* June's challenge yourself team *

[~reneew]

This month we challenge ourselves!

This is for anybody who needs encouragement and accountability. After all, the world can see this. We will all keep tabs on eachother. Think of this as your own little cheering section.


- State your challenge to yourself at the top of your post and then update us as to how you're doing. It's O.K. to not post daily, but try to keep us updated.
- *Remember* to only post once at the top and edit that first post all month.
- Please re-read that last one, some people don't get it.
- after June 2nd we will continue posting at the bottom for encouragement and fun.
- This team is meant for all of us to give support, so lets try hard to do that.
- good luck and have fun with it!

[~reneew]

* *

I am challenging myself to absolutely no reds on my habitcal... one week at a time.

No more wishy-washy for this chick! I will reward myself with a huge green star at the top of this post for every all-green week I have. The last week of June is a half week, but I will be counting it as a full week. I want to see if I can get 5 stars, but my challenge is to see how many I can get! My 4 kids will be out of school and around with food temptations left and right, so I need to get tough with myself. I also have a 25 year class reunion to look forward to.

* My computer is experiencing technical difficulties, so if I appear to be missing, I'm still tracking and will return when this computer is fixed.

1--
2-- S day for me... last day of school
3--
4-- ug, my son's birthday... pizza... cake... not counting as an S
5-- S day
6-- S day
7-- barely
8-- barely. ug.
9--
10-
11- and my first green week star up at the top!
12- S day
13- S day
14-
15-:mrgreen:
16-:mrgreen:I'm doing good! I think that my starting to weigh myself on Monday instead of Friday is really helping me!
17-
18- going to be busy, planning ahead
19- S day
20- S day
21- On vacation all week. I'd call it red, but it wasn't too bad. We were camping, I was off schedule, I didn't keep track, I exeercied a ton, but I maintained weight.
22-
23-
24-
25-
26- S day
27- S day
28- getting back on track
29-
30- cookies again. I had to make them for company coming. I should have taped my mouth shut and froze them.

Technical difficulties.
Serious computer issues. And when I can't do the habitcal, I'm in trouble.

[mrsj]

I'm in! My challenge to myself is to get no sweets and snacks to be habit.

I will reward myself with a green sparkly!

01 June: Starting good!

It's been a while, sorry folks. Luckily I have a pocket calendar that I write EVERYTHING in! Here goes:

2-10 June:
11 June: I ate like a horse all day. I just couldn't feel full. I gorged on everything in sight!
12-17 June:

[butterfly1000]

I like the challenge name you chose Reneew!

I challenge myself to do at least 15 minutes of physical activity 5 times a week (could be the gym, walking, playing games outside, etc.). I know it's not a very big challenge, but I'm hoping that by increasing exercise, it will motivate me to change eating habits.

Week of May 31st
Mon: 20 min walk (more like a stroll, but better than nothing!)
Tue: ---
Wed: 20 min walk
Thu: gym 30 min
Fri: ---
Sat: ---
Sun: ---

Only 3 times this week -- have to try harder next week.

Week of June 7th
Mon: gym
Tue: walk
Wed: gym 2 more to go
Thu: walk 1 more to go
Fri: gym MET MY OBJECTIVE !!
Sat:
Sun:walk

Week of June 14
Mon: --
Tue: -- not doing well so far ... feeling totally drained of energy this week.
Wed:
Thu:
Fri:
Sat:
Sun:

[Royce]

I challenge myself to:

NO FREAKIN ALCOHOL in June.

Turns out when I'm sober I can do pretty good. As soon as alcohol passes through the lips..........yeesh it's scary [/url]

[sophiasapientia]

I'd love to participate in this month's challenge. My personal challenge is to stay on track with my vanilla No S habit and my exercise routine, both of which I will update here.

Go Team June! We can do this!

