The 5% Seasonal Challenge IS My Success Story!

Ceriusly1 · December 2023

🍁❄As the seasons change, the leaders of the 5% Challenge are working in the background to set up the next challenge. We provide “Pre-Challenge Activities” for our members to ponder while waiting for take-off.
The 5% Seasonal Challenge is my success story. Wanting to share how the 5% has helped me. I thought I would post my response to activity #1.

Countdown & Pre-Challenge Activity #1: INFORMATION and YOUR INPUT! ℹ️🔠

The 5% Challenges started on Spark People in the Spring of 2010. Winter 2024 is challenge #57. I’m not going to share the activity information. If you would like to take a look, here is the link to the 2024 Winter 5%.

This first activity has me really "digging deep"!

I would be as big as a house without this challenge! I was fortunate to be invited to the very first 5% challenge way back in the Spring of 2010. I lost weight and made friends. I felt great!

BUT!

My life has been like a teeter-totter with its ups and downs and a merry-go-round with all the cycles I've gone through. After 4 seasons with the challenge, I hit a plateau and thought oh well, what's the use? I was ready to give up yet again, but I had volunteered to lead a Spark team from my area of PA so I felt obligated to follow through with that but my heart wasn't in it. No members posted regularly, so I felt my time was wasted. I thought I wasn't cut out for leadership but, someone thought I could do something, and asked me to help lead the Teddy Bear team on the 5% Challenge. All I had to do as the Motivational Leader was highlight a member daily. Easy? It was, and I enjoyed it but the main reason I did it was selfish. I've always been able to do for others what I couldn't do for myself. I now had an obligation and I take my obligations seriously.

The rest may be history, but I no longer feel obligated. I come back season after season, not because I am a leader, (although I do love the challenge and what I do as a leader), I come back for every Challenge member because they support me, and they lift me up, when I am down. If I have a rough time someone always comes through with a word or an image that makes me smile or, think, or do something different. If I have a negative attitude, someone, lets me know lovingly and gently.

This is one of my favorite motivational phrases. I had it on my Spark Profile for years.

So Spark People is no more and MFP has embraced us, and I’m still coming back. I come back every season because you all inspire me to make changes that change me.

Merry Christmas,and Thanks for reading! Ceri (Ceriusly1) Overall Co-Leader, 2024 Winter 5%Challenge

DNjoys · December 2023

@Ceriusly1 - I am SO glad you keep coming back if it's keeping you from being as big as a house, LOL! There wouldn't be room for your cats if that happened. I love how you can write about serious things and yet always make me laugh.

With a few years off due to health reasons, I also have participated in the 5% Challenges since 2010 many of those years as a team leader. I've never been good at long term commitments so I like the seasonal Challenges which are short enough to be doable, but long enough to make a difference. When one ends, I recommit and it feels like a fresh start.

Life's circumstances and health issues keep interfering with my goals, and it would be easy to move weight loss to the back burner or let it go completely. But participation in the 5% keeps me aware of what I'm eating, how much I'm moving, and what I weigh. I hate to think where I'd be (maybe as big as a house?!) without the support of my team and the accountability participating brings.

p21usa · December 2023

Thank you for your honest and inspirational post! I was thinking about how the challenge occupies "too much of my mental space." But you know what occupies even MORE of my headspace? Worrying. Worrying about how I have fallen off the wagon, worrying that my clothes will be uncomfortable again, worrying that all my efforts and good intentions are going out the window. I figure that if I am going to be using my headspace to think about food and habits, it might as well be for positive thoughts instead of negative!

Ceriusly1 · December 2023

@p21usa Thank you! I hope you will consider joining us at the link in my post above.

Kind Regards,
Ceri

deskjockey925 · December 2023

It is what we do consistently that improves our life and health.
Congrats for doing this for yourself and for so many others ... including me.

My weight is maintaining, my tracking and exercise habits are consistent, and my doctor says my blood pressure is perfect .. all thanks to these challenges.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

sushynes · December 2023

@Ceriusly1 Thanks for sticking with it and inspiring us to do the same. Good Luck in 2024!

Dianedoessmiles1 · January 1

@Ceriusly1 we've worked together for many years, you are an inspiration for sure!! I'm grateful I found the 5% And how we moved it here to MFP when Sparks closed in August of 2021. Its been a learning curve, but a successful one at that. It wasn't always easy, but we kept ontrying. Now in our 10th seasonal round on MFP it's growing and thriving. TY TY TY for being a key component of our success!!! I would of gone back to eating the way I was, from 288 now at 178 with so many foolish health issues, but I HAVE NOT QUIT!!!

prowles1 · January 2

@Ceriusly1 This is great! I struggle so much with the up and down and getting demotivated. Life gets in the way, you know? But, the focus and accountability keep tapping me on the shoulder and saying..get up off the floor and do something..Thanks for your transparency and your post.

Catwmncat · January 5

@Ceriusly1 The support, encouragement and commaderie among the 5% teams has kept me hanging in when I just wanted to give up and throw in the towel. If it wasn't for the challenges and my team I would have put all the weight I lost back on and added a bit extra just for fun.
You are such an inspiration and truly do care for the wellbeing of each and every member on the 5%. I am very grateful for all you do and hope you know that you are truly appreciated. Thanks for sharing your story.

epivan · January 6

@Ceriusly1 - Thank you for sharing your journey here. I appreciate all the work you put in to keeping this challenge going on MyFitnessPal.

bookieNJ · January 6

@Ceriusly1 -thx for sharing your journey here! It's amazing how these challenges can change everything!

kaliswalker · January 6

@Ceriusly1 You have be so important to the success of the 5% Challengers. I've always said that when you put the teams together it's like herding cats, haha but you get us assembled and on our way. Without the accountability with our teams a Saturday weigh in would be just another weigh in, but I have a feeling of commitment to the team and having a good weigh in. A 15 minute walk, or an hour of gardening would not be such a feeling of accomplishment. But when those exercise minutes count for our team, WOW they are important. Knowing I am doing it for the team pushes me to do better each day.

The 5% Seasonal Challenge IS My Success Story!

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