[CDCreations]

Welcome Phensters! This is a continuation of the “It’s Not Just a Diet” Challenge, which was a huge success!! Thanks to LZ again for being such a terrific challenge leader ~ under her guidance, a lot of calories were burned, a lot of pounds were lost, and a lot of friendships were made!! Due to her upcoming busy schedule, she will not be able to continue as leader, so I will be hosting this new challenge, and I am sure that we will continue to have excellent numbers!!

We are always looking for new members, male or female, to join our group!! If you are trying to lose 5, 10, 15, 25, 50, or even 100 pounds or more, you have come to the right place!!

This will be a 7-week challenge, beginning today, March 28, and ending Friday, May 16; however, please feel free to join this challenge at any time!! For this challenge, I ask that you follow these basic guidelines:

1. We strongly value your words of encouragement and participation, so please plan to stay with us through the end of this challenge!!

2. Drink at least 8 glasses of water and also take a really good multivitamin every day.

3. To help you keep track of your food choices, please post your menu every day.

4. In your initial post, tell us a little bit about yourself so that we can feel more like family!

5. Please PM me your starting weight and also the desired goal weight you want to strive for by the end of this challenge. Also note that each Friday will be our weigh-in day, so on that day, PM me your weight for our weekly progress chart.

Our weekly challenges will be posted on Friday as well; I would enjoy hearing your suggestions for challenges, so please PM me with any ideas you may have. In addition, we are looking for one or two individuals to share weekly motivational quotes, comments and inspirations with us as well. Let’s get this party started!!!

[Sara Sue]

My name is Sara and I would like to join the challenge. I've used phentermine before and am starting back for the 2nd time today. I have a 2 (almost 3) year old son and today is mine and my husband's one year anniversary. I am currently in nursing school to become an RN. I have a year and half left and I work for an attorney when I'm not at school, and I take care of my family when I'm not doing either of those things. I never had a big weight problem until I had my son and I worked hard and lost the weight, but with school and the new living situation (being married) I've just really slacked on exercise and taking care of myself and am ready to get back on track to a healthier me. I have also started nutrisystem recently, so I will be following that diet plan along with phentermine. My current weight is 193 and I hope to lose 14lbs over the next 7 weeks.

[CDCreations]

Sara Sue, welcome to our phen family!! So glad you are joining us -- I see that today is your wedding anniversary, congratulations!! Funny how our challenge is beginning on the exact date as your anniversary; know that by this time next year (and definitely sooner than that), you will look like a completely different person, and I'm excited about that! Again, welcome aboard!!

[Krissy8581]

Hello Phen pham!! So glad to join another challenge, you will love having CD as our leader!! My name is Krissy, Im a single parent of a 9year old, and let me say it has been a challenge, but I love every minute of it. I work as a pharmacy technician and like it for the most part. It pays the bills for now I guess. Hehe. I had my son young and before I got pregnant I never had a problem with weight, I was 5'9 and 125lbs, sounds skinny but it wasnt anything I was trying for, i was just naturally that way. As soon as I got pregnant I balooned up!! I went almost to 200lbs by the end of my pregnancy, and do i have the stretch marks to prove it. So that was very discouraging for me to be overweight. I have always been pretty active with exercising and have lost weight before and it always seems to slowly gain back. About 2-3 years ago I lost about 50lbs all on my own with just diet and exercise. My biggest issue is learning how to keep it off when Im where I want to be!!! So enough rambling on for now. My beginning weight is 173. Oh and I will have a hard time with posting my daily food intake but pretty good about post how many cals I have eaten and how many cals burned doing working out!!

[CDCreations]

Hey Krissy gurl!! Glad to see you aboard, and no problem, whatever works for you to keep account of what you are doing daily with your food intake is fine!! And thanks for the compliment; I will do all I can to make sure that we are all grinning and happy by the end of these 7 weeks!! Oh, and what do you want your goal weight number to be?

[CDCreations]

CHALLENGE NO. 1 – The title for this week's challenge is: "MOVERS AND SHAKERS"!!!!

It's time to move and shake everything you have in our first challenge!!!! I challenge you to put your dancing shoes on and "dance" the pounds off – just pick your favorite fast-beat songs, whether it be through headphones or being played aloud, and dance up a sweat!! If you have kids around, dance with them ~ if you have had a frustrating day at work or at home, "punch" the air while you dance ~ if you work out on a stationary bike at home (like I do), then pedal to the music, and move your arms like crazy!! For Trauma, who is currently traveling, sing along with the songs, and when you're riding in the passenger seat, rock-n-roll your shoulders, wiggle your hips, and dance right there in the seat!! Let's try this dance workout for a minimum of 40 minutes a day (which includes 5 minutes of warm-up beforehand, and also 5 minutes of cool-down afterwards). If your schedule causes you to split your dancing into two sessions during the day, that's fine, and if you need to take quick breaks during your workout, that's also fine!! Let's try to do this for 5 days this week, and make sure your drinking water is nearby!!

Music is everywhere; it is the pulse of our world, and we should rejoice in knowing that we will be moving with that pulse while doing something really great for our bodies!! Blending aerobic exercise with music is awesome, so let's enjoy this challenge ~ smile, laugh, and enjoy your dancing workouts, knowing that you're on your way to a leaner body ~ give it everything you've got!!

[scatanafas]

Oh how nice to log on and see the new challenge thread! It looks so "purdy" too!