June
1 Over 18,000 steps including 60 minutes skiwalking & mowing part of lawn
2 Over 14,000 steps, including 60 minutes skiwalking
3 Over 15,000 steps, including 60 minutes skiwalking & mowing part of lawn
4 Over 14,000 steps including 60 minutes skiwalking
5 Over 12,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking & short walk w/ family
6 Over 10,000 steps, including 50 minutes skiwalking
7 Over 19,000 steps, including 60 minutes skiwalking & mowing part of lawn
8 Over 15,000 steps, including 50 minutes skiwalking
9 Over 14,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking, mowing part of backyard & Shovelglove
10 Over 14,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking, mowing part of backyard & Shovelglove
11 Over 14,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking, mowing part of lawn & Shovelglove
12 Over 12,000 steps, including 50 minutes skiwalking
13 Over 10,000 steps, including 60 minutes skiwalking
14 50 minutes of skiwalking plus Shovelglove. Over 12,000 steps on pedometer but doesn't take into account 5 hours at waterpark today.
15 Over 14,000 steps, including 45 minutes of skiwalking, trek w/ DD to park & Shovelglove
16 Over 16,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking & mowing lawn
17 (NWS/Trip to amusement park)
18 Over 12,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking & Shovelglove
19 Over 12,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking
20 Over 13,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking
21 16,500 steps, including 60 minutes skiwalking & mowing front lawn (Exempt from SG as I'm still dealing with pain issues)
22 Over 15,000 steps. No formal workout but a goodly amount of time playing with DD at park and housework.
23 Over 15,000 steps, including 45 minutes of skiwalking and mowing backyard
24 Over 15,000 steps, including 45 minutes of skiwalking, nature hike w/ DD & mowing part of lawn
25 Over 15,000 steps, including 50 minutes of skiwalking
26 Over 8,000 steps. Spent a fun day with family but a lot of time in car. S Day somewhat over the top.
27 Very sedentary day. We had majors storms (thunderstorms/tornados) going on and I just didn't bother.
28 Over 18,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking, mowing front lawn & time at park w/ DD
29 Over 19,000 steps, including 45 minutes skiwalking, mowing backyard & walk w/ family
30 Over 17,500 steps, including 50 minutes skiwalking & time at park w/ DD

6/9/10: Took on Shovelglove as my monthly resolution so I will be doing Shovelglove, on N Days, for 14 minutes. I am exempt from Shovelglove on any N Day that I mow our entire large lawn. I weighed in at 124 lbs this morning.

6/10/10: I took a couple of small tastes to make sure a pasta salad I prepared for a potluck tomorrow night was edible/seasoned right ... but I'm taking pass on that. I did skip the yummy snacks served at a PTO meeting this afternoon.

[Grammy G]

I am going to go the Butterfly route and exercise: walk.. yoga.. weights.. stairs.. swim..just m-o-v-e with purpose and vigor at least 20 minutes a day... at least 5 days a week. I will have 2 break days a wk
Reneew, I haven't been here for awhile and it made me laugh out loud to see you are still the queen of the monthly challenge! I have never given it a try and decided I really need this to keep me focused.
I am glad to be back and need all the help I can get to get back on track...I am sorry to say I know this is always a supportive group and I am at the right place!!
We can all reach our goals!!
(revised chart for the month)
WEEK 1: break break SUCCESS!
WEEK 2: break break SUCCESS!
WEEK 3: break break boohoo! I messed myself up on day 21!!
WEEK 4: break break SUCCESS!
WEEK 5: break end of the month and preeeety good!

[idontknow]

My challenge is to record green N days throughout the month. I managed 20 days last month but then lost the plot. Looking forward to the challenge this month! This week is particularly tricky as it's school holidays - lots of outings and a lack of structure to the days.

