Welcome former SparkPeople Members!

Hi myfitnesspal people! This is my 3rd time joining? (I think) anyway, I am back and 2024 is going to be THE year for me. It will come together and happen for me, I feel it in my bones!!! I decided to go Premium this time, and I'm glad I did. I am excited and raring to go. I'm a retired federal employee, husband too. We tried Intermittent 4.5 years ago, it worked great and then it didn't. I'm doing now, what the nutritionist said I should, eat balanced meals and exercise. I am ready!

Ceriusly1 wrote: »

Updated information about the 5% Challenge. We are gearing up for the 2024 Winter. Here is the link for the 5% Winter Community

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/145715-2024-winter-5-community-team-plz-join-us

Sharing this again. . .

Hey everyone my name is Elena 🙂my journey on this app has been fantastic I’ll love to share my progress with people who are interested

@dunlewy I'm glad to see you have found the 5% Challenge! We moved here when Spark closed and we are going strong! Welcome!

Hi y'all. I used to be a member of SP. Been working with a nutritionist for a while, but want to work on my fitness and daily habits more, especially with swimsuit season coming up.

dunlewy wrote: »

Ceriusly1 wrote: »

@dunlewy I'm glad to see you have found the 5% Challenge! We moved here when Spark closed and we are going strong! Welcome!

Thanks! I really need the 5% Challenge, so was very happy to find it. I'm working on more exercise which is difficult as I have bad knees and lungs (never smoked, but multiple cases of pnuemonia). I just got a friend of mine to be my accountability partner, so that should help. Hopefully, I can lose 5%!

Glad to see former Sparkers here!!!

Feel free to ask me about disability friendly exercise equipment if you want to.
We have a NuStep in our living room and it has been a real game changer for myself and my husband.

Hi my name is Christina I was with Sparkpeople for 10 years. I lost weight and was able to keep it off. I had my son in 2014 and I can not find a weight loose community where I feel like family like I did there. I need to loose this weight I have about 40 pounds to loose I don’t feel good in my skin or the way I look in my clothes.

@Schnootie Yes! We are here and waiting for our members to find us! We made a successful transition and although we still think back on Spark People memories, we are so happy for the warm welcome from MFP.

I remember you! We are starting week 5 of a 10-week Spring Challenge today. I will link you to the Community page and get you on a team soon! I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Community Team Link

Post A Team Request Here

@Carla831Tenn Hi Carla!! Welcome to this site. I am also a former Sparkmember and found out that my beloved 5% Challenge Teams regrouped right here on this site. I found a bunch of former pals I thought were lost forever. Have a great time here!

Ute

Hi im a returning member here who was using sparkpeople. I once had someone on here who I was chatting with by the username cgcal2001, if anyone knows them could you please let me know I'm back on here? Thank you.

Hello.. am not much new, but new in community chat.. my name is Shokh, am from Abudhabi😄

This week is, “Get On Your Team As Fast As You Can!” Your Challenge Teammates want to get to know you! Your Team Leaders continue to work hard to help you have a successful Fall Challenge! Please respond to your Team Invitation promptly! This is the time for practice and learning how your team flows. New members will become comfortable with posting and understand how the challenge works. It’s the time to ask questions and make friends!
Heidi, ( @hicim705 ) has begun sharing Pre-Challenge Activities to inspire us to be fully prepared when Day 1 comes. It is approaching quickly.

Week 1: Meet Your Cheerleaders and Take Your Measurements

Week 2: Get Outside (as Heidi mentioned, the weather can quickly change so we want to get outside while we still can enjoy the nice weather). Meet Your Cheerleaders

Week 3: Declutter and Get Outside

Week 4: Fruit (I am not a fruit eater so when we have freggies, mine are all veggies so I think it's good to separate them, especially since we are encouraging Fall Fruits and Veggies). and Declutter

Week 5: Vegetables and Fruits

Week 6: ____ and Vegetables

Week 7: ____ and ____

Week 8 ____ and Measurements

Please help us fill in the blanks above! Do you have a favorite activity from previous challenges? Do you have a healthy habit you care to share? Perhaps you would even want to write it up! We want to know! Please share your ideas in the comments.

Here is the link!

Can you believe it? It’s a new year! 2025 is the 15th anniversary of the 5% Challenge! We are also in our 4th year on MFP! What a milestone year for us! Over those years, we’ve lost thousands of pounds. Yes, some of us have gained a few, too. One thing is certain: We are like family! We care about YOU!

The 2025 Winter 5% Challenge Theme is “ Visions of a Bright, Shiny New YOU!”

Is your vision of your “Self” the same thing as your self-image?

Self-vision is so much more than what you see in the mirror.

One definition of vision from Dictionary.com is:
The act or power of anticipating what will or may come to be. The New Year is a time for a new beginning and a new vision. It’s time to shake off past illusions and catch a “Vision of a Bright, Shiny New YOU!”

A Google Search of Vision of Self vs. Self-Image gives us this explanation:
A "vision of self" refers to your aspirational self, essentially the person you want to be or the ideal version of yourself, while "self-image" is how you perceive yourself at the moment, including your strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics as you see them; essentially, your current mental picture of who you are.

As we approach the start of the New Year and the Winter Challenge, think about the above definitions and the differences in how you currently perceive yourself and how you aspire to be. This can be applied to your total self, not just weight loss.

Some examples might be:
Negativity vs. Positivity - Attitude
Sad vs Happy - Emotions
Impulsive vs. Cautious - Actions
Conformist vs. Independent - Character
Anxious vs. Calm - Demeanor

Is your self-vision the same as your goals?

We hope you will use the Pre-Challenge Activities, which Heidi will be posting soon, and the information in this post to create a plan to help you set and achieve your goals for the 2025 Winter 5% challenge.

This is an oldie but goodie from Spark People and is a great resource for goal planning.

Some members may be interested in creating a vision board. Several websites have free templates you can use, or you may want to simply write down your vision and a plan to reach the goals you set.

Here is a printable planner sheet for December through February.

I used Canva to create this vision board.


Best wishes from your Overall Challenge leaders, Ceri @Ceriusly1, Barb @ladyluk1, Diane @Dianedoessmiles1, and Heidi @hicim705. Have a "Bright, Shiny New YOU Challenge!

FORMER BLC MEMBERS!

If you were in the BLC on Sparks, we moved over here also and are going strong. Check out the post above for information to join!

I started my weight loss journey in January 2023. Started just by walking, started with a mile and added a little more each week. I also started tracking my calories on MFP, I lost 15 pounds the first few months, but then was getting bored. This was my usual weight loss journey - I would get bored and then quit and gain it all back (and then some) just to repeat the process all over again. Then found the challenges page on MFP and joined the BLC challenge. Losing weight became fun with this challenge and I also met some wonderful people. It keeps me motivated and accountable. I started at 228 pounds - fast forward two years and I reached my goal weight and down 88 pounds. Now the challenge is helping me conquer the maintenance phase of my journey. I can honestly say I would be where I am today without it. Try it it may be the best decision you'll ever make!

Learn about our teams here:
https://blcteam.weebly.com/meet-our-teams.html

And when you have decided which teams fits you, sign up here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/140750-️-️the-blc-biggest-loser-challenge-registration-team-️-️