8 Week Challenge - 2 Weeks Down - 6 Weeks to Go!

How'd everyone body do? Report in. Remember, if you didn't meet your goals... you've got 6 more weeks to do it. I know that's how I'm looking at it. LOL! I'm still struggling. Definitely made improvements in water and vitamins as I had hoped but not on exercise. Right now my tattoo hurts on my leg so I'll wait a few more days before hitting the gym... excuses, excuses. Here is the original post. If you didn't join in last week, join now. 6 more weeks to go! ............................................................................................................ 8 Week Challenge - Who Is Down Wid That? Original Post by Kathy & Rich at 5:17 AM PST on 10/30/2006 Fairfax, VA - RNY (05/20/2005) - Joseph Chebli, M.D. Post the things that you'd like to work on in the next 8 weeks. The challenge will last from today until Christmas day which is as you many have guessed - 8 weeks from today. Makes some positive changes. Work on getting in your water or vitamins. Work on getting in your protein. Working on moving your body to get it fit and toned. We'll have a weekly check in for those participating. Remember you can jump in at any time. Some suggestions of things to keep in mind: 1. Try not to post "I want to lose 10 lbs by Christmas" - we all know this far post-op that it is hard to truly gauge how much weight our bodies will lose and how fast/slow it will go. It would be wiser to chose eating, water, vitamin and fitness goals that might yield weight loss when done consistently over the 8 week period. 2. Try not commit to doing anything every single solitary day during the 8 weeks. Do not set yourself up for failure from the start. We all know that is derned near impossible to do something every day. Illness, problems, work, family and just plain life gets in the way. Setting a goal of "I'm going to get 100 oz of water in and all my vitamins in at least 5 days a week every week" is better than saying you are going to do it 7 days a week. See my point? (See I actually did pay attention at Weigh****chers and other therapy type meetings). 3. Be sure to set yourself some cool reward at the end for a job well done. Whether it is buying yourself something if it is in the budget, a spa treatment, or just going to the library and getting a good book and allowing yourself the free time to doing nothing else but sit and read - go for it! So what'll it be. Name your own poison. LOL!

Kathy~ Way to go on making improvements on your vitamins and water! I did really good this past week on my vitamins and water. I was really proud of myself when I went grocery shopping, I bought nothing but healthy things..chicken, vegetables, fruit, eggs...no junk. Well, needless to say, the other half bought chips and ice cream and I got into them I'm still struggling with the sweets but I'm continually falling off the wagon and giving into temptation! I feel that people like to encourage me to eat this crap to try and sabbotage me and my success and I know for a fact my husband liked me heavier.I'm not giving up though, tomorrow is another day. I've also done really well on my exercising, which I feel is my saving grace in all of this. Hope you and everyone else has a great week!

I am on my third week of exercising 4 to 5 days per week. I did that for the first two years after surgery but started to slide a little during this third year, but I am back going and loving it. I am having to build back up to being able to run a mile but I am close. I love running. I am doing better with my food choices. But I am still struggling in the evenings with wanting to snack once I get home from work. So, I still have to work on that. Melissa

The 8 week challenge got me out of bed this morning! I was thinking....hmmm swim, no swim, swim, no swim. Then I got up and went to the pool. Yeah! It also must have broken my stall cause I went down 4 pounds. That was nice too. My other goal is for my pedometer..which has a dead battery. No wonder it didn't keep track of things they way it should! So....I have a goal to go to radio shack and replace the batteries. This may be the first time in my whole life I ever wore out anything like fitness equipment--except when my teenager stretched out my exercise band by building a bottle rocket launcher with it.... Oh well. Thanks for the challenge. I will keep walking....(in the water). Jeannie

Kathy, I have been struggling with emotional eating and those darn sweets. Yesterday, Blane and I started a liquid diet for 3 days then we'll begin like our early post-op days of making good protein choices and low gylcemic vegetables. So far so good, I've had a little hunger but not much. It really is easier for both of us doing this together. I saw my weight reach 128 lbs and freaked out, it's all my fault I haven't eaten well in over 3 weeks. I feel so much better today, and I'm back on my protein shakes which I do believe help me energy wise tremendously. Dana

i am barely jumping on the 8 week challenge. My goals are to cut down sweets to possibly none by Christmas. I plan to exercise 3 times a week. That is my goal.. the reward- the butterfly tattoo that I want to celebrate my 1 year anniversary today from surgery.. and when i cut out the sweets and exercise 3 times a week for 20 min. I know I am well deserving of my butterfly tattoo.

I've stuck to my guns and stayed on the plan. I only weigh on the 15th of the month, so I'll try to remember to post my success tomorrow. Have a Great Day, Karen G

Hi Everyone: My goals were: 1. Workout 3-5 days per week, increasing resistance each week. I just started a fitness program, and I'm noticing the benefits of exercise. Worked out 4 days last week 2. Get in my water, at least 64oz Getting the water on the days I work out, not doing so well on the others. 3. Make healthy snack choices. This is going to be a hard one, I've got to think about it a little bit and pinpoint exactly what I want to do here. Maybe I'll go with no snacking after 8:00 pm Monday - Friday. This is oh so hard, too many temptations around the office. 4. Stick with the challenge for the next 8 weeks. Two down, only 6 to go.

So far - 1) Upped exercise from next to nothing (ha) to 4-5 times a week - swimming and karate. 2) Cut out sugar - other than 2-3 small cheats - have cut out sugar for about 2 weeks now. Have been several days at a time without processed sugar and that is a miracle for me. Was having daily, several times a day. This has really helped me cut out refined carbs also. Really don't crave them as much without the sugar in my diet, and that was a great side-effect. 3) Been drinking lots of water, and getting in my supplements. Need to pick up my multivitamins tomorrow. Thanks, DeAnna

Hi everyone, I can't believe 2 wks are gone so quickly. So how am i doing? Well I should have made my goal to up my fluid intake. I have a kidney stone i am trying to pass since Friday, so i am doing great on the fluids......LOL I am doing well staying away from sweets... Too nauseaus to eat.....but the excersise well lets just say my second intense workout is when this stone started moving... AGONY! Overall, given what i am dealing with I'm doing great if i say so myself. P.S. my urologist says he's getting rich off the bariatric surgeons patients. SOOOO many stones so little time. He states we need to see a nephrologist to alter our diets so these don't occur.reoccur. Great, now they tell me. Peace,Melinda