1 June
2 June
3 June
4 June
5 June
6 June
7 June
8 June
9 June
10 June
11 June
12 June
13 June
14 June
15 June
16 June
17 June
18 June
(Not a good week - determined to do better next week)
19 June
20 June
21 June Hurrah! Back on track!
22 June
23 June
24 June
25 June
26 June
27 June
28 June
29 June
30 June

[paulawylma]

MY challenge for June. Plain Vanilla NO S as documented in the book. No Snacks, No Sweets, No Seconds except on days that begin with S. The Sometimes is not listed in the book, but obvious since no one is required to eat snacks, sweets or seconds on any S day--that doesn't change the fact that they are S days. My goal is for no red days. I had only 2 red days in May and since I am on vacation for a week in June, it's really only 3 weeks and 3 days (vacation days are exempt, unless they are extended vacations according to the book). I'm going camping, so it's not a problem anyway.

Biggest challenge: in addition to vanilla No S, I am going to try to weigh in only once per week on Wednessdays. I will make an exemption for my vacation, I will weigh Sunday before I leave and on Monday after I return ( I always weigh in the mornings).
Paula

June 1 -
June 2 - weight: 252.4 lbs (high see posting below)
June 3 - day off, no problem staying on No S.
June 4 - sucess but it was a bit harder.
June 5 - exempt Work Day.
June 6 - exempt
June 7 -
June 8 - took a sanity day off from work, but kept it an N day!
June 9 - some temptation in the eve but managed to resist. weight: 250.4 lbs--not true weight loss due to last week being a high flucuation.
June 10 - Red day: I absentmindedly tasted dinner while it was cooking and then did what I tell others not to--and decided that if it was a red day, I might as well enjoy it. Oh, well, as Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day."
June 11 -
June 12 - exempt
June 13 - exempt
June 14 -
June 15 - red day worked late for OT got home hungry and decided to virtual plate while dinner was cooking--but way overdid the plating.
June 16 -
June 17 -
June 18 -
June 19 - exempt
June 20 - exempt
June 21 - exempt
June 22 - exempt
June 23 - exempt
June 24 - exempt
June 25 - exempt
June 26 - exempt
June 27 - exempt
June 28 -
June 29 - Car in shop--unstable bus schedule
June 30 - car back in shop--unstable bus schedule

Sorry for the late updates, I decided to change Isps and stopped my service before my camping trip and just got the new service this morning (the 3rd).

[ShannahR]

Hi everyone!
I've come back to the challenges for this month. I could really use some help with my version of "14 minutes of anything" which I have entitled 15minbeachbod. 15minbeachbod is 15 min of anything strength training, mostly I lift or do pilates with DVDs. I did a great job of it when I started in March, and April was pretty good too. I completely fell apart in May and I don't want that to also happen in June
Here is my challenge:

18 greens for 15minbeachbod in June!

6/7/2010 Amendment to 15minbeachbod challenge: I have expanded 15minbeachbod to include extra urban rangering (10-30 min) that I do during the work day. I am also allowed to get greens for 15minbeachbod activities on the weekend. I made these changes to increase compliance.

June
1 SUCCESS
2 EXEMPT--I've got a killer cold and can hardly breathe. I feel bad about skipping 15minbeachbod but I'm trying to be nice to my body.
3 EXEMPT--Breathing is still a challenge.
4 EXEMPT--Ugh! When is this cold going to give up?!?
5 S day
6 S day
7 SUCCESS, 10 min urban ranger
8 SUCCESS, 30 min urban ranger
9 SUCCESS, 25 min urban ranger--had to get it done early, it's supposed to rain all afternoon
10 SUCCESS, 30 min urban ranger
11 SUCCESS , 30 min urban ranger
12 S day
13 S day
14 FAILURE Had alot of work to do in the morning. By the time I could do my walk it was way too hot outside!
15 SUCCESS 30 min urban ranger Nothing like a walk to help sort out your thoughts.
16 SUCCESS, 30 min urban ranger
17 SUCCESS, 25 min urban ranger Half-way there! Yipee!
18 SUCCESS, 30 min urban ranger
19 S day
20 S day
21
22
23 Extreme heat
24 I hate to be pessimistic but it's too hot for urban ranger!
25
26 S day
27 S day
28 Excessive heat warning again. Luckily the temps are finally going down tomorrow! I know it's impossible to make my goal for this month. However I'm still going to do my best for Tues and Weds!
29 , 25 min urban ranger
30 , 30 min urban ranger

[mimi]

I am going to go the Butterfly route and exercise: walk.. yoga.. weights.. stairs.. swim..just m-o-v-e with purpose and vigor at least 20 minutes a day... at least 5 days a week...I really need this to keep me focused.
I am glad to be back and need all the help I can get to get back on track...I am sorry to say I know this is always a supportive group and I am at the right place!!

