Summer Challenge

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Replies

  • LizCocco
    LizCocco Posts: 3 Member
    23906082.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

    I am so into loosing weight and even more motivated after reading some of your posts!... I accept the challenge!!!

    I've been doing cardio 3-4 times per week, walking, jogging and swimming which I love!... my major problems has been the carbs intakes, which I'm trying to control with this amazing Fitness Pal. I've already lost 4 pounds and this is giving me so much more energy and motivation to continue leaving my hard skin in the pool! ( it's a saying!)...

    Since I live in a tropical island, heat is helping me sweat a little bit more so Im taking advantage of it by going out for action at 5:30pm then at 6.30pm start swimming. I've learned that even when heat can be anoying, it can also be your allied when it comes to burn fat. (just to clarify, we have temps of 25-34 degrees, higher temps could be dangerous)
  • chichi128
    chichi128 Posts: 83 Member
    Happy Tuesday EVERYONE!!

    So lets start with the weigh in...

    SW 215
    (6/5) 208.8
    CW 207.9

    So another pound down!! i knew this week wasnt going to be as big as last week...especially since i had a ton of family activities to go to with a lot of food! But its a new week thats going to be great!

    This weeks challenges are going to be great..i definitely need to get serious about my dieting and theres no better way to do that than eliminating something that i'm constantly eating. i've wanted to try and go carb free for a while so i might try to do that..i dont really over do the bread thing but i'm not sure what else to eliminate right now. maybe sweets and sugar?! i have to give it some thought..might go through my food logs and look to see where those hidden calories are.

    adding 15 mins onto my exercise is going to be great too..i'm going to try and hit the gym at least 4 or 5 time from now until next tuesday. hopefully it will become a new routine.

    My Story isnt that original and i'm sure a lot of people on MFP can relate...

    I've always been overweight..struggled with being the chubby kid although i was lucky enough not to be bullied because of it. my family is the type of family that equates food with every occasion and all the women in my family have had a weight problem and i just learned from them...yo yo dieting is sort of a way of life. about 8 years ago i started losing weight just by cutting stuff out and not really paying attention to what i was really doing...few months after i realized i was losing weight and i felt better about myself so i continued to cut things out...everything in fact except about one salad a day and endless amounts of coffee. i ended up losing 80lbs dropping down to 145lbs over about a years time through starving myself...my every thought was about how to avoid food. 4 years into it i slowly started eating more and then moved in with my boyfriend who obviously had a completely different eating habit than i did and i ended up gaining almost all of the 80lbs back over these past 4 years. i havent felt this bad about myself in a long time but i realized if i want the weight to stay off and be able to start a family i need to lose this weight the right way and become healthy by eating healthy and exercising. i know i can do this..i've been down this road many many times and this time i am not looking back. this wil be the absolute last time i ever weigh over 200lbs in my life!!


    Best of luck this week guys!!
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    Here are your next challenges:
    - Pick one thing you should cut out of your diet and CUT IT OUT for the week
    - Add FIFTEEN MINUTES of exercise to your normal routine
    - Share your STORY with the group - why are you here and what motivated you to lose weight?

    CUT: It will be my cheese slices - WAY too high in fat!
    15 MINS: You Got It!
    STORY: I am here because I've lost the same 20 lbs (and gained it back) 3 TIMES in the last 1-1/2 YEARS! I saw this Summer Challenge Group and it was just the motivation I needed to get back on track. Everytime I get about 15 lbs lighter, I lose my drive and start to feel really good and go back to old habits. Why will this time be different? I took my Official Before Picture in a bikini that I bought 15 years ago as added motivation (I was going to lose the weight back then to fit into it)! NOW IS THE TIME!
  • zerbe6982
    zerbe6982 Posts: 68
    Here are your next challenges:
    - Pick one thing you should cut out of your diet and CUT IT OUT for the week
    - Add FIFTEEN MINUTES of exercise to your normal routine
    - Share your STORY with the group - why are you here and what motivated you to lose weight?

