30 Day Challenge!

[dimples74]

Hello all. I found this challenge on an archived post and thought I'd give it a shot:

30 Day Challenge - Another Phenster, Nitra, informed us a couple of months ago that this really worked for her...Start a 30 day challenge w/yourself. Write down all your stats...Weight, Measurements, take Pics, maybe try on some "not quite yet fitting" clothes as motivation...and commit to 30 days. Write out a plan of action...meals, how much water to drink, exercise program etc. Commit to it and don't look back for 30 days (stay off the scale and away from the tape measure). 30 days later...take all your stats again...look back...pat yourself on the back!

This helps you keep your focus cause you are pushing for the end of the 30 days instead of "Goal" which in the beginning feels like it's centuries away


Start whenever you'd like (I started July 8th) and post your stats and plan of action. Let's keep each other motivated!

My Challenge:
30 Day Challenge July 8th - August 7th

Starting Stats
Weight: 203.6
% Body Fat: 46.2

Starting Measurements (inches)
Bicep: 16 1/4
Bust: 44
Upper Ab: 40 1/2
Waist: 44
Lower Ab/Hips: 50
Thigh: 28 1/2
Calf: 18

Plan of Action
108 oz. of water a day
30 minutes of exercise
No food after 9 p.m.
NO WEIGHING OR MEASURING UNTIL AUGUST 8th!

[dimples74]

All right, peeps. It's getting a little lonely in here! (-ere! -ere! -ere!)

[sunshinelisa78]

Ok, well I go back to the weight loss clinic in two weeks to get a refill, so I guess I'll start with my beginning stats from 2 weeks ago!

SW- 243 (doc scale)
SW- 241.8 (my scale)
Waist- 48 inches
Hips- 51 inches
Chest- 43 inches
Neck- 15 inches

Goals:
Drink 10-14 cups of water a day
Excercise at least 5 days a week
Stay off the scales until I go back to clinic on or around July 23
Track my exercise and food intake everyday on Sparkpeople
Lose 15 pounds by July 23

[dimples74]

Hi, Lisa Marie! Thanks for making the echo in here go away. How have you been doing with your goals so far (except for the weight loss, of course, which you won't know for two weeks)?

[CoCo728]

I will sign up for the challenge but as I mentioned to you via PM I am not able to do it everday due to other activites. When I started Phen I did not do my measurements. Sorry... I also shy away from scales. I am doing monthly weigh in at dr office. Next weigh in 07/21.

SW: 187
Goal : 160

Plan
96oz a water per day
Lose weight by 08/31
eat 1250 to 1500 calories per day ( track via sparkpeople)

Work out include :
Monday : 30 day shred or 4 mile walk
Tuesday : Rollerskating 1hr
Wed : Swim
Thurs: 30 day Shred or 4 mile walk
Friday: BFBM- Jillian michaels or 30 day shred
Sat: Boot Camp ( Hip hop aerobics & Circuit training) 1 hr
Sunday : REST REST REST REST .. LOL

If this work out qulaifies then I am in.. if not i understand.. I know I am not doing SHRED on a daily basis.

thanks

[dimples74]

No worries about "qualifying", Coco. You decide the parameters of your challenge. You certainly don't have to write every day or do measurements if you don't want to. Being shy of scales gives you an advantage, in my opinion, as you won't be tempted to peek before your 30 days is up!

I think your plan looks great. How do you like the 30 day shred?

[LuvMyMastiffs]

Took me a few minutes, but I finally found the forum...so here it goes...

7/11/09
Current Weight:
208.6

Measurements:
Neck (chin area): 15inches
Arms:11 inches
Waist:40 inches
Thighs:24.5 inches
YUCK!

Game Plan:
Walk at least 5 days a week
Eliminate all diet pop
Stop the SNACKING!!

[dimples74]

Yay, you found us! Your game plan is awesome - very doable I think. Congrats on your success so far!