So glad you're back Grammy G!
DITTO for me...I've had such a terrible time lately - it's been REALLY bad, but starting today I'm picking myself up, brushing off the crumbs (as someone once said) and getting back on track with NoS and exercise. I will exercise as much and for as long as my ankle allows me - hopefully 3-5 days each week. We'll see how it goes. I have good days and not-so-good days with it, but I'll take them as they come.
There will be two weeks of vacationing this month out West beginning the 14th (but I'll have my laptop with me), a week of class at the end of the month, and then a week at the beach the first week of July with my daughter and two grandkids. Looking forward to it all... NoS will work perfectly.
Love,
Mimi

P.S. I think I 'll use the green stars like Renee...easier than daily posting maybe!

WEEK ONE: NoS ** * *

exercise *

[kccc]

June challenge for me:

1) Twenty-one day Vanilla Re-boot to reclaim some habits that have gotten sloppy. I'm on Day 3... and if I keep it up, I can finish just before vacation!
2) Continue increasing pedometer steps (no specific target, just "more")
3) "Mindful eating" practice daily - not all-meals-all-the-time, because that would make me crazy, but at least a part of a meal each day. Even a few bites count.

And I usually don't report here b/c I keep a habitcal, but I'll do a weekly report this time around.

WEEK 1 UPDATE (Friday, June 4)
1. On Day 7 of 21-day "re-boot"
2. Went to a conference last week, and got my walking in at a good level. I got at least 8000/day, up to 12000. Broke 10,000 on M, T, W. (This is much better than I've been doing. Not sure it will continue at this level in the coming week.)
3. Mindful eating - have been doing some each day, and several times have left food on my plate as I realize I'm full!! This one is hard, but self-reinforcing because it results in more enjoyment of my food. The trick is to balance it so that I continue to enjoy doing it, and it doesn't feel like a chore.

Current weight - 147 (My long-term normal is 143-145, but I'd gradually drifted up to 150. My energy/exercise balance had shifted due to lifestyle changes. I'm now addressing that.)

So, a very good week to start off.

Week 2 update (Friday, June 11)
Weight still at 147, but that's okay - I usually bump down in "steps," then it holds for a while.
1) Sticking to vanilla.
2) Walking... broke 10,000 steps on Saturday, Sunday, Tu and Th. Did yoga/pilates on M/W. Nothing on Friday (yet!)
3) Mindful eating... not doing as frequently, so this check-in is a reminder. Though I did leave some lunch twice this week, because I noticed I was full. So, a step forward.

Week 3 update (Friday, June 18 )
Weight is just a hair over 146 - definitely under 147, and the lowest I've seen in months now. (My "normal" is 143-145.)
1) Sticking to vanilla - and I think I've hit my 21 days. Doesn't mean I'm stopping, lol!
2) Walking - broke 10000 only twice this week (Sunday and Thursday), I did do yoga/Pilates/T-Tapp on other days. Still lower than last week, but I am trying! My average is definitely up since beginning the pedometer-wearing.
3) Mindful eating - I totally forgot (doh!!) for a few days, but still hit my minimum because the habit had been set... but could see that without reinforcement, it will go away. Working on it. It IS nice to eat more appreciatively - a fresh peach is AMAZINGLY good. And as a spin-off of eating a bit more mindfully, I have left food on my plate several times. (That is new to me - I have a strong "clean your plate" history. Usually, my portion control is done in advance, by what I put on my plate to begin with; once it's there, I tend to eat it. So, I consider leaving some to be a definite sign of progress.)

