[DULA527]

Welcome EVERYONE, including those who have joined on from the "It's a New Season" Spring Challenge. I am excited to be hosting my very first challenge. I am looking forward to your support and continued determination to strive for a more healthy "you."

The focus for this challenge will not only be losing pounds, but inches and mindsets that keep us from being our best. We are going to work on the inside, as well as, the outside. We are going to pay close attention to what makes us tick and how that affects our weight and our health. I am a firm believer - faith comes by hearing. We are going to challange what goes into our mouths and what comes out.

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true." LEON J. SUENES
ARE YOU READY??

This will be a 7 week challenge, beginning on 5/19 and ending on 7/7. However, you can join the challenge at any point. YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.

Basic Guidelines:

Commit to yourself and to fellow challenge members
Never give up.
Pay attention to your eating habits and those around you.
Drink plenty of water.
Get plenty of rest (even God took a day off).
Stay focused and dig deep.
Weekly weigh-ins are MANDATORY, as they are directly related to each WEEKLY CHALLENGE.
Be supportive.

Weekly challenges will be posted on Mondays, no later than Tuesdays.

In your first post, please list your starting weight and tell us who you are.
The challenge for week 1 will be posted, directly after this one !!!

[DULA527]

WEEK 1 CHALLENGE:

"I FEEL GOOD" - Look within, for within is the well spring of virtue, which will not cease flowing, if you cease not from digging

We are going to take last week's weight loss results for this one -

For each pound or inch lost, you are to release one (1) negative emotion, thought or judgment and replace it with one (1) positive affirmation.

This emotion or thought or judgment can be about yourself, someone else, or a particular situation or circumstance.

There will be one (1) each day of the week for every pound or inch lost, last week.
So, if you have lost 2 lbs, you will have 2 negatives being replaced with 2 positives each day.
You are to post them and commit to repeating the positive affirmation(s) to yourself throughout that day.
If you run out ... begin from the first posting and repeat again.

Ready set ... LET'S GO !!!

[Melinda00]

My Name is Melinda. I am kinda new here and have missed out on the other Challenges that started before i joined. I am excited. I think this might help me stay on track. I just weighed myself and i am 188

[DULA527]

WELCOME, Melinda. You will be in good company. We are all excited about our journey. We will commit to being supportive of you, whenever you need us. I am glad you decided to join us on this challenge.
What is your goal for the challenge? Tell us a bit about you ... the person.

[DULA527]

My name is Inez. My start weight is 173, which means I have lost 2 lbs from last week. I started this weight loss journey when I began to become disgusted with myself. I do not want my outlook on life or my perception of myself to be tied to an outer shell. I am hoping to gain some self respect back during this challenge. I am a romantic and an idealist. I can be very literal, which makes it a bit difficult for those around me. I am happier being a mother (of 3) than I thought I would be prior to their births. I enjoy reading, writing and watching the FoodNetwork.
My goal weight, for the challenge, is 165 lbs.

[benson012094]

Okay, I guess I have time for one more post today.

I am Ramie, I live in Colorado, so I should have no excuse to get out and see the beautiful state (except the gas prices). I am really close to my goal weight, therefore making it much harder for me to lose any weight, so I feel I need a challenge to help me. Some days, weeks, I just want to give up and eat everything in site. I love, love food. I often look to God for help and strength. I love my husband, daughter, and soon-to-be adopted son. I am trying to be a better wife in the sense of more cleaning, cooking, working, and be a better mother and spend more time with my kids and less on the computer. I think I have a lot of negative things I can release, so let's hope I lose more than one pound this week!

[DULA527]

Welcome Ramie. We are glad to have you. I am certain what is needed to be released, during this challenge, will melt away with detemination, focus and commitment.
What would you like your goal to be, at the end of the challenge?

[scatanafas]

Okay now this challenge requires math and i'm so NOT down for that lately...LOL....

But I think I understand the premise...and it is a really good idea.....

