10% by Halloween Challenge (CLOSED)

(Note: This challenge is no longer accepting new participants.)

This is a 12-week challenge (starting on August 11, 2008) where participants will work toward losing 10% of their current body weight by Halloween. 

Here's how it works:

• Weigh-ins: Weekly weigh-ins will occur on Mondays.  That's right ... no more slacking off on the weekends. 
• 1-3 rule: Participants are encouraged to comment on three other posts when they do their weekly weigh in post.  This will ensure that each participant will get an adequate amount of support as they journey toward better health.
• Journals: Participants are encouraged to add other participants to their friends list and leave plenty of comments about their journal entries.  Of course, it's also encouraged that each participant write their own journal entries.

Your weekly weigh in posts should appear in this format:

This week: XXX lbs.

Last week: XXX lbs.

Loss/Gain (week): XXX lbs.

To JohnnyAppleseed ... Crazy how much weight you can lose by just eating apples!  Good job!

To PaulaDeanFan ... That butter will kill you.  I sympathize with you as a fellow butter lover.

To CookieMonster ... I wish I had your willpower!  Truly inspiring!

The results of the challenge will be tracked on this online spreadsheet.

Good luck to everyone in this challenge!  I can't wait to see the transformations!

My Plan - I to cut back on food in-take (portion control), drink at least 64 oz. of water a day.  I want to walk everday for at least 30 min. and work with weights.  I should also limit my weekend beverages:)

My starting Weight will be 204, it didn't change last wk.

Sarah:  I'm w/ ya with less beer, but why does it taste so good in the Summer?     We can do this!!! Good Luck

Lisalac: Great loss, last week :)

Alexanderrob:  Your routine sounds like a great plan!!

Today's weight 185

So pretty much exactly as last week.  In fact I haven't lost an ounce since the 5th (according to my journal) but I've been exercising like a fiend, am down an inch here and there and am about to get TTOM so I'm going to not worry about it.  I've also been testing eating waaaayyyyy more to make up for my training and I need to figure out if I'm eating too much or too little still, hmmmmmm.

My goals between now and September 21 are to train for my duathalon so I'm hoping I will be able to achieve my 1.5pd loss per week (to hit 10%)

After September 21, I'll be in trouble... hee hee, there is an October running race that I did last year though, hmmm

This week in particular I will be fighting festivalitis.  I have to be a beer wench at our Crankworx bike party on Thursday (chug chug chug, yes we act like teenagers) and Saturday is the finaly sponsor party.  I can probably figure my calories into Saturdays festivities and have a big morning workout to offset it but Thursday?  Not so sure.

With that time of the month looming tomorrow I expect next weeks weigh in to be the same unfortunately.  On a plus positive note it's usually 5 pds higher after TTOM so my goal is not to GAIN this week!

Today's weight: 199

My plan for the next week is to seriously, no I mean very seriously:

1. reduce the sodium to release some of the water I am holding on to

2. dust off the "Bow Flex Knock-off" my husband bought last year and create a 30 minute routine

3. eat no more or less than 1600 calories each day to create about a 600 calorie deficit

Good luck to you all with your goals. I am so inspired by all of you. Won't it be great when Halloween gets here and we're all so much healthier. Then the trick will be to stay away from the candy!

Original Post by jett69:

Today's weight 185

So pretty much exactly as last week.  In fact I haven't lost an ounce since the 5th (according to my journal) but I've been exercising like a fiend, am down an inch here and there and am about to get TTOM so I'm going to not worry about it.  I've also been testing eating waaaayyyyy more to make up for my training and I need to figure out if I'm eating too much or too little still, hmmmmmm.

My goals between now and September 21 are to train for my duathalon so I'm hoping I will be able to achieve my 1.5pd loss per week (to hit 10%)

After September 21, I'll be in trouble... hee hee, there is an October running race that I did last year though, hmmm

This week in particular I will be fighting festivalitis.  I have to be a beer wench at our Crankworx bike party on Thursday (chug chug chug, yes we act like teenagers) and Saturday is the finaly sponsor party.  I can probably figure my calories into Saturdays festivities and have a big morning workout to offset it but Thursday?  Not so sure.