    I will cut out soda this week. It will be very tough, but I can do it.

    Adding minutes to my routine will be tough. I normally workout right before I have to go to work. Well, I will just have to get up earlier or squeeze it in before the future hubby gets home in the evening.

    Story:
    Like most of you, I have been heavy most of my life, except, I never paid attention to it. I have always had a big chest and butt, so I didn't realize how much overweight I really was even in high school. The difference is that I was happy with my body. Yes I am 5'2" and weighed 140ish (overweight for height), but I was happy. However, in college I gained more weight and when I met my fiance I was probably around 160ish. After that I started my first desk job and ended at 197 before I realized how bad I looked.

    Due to some personal reasons, I started on a diet and was very successful. I lost approximately 50lbs and was excited. I have some nice pictures from that time. But like most, it didn't last and unfortunately I gained it all back and then some.

    So, here I am. My wedding is in 5 months and once again I am unhappy with myself.

    I set out on this diet for the sole purpose of losing weight for my wedding. However, it has become more than that. I am happier and for some crazy reason regardless of how tired I am at first, I look forward to going to yoga and working out in the mornings at the gym.

    So what started out as a wedding goal has become a long and healthy life goal!
  • i lost 1 pound this week. I am now down to 113!
  • shanna0413
    shanna0413 Posts: 600 Member
    SW: 214.5 (05-29-12)
    CW:214.5 (06-05-12)
    CW: 217.5 (06-12-12)
    GW: 199

    Here are your next challenges:
    - Pick one thing you should cut out of your diet and CUT IT OUT for the week
    - Add FIFTEEN MINUTES of exercise to your normal routine
    - Share your STORY with the group - why are you here and what motivated you to lose weight?


    I am gonna cut out candy for the week!!

    My Dad passed away a few years ago. After he passed I realized there were almost no pictures of us. I was always hiding from the camera. Then I lost my grandpa and again almost no pictures.

    I realized I needed to get healthy. So here I am.
  • araxiedyck
    araxiedyck Posts: 127 Member
    This weeks challenge. I am going to CUT all baked goods (I was eating a mini cupcake while reading the new challenges). So I decided to CUT baked goods/treats for the week. I have such a sweet tooth!
    Will try to fit in the 15 extra min even if I have to break it up.

    Want to healthy and strong = losing my belly fat. Although I am not overweight (heaviest I have been was 155 lbs, last few years 140 lbs, then had a baby) I am on the high end of the BMI for my height. I also have borderline high cholesterol, which I can contol without meds if I lose the belly fat. I feel I am "always" on a diet, but really have lost the same 5 pounds over and over for the last 5 years. This time I discovered myfitnesspal and started tracking my calories which I have never done. Really makes you think. Before if I was hungry at night I would eat whatever, prob consuming 500 ish extra caloires without even knowing. At least now I really think if I really need/want a snack, and if I am really hungry I usually opt for my greek yogurt which is filling and helps the sweet tooth.
    I decided I really want to be fit and trim and have started running and yoga, and now watching my calories. My GW is under 130, but UGW 125. I have been stuck at 137 for a month now. Honestly have not put any effort int it. I now want to get moving forward again and lose this weight--my famous last 10 pounds!
  • going2befit4ever
    going2befit4ever Posts: 225 Member
    bump
  • ElaineP
    ElaineP Posts: 17 Member
    SW:136
    CW:133

    Cut out of my diet: chocolate
    15min extra of walking with dog and husband

    I've always worked out and ate fairly well with a few binges here and there. I stayed the same weight for over 14 years (not counting pregnancy weight). Three years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I gained weight before I started on meds. I am now trying to lose the rest of the weight that I gained. It is very difficult and I get discouraged and binge eat. But I am here to change that. Very excited about the 3lbs loss! :smile:
  • ginnylee74
    ginnylee74 Posts: 398 Member
    Here are your next challenges:
    - Pick one thing you should cut out of your diet and CUT IT OUT for the week
    - Add FIFTEEN MINUTES of exercise to your normal routine
    - Share your STORY with the group - why are you here and what motivated you to lose weight?

