[Omega]

Cord - it sounds like your first challenge day has gone brilliantly with getting your 5-a-day in so early and getting your exercise done.

If you are looking for negative competition should we all compare how many years we were big before we managed to do something about it. I notched up over 20 years with a level of severe morbid obesity that seems to beat that achieved by most of the rest of you. I suppose that makes me the negative situation winner that no-one wanted to be!!!! Over twenty years of my life that I wish that I could do differently - but I just couldnt at the time. I tried and failed....

Whatever you do - do not compare your efforts to mine. I battle a multitude of demons that say things like "if you ease up on your exercise and food control you will be back at your big size before you know it". It is amazing how that notion can make you walk an extra mile.....

I have confidence that any stress triggered by weight loss efforts will ease when you see the pounds falling away. There is a joy to getting onto the scales and seeing a new low.

Think of it not so much as a competition as a party game. We all like collecting points - but it is the fun that we have along the way that gives us the real buzz. We adore celebrating each others achievements. I have made some unbelievably good friends on this forum. We stop being strangers and view each other as people where we have more in common than many people you meet in real life. Kimberly and I met up several times last year when she came over to England.

Many of us have tightened up our nutrition and exercise a lot in the time we have been on the forum. It may well be that in a couple of months time - newer members will look at your nutrition and exercise and feel inadequate against you. Remember the success that you have already achieved. Your ticker shows that you have lost weight and are coming well down towards the healthy range. You are doing really well already.

Working long hours will certainly not help. I know that I did that during some of those failed diets of yesteryear.

[thecabbie]

Very successful first day. Got a 1 hour 21 minute cycle in, 21.5 miles and a 30 minute pull split workout.

Fruit with breakfast, fruit for a snack, and a huge salad for dinner, veggies are good for the day.

I'm too tired now in the wee hours to log it all in, I'll do it when I get up for the actual caloric value, but it should all be well within my range given my exercise level.

[Cord the Seeker]

I too had a good first day.

8 or 9 servings of fruit/veg, 1hr 15min or so of exercise.

I still feel pretty low, but now I think it is just the night shift.

Hope everyone else had a good first day too.

I have a friend who is doing Jenny Craig, and she lost 36lbs in three months. If I can lose 3 more pounds by next Thursday I'll have beaten her by a pound. Maybe not the most noble reason to lose weight, but what the heck.

[othie]

wow you guys did better then I did. I didn't even think I would make it to 5 veggies today, lucky I couldn't sleep. So I went for another walk and had some veggies. Still only 35 mins of walking...but its better then I did yesterday

[San]

Sorry for not being around much yesterday....it wasn't a great day. Not sure what it was, just one of those 'bleh' - days. For one thing, it's entirely too warm. Not just warm, but really heavy and muggy. The sun has disappeared and it's all clouded over. Today is the same, and while I can deal well with heat, this oppressive weather gives me major headaches - no fun! *pouts*

Sorry to hear that you don't get along with your mother-in-law. I never expected to get along with mine either - then again, it's probably because I do pretty much everything for her. And if she was living with us, it would probably be a completely different story altogether. Fortunately she lives across the road, so while it is close by, there is still some distance.

I'm 34, just for the record. And yes, we used to chat about that when I first joined. No change here either, if anything, hubby has put a few more pounds on. At least he is being supportive now, as good as he can, and encourages me to do my exercising and whatnot. I just wish he would join instead of watching me from the couch while stuffing his face with chocolate!

I must admit, I have a black thumb when it comes to gardening, but I am trying to at least keep it tidy. On Friday I managed to get sunburned while doing the weeding and mowing though - I was only out there for maybe an hour! I am not used to being in the sun anymore at all, I am such a couch potatoe! Note to self - use sunscreen next time, even if it is just for 10 minutes. My friend died of skin cancer, so everything like this makes me kind of panicky - especially because when I was younger, I had a few really bad sunburns!

