others. If you notice that you've hit a plateau, try eating back your exercise calories. If you've already been doing that, try not eating them back. Sometimes you just have to confuse your body because it gets used to what it's doing. I know that answer is pretty vague, but it's all I got...

I agree 100%.....I find it very hard to eat back all of my exercise calories. I tried it for a week in order to confuse my body and it seems to be working. If I can only take in 1200 then that is what I take in, regardless of my exercise. I never understood the point of eating back what you've worked to burn off! Again, do what works for your body. If taking in 1200 (or whatever your minimum is) works for you and doesn't leave you starving on your burn days then continue with that. If you hit a plateau then try eating back some of your exercise calories (or vice versa). Not everyone is the same and MFP, as great as it is, cannot give you a real personal assessment.

Weighing is tomorrow my friends!!!! I'm so excited and nervous! Lets bring it SCALE! !!!! LOL

Thanks for posting the challenge early....will weigh in tomorrow when I go to work

Pam aka Cherubcrnp

Thanks for the update. It will be fun to try the 3500 challenge