    6/4/2012----SW
    202.
    6/5/2012----CW
    202
    6/12/2012---CW
    201

    GW
    187 by the End of August.

    One thing I will cut out this week is BREAD. :sad: I love it.
    I WILL add the fifteen minutes. Probably on my stationary bike.
    The reason I am on MFP is I had decided to start counting calories. When I went to the internet to look for the calories for the foods I was eating for breakfast, I came across this sight. After checking it out I decided that MFP would be the way to go. I needed to track calories as I am Hypothyroid and the weight had been just TOO DARN HIGH. Plus being unhealthy. I'm so glad I found this sight. Everyone on here is so encouraging.

    I didn't post a recipe as I couldn't find one that I felt was nice enough to share. Especially as I really don't like to cook anymore. (Kids gone husband fussy.) There you have it. Oh I did increase my water and will keep that up.

    Healthy eating to all this coming week. Enjoy the summer.

    Ginny:flowerforyou:
  • cjmom1005
    cjmom1005 Posts: 5
    Hi I would like to join this challenge. I'm here because I'm pre diabetic and my mother is slowly dying from this disease. I need to take control of my health now before it's to late.
    SW 200
    GW 145

    I will cut out cookies.
  • vmilam03
    vmilam03 Posts: 49 Member
    For this week's challenges, I will be giving up soft-drinks- I prefer diet coke/diet dr pepper and coke zeros...so for this week, I will be cutting them all out. :ohwell:

    My Story: Before I got pregnant with my 6 year old daughter, I wore a size 6. I was comfortable in that size...but I gained 55 lbs when I was pregnant with her. After she was born, I really never tried to lose weight...then I became pregnant with my 2 year old son, and thankfully only gained 17 lbs, which I lost a couple weeks after he was born. My biggest weight was 202. I am today at 199.6. Last January, I started out on MFP and by August I had lost 23 lbs. Since August 2011, I gained every lb back. :embarassed:

    I am ready to lose that 23 lbs and then some and keep it off! I don't want to get out of breath playing with my kids. I want to be healthy and not overweight, slowly killing my body from over eating and lack of exercise. I want to be able to be comfortable in shorts or a bathing suit when we go to the water park. I want to be able to shop for clothes in any store that I walk into. I want to be able to feel like a beautiful, confident woman again.

    So that's my story...
  • So, not had a great week as I've been super stressed with my studies and there's been a fair bit of comfort eating. I've also had tendonitis in my knee so not much exercise either. Am back on it now though! The stress continues as I'm writing up my PhD thesis but I'm determined not to let that affect my diet anymore and instead to use my diet to help me work better :) Knee is much better now too so hoping to start back on the exercise proper from tomorrow.

    Loving the challenges this week and my thing to cut out has to be chocolate! It's definitely my go to comfort food!

    As for my story, I've struggled with my weight for the last 10 years or so now and am a real comfort eater. I've suffered with depression on and off for several years and when I'm struggling with it I turn to food, especially chocolate, cake and sugary drinks. I've also had problems which have prevented me from exercising for much of my life.
    From a very young age I had problems with my knees which meant even walking could be extremely painful and I spent years taping my knees up in the morning or wearing supports. I had surgery on both knees when I was 18 which pretty much solved that problem and it was rapidly replaced by problems with my shoulders back and neck and there were periods where I could do nothing other than lie on my back. For a long time it was presumed that the back problems all stemmed from my chosen career as an archaeologist (possibly not the best choice for someone as broken as me!) but when things got worse even when I wasn't digging it was clear that wasn't the source of the problem. Eventually after 10 years and numerous doctors I moved to York and was referred once more for physio and acupuncture and finally got to the bottom of the problem. My amazing physio noticed I did everything with my arms and asked me to stand up without pushing myself up off the chair. I did and realised that the effort it took made my legs shake!
    All the years of knee pain when I was younger had led me to overcompensate and teach myself to use my arms instead of my legs, I pulled myself up stairs, I pushed of chairs, I even pulled my weight into my upper body when I was walking and sitting. Now thanks to a whole lot of physio I'm much better, it's still an ongoing challenge to monitor my posture and to train myself to use my body differently again but I'm no longer in constant pain and I'm finally well enough to exercise!
    So, my aim is to be fit and healthy - no more depression and a strong body that will enable me to live life to the fullest! I'm trying to clean up my diet and so far I've noticed huge changes in my energy levels and concentration and the exercise I've been doing has brought changes to my posture already. I'm also feeling much stronger and for the first time in years am really looking forward to getting out in the field for a summer of archaeology and hard work.
    I've been super inspired by all the people I've met so far on my MFP journey and reading everyone's stories is helping even more. Thanks everyone!!!
  • branohockey
    branohockey Posts: 60 Member
    I'll be back tomorrow with my weigh in. I am sooo busy today I did not realize the day is nearly gone. I'm not going to be home until late tonight so I'll take care of it then.