Maybe horrible was the wrong word when it comes to the exercise. Compared to what I used to do, it's certainly quite good, but it feels so insufficient to me. I see people here talking about running, lifting weights, resistance training, hitting the gym for hours every day and all that stuff, and I wonder if my 45 minutes eliptical are really enough. Especially considering that I've quite obviously hit a very stubborn plateau. I feel as if I should be doing more.

I'm still thinking about the gym. I want to do something more, and start incorporating weight training and stuff. I would probably go to the gym twice a week, because I don't have any more time than that. Maybe it would really be a waste of money, because twice a week doesn't sound enough. I would love to just get myself one of those multigyms and do stuff at home, whenever I feel like it. The only problem is that I just don't have the room for a multigym.

All classes that they offer at the gym are included in the gym membership though, and the swimming as well, and it's only 20£ a month, so maybe it would be worth it after all. I'd just have to get my time managed a little better.

I just looked through all the other posts and well....hi to everybody who showed up!

Kyropaladin - I have been, and still am in the same position to a certain degree. Money's rather tight at the moment, and fresh fruit and vegetables are just ridiculously expensive. I have found a few ways around that though. Most big supermarkets reduce fruit and veg on Friday evenings/Saturday mornings, because they get restocked during the weekend. So there might be some bargains there. But more importantly, what I do is to go to the local markets here (we have two close by), short before they close (which is around 3 pm here). They don't really want to take stuff back with them, so most fruit and veg stalls sell their leftovers for reduced prices. I usually manage to come home with 3 - 4 days of fruit and veg for about 5 £. And none of the stuff is really in bad shape, it doesn't go bad after a day or so. Plus, after doing this for a few weeks now, the guys at the stalls know me, and know that I'll be coming around, so they put some stuff aside for me. Not all of them, but some are nicer than others. Just a thought.

I will hop on my eliptical now and get at least a little bit of exercise in. I am somewhat frustrated because I didn't lose anything last week, but at least I didn't put anything on either. And my back is still killing me.

[momma4alex]

Hey everyone, Its me heather. I have been here almost 2 years.. off and on of course.. with having a baby and losing a few in the last few years. Plus the 4 months of living in the hospital with my oldest son,alexander. So yeah.. I'm 26 will be 27 on thanksgiving day.. hoping to be at least 225 if not lower by then. Since my goal is to get to 225 by the time my baby, cameron turns a year old.

My goals right now besides what the challenge has laid out for us is to exercise at least 30 minutes a day and to drink at least 96 oz of water a day.

If you have any questions about me or my kids please don't be shy.. ask away.. i'm not really that shy when it comes to questions and I'll let you know if i feel offended or uncomfortable.. with something..

[Swankychap]

Hey I'm new here, I came accross your challenge while looking up weight loss forums. When I saw that it was starting I join right away. I have logged in 50 minutes of walking but I am having trouble with the 5 a day but thats from lack of groceries. Going shopping today, going to get good whole foods and healthy alternatives.

Good luck everyone!

[Omega]

WOW - you have all been chatting again - that is great.

It sounds like everyone is doing pretty well to me.

I have been out all day - so am only getting a chance to look in on you now.

I was in such a rush this morning I didnt get to post much. That was because I had to get straight onto the treadmill as I had to get my 6.5 miles walked and my husband wanted me to be ready to leave the house by 10am. As it turned out I was late - but that is a woman's perogative isnt it?!!!

We were heading out to spend the day at the beautiful home of a cousin of mine. They live in the countryside about 90 miles away. Well the exciting part of the story is that I hadnt seen them for 3 years - so they hadnt seen me since I was my biggest size. Otherwise all that they had seen was my facebook picture which was taken after the bulk of my weightloss last September.

I love seeing people - but I particularly love seeing people that havent seen me since I lost over 160 pounds! It is the kind of thing that we fantasize about on the way down - and then so good each time that it happens in reality. They are only a few pounds overweight (they dont look it but they assured me that they were) and said that they were going to try and lose a few pounds! You never know - they might even join us here!