I have alot of stuff from my c hildhood that I need to let go of in reference to my mother. She's a good woman, but she certainly didn't make my life easy. I carry alot of resentment around and I wouldnt' be surprised if my eating has something to do with that.....


My STarting weight 136.6

Just so y'all know...I am Scat and I have a terrible relationship with food. No I am not a big person, and can no longer be classified as obese...HOWEVER, my relationship with food is still nto what it should be. I struggle every day not to binge. Call me a bulimic or whatever, I don't like being labeled as anything. I'm just a girl trying to get skinny and not have food be a challenge anymore.....not be a problem. Skinny people don't obsess over everything they put into their mouths, and they dont' think about food all day long.

I am on my last refill of phen. I cut them in half, shey should last me a while, but i really want to get to goal soon so I dont' have to take this stuff anymore.....

I dont' knwo what else to say except that i'm happy to see another challenge and i'll try to participate, unfortunately i'm doing so many challenges at once my head is spinning...

[DULA527]

WELCOME, Scat.
There is really not that much math involved
Thank you for your candor in your thread. I am certain we all have things we need to get rid of ... thus, the challenge. I was abandoned by my mother when I was 10 months old. She left me in the care of the neighborhood babysitter. It is a miracle she did not turn me over to foster care, however, she was abusive during my tenure with her ... 16 years. I know a thing or two about learning to let go and forge forward to the future.
I hope during the next 7 weeks, we all will learn to let go ... wooo saaaa

[benson012094]

Oh, yeah, I forgot to post, starting weight is 142.9 (that's what it was this morning) and goal to be 137.5. That would be a realistic goal. My unrealistic goal I want to be 135.

[CDCreations]

Hi DULA! Here I am -- ready, willing and able to give everything in me to be successful in this challenge! Thank you so much for being our leader, and I know you'll do great; I'm excited already about what lies in store for me!!!! It is so true, in order to see a change on the outside, there must be a cleansing or change that goes on on the inside. We all have baggage that needs to be removed from our memories before we can have success in our weight loss journeys ...

My name is Val, a mom of 2 grown daughters, wonderful hubby, and the proud grandmother of a grandson. I live in Maryland and work in Washington DC as a legal secretary. I enjoy reading, writing, and singing in my church choir. My hubby and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in June, and I want to look good when we go away to celebrate!! I have been up and down with my weight most of my life, and I'm sure a lot of my eating was emotional eating. I ended the last challenge with a very small weight loss, and plan to do much better in this one!!!

I have bad knee joints, so the majority of my aerobic activity is on my stationary bike at home, and occasionally I get on the treadmill at the gym that is at my workplace. Looking forward to seeing my old friends here as well as meeting new friends!! My current starting weight is 207, and I would like my goal to be 195 - Onederland, here I come!!

[motorcitybabe]

HI Dula my name is asra i'm 21 years old a mother of 2 children a boy that will soon to be 4 and a baby girl soon to be 2 years old and have a sweetheart hubby also i'm a stay at home mom i just started phen this is my first week my starting weight is 189 and i would love to be 150 i would be happy to wear a size 10 i havent weight myself since i started but i will on thursday i also split the pill for 2 days so they could stay longer i am tired of being fat and not feeling sexy and it's very hard since i love food and i'm around food all day long but i'm really serious this time and want to stick to my promise i try to excersie atleast 5 times a week for 15 min on the treadmil and i move alot in the house cleaning cooking and with the kids and all so i'm looking forward to this challenge and no more pepsi or sweets or anything that has to do with pasta and spagetti i thank you alot for starting this challenge

[ready2feelgoodagain]

Hey everybody - I'm on board for this challenge. My name is Pam, I live in Southeast Tennessee I am the mother of 2 boys - 18 and 8. My oldest just graduated from high school Friday and I had lots of family in so my eating habits were awful. I am ready to get back on track - cleanse the body, the soul and get healthy. My starting weight is 216.5 and my goal for this challenge is 200.