[Omega]

Since this is the start of the chat thread I just want to state that new people are welcome to join this challenge at any time.

=======

Well I have just posted the bonus information - so people may want to read it while preparing their shopping lists.

I have it in the scoresheet thread - but am copying it here for easy reference.

WEEK 1

I am sure that we have all heard of the concept of at least 5 portions of fruit or vegetables being central to adopting good nutrition.

Why Eat 5 A DAY - 5 A DAY

Portion Sizes - 5 A DAY

Some interesting information about fruit and veg:

Discovery Health :: Truth About Food


My challenge to you for this week is to make sure that you have 5 portions of fruit or vegetables each day. 3 points for each day

If someone has sufficient fruit and veg each day of the week they will earn 21 points.

The wonderful thing is that fruit and veg generally contain fibre and some protein which we need as part of our diet.

Also – since fruit is naturally sweet – it can help to satisfy sugar cravings.

In Week 1 - where the scoresheet has ssmtwtf replace the day of the week with V (for vegetable) on each day that you complete the task. That way it is easy to tell which days you were successful.

Although there are a lot of benefits to using fresh or indeed frozen fruit and vegetables – tinned fruit will be allowed if any syrup is drained off fruit. Tinned vegetables will be allowed if any water containing sugar or salt is discarded. Baked beans are allowed. Potatoes do not qualify as a vegetable in this challenge.

[thecabbie]

I'm first in after Margaret!

The last challenge I was involved with here was the 4 week get ready for summer challenge. I enjoyed it because it kept me honest, and I was able to stick to my goal of a net average loss of 2 lbs per week. This is pretty much what my current goal is also. Keeping a net energy balance that allows the same type of loss over time between exercise (pretty good at) and diet (finally getting the hang of it).

I'm looking forward to the challenge and the cameraderie.

[Omega]

We had so much camaraderie and support going in Claudia's challenge too Karl. It really makes it so much easier to keep on track and even hone what we do a little.

None of us have all the answers - but it is a brilliant way for people new to weight loss to benefit from the experiences of people that have been on project for a while like we have (and maybe made a few mistakes like I certainly have).

It is funny - in my experience - people get out of the challenges pretty much what they put in. People that hardly visit the threads sometimes drop out early. The people that come back regularly seem to see weight loss at the most brilliant rate imagineable. Success breeds success. People achieve so much. Claudia's challenge got me to goal after I had spent months hovering above. I am so pleased that Claudia encouraged me to join in - even though I knew that by definition I was unlikely to lose too many pounds. It turned out that I lost more than I thought possible.

Hey we might not be earning exercise or nutrition points until Saturday - but as far as the camaraderie and support side goes - it has already started as far as I am concerned.

I am even toying with adding an extra one off bonus task for week 1 (that can be done early) - if I do we could start earning points now. As we see the points build up we have a means of quantifying the hard work that we do - and that encourages us to do more.

[Omega]

Well - I decided that I liked the idea of people getting extra points and being able to start getting them a little earlier if they wanted - so I have added a special one-off bonus for week 1 - that can be done early (if anyone wants).

STOP PRESS - ADDITIONAL ONE-OFF WEEK 1 BONUS ADDED
Many people are reporting excellent weather at the minute. I know that lots of people will have some great ideas of things to eat - particularly in good weather that make losing weight in the summer a little easier. It can be a snack or a meal - but the thing is that it must be ok to eat when trying to lose weight. No need to give the calories or anything. Use one of your own favourites from this year or last year - or copy and paste something that appeals off the internet. Put an entry into the challenge Food Ideas thread and I will give you 3 points. You can even do it before the official start of the challenge if you want and start claiming points already.

==========

It will give us a chance to cascade a little wisdom around all participants - and earn a few points. Maybe even eat something yummy too!

Be sure to add "recipe" to your scoresheet for week 1 when you have done it to make sure that you get the points.

[Omega]

WOW - I am so pleased with this food ideas thread already. San has just posted the idea of blending fruit with yoghurt. I had never thought of doing that and I have been on my project for 28 months.

Brilliant idea San - be sure to add it to your scoresheet like I did with mine! I wonder who will be next to get some points.

[Omega]

Originally Posted by Cord the Seeker

I'm addicted to slurpees.

In the hot months I used to have a large slurpee pretty much every day, and the rest of the year it was a couple of times per week at least. The big ones have about 570kcal, and 134g of sugar. Oy.

