Games & Challenges

Or if you don't celebrate, lose 30 pounds by December 25th.

I'm starting a weight loss club for people who wanna lose 30 pounds to look good around the holidays. It's a time of year when you're around family much more often, and see many people that only come around once a year. Wouldn't it be great to shock them this year with your new body?

We will have weekly weigh-ins to keep track of everyone's progress. And with everyone's support and encouragement in this group from their peers, we should all feel more motivated to reach our goals.

When joining this group, please post a little bit about yourself, your strengths, weaknesses and your expectations, so we can all get to know each other a little better.

WHO'S WITH ME?  :)

Original Post by davon:

What are some things that everyone is doing to bump up weight loss (besides counting calories, of course- we're doing that already)? More exercise? more water? more fiber? green tea? eating mini meals? I've been doing all of the above!

I do numerous things to bump up weight loss, all have which proven effective for me, and learned from books, fitness magazines and professional advice:

Combine complex carbs with protein. This combination does wonders for your metabolism, speeding it up and easing the digesting process. For example, have some turkey on a whole wheat wrap.

If time permits, exercise twice a day. I go for a walk in the morning when I wake up, then go for another walk at night after dinner. This speeds up your metabolism twice a day.

Muscle burns more than fat. The more muscle you have on your body, the faster your metabolism. Cardio is great, but weightlifting causes your muscles to tear, and although you only burn about 200 calories an hour weightlifting, you body has to work to repair those muscles (that's what causes them to get bigger and more defined). Your body burns calories for approximately three hours after weightlifting.

Try consuming a protein shake every day after exercising. Just be careful, they sometimes are meant to replace meals and can reach up to 200 calories for just the powder alone, not including milk you may have added to it.

If you can, only eat and drink things with an exact calorie amount so it's easier to keep track of how much you're taking in. I used to have to guess and assume how much I was eating when I would buy a big packet of ground turkey or a fillet of fish fresh from the seafood department. If you have a food scale, though, that would be great because then you could have a more accurate idea of how much you're eating. Although it still can be difficult to get the exact amount of calories in something without a label, if you stick with things that obviously don't have a ton of calories (i.e. vegetables) this shouldn't be a problem. I personally am only going to eat things that have a label with the calorie amount on them. That and some vegetables.

Try and avoid salt. Sodium retains water and many people think it's only temporary, but this isn't always the case. So just try and avoid anything with high amounts of sodium.

If you go to the gym, do weight lifting before cardio. I don't know the reasoning behind this, but my personal trainer told me it's recommended for weight loss because doing weight training/resistance exercises prior to cardio speed up your metabolism a little more.

If you need the extra boost to motivate yourself, go to www.presidentschallenge.org. I am a member of that site as well. You log your activity every day, and when you reach your goal, you get an award mailed to you!

Try and EAT CLEAN! Avoid processed foods, fast food, condiments such as mayo and high-cholesterol foods. Avoid eating eggs yolks often; once in a while is okay but egg yolks have 215mg of cholesterol. If you have to settle for fast food, check the calories on the website so you can get an idea of what to order so you don't go over your calories, or if you must go over, not by much. If you eat healthy, you can eat more, leaving you fuller longer. I was going out to eat constantly (my boyfriend was taking me out every night - he just left today for four months) and many people don't understand the calories in restaurant food. You need to eat until you're content, but with the calorie amount in fast food, you're lucky if you get one or two bites before you exceed the normal caloric intake alloted for that meal (i.e. 400 calories for lunch). For example, the boneless buffalo wings appetizer at Applebee's contains 1,725 calories. Many people find this unbelievable, but it's true. And that's without the dressing. So you're looking at having about two buffalo wings before you reach your allowed calories for that meal.

Salads. Many salads are great for you, but this greatly depends on what's in them. Start adding diced ham, eggs, bacon, blue cheese crumbles, etc. etc. and you're looking at a 500 calorie salad. And dressing can be around 150 calories a tablespoon. If you're going to have salad, stick with all vegetables and maybe a bit of diced chicken, but have a vinaigrette dressing. These tend not to exceed 60 calories a tablespoon.

I read in Shape Magazine a little study that was done last year. It said that people who exercise less and eat less have more success losing weight than people who exercise more and eat more. Many people say fitness is 80% diet, 10% exercise and 10% genetics. So watching what you eat should be your main priority, and don't cave just because you're going to exercise later. If you exercise a reasonable amount and eat a reasonable amount, you will succeed better than those who exercise until they're ready to drop and then go home and eat a ton of food because now they're starving. I have met many people at the gym and have had many friends who said, "Oh, I can go out to eat tonight and order an appetizer, entree and dessert because I exercised today, so I should be good!"