    I exercised this morning already and then have a hockey game tonight. That makes up for the graduation party Sunday!

    Then I'll come back and read the stories for inspiration!

    MarieB
  • cherriewilliams
    cherriewilliams Posts: 107 Member
    SW 220.8
    W1 219
    W2 218.8
    GW 205
  • cherriewilliams
    cherriewilliams Posts: 107 Member
    Challenges for this week

    I am giving up all fast food this week. To much salt.

    I work out at the YMCA 5 days a week for 1 1/2 hours. I'll up it 15 min.

    My story: Gained with three pregnancies. My highest weight was 235. A few years ago i got down to 195 using MFP. Then my knee got worse and I had to quit my job and have knee surgery. I had a tumor that was 2 quarts in size removed and it left the muscles in my left leg atrophied. During recovery all i could wear is loose sweat pants because of swelling and 100 staples in my leg so i didn't relize how much weight I was gaining. After getting the staples removed I tried to put on my jeans and could barely zip them. My smaller sized jeans wouldn't even go over my hips. When I weighed myself I couldn't believe I went from 195 to 235 in less than a year. It has taken me 6 months to lose 15 lbs. I usually lose weight quicker when i am really trying but this time I am also working on rebuilding the muscles in my left leg, I have limited ability when it comes to how long I can walk and I am on different meds for pain and anxiety.
  • meg0013
    meg0013 Posts: 102
    1st weigh-in: 158
    2nd weigh-in: 155. 6
    3rd weigh-in: 156.0

    gained 0.4 lbs, not too upset about it because its TOM.
    ready to see a loss next week though! :)
  • abby1176
    abby1176 Posts: 14 Member
    SW:150.6
    CW: 144.6
    GW: 135

    Making progress.....
  • ingalynn
    ingalynn Posts: 136 Member
    Ok...'\

    CW 190.3

    loss for the week 3.3.

    As for the challenge...I will try to cut out fast food. I stayed under my cals 6/7 days this week, but fast food is the thing I need to let go of. It is just so hard when I am constantly on the go. But what can I say? I'll do my best!

    My story...let's see. I was pretty happy around the 150's early in my marriage and before children. I was able to lose all of my pregnancy weight after both of my children were born, but about 11 years ago, I fell down the steps and broke my tailbone. This put a big halt on my exercize routine. Then my husband and I started having some problems. I am a huge stress eater. At this time in my life, I just started really bad eating habits and the weight just started piling on. Thank goodness my husband and I reconciled, but the habits were already in place and I just couldn't get motivated to make the changes I needed to.

    Around Easter, a family member suggested we do a family biggest loser contest. Well...money and bragging rights seem to be a good motivator! So here I am, 20 lbs lighter than when I started and changing those habits from bad to good!
  • LeggiGetsFit
    LeggiGetsFit Posts: 64 Member
    Cw: 139

    2lbs lost and into the 130's!!! Yay :)

    For the challenge, there's nothing I really feel I need to get out of my diet but I'd like to start including more protein!