Now I have to admit that all my food choices were not as strict as I would have applied on a normal day. It was something about me having a glass of wine (which in itself is very rare - 4 drink units last year and none the year before) plus I had cheese (which tends to cause a gain for me so I tend to avoid - but looked and was really really yummy) and there was little amaretti biscuits too.

The bottom line is that I did allow myself more latitude than I would on a normal day - but it was not a normal day. It was more of a party situation (as I said we dont meet up too often) and we can kick back the traces a little. The food was absolutely yummy - and they had actually gone to a lot of effort to ensure that it wouldnt strain the diet too much.

There was a greek salad with chicken in little pitta pockets in a sauce and I remember that 0% yoghurt was used in the sauce. Afterwards there was gorgeous mixture of fresh fruit with low fat creme fraiche.

So despite kicking back the traces a bit the meal couldnt have been too high in calories (for a special event) and I certainly got my 5-a-day in.

In fact (because I love my fruit) I have also had 2 pears and a banana and an apple since I got home.

No problems on the 5-a-day here and as I said 6.54 miles between 4.0mph and 4.3mph on the treadmill (95 mins) at the start of the day.

[Omega]

Originally Posted by othie

wow you guys did better then I did. I didn't even think I would make it to 5 veggies today, lucky I couldn't sleep. So I went for another walk and had some veggies. Still only 35 mins of walking...but its better then I did yesterday

You have to remember that we are all at different stages and different sizes. It does make a difference.

I can assure you because I know pretty much where you are and I was a very similar size at the start of my project - walking 35 minutes is an excellent days exercise at your stage. It will have been of amazing benefit to your project.

When I started - my first walks were around the block - and no-one could say that I was walking briskly - I didnt do anything briskly. I was shattered at the end.

I made sure that I did it again every day - and every time that I could I extended the distance and therefore the time.

Congratulate yourself on a great workout. Your 35 mins will almost certainly have been more effective in terms of fighting fat than my 6.5 miles at over 4mph. Well done for increasing up to 35 minutes.

Do as I did and increase it every few days as soon as you feel up to it. I cannot wait to see how far you are walking by the end of the challenge. I am sure that you will feel yourself getting fitter each day.

[Omega]

Originally Posted by Swankychap

Hey I'm new here, I came accross your challenge while looking up weight loss forums. When I saw that it was starting I join right away. I have logged in 50 minutes of walking but I am having trouble with the 5 a day but thats from lack of groceries. Going shopping today, going to get good whole foods and healthy alternatives.

Good luck everyone!

Welcome to both the forum and the challenge.

[Omega]

Finally getting a few minutes to chat a little. It really has been a busy couple of days for me!!!

Jake - I am sure that you will be in excellent shape for your move back. There is something about the concept of doing exercise plus tightening up our nutrition that makes us all look so much fitter and healthier - irrespective of whether we are trying to lose just a few pounds or quite a lot of them. We are not going for one of those "lose weight by wasting away" approaches - we are treating our bodies more like nature intended. I am sure that your friends will not believe how fit and healthy you look.

Kirsty - Its great to meet you. I am pleased that the challenge is timed right for you and is focussing on the areas that you had already identified. I cant wait to hear what exercise you are doing. We all need a little persuading at times to do that exercise - but it makes all the difference in the world. Not only does it make us look better in itself - but it causes us to burn more calories which in turn allow us to eat more healthy calories.

Cord - It certainly does sound like your food and exercise is going well. I am sorry that you are low - but we all need a little "me time" and if you do all that overtime you are depriving yourself in this area. Also I am sure that there are studies about night shift leading to low feelings. I am no expert - but I do remember my husband telling me all about it when he was working shifts. I remember he bought a light box because there was some theory that the lack of daylight contributed towards problems. It may be worth you doing a little research on the concept of light boxes and whether they could help.