Last but not least, if you find yourself at a standstill with your weight but you're still doing everything you've been doing to get to where you're stuck at, re-enter your weight in Calorie Count and your calorie intake should change. Also, consider exercising more. When your body plateaus, all you need to do is change your routine. Your body plateaus because it adjusts to routine and knows what to expect. Try changing your routine every month. 

I hope this info was helpful. Just keep in mind that not everything works for everyone, and I got this info from resources such as Shape Magazine, Women's Health, the Eat Clean Diet Book and personal trainers, so I would hope it's accurate.  :)

Thanks!

On a side note:

Our official start day will be September 1st. For those of you who've already started, I admire your spirit! The rest of us, however, have a week to try and work on our eating habits and get into the habit of exercising before we start. I have heard that if you stick with something for 10 days, you get so used to it already that it's hard to break it. So try and start a routine to follow, and do this each month. Or if you're more comfortable sticking with the same schedule for the entire four months, go for it!  :)

So on September 1st, I want everyone to enter their weight. 

Ready, set, GO!

Original Post by tracyleea:

hi Deloughy,  i am totally into your new club!  How do i get in?

Just check in regularly and post every Sunday with your new weight!

I love cakes!!!!  :D

Original Post by escobar4life:

I really want to do this but I doubt myself. I'd like to lose about 15 lbs in 2 month if possible. but I need serious help.  :(  (look at my topic: http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/1120 37.html  )

I read your post and all the replies.

My advice to you? You do whatever it is you feel works for you. I personally am not a fan of the frozen dinners because to me, they seem to lack flavor and ultimately leave me unsatisfied and hungry shortly after. Plus, these foods are loaded with preservatives and chemicals to keep their flavor and sit in your freezer for months. Your body would be much better off eating fresh, but like I said, if you feel this is what works for you, then keep on doing it!  :)

Original Post by aperfectblink:

deloughy, are you going to close the group at any point, or will it stay open? it might be much easier to keep track of people if it is smaller, but i am not sure how you want to do things.

I didn't expect this club to get such a large crowd, but I am very pleased with the number of people that joined it!

I would like to keep it open to everyone for as long as possible so everyone has the opportunity to join, but I am also aware that too many users may be overwhelming. If it stays where it's at, I will keep the club open, but if it escalates to an unreasonable amount where I can't pay attention to everyone, I will have to close it for the sake of the current members.

I want to keep it open until at least 11:59PM August 31st. Since September 1st is our official start day, it seems reasonable to leave it open until then. 

:)

I'm definitely in.

I'm a 23 year old male who's always been a little heavy (I'm 6'3" so I've usually held my weight pretty well). My senior year of high school I was the most active (played basketball) and I was at my lowest weight. Since then I have packed on the pounds and I am looking to get back into shape.

SW: 282

CW: 251

GW: 200

I started off really well and I loved the results, but eventually I started slipping back into old habits for about a month. I ended up gaining about 4 pounds. I just started getting back on track again for the past week or so and I have lost 3 of those pounds.

Anyways, I've already lost 31 pounds, and I would love to lose another 30 by Christmas. It'll be nice to have some encouragment and motivation!

Hi, this group sounds perfect since that is my goal. I am a college student and weigh 163lbs. About a year or two ago I weighed 130 lbs. I used to train a lot for nordic skiing and when I quit i was depressed and started binging. I've succesfully stopped binging and am no longer depressed. However I gained 20 lbs in the process and another 10lbs from 3 months in Italy. I love running and skiing and my weight gain is making it harder and less enjoyable, expecially because my school is such a good running school. I would love to loose the weight to improve my running for a 200 mile relay race in february and to be able to start doing some ski racing again. Im against starving to diet so im curious how im going to be able to do this in such a short amount of time. Would love a pen pal :)

Rose

I'm with you guys!  I'm a guy from Malaysia.  Been putting on the weight year on year since 10 years ago.  We've got lots of oily, fatty foods and carbo is staple in all the main courses here.  So, it's tough trying to fight off temptations or even the usual daily meals.  My target is to drop my weight till what it was 10 years ago. 

I've just joined CC, been going to the gym for the past 1 month, and have been watching what I eat. So far, so good... In fact, Christmas is my target too!

SW : 252

CW : 247

GW : 210 by Christmas!!!

Final Goal : 200

Fingers crossed...

I'd love to join! my original goal was supposed to be reached by Christmas! but im falling a little behind...soo, i hope this helps me out at least a little bit. i starting doing this in January and have lost about 38lbs...i was doing SOO well but now suddenly i dunno whats going on with me but im not doing as good as i was before. i wouldnt crave any junk for the past 7 months but then this past month i am. but im still trying. anyway, heres where im at:

Starting weight: 206

Current weight: 167-170ish

Final goal: 132

Goal by Christmas: around 140!

maan i really hope i reach my Christmas goal! good luck!

