This is my first 5% challenge. I'd like to lose 5% of my starting weight, so about 10 lbs. I want to focus on making sure I log my what I eat and staying within my calorie goal.

I'm starting a 5k program next week, so fitness-wise, I'll be committed to following the program 3 days a week.

I want to make water my go to beverage instead of caffeinated beverages. I will add more vegetables to my meals and less carbs. My goal is to lose 10# of belly fat in 8 weeks.

I want to focus on not eating between meals. I find myself reaching for something to put in my mouth even if I'm not hungry. I also want to focus on being more active.

There are about 150 things that I can/should work on ~ but I know that is not realistic. This year, for some reason ~ I threw all caution to the wind and am at my heaviest weight ever (except for when I was pregnant almost 30 years ago). SO - I really need to use this 'restart' (1/1/23) to get back on track.

1. I will concentrate on drinking more water consistently. I used to do that so well and have almost totally stopped drinking my water. During this challenge, I will concentrate on getting my water consumption back up to a better level ... goal will be to drink 6-8 glasses (8 oz. glasses) of water per day. I know that I should be at 8 glasses, but if I strive for 6/day to start, I think that is manageable and realistic, but will go for 8 whenever possible.

2. I KNOW that sugars/starches are not good for anyone, especially me. I'm going to work on getting rid of the breads/pasta and strive to incorporate more fresh veggies into my meals. I like the idea of Keto (great tasting food without all the unhealthy carbs, but I don't necessarily agree with cutting out things like plain yogurt and fruits). I will go 'Keto-like' by trying to stay with berries for the most part but plan to incorporate plain yogurt and things like overnight oats to my morning routine to help with my higher cholesterol levels that my bloodwork has recently shown.

3. I KNOW that tracking my food is **VERY** important in managing weight/healthy lifestyle. I've totally thrown all caution to the wind and have stopped doing this and I recognize that this has contributed to my downfall. In 2023, I plan to begin to track my foods once again and be more mindful of portions to be able to track most accurately. I don't typically track every cup of coffee/tea, but will track things like a soda (which I rarely, if ever, have). If I have a glass or two of wine every now and again, I won't worry about tracking that, but will track if there is some event, etc. where I've had a little more than that glass or two ~ that, however, happens very, VERY rarely.

4. Snacking after dinner: Boy, do I need to get a handle on this one! I was doing well but that jar of peanut butter with a spoon will call my name at 830/9pm when I'm getting ready to go to bed. I don't keep ice cream in the house so as long as it is not around, it doesn't bother me. Snacking after dinner is something that I need to control!

SO - besides exercise (at least 30 minutes/day for at least 3-4 days or more per week), the above are some of the things that I feel I should concentrate on for the beginning of 2023 and the 2023 Winter 5% Challenge.

A shout out to Lynn, @kaliswalker for bringing back the pre-Challenge activities! I feel that if you read through them, really think about them and make a plan around the ideas presented here, your success in the Challenge and on your own personal healthy lifestyle journey will be realized!

I've been on maintenance for about 15 years, but I feel like I need to lose another 5 pounds and develop a food program that fits my new lifestyle. Now that I'm retired, I find myself a bit more sedentary than I want to be. I still go to the gym, but I want to up my game there, too.

My main goal is to get back to my "happy place" weight range. I've managed during the past couple of challenges to get within 2-3 pounds but those numbers seem to disappear quickly. I may need to do some tweaking to my calorie range to get the results I need so I'll definitely be looking at that and also working on my mindset with journalling - something that I need to do more consistently. I need to be careful as well, to keep moving during the day and not do too much sitting.
I'm content with my level of exercise - it is not the driving force behind weight loss anyway but more essential for maintaining fitness, having good mobility and balance as I age. Other factors, especially being consistent in achieving my calorie range are far more important. Losing my 5% should get me back to where I want to be - or very close.

Thank you leaders for all that you do. I want to kick some pesky pounds.to the curb. I like these challenges to keep my focused. I hope to get on a team since I missed the sign-up. Don't know how that happened. Have a great night...

During this 5% challenge I am going to commit to tracking honestly, do strength training 3X week and a minimum of 120 mins of cardio weekly.

Challenge Goals:

Dry Goal: Cut down my boozy days: My goal is increase my dry days to 70%.
Wet Goal: Meet my 70 oz of daily water goal 80% of the time.
Food Goal: Keep track of what I am eating, how I am feeling before and after I eat (including hunger levels)--lower focus on calories.
Movement goal: 20 minutes of fun cardio a day 5 days a week. 30 minutes of strength 2 days a week.

Weight Goal: 5% goal: lose 8 pounds from starting weight.