With that time of the month looming tomorrow I expect next weeks weigh in to be the same unfortunately.  On a plus positive note it's usually 5 pds higher after TTOM so my goal is not to GAIN this week!

 yeroc - good job on the loss and yay for being a gym rat, make me want to go too!

mintberrykin - what a great idea about a meal plan, I'm going to try that too!  Do you shop with a meal plan in mind?

Hi everyone -

I've had a nice time reading some of your journals this past week, and I'm looking forward to getting to know you better!

Today I weigh in at 150.5, but I'd like to keep my original weight (152) as my start weight please :). I'm pretty close to my goal weight so this is going to be tough enough already!

My plan/goals:

Eating:
The main thing for me is preparing my own food. It is too easy to call and order dinner or walk to one of the many campus cafes and pick up some delicious noodles for lunch. This means I have to pack food every morning and cook (almost) every night. Even if "cooking" means heating up soup. Just no take-out just for laziness' sake.

Boozing:
Being bored at night shouldn't be an automatic signal to grab a beer or a glass of wine, and especially not a second or third. Save it for the social occasions, at least!

Exercise:
After 9 months I finally got a call from my gym that I made it to the front of the permanent locker waiting list. Hooray! This is huge. Now I can store gym clothes and shoes and shower paraphrenalia there and drop by when I have time and motivation to work out. I hope this simplifies gymming as much as I think it will. It is too hot to lug an extra bag around the neighborhood so I can work out at the end of my day (I walk/bike, so I can't just leave it in the car). I just need to actually plunk down the dear money and move in.

saxkat - I am totally with you on not jumping the gun on updating the starting weight. As for quick-grab food, I like cans of soup. They are usually ridiculously good for you (except for sodium, eek), and even faster than waiting for a pizza to bake.

jennawillis, jett69, Sarah_11235 and uberman - the booze crew- (sorry if i missed anyone) - When I'm out I'm going to try alternating drinks (the fun kind) with glasses of water. I did this in college sometimes and it helped out a lot.

readermoth - I wish I had a weight machine thingie in my house, knock off or no! we don't have the room for it :( Good for you for getting back into it :)

Original Post by leanne21071:

All righty roo! It's Monday and Here we go!  Thank you alexanderrob!

 I'm keeping my original weight (which is only a little more) cause the 10% puts me at goal and I do not want to lose more then that.

132.6

Not to bad as I had too many Gin and Tonics yesterday instead of swimming....I counted them though!  The weather turned bad and although the pool was warm the lightening strikes tend to keep me out. 

corey I'm glad you located your scale.  I hate it when people move my stuff.  I might be messy but I know where in my mess things are.  Good for you on not worrying about the number.  I hope to be that way soon but at this point I do really want to see the number.  At least on my scale without holding on to the wall to make it lighter. 

oakmommy24 I just reread my post and I'm hungry as well.. Sorry about the breastfeeding.  But at least you tried and did go for 3 weeks which is more then a lot of people do.  But tuna is good!

  On with getting your body back!  I wish I had done it sooner, but I do not think I was ready.  I have now made this a commitment for the rest of my life.  I was not willing to do that before.  I also had not found anything that would work for me long term.  WW is good but too restrictive for me as well as every diet I have tried in the past.  When people say you " you can only eat X amount?"  I say I least I can eat ANYTHING without guilt that I have done something "wrong"  I choose to eat lower cal foods because it will get me where I want to be quicker but If I eat something dense it is not the end it's just a slow down.

I tend to babble and rant a lot, sorry!

 www.hungry-girl.com 

This is one of my favorite sites.  I have the cookbook and get lots of quick and easy ideas from it. 

 leanne: I got 2 and a half months of breast feeding not 3 weeks... :)

This week: 164 lbs.

Last week: 164 lbs.

Loss/Gain (week): 0 lbs.

I know that I lost some this week, at one point I was down to 162.5 but all in all no loss!

To readermoth ... Those are very good, obtainable goals. I know you can do it!

To jett69 ... We are in the same place...no loss and fighting temptation this week -- I have family events and a fair in my near future.

To jennawillis16 ...You have such a detailed, organized plan. I am with you on cutting back on alcohol!

My plan is to do a cleanse that involves lots of fruit and veggies, no red meat, dairy, grains, refined sugar, etc for five days. I did this before and it was a good start but I need the right timing (work events and family events have been in the way...I am thinking next week will work). After that just healthy eating -- not cutting anything out just eating well and using an 80/20 ratio to ensure I can still have goodies, just in a more balanced way.