Original Post by aperfectblink:

 

weigh-in on sunday. bum, bum, bum. prepare yourself for the weekend lol!

i'm so glad everyone has joined, we can definitely do this if we keep up with eachother and make this a great discussion.

deloughy, are you going to close the group at any point, or will it stay open? it might be much easier to keep track of people if it is smaller, but i am not sure how you want to do things.

tracy, what kind of cakes do you make? this summer i learned how to do the whole fondant thing and i am so interested in it, but it never turns out right for me. hahah. i also love baking anything!

 

hi aperfectblink,  thanks for asking about my cakes....i also use fondant and it is loads of fun! i do wedding cakes, birthday cakes,etc....cupcakes are a real thing right now, and they are fun to do for weddings! i do all flavours of cake, and love to use italian buttercream icing....it's a true test of my will when i'm baking and not eating it, i'll tell you! and to top it all off, i feed a swat team member husband, and a 6'5" Czech Republic hockey player that  lives with us for 6 months of the year! ...i work it all out though...i think this group will become a very interesting thing....we all have life experience to contribute, and hopefully it will help motivate others! good luck, and we'll talk soon!

I'm in also!

 

I am just starting and I need to lose around 60 lbs. Thirty by Christmas would put me 1/2 way to my goal of 60lbs by May 1st.  I am a mother of 2 boys ages 14 and 11 and have a wonderful supporting husband.  I go to the gym and work out 3 times a week.

SW 213

CW 213

GW 140 - 150

 

Count me in! I was looking for a group to join, and this sounds right up my alley. I'm 23 years old, and just joined CC so I have just started learning the ropes of this whole calorie counting diet. I'm a full time student, with a crazy study schedule and work load, so for the most part I will spend upwards of 40+ hours just sitting around at a computer or desk, studying my butt of or running to class. Once I really get into my school work I do find it hard to keep on track with my weight and work out schedule. This group would be the perfect butt kicker to keep me on track, and also to keep me accountable to myself.

SW: 190ish pounds (I don't have a scale, and haven't weighed myself in a while)

GW: 130ish

Also, I'm 5'9", and have started working out everyday. I walk everyday any where from 30-90 minutes, and do push ups and the likes every other day. I also want to start running once I feel I am able to handle it.

If I was to lose 30 pounds by Christmas, that really would be awesome!

 

Do any of you know any alcoholic beverages that aren't to horrible in the calorie department??  I usually drink Captain and Diet Pepsi... i just learned that rum is FULL of sugar.  any advice?  I don't drink that often but when I do, i don't want a few drinks to ruin my whole day....

Me too! Me too! I'm Katie, I'm a 31yo ICU nurse on the night shift. I've been at this about 6 months, and am down 35lbs. Now I need to to kick things into gear. I really want to be under 200 by New Years, but that might be a tall order.

SW: 275

CW: 240

Christmas Goal: 205

GW: 150

I've been doing pretty well on eating well, but I need to be more consistant on getting enough exercise.

Good morning everyone!  This being our first official Sunday weigh-in, i want to wish everyone good luck on the iron demon....I'm happy, because i wasn't sure what would happen this week...i got on , and i'm down 1 pound! I think the running helped bump it up a notch this week... I can't wait to read your entries! I'm sure there will be success....Tracy

Wow, i just realized that our first official Sunday weigh-in is NEXT Sunday! What an airhead! Oh well, i guess i just started my own official party today...but i promise i will be there with bells on next Sunday!

Yeah same here....oOops...but if I can do well by today I hope to do even better by then and it will give us more time to get back into this and get used to the new lifestyle. That's my problem!!!  I am ready to start the new week on a good note.

Good Luck to everyone!!!

Sunday 8/24/08 249.5 lbs.

So, I am starting today, even though the correct start date isn't until September 1st.  My question is, how do you measure yourself? What body parts, and where? Anyone who can answer is my hero! Thanks!

SW: 169.5

GW1: 153.5 (Halloween)

GW2: 140 (Christmas)

Adeprey- most hard liquors are full of calories, and alcohol itself is where the calories, so something that is 20% alcohol is going to have more alcohol calories than a 6% beer.  I would say that if you are getting between 70 and 110 calories per drink, that's about as low as you can get. a 70 cal drink? 1 oz of any hard liquor (rum, vodka, whiskey, etc) and something without sugar (crystal light lemonade, diet coke, etc).  Most light beers are between 95 and 110 calories.

Sounds really good.

I'm almost 21 years old. 

Starting weight: 221lbs

Christmas goal: 180lbs

 

Goal Weight: 130lb