[newme81]

Well hello girls and guys! I am on day 4 of Phen and I have noticed the medicine is not quite as strong on me as on day 1 and 2- What I have noticed is the discipline that I have when I eat- I make smart decisions, and when I go out to eat- I ask for a calorie guide-

My goal by August 04th is to be 158 lbs.
That would be a total of 12 lbs. lost-

Good Luck everybody and best wishes on the new you!

[CoCo728]

Dimples,

I love shred it is awesome, I wish I would have found this poduct when it first came out... I may have already met my goal.. LOL.. sometimes I can get bored with doing DVDs but since she has the different levels you can switch them arouund which is great...

[sunshinelisa78]

I have the Shred too and love it. I haven't used it in a while! Maybe I need to pull it out! The very first time I did level one, I thought I was going to vomit!!! I actually had to lie down! I was shaky and sick. LOL! I also have a biggest loser dvd that I use occasionally with Bob on it! It is a good one too!

I am doing ok. Had two cookies last night with hubby while we watched TV, but made him put it away so I wouldn't have more! Even with that little indulgement, I only ate 1275 calories yesterday! My goal is 1200. We stayed at the casino where I work last night, and I went to the gym to work out on the elipitical while he took the kids to swim this morning! Feeling good!!

Good luck everyone!

[LuvMyMastiffs]

Well, I've been bad today, weekends are so hard for me! So tomorrow I'm getting back on track! And I'm not eating anything else today, since I indulged and had some cheesy hulless popcorn with my daughter and a little mac and cheese...tomorrow will be better I'm sure!

[dimples74]

Hello ladies! Glad to hear everyone's still with it, if not perfect. I, too, must admit minor defeat this weekend. Up until yesterday, I made all 3 of my daily goals every day. I was going over to a friend's to watch UFC 100 (did anyone else watch?) and knew I would be eating past my curfew of 9:00. I'd accepted that. I wasn't expecting that I wouldn't be able to get through my 30 minute workout because of cramps. I did, however, meet my water quota of 108 oz. and did NOT drink any alcohol.

So, I made a redemption plan for today. I upped my water to a gallon and my exercise to 45 minutes. I'm about halfway to my water goal and I just completed a 50 minute bellydance workout. Woo hoo!

Also on the positive tip - I've managed to stay away from the scale. Wow, it's hard. Especially since I can feel that a lot of my puffiness has gone down due to the increased water intake. I might have to hide my scale in a cupboard so I'm not looking at in every time I go in the bathroom.

Best of luck to everyone!

[dimples74]

NewMe - WELCOME!! Congrats on your losses so far and your commitment to the challenge. I like your calorie guide strategy! Do you have any daily goals or action plan?

SunshineLisa - Way to control those cookies! That's one of my downfalls too.

Coco - Hope you're enjoying your rest day!

LuvMyMastiffs - You've got the right idea - just get right back on that wagon! Maybe walk for 10 more minutes tomorrow to make up for the snacks? I know that after I screwed up last night, coming up with a "repentance" and carrying it out made me feel a lot less guilty.

[CoCo728]

I was suppose to rest but i used it has my cleaning house day!
So much for rest.. LOL

[dimples74]

Dimples,

I love shred it is awesome, I wish I would have found this poduct when it first came out... I may have already met my goal.. LOL.. sometimes I can get bored with doing DVDs but since she has the different levels you can switch them arouund which is great...

So is it three separate workouts? Or one workout that can be modified three ways? Also, is it the kind of thing you can do every day?

[deacondarlin]

I'm going to jump on the wagon, if that's ok! I just started phen today, and started my HCG shots yesterday. My doc wrote down my measurements, but of course I was a ding dong and didn't write them down myself. I'll have to get those on Monday when I go back in for next week's shots.

Starting weight: 264

Plan of Action:
- 40-60g protein per day
-800-1000 calories per day
- WATER, WATER, WATER!!!!
-At least 15 minutes of some sort of exercise daily

[dimples74]

Welcome, deacondarlin! I know nothing about HCG. Is it usually used in conjunction with phen? What is the expected rate of weight loss?

Post as often as you like. Looking forward to hearing about your progress!