Since I gave them up I have been making my own at home. I crush a dozen ice cubes, and pour on 1-1.5oz of Rose's lime cordial. 40-60kcal total.

And it tastes fantastic.

That's something else that I havent thought of in 28 months of weight loss project. I guess that there is nothing to stop me using low calorie squash too - that might cut the calories a little (and I have plenty of it about for when I do my different jellies - I like a good selection of different flavours).

Thanks Cord!

[Omega]

Originally Posted by reluctantcabbie

I'm first in after Margaret!

The last challenge I was involved with here was the 4 week get ready for summer challenge. I enjoyed it because it kept me honest, and I was able to stick to my goal of a net average loss of 2 lbs per week. This is pretty much what my current goal is also. Keeping a net energy balance that allows the same type of loss over time between exercise (pretty good at) and diet (finally getting the hang of it).

I'm looking forward to the challenge and the cameraderie.

Hey Karl - I was just thinking about you shooting for a two pound a week loss. That should get you through the BIG 300 milestone. That would be truly awesome!

Have you given any other thought to the milestones that a two pound a week loss would get you through over the nine weeks. I always loved milestones - I used to have so many that I was never more than a few pounds away from the next one. I swear that my (now abandoned) diary was one long forum party as I leapt from milestone to milestone. As soon as I hit one milestone I was looking forward to the next one.

I used to set milestones every ten pounds of weight - they are nice round numbers and I have so many friends that always think of weight in ten pound jumps.
Then when my weight in pounds is divisible by 7 - I know that must sound eccentric - but I am English (I know - everyone has heard of eccentric English people...) but we think of our weight in stones and pounds. There are 14 pounds in a stone and 7 in a half stone. Now it suddenly makes sense as to why my goal weight is divisible by 14!!! I liked the notion of being 9 stone instead of the 21 stone that I used to be.
I also used to like it when the ticker said that I had lost a multiple of 10 pounds.
BMI boundaries were always worth celebrating. When I started and my BMI was in the 50s I thought that it was unfair that people from 40 got a great milestone every 5 units of BMI as they passed from morbid to type 2 to type 1 etc. so I invented my own at 50 and 45!!!! Then I got gready and from 30 down I celebrated every single unit of BMI as I came down from there.
Then there were clothes sizes....
The list goes on.

I used to take measurements too.......

I love celebrating things like all that.

Be sure to check whether you are noticing your major milestones as they pass as I am sure that we would all hate to miss out on a party opportunity.

[thecabbie]

That is the big milestone for me. It's all psychological for me, but the difference between 300 and 298 is more than 2 lbs in my head...

My big milestone is this one, but it won't be in the course of this challenge. My CW is 314 officially right now. I have 23 weeks before I go on vacation in Jamaica. Decmber 5th is the date we leave. In my head, I have told myself that I would like to be at 275 lbs when I go. Realistically I would be happy with 280 or less. Even with 275 as my goal, I should be able to make it and that is also accounting for a couple of weeks here or there where I may not be as disciplined as I should be.

Given my height and musculature, if I hit 275, yes, I would still be overweight, but soooo much healthier... (and better looking on the beach - where clothing is optional at this resort...)

Edit; each point of BMI for me is like 9 lbs, so I could do some BMI celebration too...

[Omega]

I know just what you mean with those huge milestones having a gigantic difference in your head as you lose a single pound and plough through them!

For me - with a start weight of 21 stone - I loved getting under 20 stone (and becoming a teen girl with a weight that didnt have twenty in it) and I loved getting under 13 stone (and stopping being a teen girl any more). I adored hitting 14 stone where I had lost a third of my start weight - and hitting 10 and a half stone was the most surreal experience ever - I could look into a mirror and see what the amount of weight that I had lost looked like.

One of my nicest milestones was when I was able to start wearing my wedding ring again - having had to stop wearing it when my hands got too big just a few months after I got married in 1986.

I can already feel how good it is going to be for you to get under 300. It is going to be like those really big party milestones of mine. We are all going to have such a big celebration with you.

I really need to share these great milestones because the only milestone that I can hope for is to be near the weight that I was on Tuesday when I managed to weigh in back at my goal weight. That was a relief as I had drifted up out of my Slimming World zone. I have to try and view being in zone (preferably within 3 pounds) at the end of the challenge as being as good as hitting a great milestone. I have to say that it doesnt have the same sparkly glowy feel at the minute for me.

