2010 Lose-A-Pound-A-Week Challenge

[madhen]

The name says it all.

We did this in 2009, and those who stuck with it, and posted regularly, regardless of whether they lost their pound that week, pretty much all lost weight this last year. Some lost a LOT of weight, some lost just a few pounds, but they all are going to start 2010 weighing less than they did on January 1, 2009.

So who wants to start the journey toward being healthy and physically fit? (Or for you 2009 LAPAW people, toward being even MORE healthy and fit! )

The name of the challenge is "lose a pound a week" because I thought that would be a healthy goal, and an achievable one, for most of us. Most people who had success in 2009 found that they did so by keeping some sort of food log, either here on FV or privately, and by reporting one day every week on their weight, good or bad. You don't have to do that, but it does appear to be a good recipe for success.

So welcome to the challenge, and let the fat loss begin!!

[McD]

I am in!! Now that I have had Maggie and am completely done with baby-havings, I want to get back in shape.

I am currently at 118 lbs, with no tone to my flabby-abby bread-dough looking stomach. My goal weight is 100 lbs, with tone. (Don't get all freaked out, I am 4'10, 100 lbs. is a totally healthy weight for me).

To accomplish this I am doing several things:
1. I am joining the city employee gym. It's 10$ a month and deducted directly from my paycheck. They have an elliptical and I can drop weight like crazy when I run.
2. I am going to wean myself from my pyschotic pop addiction and drink more water.
3. I am going to eat healthy! Healthy. Healthy. Anyone have any tips for this? I hate eating healthy.

[EmilyD]

I am going to try this challenge again, hopefully with more success than last year.

My official goal is to lose about 25 pounds which is half your challenge, but it would put me at the next step in my goal, to finally and permanently reenter "Onederland" ... to be under the 200 pound mark. I will not know that actual amount of that goal until I officially start my "plan and program" on the 4th of Jan.

My daughter is throwing a big bash, first one since she moved back to Colorado. My younger daughter finished her move back this weekend and will also be there, so no "diet" planned. dh goes back to his regular schedule on Mon the 4th, hence the weird start date.

My unofficial goal will be to lose 50 pounds which is closer to your challenge but not something I actually think I can accomplish. If I meet the first goal, I will be content.

[madhen]

I should clarify that the challenge is not to lose 52 pounds for the year, but just to lose a pound a week until you reach your goal. Several people on last year's challenge reached their goals after 20-30 pounds, then just stayed on the thread to give themselves a support group to maintain that loss.

So, 1 pound to 200 pounds or more, doesn't matter. Just try to fling one weekly.

[madhen]

Nichole, two suggestions for you right here on FV. The first is the "7 a day" challenge to eat 7 servings of fruits/veggies a day. The second is the "Push-Up/Crunch Monkey challenge" of doing one push-up/crunch on Jan 1, 2 on Jan 2, etc. Debbie-cat and I started doing it in Nov of 2009, and I don't know about DC, but I can definitely tell the difference in my arms, back and stomach.

[EmilyD]

I believe the "kindest" way to eat healthy is to start where you are right now ... pick one GOOD habit you want to aquire .. not delete .. like eating 5 fruits and veggies a day.

Build on that weekly or every two weeks .. make it a habit, then add another goal .. like eating a fatty fish serving once a week (omega-3)(tuna, salmon, etc).

If you want to try to delete a habit , do it while you add another .. so it doesn't seem like you are giving up as much.

Add your physical stuff a little at a time as well .. if you are not walking now, walk for 10 min a day for a week or two to build yourself up. Then add 5 min. and possibly another activity to add exercise. I try to add a little yoga for stretching and ball crunched for tumming toning, and maybe a little weight work in the upper, lower, and core areas for a balanced program.

[EmilyD]

I was waiting to see if you were "offering" the 7 a day and monkey crunches for 2010 before suggesting them

I would be lucky to get 5 a day but 7 is a great thing to strive for.

[peanut]

I'm in. I lost 17 pounds in 2009 with this thread. I want to lose another 15 this year. Right now I'm plateaued. But I'm also not exercising as much as I should. So my focus this year will be on making exercise more of a habit.

I have the home workout plan provided by a physiotherapist/exercise specialist to work on in winter here. But it seems I get distracted and end up doing other things. I've managed to keep walking. And I have DVDs I could use to boost the energy output in my routine. So I'm going to work with those for now.