[LuvMyMastiffs]

Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of days...so here goes:
I walked 4 miles yesterday and 4 miles today...kicked my butt, but I got through it!

I snacked very little yesterday, and none at all today! YAY!

I'm adding more water in day by day, I'm trying for half my body weight tomorrow...I won't be able to walk because we have a swim meet tomorrow night, but I will be jumping up and down for my girls...does that count?

Glad to see everyone is doing good! Let's keep on keepin' on!

[dimples74]

luvmymastiffs - Way to go with the walking and snacking control!! I think cheerleading definitely counts - maybe you could do tummy and butt tightening exercises while you're sitting down. I do them in the car sometimes.

[dimples74]

It's six days in and I finally was able to take some "before" pics. I would have liked to have taken them on day one (I can already feel that I've lost some puffiness) but it just wasn't in the stars. I had no idea how much courage this would take.

All of the shots are from my knees to my head. I did front, both profiles, back, and one profile with me ****ing in my gut as hard as I could. I took the pictures in three stages of undress. In the first, I'm in a t-shirt and sweatpants. In the second, I'm in a jogbra and underwear. Then I took a deep breath, and took it all off. All I can say is, wow. I will definitely not be quitting teaching to become a stripper anytime soon.

The image I have of myself is skewed. I knew I was overweight. I knew most of my clothes didn't fit. But the mirror is always more flattering to me than the camera. Seeing myself in such stark objectivity was sobering. However, I can take consolation in the fact that I am already doing something about it. Plus, this is about as "before" as I could hope my before pics could be!

I'll post them once I have a nice set of "afters", maybe after this challenge! I also need to figure out how to connect my camera to my computer.

[CoCo728]

So is it three separate workouts? Or one workout that can be modified three ways? Also, is it the kind of thing you can do every day?

Hi Dimples,
30 day Shred has 3 levels, you are suppose to do each level for 10 days.
Alot of people say they skip around ( to enhance the workout ) some I have heard stay on Level 1 ( Listen to your body)..... and also to not get bored or do the same thing over and over.

Hope this helps... Again I found it on exercise tv ( free via my cable tv company). I tried it there first before I purchased it.

Hope this helps!

[dimples74]

Hey, ladies! What up in da hizzy? Thank you, Coco, for the info. I'll check it out. I just started doing the Lotte Berk Method, which uses ballet, Pilates, yoga, and original strengthening exercises. Rich btches in New York and the Hamptons have supposedly used it for years to stay skinny. It kicked my a s s! Yesterday I did one exercise for the triceps - ONE - and my arms are killing me today. Luckily, my keyboarding muscles are still functional.

Now, for my update: yesterday I drank over a gallon of water, did 30 minutes of Lotte Berk's Method of Torture, and did NOT eat past 9:00. Three stars for me! Soooo tempted to get on the scale, as today's my one week anniversary starting Phen, but stayed strong!

How's everybody else doing?

[sunshinelisa78]

Well, I couldn't stay off the scale. Wanted to make sure I was still on track! Was going to wait to next week to weigh! 13 pounds in 3 weeks. Not too bad. Hoping for 20 by next week! It is hard to stay off the scale! I'll keep working on it!

[dimples74]

LOL, I know! This staying off the scale thing is turning out to be the hardest part! I really wanted to know how much weight I'd lost in the first week or if I'm in Onederland yet, but it's kind of cool anticipating the big surprise at the end of the 30 days. Stay strong, Lisa Marie! I'm sending scale-avoidance vibes your way...

[LuvMyMastiffs]

Send some my way too, because its really hard to resist! That is the 2nd thing I did every morning when I woke up, after I pee of course! My girls did really well at their swim meet last night, but I think I may have cheered too hard...my knee is killing me. I hurt it once before, just hoping I didn't do it again...I have an order for an xray, so we will see! Hope everyone is doing well, sounds like you are doing great! Hoping for lots of pounds gone forever!

