Slow Losers Club Christmas Challenge

[SunnySmile501]

Slow Losers Club Challenge

Part 1: Christmas Challenge

Co-Captains

Sunny & TitianWasp

If you have been doing Atkins for a long while and have passed the time when the weight just seemed to fall off and the losses have slowed to a crawl, then this challenge is for you! Have you lost focus at times and need something to get that focus back? Are you within sight of your goal weight and need support and motivation to keep the finish line in sight? Me, too! If those of us who are struggling close to the finish line stick together, motivate and support each other, we can ALL do it.

It's hard not to lose focus when the losses are very slow, and in OWL you have to keep focus - have to measure and plan and stick to it.

Since we have each been at this long enough to know mostly what sends us off track or doesn't work individually for us, we will each select goals tailor-made for our own situation. Each person will pledge to change something about your lifestyle and stick to it for the length of the challenge. That will be the beauty of this challenge--tailor-made to our own needs.


Examples of what you need to change to reach goal:
1. Give up caffeine
2. Give up diet sodas and/or artificial sweeteners
3. Exercise a certain amount of days/hours per week
4. Drinking up all your water
6. Give up legal foods that stall you: nuts, peanut butter, cheese, etc.
7. Remain cheat-free for the length of the challenge
8. Weigh more often/weigh less often
9. Plan your menu better and shop/cook foods ahead of need


Rules:

1. The challenge will begin on Monday, October 8, 2007, and end on December 21, 2007. (22-25 is the long holiday weekend)
2. You must be in OWL, at least rung 1
3. You will be responsible for checking in the minimum of three (3) times per week, posting results to the challenge thread.
4. Each person will post a minimum of four (4) items that you pledge to change or do better to reach goal. You will have them posted by Friday, October 12. (start signing up right away!)
5. At the end of each week and by Wednesday each week, each person will be accountable to report how they fared—good or bad
6. If for a medical reason or unforeseen circumstances beyond your control (no—the holiday parties don’t qualify) you can’t fulfill any of your pledge components, PM the captain or co-captain for an exemption for that portion of the challenge affected.

Points System:

Since we have each pledged between the minimum four and as many as 10 items, we have decided to give points in a way that is fair to all. After reviewing most of the pledges, what stuck out is that most everyone has about four really difficult and a few easy pledges. We will give points for the four items which are the hardest to stick to, so it will be fair to all.



Rank your pledges with the four (4) most difficult at the top. These four will be the ones for which you will be given points for completing 100% each week (7 for 7).



Example of how to rank your challenges:



I drink 128 ounces of water every day and sometimes more. I’ve been doing this for more than two years, so for me it’s no biggie. It’s on my list and important, but I won’t count it. On the other hand, if you have to choke down water, then for you it is big, and will go to the top four. Got it? Wishy-washy pledges don’t make the top—no way to say if you did or didn’t.



Our aim is to keep this simple, so we will award 10 points for each of the top four pledges for a total of 40 points per week. 100% 7 for 7.



Extra Credit:

Then, for fun, we will have extra credit assignments for an extra 10 points. This is not mandatory, but is a way to catch up if you drop the ball during the week. Nothing difficult and we hope you will find the assignments useful and motivational. We will post the extra credit assignments on Monday and they will be due the following Wednesday with your reports.

Review Period:

Since we all know that sometimes we have good ideas, but in practice they don’t work out for us. Therefore, at the end of four weeks, we will have a chance to review how well our pledges are working out, and if after a good, honest try, something is not working, everyone can substitute a new pledge. This new list will then be in effect for the remainder of the challenge. November 12 will be the review day/week.





Okay—that’s enough rules! Let’s sign up! On your mark! Get set! Let’s rock & roll!

Code to post siggy button (must add [ I M G ] before and [ / I M G ] after without spaces): http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i3...losersclub.jpg

[apple]

Hi, Sunny!

Talk about timing! I just posted my Christmas ticker in my siggy a few moments ago...I'm a slow loser for sure. I just put a number out there for the sake of having a number....not that I expect my body to obey me. If that were the truth, I'd be at my goal weight by now.

I'm considering joining you in your challenge, but timing is a issue for me with having to post as often as needed. I've got the "I'm so busy I can't stand myself" issues between being homework and family right now. I can't even remember if I washed my hair in the shower this morning that's how busy I've been even on a Sunday. And giving up the caffiene is one of those "pry from my dead cold hands" at the moment...I know..a crutch for sure, but everything else is on the up and up. Okay, so I'll sleep on it and get back to ya.

Thanks!

[bradybunch]

Count me in, I will be thinking up my four goals. I have thought long enough

1. give up all cheese. I mean all !!! That is my staller, I know it, but I love the cheese.
2. continue to drink my gallon of water everyday.
3. cheat free for the duration
4. walk six times a week for at least a mile and a half.

Sunny, you did a wonderful job on the decorations and the turtle siggy.

[SunnySmile501]

Okay, I'll go first.


A little about me. I'll be 58 years young in January. My name is Carole, but my friends call me Sunny! I have been doing Atkins since September 15, 2005 and have lost over 100 pounds. I lost 102 pounds in 10 months, then slowed to a crawl. When I was told by my doctors that I had to stop all exercise until I could get my cervical spine back in shape and have surgery to prevent more deterioration and trauma, my losses came to a screeching halt. I have many health problems, but refuse to let them to define me any longer or let them rule my life.

