Brides October Challenge
All Brides should join the October challenge and help one another stay on track to loosing weight for a healthy, happy wedding day and many anniversaries to come! Set your weight loss, fitness and caloric (or other) goals for October and allow others to provide encouragement and support. All are welcome (grooms, newlyweds, attendants?, et cetera). Weigh-ins are Fridays.
I can hardly believe it is October! Scott and I still haven't set the date (we are thinking we should get through the holidays and all the other stressors in our life (planning to move) before nailing something down permanent. Scott still wants March 2, but I'm holding out for summer (a more realistic time for me to reach my goal weight, or at least get close to my goal weight). My goal this month is to loose 7 pounds (starting weight of 176 with and end goal of 169), continue with my exercise regime of about 6 hours per week (plus my abdominals), enter the food that I am eating into the system (a bit of a downfall in September) and drink lots of water (with the weather cooling down I am worried this will go by the wayside). Looking forward to another month with all of you.
Smiles,
Dacia
Hi everyone!
I'm back and ready to Go for It!! With the wedding coming up so soon...2/2/08...I need to really concentrate on my healthy program. After all, as Dacia says, I want to be able to celebrate many anniversaries!
Goal for October: lose 7 lbs, walk 5 days/week, watercises weekly, keep in calorie range of 1200-1500, 128 oz water daily, and hoping to add some weight training (need to tone up these flabby arms so I can hug all my guests!)
We have the church, the caterer, the organist, the photographer, the cake's been ordered, and my MoH and I will plan the flowers this evening. Still on the To Do list: find rings and a dress(holding off on both because of down-sizing).
Looking forward to tomorrow's weigh in!
Gr. Sue
Hey everyone!
I'm back to try this weight loss thing again! I know, I really slacked last time. Could you all please try to motivate me to lose weight? I've been really stressed lately because I'm in my senior year of college (yes, I'm young)... and on top of my difficult classes that give me absolutely no free time, I'm trying to get into grad school to get my PhD in clinical psychology (which entails countless hours of work - GREs, personal statements, and so forth). So I don't have much free time right now, and I've been neglecting my diet and exercise. But I really want to get back on track! Luckily, I've maintained my weight loss from earlier in the summer when I was still motivated (15 pounds) + 2 more that have come off very slowly since then. Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, and I'll weigh in tomorrow.
crothwell,
Welcome back. Wow, sounds like you are a very busy gal...and apparently very focused too. So adjust that focus just a bit and upgrade the priority of healthy eating and exercise above last place on the list! You have done it before, and can do it again! When is your wedding?
Friday weigh-in: down 2 lbs. Going camping again this weekend...can't believe the weather is still so warm in October! Have a great week, gals!
So I finally broke out of the 180's, barely!
Starting-203
this week-179.6
So, since my wedding is next month, I have a lofty goal of losing 10 lbs this month!!!
I have been consistant with my calories and have not gone over. I am maintaining a ratio of 50% carbs, 25-30% fat, 25-30% protein, although I have been tring to keep the fat a bit lower right now.
I am weight training 3 x's a week, and have upped my cardio to 3x's a week, and am continueing 1 day of interval training. Let's hope this is enough to burn some serious fat!
My dress is arriving tomorrow, and invitations are going out Monday!
I need all the luck I can get!
Grandma Sue, thank you for the encouragement! I am getting married June 21, 2008, so my wedding is less than 9 months from now. I think my wedding still being far off makes it a little harder to stay focused, because I still have a while to lose the weight. However, I do want to finish my weightloss early, so that I don't have to worry about it as much when it closer to the wedding date (also, I want to reach my target weight by the time of my dress fitting).
As for my first weigh-in:
I am 5'4" and weigh 132 as of this morning. Since June, I have lost 17 pounds, and I want to lose 12 more. My weight loss goal for the month of October will be 5 pounds. I hope I can do this!!! By the way, I think that the last day for this challenge should be Nov. 2 so that we have a full 4 weeks.
October 5: 132
November 2 goal weight: 127
Hello Ladies ~
Crothwell, I think it is a great suggestion for the last day of the challenge to be November 2 (we could even push it to the 9th so both Brianne and Lottie can participate all the way to the end although I do realize that time will be limited for both those two due to their wedding's in early/mid November). Let me know if you want to keep it going until the 2nd, 9th or 16th? If we continue through the 9th or 16th, then we could do a "Brides Holiday Season Accountability Challenge" rather than the traditional November and December Challenges. What does everyone think? Also, Crothwell I am committed to motivating you and holding you accountable, but no one can blame you school is difficult enough without adding GRE's, school apps, et cetera (I think Lottie is in your same boat too).