I am not drinking unless we are out or it is a special occasion.

I need to exercise more -- more horseback riding and more intense rides when I do, more Wii Fit. I am hoping to hit the gym again soon when I can add it to my budget.

My plan for the "mini-challenge"... I hope this doesn't mean I have to change what I am currently doing because it seems to be working pretty well!

Excercise: I plan to continue going to the gym 5 days a week. 3 days a week I do a circuit training workout that works all my muscles (m/w/f) and then I also do a 15 minute H.I.I.T. session on the bike and then 20 minutes on the elliptical. Before I do a 5 minute jog and stretch.

Tuesdays and Thursdays is strictly cardio. I found that I get the best results with mixing it up and doing a little bit of everything. Elliptical/treadmill/bike/row/stair climber and stepper and I just do anything I am in the mood for and do atleast one hour!

Also I try to get in Abs 5 days a week. I barely work them in it BURNS. I think it is because you don't really use them at all when your pregnant? So I basically lost all muscle in that area!

Then in the afternoon I like to get in a swim a couple times a week! Not usually a hard work out but a little resistance training and my daughter absolutely loves the water so I love taking her!

Food LIFESTYLE change: :)  My big thing is also portion control! I realize now that I can be just as satisfied if I am not STUFFED by the end of my meal. I feel a lot lighter and it feels good and I don't have to unbutton my pants lol! I wasn't really trying to eat healthier, which I know I should!

So my goal is to start eating atleast 30% protein in a day, between 15-20% fat in a day, and around 45-50% carbs.

 

Oh and also... I decided that I am going to clean Sunday nights because I think that is what helped me lose the extra weight for todays weigh in :) )helped me burn calories)

I am also curious... I too weigh in in the morning and then once at night (after dinner) I am wondering how much everyones scales differ from morning to night?? Mines about 3 or 4 pounds?

alexanderrob: sorry I had an error on my weight it is 175.6! thanks!

Mine can differ as much as 7 pounds with clothes and sneakers on.  That's why I've sworn off afternoon weigh in's for this challenge.  Today was the last day.  I got on after lunch and I had gone from 161 (this morning) to 167.  It can really be a downer sometimes so I've vowed to quit.  It did motivate me to take the kids to the park and walk a mile.  I took the day off from work and it was a beautiful day so it was a great opportunity!

Hey guys,

Happy to get started on this challenge.  My weight this morning was 206.  Had a good day today - 950 calorie deficit!  Feels good.  Here we go!

Soobie

 yeroc - good job on the loss and yay for being a gym rat, make me want to go too!

mintberrykin - what a great idea about a meal plan, I'm going to try that too!  Do you shop with a meal plan in mind?

 Oh I almost forgot, thanks to alex for being brave enough to post his before photos.  I also took some this morning in my bikini and I can tell you two things, the camera doesn't lie and I need a tan....... and no I won't be posting those until AFTER I'm down the 10%!

hey guys sorry i haven't posted in a while! My starting weight will have to be the same cuz i just moved back to school and forgot a scale! so i'll be getting one soon enough, but here is my plan:

-complete an 8 week beginners running program

-lift weights 3 days a week and drink protein shakes

-start eating a lot less carbs and a lot more protein

-reduce sodium intake to very minimum

-eat 1500 calories or less per day

-drink tons and tons of water!

soobie- congrats on the 950 calorie deficit!

jett69- that sounds exciting to be training for a duathalon, good luck!!!!

corduroyfirekills3- glad you finally got the locker you wanted.  Hopefully its the motivation you need!

Eep! I lost track of the days. Here is my Monday starting info. No change since Thursday:

This week: 152 lbs.

My plan? To exercise for at least 40 min 5 days a week (at least one day on a weekend), eat more vegetables, remember to drink all my water, ease back into running.

nbkelly and jett69: I have weekend "events" for the rest of the month and am wigging out inside but I know we can pull through! (do you guys have any "tips" for handling the temptation and the social pressure?)

jett69: I KNOW!! I mean, about me... :) I took some "future before" pics and I was so disconcerted... I figure they'll please me more after I've lost my 10%

to kbennet1689: good luck with starting this challenge and school at the same time... it seems like we have a few similar goals so we should cheer eachother on!