I do have to spend way too much time at UVA Medical Center, but there's not much I can do about it. I have more than one appointment per week and sometimes as many as seven or eight appointments in a week's time. It's an 80-mile round trip for me. I've been doing this for 10 long years. Enough whining!

I have tweaked my eating plan many ways, but nothing works for long. Many times when I try extra hard, my weight will bounce up instead of down! I won't give up! I will keep a positive, proactive attitude! I will win!

Here's what I pledge:


1. I will eat three well balanced meals a day and nothing in between. I will not eat anything after 7:00 p.m. each night.

2. I will post on the challenge a minimum of four times a week, reporting my progress. (except during and the week after surgery (Oct. 17)

3. On November 28, or sooner if released by my docs, I will begin my exercise program once again, starting slowly and increasing as health permits.

a. Walk Away the Pounds video 3x per week (warm-up only first week)
b. lift 3x per week. (start again with 2-pound weights)
c. recumbent stepper 3x per week (start w/ 5 min., increase by 5 min. each week)
d. Walk outside, weather permitting, several days per week.

4. If I have to be away from home, I will have legal food with me at all times, so I don't get too hungry.

5. I will continue to drink 128 ounces of water per day.

6. I will weigh in on Friday and Monday without fail.

7. I will fit into my winter white wool suit and awesome red dress by the end of this challenge.


Signed: Sunny Smile

[SunnySmile501]

Originally Posted by bradybunch

Count me in, I will be thinking up my four goals. I have thought long enough

1. give up all cheese. I mean all !!! That is my staller, I know it, but I love the cheese.
2. continue to drink my gallon of water everyday.
3. cheat free for the duration
4. walk six times a week for at least a mile and a half.

Sunny, you did a wonderful job on the decorations and the turtle siggy.

Welcome, my friend Brady! You beat me to it! I always type too much!

Sunny!

[adreliluc]

Hey guys!
Here's my plege, I've had to change it a little from the other thread.
#1 - I'm cutting out all nuts!! (they're the worst for me)... I hope this helps my mindless snacking!
#2 - All fruit except for berries and an occasional apple.
#3 - No more than 4 oz of cheese a day - this includes cream cheese! lol
#4 - I'll exercise at least 4 days a week for 60 minutes
#5 - To track my food into fit-day daily
#6 - To stay accountable... to admit if I mess up and post in the challenge daily.
#7 - I'll drink at least 80 oz of water a day
#8 - & I'll see about cutting out the coffee.... I'm undecided!! LOL
#9 - No more beans!!! They're horrible for me and I just remembered this after having some this weekend.
#10 - To be cheat free for the entire challenge!

I'm even more motivated for this challenge after I stepped on the scale today and it said 197/198!
I don't know how that happend and I know I'm still swollen from my surgery and TOM is almost here but there's no way I gained that much in water weight!!! So I HAVE to get back on track now and quit snacking and over eating!

[adreliluc]

I can't figure out the code for the siggy... Grrr!!!

[TitianWasp]

Hey All!!

I am in, I am here, I am delighted that you started this Sunny - I have still been waiting to hear from the moderators to start, and you beat me to the punch!!

I am a terribly slow loser. I have about 22 more pounds to go and so close to goal it's taking some real tweaking to wake up my body. I am 37 years old, 147.8 pounds, no health problems, but substantial draws on my time that force me to be creative with my eating and exercise habits.

I had only chosen two things to change....cutting out the coffee (sooo hard, not because of the caffeine, but because a) it's my treat, b) I am at a computer all day and it's a welcome break and c) my husband got me the fancy schmancy single serving coffee center at home which makes such gooooood coffee. Sigh. ), and exercising 4 times per week.
How about not grazing when I get home and am cooking dinner (my toughest time of day) and staying below 1500 calories, even on weekends?

1) No coffee
2) 4 days of exercise per week
3) No night time grazing.
4) Max of 1500 calories per day ("don't count calories", not "calories don't count").

I can do this till Christmas, and beyond I think. I would really like to make goal by then, so that's 20 pounds in 2.5 months. 2 pounds a week? Tough but not impossible - and besides, even half of that would be great. So glad to be ganging up with a group in the same boat as I.

Go Slow Losers Club!!

TitianWasp (Muffy)

[SunnySmile501]

Yeah! We have four members signed up!!! I'm going fishing for more! I'll post on the main forum. Sure did think I did that last night.

I'm busy cooking food ahead to freeze for when my culinaryly challenged sister takes care of me after surgery. So far today, bacon sausage quiche, hearty breakfast casserole and almost finished salmon muffins.

Sunny!

[Alexa]

Hi Sunny - thanks for setting this up!

I am definately in

I am fluctuating in the mid 170s now and I want to be at goal by 21 December and will follow these rules until then:
1) No caffeine, not even decaf coffee
2) No splenda whatsoever
3) Cocoa powder only on weekends as desserts
4) Fitday everyday
5) Exercise 5-6 days a week
6) No alcohol except when socialising at weekends outside of the house (just with BF doesn't count!)
7) Smoothies only 3x a week as I'm concerned they are too heavy on the dairy.

SIGNED Alexa

For today all rules followed so far No exercise though, as am ill. Did some walking though.