I hope that you get the weightloss that you would like - but I can warn you that there is a danger to comparing one person's weight loss against another. The fact is that we all come to try and lose weight from different backgrounds and are in different situations. The best thing is if each person tries to do the best that they can. I would hate anyone to get demoralised - particularly when they have been as successful as you have been - 33 pounds so far is fabulous.

[Cord the Seeker]

Originally Posted by Omega

I hope that you get the weightloss that you would like - but I can warn you that there is a danger to comparing one person's weight loss against another. The fact is that we all come to try and lose weight from different backgrounds and are in different situations. The best thing is if each person tries to do the best that they can. I would hate anyone to get demoralised - particularly when they have been as successful as you have been - 33 pounds so far is fabulous.

Oh, don't worry, I'm not really serious about it. It's just for my own personal fun. I'm actually quite happy with my rate of improvement and activity (as long as I don't focus too much on all the people on this forum who work out 2-3 hours a day, eat perfectly, and lose huge amounts of weight). I just thought it would be fun if I could match or even pass her. I'm thrilled with how well she is doing, and she is equally thrilled at my accomplishments.

Yesterday was a pretty decent day overall. For me it is much easier to eat lots of fruit than lots of vegetables, but I'm trying to keep a balance between the two.
I was too worn out from the night shift to get my full planned workout done, but half is better than none, and it was the more intense half. 45 minutes on the heavy bag. Normally I follow that with the same time on the bike, but I had to get my daughter to bed, and after that I was too tired and decided to get adequate sleep for a change.

[Omega]

That's good Cord. I had visions of you getting disillusioned and giving up in disgust - all for a few ounces.....

As far as the hours of exercise goes - no-one should compare themselves to me. I found that I had to do a terrible amount of exercise to get the speed of weight loss that I wanted. I am a PCOS lady that means that my hormones arent set right and I gain weight easier than other people and find it harder to lose weight. Well - I wanted a normal type of rate of weight loss when I found that I was actually losing weight - so I just kept increasing the exercise more and more until I got it. On hitting goal last month my priority is to decrease the exercise in stages to a point where I am not losing or gaining. I have recently reduced down to 6.5 miles each morning and I am keeping an eye on how my weight reacts...

Well done on the 45 minutes of exercise. Both fruit and vegetables are really beneficial to us. I eat less veg than fruit - but I reckon that I eat A LOT of fruit. I just love the sweetness. I figure that if I am eating plenty of fruit and veg I havent got room for a lot of things that are going to harm my weight. Also - if I have a lot of fruit - I find that I am not so worried about not having some of the sweet things that I used to have (and are still eaten in front of me by my husband).

Night shift is tiring so I am not surprised that you were worn out after doing it and extra shifts too. Sleep is very beneficial.

[thecabbie]

So my day today was not all that enjoyable... it started off okay, seemed like it would end well but fell apart...

I'm working days this week, very unusual for me but I'm saving my vacation time for decmber and Jamaica. I was up at 4:00am, hit the gym, did 25 minutes on the elliptical, and 30 minutes of weights.

Rainy for the morning, s I didn't expect to get out and exercise later. Well, It cleared up, so I took my kayak out after work for another 45 minutes.

Got home, went into the basement to switch laundry over and ended up sloshing through water to get to my washer. Nope, not the washer, the septic backed up

Spent the remainder of my night digging out the septic, getting a truck in here to pump it and paying out most of my vacation fund to get an emergency plumber in.

Couldn't wash anything or use the bathroom until late, so I ate out and had really poor choices. The only saving grace is the extra exercise I got in today because my food was not good...

Now I have to refill the vacation account before December - not as easy as I wish it was.

[Cord the Seeker]

Ooh, sorry man, that sucks.

I hate septic problems (okay, is there anyone who likes them?). Extra bummer that it ate into your vacation fund.

Kayak - I just bought one! Haven't had a chance to try it out yet, though.