Also need to pay more attention to water intake. I notice it's less than I thought it was this past year. I carry a glass around with me all day, but rarely drink from it! Grr...gotta get in the habit...

[madhen]

I would have also suggested the water consumption challenge, but I knew she was already in that one.

[never2late]

Oh I so need this! I worked sooo many OT hours this year to get my debt paid down, but unfortunately that added about 15 pounds to my already overweight body. (My job is totally sedentary, sitting and typing). Now that I feel I have my debt under control, it's time to start working on the other "excess" areas of my life.

[QM]

Woohoo!...Three newbies already!!! Hi, MrsMcDowell, EmilyD and never2late. Welcome to the "2010 Lose-A-Pound-A-Week" thread. This is the greatest place to hang out because there are so many wonderful and supportive people on this thread. I can't wait for more to join!

We can do it, everyone!!! No matter where we are in our weight loss journey, we all encounter a lot of the same struggles and challenges. Our bodies will thank us for it in the end.

I started this challenge in January of 2009 and have lost over 30 lbs. At present, I want to maintain my goal weight. In the month of December I gained about 5 lbs, so that's what I have to lose right now. Maybe in the spring when all the fresh veggies and fruit come out, I'll try to lose another 5 lbs, but that's about it.

The 'good habits' that I need to focus on are...
1) chew each bite 20 to 30 times
2) drink the full recommended amount of water each day
3) keep my calorie range between 1,200 to 1,500 each day
4) plan ahead all my meals and snacks (this would help me soooo much!)
5) try to do a few crunches each day
6) post what I eat on this thread each day

The 'bad habits' that I need to focus on eliminating/minimizing are...
1) eating my favourite salty snack (nachos & salsa)
2) not planning ahead
3) 'giving up' for the day because I've gone over my daily calorie intake


Breakfast - 1 cup of Cheerios (110 calories) with 1/2 cup of 1% milk (53 calories) and 2 mugs of black coffee (4 calories)

Morning Snack - 7 crackers (63 calories) and one mug of black coffee (2 calories)

Lunch (still needs to be prepared) - one large 'spring mix' salad with green peppers, carrots, celery, one can of tuna and 4 tbsp of calorie-wise salad dressing (250 calories) and a large glass of water

[Spikey1341]

I'm in. I desperately need this. I had Weight Loss Surgery 3 years ago and put back on about 22 lbs. I never got down to my goal, and I refuse to get bigger clothes. 1 lb a week is very doable. I need to cut out the sweets that I have been inhailing lately and get some movement in. Time to dust off the Wii Fit!

[QM]

...I need to cut out the sweets that I have been inhailing lately...

Welcome, Spikey1341! Sweets over the holidays was my downfall. There were so many, and they were so good. After my in-laws left, I threw the plate of goodies away. I know that it was wasteful, but I'd be the one eating the majority of them if I didn't.

...Now that I have had Maggie and am completely done with baby-havings, I want to get back in shape...

I know that this is a personal question, MMD, but are you breastfeeding? If you are, you'll need to eat about 300-500 additional calories above your pre-pregnancy needs each day.

3. I am going to eat healthy! Healthy. Healthy. Anyone have any tips for this? I hate eating healthy.

I don't have any great tips other than to focus on it. It's so easy to open the pantry door and check out the cookies/crackers. If you plan ahead like having cut-up veggies in water in the fridge for when you get the munchies, it will really help! Don't think that cut-up veggies is the only snack you can have. There are many delicious and healthy snacks...such as air-popped popcorn, cottage cheese, grapes, protein bars, hard-boiled eggs, non-fat yogurt, frozen yogurt, sunflower seeds, sliced apples, fruit smoothies and the list could go on. What's important is that you plan ahead so you don't have times when you don't know what to eat.

[peanut]

Frozen grapes helps with the sweet tooth Spikey1341. I hear you about sweets. I'm struggling right now too. Tonight and tomorrow are the last sweet days for us for a long while...oops...forgot, company's coming. May have to adjust my menu plan for that.

QM: I simply don't have crackers around...unless they're ww saltines or something healthy like Finn-Crisp. If they're in the house, I'll eat them. So I just don't have them.

[brenda67]

I've needed to lose the 55 lbs that I gained when i quit smoking Almost 3yrs ago now. I need to feel better physically as well as building myself esteem/confidence back to where I feel good about myself again...I plan on using my Wii fit to help me burn some extra calories.