[sunshinelisa78]

Hi. Hope your knee is doing ok! I am still hanging in there! Trying to eat right and squeeze in exercise! Hoping to pump up the exercise before going to the Weight Loss Clinic for my 1 month check up!!

[dimples74]

Hey, gang. I bombed yesterday. We had an unexpected loss in the family and I guess I gave myself a day off. I did everything but jump on the scale. Today I feel bloated and heavy and bleh. Oh well, nothing to do but get back on track.

Lisa Marie - When is your weigh-in day?

LuvMyMastiffs - Hope your knee is all right!

Coco - Thanks for the info. I looked for 30 Day Shred at Wal-Mart yesterday but to no avail. I just might order it online.

deacondarlin, newme81 - How's it going?

[sunshinelisa78]

Weigh in day at the clinic is Thursday!!!

[LuvMyMastiffs]

Hey guys, I've been MIA for a couple of days, seems like life never slows down around here...Its OK dimples, you have an excuse to fall off the wagon, just get back on and start again. I must admit, the weekends are the hardest for me...I tend to snack alot more than usual...and I haven' t been taking my phen as regular as I should, but I started back today with phen and chromium, so I know I should feel less BLOATED by the end of the week, TOM just left me, so maybe when I DO weigh in, I will have a loss...still haven't gotten the knee x-rayed, but it is in the plan for this week...sad that I'm in the xray dept 5 days a week and still can't find the time to get my own done...Have a great week everyone!

[NYtoTX]

hey guys; i wanna do the 30 day challenge, too! i will update my post after work! =)

[dimples74]

NYtoTX ~ welcome! Just post whatever stats and measurements you want, then tell us what your rules are for your challenge. And no weighing or measuring until the 30 days are up!

[LuvMyMastiffs]

Hi everyone, its been a long week...and its only Wednesday...feeling a bit discouraged with both my physical and emotional stats...I haven't lost anything (yes, I got on the scale : ( ) and the hubby and I have been having a few problems...he likes to pout and I like to get it all out in the open...these 2 just don't mix...I'm at a complete standstill with my weight...and I can't seem to get out of the rut I'm in...on another note, I did get my xray done, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it as far as the xray goes, but I do have some crappy looking knees, they look like 60 year old knees so IDK what will happen next...hope everyone is doing great and keep me in your thoughts that I can push through this...

[dimples74]

You're in my thoughts, lady. My dad is a doctor and I remember him saying to me when I popped my kneecap out in college that just being overweight can be irritating for your knees. You may not necessarily obtain a condition or aggravate an existing one (although those are also possibilities), but you're at more risk of having funky things happen - like kneecaps popping out because they're too small to support your thunder thighs while you're being dipped on the dance floor.

All right, now it's confession time. I, too, must confess to giving in to the scale temptation AND I, too, was amazed at how little it had budged. I mean I just started taking phen and my appetite has all but disappeared. True, I'm not as active as I was during the school year, but I AM exercising. After two weeks on phen, I went from 203.6 to 202.2. WTF?!? Very disappointing.

Confession #2: I spent three days totally off the wagon. Didn't make one of my goals any of the three days. I don't know if the loss in our family suddenly hit me or what, but I was depressed and didn't want to do anything but lie around and eat. I didn't go too overboard with the food in terms of compulsion, but I did eat a lot of "white stuff", which I haven't been doing. Wow, is that ever a vicious cycle. But, as of yesterday, I'm back on track. I'm meeting with a trainer tomorrow to help me develop a strength routine. I joined SparkPeople.com, too.

So, things are looking up. Like you said, LUvMyMastiffs, it's just a matter of pushing through it and doing what you know you need to do. Cuz I know from very recent experience, the alternative makes you feel like sh!t.

[dimples74]

Well, I have good news and bad news. Bad news first: I had my first training session with my personal trainer yesterday and I had to get weighed so we could set goals and track my progress. Now for the good news: I weigh 198.8! A full 1.2 pounds into Onederland!! I'm eating a lot more protein, which has certainly helped with my energy, and keeping up with my water.

How's everybody else doing?