Day 1 down!  Hello everyone I hope we're all doing well.  I started my zig zag calories yesterday.  Wed. and Saturdays are my high days so it is something to look forward too.  I did my sit-ups and push-ups and they were quick but not quite painless. 

Has anyone tried the shirataki noodles? 8oz are between 0 and 40 calories and all insoluble fiber.  I eat them once a day to help fill up.  My sister just found the tofu ones at her grocery store I have to order them.  I'm all about the food.

Oakmomy24 sorry about the 3 week thing. I'm normally confused.  I would love to do your exercise plan, or rather would love to want too, and do it!   Great job.

I weigh at least 2lbs heavier when I go to bed then when I wake up.  During the day I might go up 5+ lbs depending on what I've eaten.

Soobie fantastic deficit! You'll blow through to the 100's in no time!

Alex I love the before photos!  I have mine posted and look at them often.  They really help keep me motivated. I can't wait till you post the new 10% less photos.

nbkelly  I've heard of a few people who love there wii fit.  I've thought about maybe making it a " prize"  when I reach my goal.  Do you think it's better than dvd's ?  Are there different levels or how does it work?

kbennett1689  Good for you on the running!  It's a program.. are you doing this with a group or on your own?

Hey everyone.  I just updated the spreadsheet.  Please take a look to make sure that everyone's starting weight is correct.  I adjusted some of the goal weights to stick with the 10% theme, unless I heard from you to do otherwise.

Original Post by jett69:

Oh I almost forgot, thanks to alex for being brave enough to post his before photos.  I also took some this morning in my bikini and I can tell you two things, the camera doesn't lie and I need a tan....... and no I won't be posting those until AFTER I'm down the 10%!

You say I'm brave, I say I'm a dreamer ... living out my fantasy of becoming an underwear model! Only kidding.  Oh, and you can't be any whiter than me.  You just gotta figure out the lighting in your photos.  My first attempts looked ghostly!

On Wii Fit for leanne;

I like it better than my DVDs because I find it more motivating. I try to beat my best score and that sort of thing.

There are different sections (yoga, strength, aerobics and balance games). You start with some games and have to unlock other ones and other levels.

For aerobics I like the step and LOVE rhythm boxing (though Hula Hoop is tough too).  I try do do those as well as strength and end with some yoga. I have felt my training the next day. The balance games are more for fun and I will use those at the end of some workouts just for a treat.

Of course, you get as much or as little as you want and there are ways you could cheat but I am actually wanting to use this tool and figure I am only cheating myself if I do that! It's not as intense as a gym or some other methods, but if you are looking to supplement or want something different or just can't do the gym right now it is a great tool! it's also great to have at home if you don't have time for a trip to the gym, etc but can fit in a short workout.

The best things is it tracks your weight and BMI and you can see a graph of your progress...which is nice when it goes down! The bad part is when your Mii gets chubby after your weigh in!!! My goal is to make Mii skinny!!!!

 

 

Haha nbkelly!  The Wii Fit is awesome - I have used it too a couple of times and I love it.  Although I am an XBOX type of guy - and don't own the Wii.

Some other things to consider if you have kids and stuff and other consoles are Dance Dance Revolution and Rockstar/Guitar Hero.

Those games also Burn Calories like mad and they are made for XBOX and PS2/PS3 as well.  I think Dance Dance Revolution has a calorie meter as well.  You can get the mat - put it in your own house and start some crazy dancing.

Guitar Hero and Rockband are a little less "intense" but whenever I play those things I work up a sweat!

Anyways - little things like these incorporated into the "master plan" just help because you don't even THINK of calories at the time you are doing it for plain fun.  My wife and I have Dance Dance Revolution competitions and they can get pretty intense lol.


-Aaron

I'm happy to hear lots of others on here will be cutting back their alcohol with me :)

Day one, yesterday, didn't exactly go smoothly -  2 beer and a large glass of white wine, but how can one resist a beer or two at a bbq, especially when it is possibly the last one of the year?

However, my weight did drop about a quarter of a lb so I guess I at least ate about the right amount of food. This group is really motivating! Today I'm going to go to the gym for a really good workout.