Congratulations Lottie! We are both 170 somethingers together! Quite an accomplishment to make it out of the 180's! To attain your goal of loosing ten pounds for this challenge you need to burn 35,000 calories. So, maybe increase your cardiovascular time even more to increase the burn. Don't despair - this is attainable. I ride my exercise bike and burn 550 calories per hour, so (for me) this would mean that I would need to ride my bike for 64 hours. Dividing that into 28 days (Oct 5 to Nov 2) would mean I would need to ride my bike about 2.5 hours a day. You could even reduce this a bit more by watching the calories really close and keeping a 750 daily deficit.
Grandma Sue, I am so jealous that you are camping again this weekend. I haven't been camping in so long and would love to go, but the rain has arrived in Oregon. It's sunny right now, but I'm sure it's short lived. Lucky you! Great job on two more pounds...YEA!
I was pleasantly surprised by the scale this morning and lost one pound, so I am down to 175! I was not expecting any weight loss because I haven't been riding my bike like I should have been (two days without any workout this week). Plus, I over indulged on Chinese food last night. This is life though. I joined the exercise challenge this month and set a goal for 3000 minutes. In order for me to attain this goal, I need to exercise a minimum of 2 hours every day from today through Halloween. I know it is possible and I know that I can do it, so I am giving it my all. When I complete the challenge, there should be no problem for me to attain my challenge goal weight of 169. I am really hoping for 169 because then I will no longer have an obese BMI and will be down to "slightly overweight". So, 169 has been a goal of mine. Still haven't bought myself the new scale that I've had my eye on...so, I've set a deadline of October 16th (that was my "I've lost 20 pounds" weight goal that I exceeded late last month). This will give me at least one day to weigh on my new scale before TOM arrives. Then, I'm going to have to figure out my reward for 169. I'm thinking maybe a new pair of jeans, because all of mine that I fit into comfortably (my 12's are still a bit tight) are getting holes and tears in them. Haven't decided yet though because I also want a stability ball and a few hand weights (under ten pounds or so). We will see. On another positive, I've done a good job of inputting my foods into the system (well, I haven't inputted last nights Chinese food). Also, I've noticed that my face seems to be much clearer and I haven't been breaking out as much. Probably a combination of not eating a bunch of crappy foods and drinking lots of water.
Have a great week everyone and make today a great day!
Smiles,
Dacia
As for the final day of the challenge... I'm fine with the 2nd, 9th, or the 16th. We could even push it through the end of November and make it a 2 month holiday challenge. If eveyone wants to extend it, I'm going to adjust my weight goal. Does anyone else have a preference?
Friday weigh in! Wow, I'm actually starting to enjoy this!
Down 2 lbs this weeek, making a total since 7/31/07 of 30 lbs!
Still walking and enjoying watercises, but haven't signed up for weight training yet. As the weather gets colder (and it will, this is Buffalo...lol) I'll be more inclined to take my workout indoors. Some mornings, I walk in the Mall because it's just too cold and dark to do it outside before work!
Here is my weigh in for Friday:
October 5: 132
October 12: 132.4
So... I haven't lost any weight. But I did go to the gym twice this week, and I plan on going again today. I just need to figure out what I'm doing wrong and try to fix it. I think that I'm going to review my food logs from when I was losing weight, and see what I was doing right then that I'm not doing now.
Dacia, thank you so much for the motivation! I am going to keep at this and not give up!
So, how is everyone's wedding planning going?
Hello Brides ~
October 5: 175
October 12: 176
Yeppers, I gained a pound! Darn it. Oh well though. TOM's here and just arrived today - he was late and I was rather irritated at the whole situation! But, now that he finally arrived I am doing much better and fine with one pound weight gain - I thought for sure it would be more. I haven't ridden my bicycle since Sunday! I am planning on it tonight, although I ussually refuse to ride on Fridays, because well it's Friday. Not today though. Tomorrow we are going to the University of Oregon Ducks versus Washington State University Cougars game. It should be great fun, but I'm going to have to get up early and ride, because I am sure I will have enjoyed too much alcohol to get on the bicycle after the game.
So, my goal for the next week is to get back on track inputting foods into the system and get back on track exercising so I can loose some pounds and get myself down to 173 by next Friday!
Make it a great day!
Smiles,
Dacia
Hi everyone! It' time for our Friday weigh-in:
So here are my stats for the week...
October 5: 132
October 12: 132.4
October 19: 131.6
Total loss: 0.4 pounds
So it's not much, but at least it's something. I think that these last 12 pounds are going to be very difficult to lose.
Down only one pound this week, but I'm mighty grateful for the one! Been fighting a cold, and have upped the calories a bit. Skipped watercises this week because of it too.
Actually started shopping for a wedding dress this week, but still want to hold out till after Christmas for the sales and hopefully the next size down.