    I'm a 24 year old college student. I've never been overweight but know that I would be if I didn't do anything about it since I had some pretty poor eating habits and lack of exercise. Highest weight was upper 140's and I just started to look a little too sloppy and even more than that, I felt tired and lazy all the time. I had become depressed and would spend hours on end not moving or doing anything. I'm using MFP to get back to the happy, free spirit I've always been and to feel good about myself again! :) So far I've lost 6lbs and I feel great! Been hiking, biking, and dancing again.

    Anyone hula hoop? It is the BEST workout plus it's a great way to move to music. :)
  • SW:170
    WK1:168
    WK2:167.8

    Disappointing loss this week, but not particularly surprising. That'll teach me for being too relaxed with the exercise! Last weeks challenge to eat more fruit and veg went well though.

    I'm going to cut out my trips to the coffee shop which means giving up my beloved gingerbread soy latte this week. Not a horrible choice, but working opposite the store means I had one nearly every day last week!

    I'm here at 18 years old because I've had a turbulent relationship with food since I can remember. I eat my emotions, rather than express/share them with other people because a bowl of ice cream never lets you down! It's been a struggle getting the first 25lbs off, as I've had to change the way I think about food completely- it's to fuel my body, and I need to stop when I'm full. I still have the occasional treat and my diet isn't as clean as I'd like, but I'm still at the beginning of a very long journey and I know I've still got a lot to learn. Hopefully this challenge will help me focus on making changes for life.
  • Collidoscopekid
    Collidoscopekid Posts: 195 Member
    Weighing in at 185 this week. I lost the two pounds I had gained last week. Now I can really start working towards my goal!Joining a gym tomorrow!
  • garbor16
    garbor16 Posts: 43 Member
    Ugh! I gained this week. Only went over 2 days and not by a lot either.
    SW: 136
    W1: 133
    CW: 135

    Hoping for a better week next week.

    My boss has been a MFP member for at least a year. He has been a huge inspiration for a number of employees.
    I'm tired of not feeling comfortable or not even fitting into a lot of my clothes.

    Not sure what I'll give up.

    Good luck to all!
  • Brinasacat
    Brinasacat Posts: 505 Member
    SW: 188.7
    6/04: 186.9
    6/12 187.7 (ugh 2 days ago I was 185!)

    GW: 168

    Can't think of what I'd cut out. maybe I'll just cut the quantity of what I eat!

    I go to jazzercise 4 days/week and try to get 10,000 steps and 5 miles and 10 flights of stairs every day. That'll continue. I resort to exercise video's if it's a day I can't get to class and the weather isn't cooperating for getting my steps in.

    I'm here on MFP to shed the weight I gained from wrecking my knee and having surgery on it to clean it out. It took over a year to feel better, and I'm left with arthritis in the joint. During this whole lengthy rehab, I continued to eat like I was getting regular exercise. I've been on here since March and have lost 25 pounds.

    recipe: stuffed zucchini with lemon sauce

    10 smallish zucchini
    1 lb ground beef
    1/2 onion, chopped fine
    1/4 cup chopped fresh dill/ parsley
    1/3 cup rice (not cooked)
    salt/ pepper to taste

    filling: mix ground beef, rice, dill, parsley, salt, pepper. Use apple corer and hollow out zucchini. Stuff hollowed out zucchini with filling.

    in large saute pan add 1 tablespoon EVOO. add stuffed zucchini, pour about a cup of water to pan. Cover pan, bring to boil and reduce heat to medium low and cook about 30-40 minutes until ground beef is no longer pink and zucchini are tender.

    lemon sauce:
    mix 2 T flour with
    2T butter, in small sauce pan over medium heat.

    slowly add 1 cup of hot chicken broth ( I nuke mine) stirring constanty until thickened.

    in separate bowl beat 2 eggs with the juice of 1 lemon until frothy, slowly pour into warm thickened sauce. Heat but do not boil. serve over cooked stuffed zucchini.
  • cgjerde1
    cgjerde1 Posts: 20 Member
    Is it ok if I join? My doctor told me I had to go on fish oil pills...yuk. So am I going to just go back to taking care of myself and in need of motivation and support. I don't own a smart phone, just a stupid one.
  • kateva143
    kateva143 Posts: 46 Member
    Ok, a few things to add here:

    First Week Weigh -in = 230.6
    2nd Week - Current Weight = 227

    WEEK 1:
    RECIPE CHALLENGE: (sorry I forgot to post before vacation!)