Naturally I want to celebrate every BMI change with you. Make sure that you look out for them and tell me about them in this thread.

As far as the 275 goes - I am pretty sure that you will be there or thereabouts by the date you say. I say thereabouts because almost every time I have set a little date / weight milestone for myself I have missed it by a day or two. I remember that I decided that I wanted to be 14st0.0 for my school reunion back in 2007 - would you believe that I weighed in at 14st0.2 that morning - pretty much on target.... but not quite....

One thing that I am sure of - whether you are 275 that day or 275.2!!! I am absolutely positive that you will look trim and great with or without clothing. Even more importantly - you will have the confidence of knowing that you look trim and great. December in Jamaica sounds a wonderful incentive for keeping you on track all through the year.

I dont know what challenges will be running in September as this one finishes - but in my experience you will have the best chance of ploughing down to the December milestone if you basically back-to-back through the year until December. I always got a better loss if I was in a challenge.

[San]

Getting under 300 was a big thing for me too. I started at 368, so getting under 300 was my first big milestone. Couldn't believe it when it finally happened.

It'll be a great feeling and we're all gonna be here to celebrate it with you!

I keep setting myself small milestones now, that things have slowed down (and boy, have they slowed down! ). I take it in 5 lbs steps now, instead of 50. But it still feels good, even when they are a smaller steps. As long as it is a step in the right direction.

You'll look great at the beach Cabbie, and I'm sure you'll feel great as well, knowing how far you've already come! I'm a tad bit jealous, would love to go Jamaica....then again, I don't exactly have a beach body yet, so maybe I should keep that in mind as a reward for hitting 175 or something....

[Omega]

San - looking at your ticker you have lost a load of weight on your project so far. Very well done. You really are getting there.

I take it that your next milestone is in just over three pounds time. Make sure that you post something here so that we all know when you get there.

I know just what you mean about things slowing down - that last stone of mine took for ever.... When things got really slow I celebrated every time I got a new low weight.

I see that you are in the UK too. Do you mind me asking where generally. I am originally from Newcastle upon Tyne but live not too far from Heathrow airport.

We have had some beautiful weather recently - but it was raining here a little earlier.

[San]

Yes, the next milestone is 245. But I have been hovering around 250 for about 4 weeks now, and I keep telling myself that I have to stick it out and that the weight will start going down eventually, but all the other times when I tried to lose weight, that was exactly when I gave up and started gaining weight again.

Not this time though, I'm sticking with this, no matter what!

Since I'm still struggling with the eating, I am hoping that this challenge will help a little to keep me on track. Recently I've been hovering around 1200 calories a day, knowing that it is not enough, but I'm just not hungry....*sigh*....so maybe adding some more fruit and veggies to get my 5 a day might help.

I live in Oldham, not far from Manchester. Moved here from Germany in June 2006, so I just had my three year anniversary.

Weather has been nice here the last couple of days as well, but it is supposed to rain later on. Hopefully it'll stay sunny until my laundry is dry and I managed to mow the lawn though....*lol*

[Omega]

I suspect that just about all of us have had that experience of giving up on a diet and living to regret it so badly.

I know that you are going to get past this little glitch and go on to your next big milestone. We will be celebrating that little milestone very soon.

I have always found the challenges help. We maybe do a little extra exercise and keep our food control a little tighter. It can be good to mix things up a little bit with the food too. There is no doubting the value of eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. Not only do they fill us up but they can help protect us from all sorts of diseases. They can be packed full of vitamins and minerals. I know how scary it is to mess around with a food plan that has served well and got us well into our journey to where we want to be.

You must like Oldham if you have lived there for 3 years. The nearest place to there that I have been was Bolton - but I thought that it was pleasant around there.

It must have been quite a change getting to Oldham from Germany. Did you face many language issues. Most people in Germany speak excellent English - but I imagine that the local Manchester area accent would take a little getting used to.

Our rain has cleared up and it is quite bright here now. I hope that you managed to get your washing and lawnmowing done in time before the rain hit there. If it had been tomorrow you could have earned some exercise points for the challenge by cutting the grass.

Do you do much exercise? What kinds of exercise do you do? I imagine that you do a fair bit - going by the amount of weight that you have lost. You are certainly no beginner at this.

[thecabbie]

I officially added in my start weight into the scoresheet at 313, have to update my ticker since I'm down another lb now.

[Omega]

That is great Karl. Each pound is a great result. Keep picturing a pound of butter. It is the best way to think of a pound lost.