Happy Friday Ladies ~
Crothwell ~ Congratulations on the loss! That is excellent. I know it is small, but the number decreased and that is what we like to see. Don't give up, those 12 pounds will come and even if it is only .4 a week (or so) then you will loose those 12 pounds in 30 weeks (or so), which is Mid May and will give you a five week "buffer" for the wedding. So, don't give up...they're coming and slow and steady wins the race! Great job!
Grandma Sue ~ Congratulations on your loss. Although small, it is great especially because you are sick and exercise is difficult. I hope you get to feeling better soon. I am so excited you are dress shopping. That sounds fun! Not too much longer and you will reach that size down...probably just in time for the sales too! YEA!
I haven't got any feedback, so I think we should keep this challenge going through November 2. Then I will start a new thread for the holidays which will go through early January. It will make it a bit longer of a challenge, but as we get busier and face temptions, perhaps it will help. Let me know if you have any feedback.
10.05.07 175
10.12.07 176
10.19.07 174
Yea!!! I dropped a pound this week too. I have done better inputting my foods and had a tough day on Thursday, so I am proud. Now to get back on track exercising. I only got two days in this week. But adding today and tomorrow will make it four, so that's not too shabby. Overall, I am happy and am beginning to come to terms with the fact that my weight loss is slowing down. So, I might not loose 7 pounds this month. But, that is fine because I am now loosing weight that I have carried around for over five years, so it makes sense that it is getting more difficult.
Make it a great day!
Smiles,
Dacia
Great job Grandma Sue and Dacia on the one pound weight loss - that's awesome!
Dacia, I'm fine with having the challenge go until November 2nd. And I definitely think that we should do a holiday challenge... that would help motivate us to not over indulge.
So I just checked and my goal was to be at 127 by November 2nd... but since I've only lost .4 pounds that would be 4.6 pounds that I would need to lose in the next 2 weeks, and that's probably not going to happen. So my new goal will be 130 by November 2nd... just 1.6 pounds.
Hello Brides!
I'd like to join you although I'm a bit late for October. I'm 185 and my goal is to lose 5lbs by this time in November.
As for me, I'm probably jumping the gun in joining the bride challenge as I'm not "officially" engaged to my boyfriend of over two years yet. He talks about it a lot though and likes to gently tease me with hypotheticals. He already asked me about my ring preferences in a not too subtle (but he thought he was being subtle) way. We're about to buy a house in the next few weeks. His mother loves me and his family keeps asking about an announcement. I think he's planning an elaborate "surprise" official proposal. I'll let you know when that happens.
Looking ahead I realized that if I want to reach my goal weight by a reasonable wedding date I'll need to start sooner rather than later. My goal is to be 130 on my wedding day. I'm 5'1" so I feel this is realistic as a goal. I haven't logged my calories for years, but the last time I paid attention to calories I lost a lot of weight, so I know I can do it if I can stick to it.
Well done Grandma Sue and Darcia. Crothwell, I think changing your goal to a more realistic one is a wise move.
Welcome ArtistSusan - we are thrilled that you joined us. Don't worry about jumping the gun, we aren't concerned about that. Scott say's that we aren't engaged either (and we haven't set our date either). It's just a matter of perspective.
I hope everyone had a good week. This challenge is going to end next Friday, November 2, but I plan on setting up the Brides Holiday Challenge either later today or early next week (once the first hits, I hit the ground running until about the 17th so it's easier for me). The Holiday Challegene will be a longer challenge to get us to the New Year!
10.05.07 175 10.12.07 176 10.19.07 174 10.26.07 173 (New Scale)
Yea!!! I dropped another pound from last week and finally bought myself a new scale. In reality, I lost a bit more than a pound because the old scale weighed me three pounds lighter than the new scale (I knew that old thing was not reliable, but 11 pounds off - I guess that is what I get for using a 21 year old scale!). I love the new one, it weighs accurately and measures hydration level and body fat percentage. Very interesting information. I switched up my workouts this week but decreasing resistance on the bicycle and increasing time (now I am doing 2 hours a workout). I'm still doing the calisthenics, but haven't been doing as well this month compared to last month. So, I need to improve there. I am doing good getting my foods logged into the system; although, some days I am a bit over zealous with my eating and have gone overboard...but with the weight loss I must be listening pretty well to my body and making good food choices along the way. This week was a good "journey to health" week for me.
I hope all of you are good...take care!
Smiles, Dacia
October 5: 132
October 12: 132.4
October 19: 131.6
October 26: 132.2
Total loss: + 0.2 pounds
Groan... I don't think that I did anything wrong this week, and it's not my TOM. I don't know why I can't seem to lose weight.
Ooops...missed Friday! So I weighed in Sat instead: 10/27 - 212 lbs. That's down 2 for the week, 33 total since joining CC!
See you all on the new challenge. 11/2/07, still 212 lbs, but hanging in there!
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