    Pina Colada Smoothie:

    1 cup Almond/Coconut Unsweetened Milk
    1/2 Cup pineapple
    1/2 cup non fat greek yogurt
    1/2 banana
    1 tsp almond or coconut extract
    3 ice cubes
    Blend Well =)




    Week 2 : Challenge Story

    My story basically comes down to a life time of bad habits. I come from a family that never wants to waste anything, first and foremost..food. So portion control has always been an issue, and "wasting" used to make me feel guilty. When I got married I was an athletic 170, some fat...but quite a bit of solid muscle, my husband is 6'2 and 160 and used to eat an entire pizza for dinner. Living with him tossed me into a new world of awful habits and when we bought our first home we spent most of our time fixing the place up instead of doing other activities. By the time I got pregnant with my son I was 225, I ended up getting pre-eclampsia and when I delivered him I was nearly 280. I lost a bit of water weight and dropped to 250 after he was born. I then got pregnant with my daughter at 250 and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and when I delivered her I was almost 290. I am now down to 227, and need to lose 2 more pounds to reach my initial 30lb goal for my 30th bday on 6/20, and then on to bigger and better things. My goal weight for this challenge is 210, but I am hoping to say goodby to the 200's before September 1.
    I wish you all the best, and please feel free to add me as a friend =)=)
  • bobby172
    bobby172 Posts: 22 Member
    cw 167.2
  • inskydiamonds
    inskydiamonds Posts: 2,519 Member
    Despite setting the challenges for last week, I was really bad at keeping up with them. But I still did manage to lose weight. I'm now at 194.2

    - Pick one thing you should cut out of your diet and CUT IT OUT for the week
    - Add FIFTEEN MINUTES of exercise to your normal routine
    - Share your STORY with the group - why are you here and what motivated you to lose weight?
  • meeaham
    meeaham Posts: 882 Member
    Happy Tuesday everyone!

    SW: 120 (5/29/12)
    GW: 110 (8/28/12)

    Today's weigh in:

    6/5/12: 118.5 lbs
    6/12/12: 118.5 lbs (Didn't lose any weight but it's ok. Let's see how next week goes!

    Next challenges:
    - Pick one thing you should cut out of your diet and CUT IT OUT for the week - I'm going with fast food!
    - Add FIFTEEN MINUTES of exercise to your normal routine - I actually exercised before work and after work today!
    - Share your STORY with the group - why are you here and what motivated you to lose weight? - Will write something up later this week!
  • Eava57
    Eava57 Posts: 1,297 Member
    I would like to join this thread. I started MFP a few summers ago and have been on a rollercoaster with the same ten pounds. I started my own summer challenge last week (On June 5 I weighed at 188.8, Today my weight was 184.4) I would love to stay motivated with the challenges.

    SW-188.8

    CW-184.4

    GW-155 :flowerforyou:

    My story is like most moms...I have two sons, 23 and 20, and spent most of my free time doing what needed to be done with them, school, sports, music, etc. I never put myself first and let the weight creep up...from the time I was 40 yrs. to 50 yrs. old, I had gained 60 lbs. topping out at 214! It took me about six years to lose 30 and I am now working on the second "30". I had a pre-diabetic scare and am trying to get healthy. I admire the younger moms/women and men on this site...you are doing this at a younger age....Keep up the good job....So happy to be on this journey with others who understand how hard it is to lose weight.:heart:
    I am trying very hard to give up sugar! I began the Jorge Cruz' Belly Fat diet today...limits sugar to 15 grams...it is very hard to do...I didn't quite make the goal but will work on it this week.