Today I went to Target and got my l ast refill of phen. They gave me a different kind than CVS did. The pills are like an egg shape, the ones I had before this were oblong. I'm wondering if this will make a difference. I'm feeling alot of things right now. Happy that I"m almost at goal but worried too....that I won't be able to maintain. I know that I don't feel "done"....I really want to start lifting weights and get some muscles...being skinny is no fun if everything is flabby and mushy. I also want to start focusing on getting my cholesterol down.

The last two challenges have been wonderful. I have met the most amazing group of women and you have given me so much support and saw me through the dark days and cheered for me on the good days. The last few months have been a real turning point for me. I had to reaccess my life and I have made changes. I am back in the work force, bought a side business and am making changes in my personal life. I am doing whatever I can to get as much negativity out of my life as I can...that included spending less time with certain friends, making more time for those that I care about and that are positive.

Anyway I'm really psyched about the new challenge! Welcome Sara Sue....we are a crazy bunch of coconuts...but we are harmless.....

Here's to a great challenge.....

[Phen-tastic79]

Hello Everyone! I am just signing in to introduce myself! I am 28 years old from Utah, I work as a secretary! I started using Phentermine on February 22nd, 2008 and have since lost 21lbs....40 pounds until I meet my goal! I know I can do it! This challenge will help me stay on track...I had a bad weekend Easter weekend...made some bad food choices... I worked out really hard this week and was able to keep my weight the same when I weighed in on Friday... but I would really like to see the scale move down again! I want to reach my goal by July (kind of un-realistic but if I don't make it "Oh well") I don't know what else to say but I'am sure you will get to know more about me as the weeks progress!

Lets do this guys!

[4mami_mia]

hi everyone!, count me in, ill be back to post my story

[corr]

Hi Everyone,,, I think your challenge sounds great and achievable!! I am a single mother of 3 very active athletic kids ages 15,13,12. I own my own business selling "bbq ribs" throughout the world. I've been really hitting the gym this past 2 weeks and spinning at least 3 days a week..and drinking about 15 glasses of water a day,, there better be a whole lot of muscle in this body somewhere!! My starting weight is 188 and my goal weight for the end of 7 weeks would be 156.

[scatanafas]

selling ribs all over the world? that sounds like a cool job.....stupid question but do you eat alot of rigs or are you turned off by them because you sell them......

[CDCreations]

Hey Scat!! Glad to see you aboard!! And I'm thrilled to see new folks!! This is what it's all about, expanding our phen family circle so that we can have lots of successful weight-loss stories!! I extend a very big and hearty welcome to Phen-tastic79, 4 mami_mia, and corr!!!! I truly think you're gonna enjoy being with us, and we want you to feel right at home; you're part of our phen family now!!

Let me share a bit about myself: My name is Val, a married mom with two grown daughters, and I have a 5 1/2 year old grandson who is my heart!! I am a full-time legal secretary, working at a very large law firm in Washington, DC, and live in the Maryland suburbs. I will be celebrating my 30th wedding anniversary in June, and want to be slim and trim when my hubby and I go away to celebrate!! I enjoy reading, writing, and riding my stationary bike (which I use because I have bad knee joints). I started taking phen in November, thinking that this was just gonna be another gimmick, another weight-loss try that would fail, just like all the other things I've tried. But this really worked for me; I am now at the lowest weight I have been at in years!! I have been doing the low-carb diet for the last 2 weeks (not counting the weekends, especially the Easter weekend; does anybody luv jelly beans as much as I do?), and starting tomorrow, will go back to eating regular carbs, but small portions. Remember, we're gonna need to eat carbs to burn off from all the dancing we're gonna do!! So here is my menu for today:
B: Atkins Advantage protein shake
S: small handful of macademia nuts
L: salad with viniagrette dressing
S: South Beach protein bar
D: 2 chicken thighs, greens, and 3 spoonfuls of mac & cheese

I did good with my water today too; I'm gonna lift my 5-pound weights and do some arm/shoulder exercises, and will start my dancing on Saturday, yes!!

Hey corr, I was thinking about doing a spin class since most of my workouts center around my stationary bike at home - sounds like it would be a fun class; how did you find the class that you're going to? Was it offered at a gym, or are there places where you do only spin classes? And luv the idea that you sell bbq ribs, gurl, you must have some kinda good secret ingredients in that sauce!!

Phen-tastic: Yeah, I'm a secretary too, and I really enjoy typing, so glad that I'm making a living doing something I really like to do -- and join the club, I had a bad food-choice Easter weekend too ... But that's behind us, we're shaking that off, and gonna get right back on track!!

Scat: So you say the thread looks "purdy"? Thank you gurl!! I'm excited, luving the new names I'm seeing, and hoping to see many more - glad you're here; it's all about getting these 'ol pounds off!!! And I hear ya, it's no fun being skinny with all the flab still on -- I need to tone up big-time!!

Sara Sue: Hey gurl! I'm seeing that several of us type and work for attorneys - lots in common!! And you say you're currently in school to become a RN? Well, we've got another phen family member, Trauma-Mama, who is a RN; she's currently relocating to another state and is on the road right now, but I think the two of you will have lots to talk about when she settles in and gets on her computer, luv it!!

Krissy: Hey gurl!! I'm so glad to see you on here!! I saw your PM, and will put the lowest number of what you suggested for your goal. Let's do this thang!!

Okay phen family, I'm gonna call it a night; here's to lots of zzzzzz's tonight!!!!