My son left part of his dessert last night - one I know he loves. As he left the table, I asked if he wanted the rest of it and he said "No. I know when to stop." I am pleased that he can listen to his body so well. Maybe he won't have to relearn that skill later, as I am doing.

Final report (July 4)
Left on vacation right after my last post. Before I did, I had what I have come to call a "face-down Friday." It includes overeating, but also staying up too late, usually reading or something FOR ME. However, there's an air of "so there!" to it that undermines enjoyment. And I usually feel awful the next day. Looking back on my thread, I realize these happen every three-four weeks... something to think on.

Vacation went well. I did "one S-event a day" and pretty much stuck to it, except toward the end. Some days, I didn't bother having anything... nothing was "S-worthy." And I DID keep a basic 3-meal structure, which I think helped a LOT. I worried that I was overeating because of all the restaurant meals, but my weight this morning was the same as when I left (146 - 146.5). So, that's fine.

However, "mindful eating" needs a re-boot. Why is that so hard to REMEMBER? Will revisit that for July, I think.

[Scrybil]

I want in! I want in! Still pretty new to NoS, so will do the vanilla thing for the month. Thanks for putting this out there!
June
1 SUCCESS
2 SUCCESS
3 SUCCESS Ran 3, dinner out, feeling strong
4 SUCCESS Dinner at home, concert tonite, nice run
5 S day
6 S day Both Sat & Sun have been 'reasonable' I did have seconds on the salad at dinner tonight, and Sat I ate 1/2 box Trisuits....but then got hold of myself. Ran this morning, walked yeterday. Good weekend!
7 SUCCESS Have poison ivy on my face - yuk!
8 SUCCESS Nice,long run tonite
9 SUCCESS Went BOWLING! What a hoot!
10 SUCCESS OK, so now I can't move. Who knew bowling was exercise?
11 SUCCESS until midnight when I launched into snacking - technically, fell onto Saturday but it was nighttime eating on a NoS Day so I'm marking the FAILURE and moving on.....sort of
12 S day Not happy today. Guilty about midnight snacking, feeling lethargic. I think I actually DISLIKE my Sdays!
13 S day Long hot bike ride today & ate moderately - Good day!
14 SUCCESS Crappy work day
15 SUCCESS Crappier work day - I gotta stop going there!
16 SUCCESS
17 SUCCESS
18 Sick, feeling lousy.....made this an S day
19 S day -feeling much better today, lots of sleep helps!
20 SUCCESS Biked, hot!
21 FAILURE Crap! Hi stress day,couldn't sleep, snacked at midnight - AUGH!
22 SUCCESS
23 SUCCESS Slept great last night,nice run this morning - back on track
24 SUCCESS SO hot today, went for walk tonight & was roasting at 9pm
25 FAILURE Friday nite snackdown. Did great all day, lost it in the snacks in the evening.
26 S day Good day, reasonable food
27 S day Good day, had to go into office, but had a nicebikeride this a.m.
28 SUCCESS
29 SUCCESS
30

[satikat]

I'll start my challenge tomorrow. I'm going to be camping for 2 weeks in August and I need to improve my overall body condition. I'm also unemployed and in school full time, so it's too easy for me to sit all day.

I'll also be adhering to vanilla noS and recording that.

Do aerobics for 30 minutes daily AND pilates or yoga or weight training for 30 minutes 5 days a week.

1st column: NoS 2nd column: yoga/pilates/weight training 3rd column: aerobics
June 2: food poisoning
June 3:
June 4:
June 5: exempt
June 6: exempt
June 7 woot! did all three!
June 8 new job, lots of physical labor= unexpectedly hungry
June 9
June 10
June 11
June 12: exempt
June 13: exempt
June 14
June 15
June 16
June 17
June 18
June 19 exempt
June 20 exempt (over did saturday and was a slug on sunday!)
June 21
June 22
June 23
June 24 (joyous fail- i was gifted a death by chocolate cupcake *sigh*)
June 25 exempt (moved my S day to friday from sunday)
June 26 exempt
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30

[oolala53]

I'm challenging myself to using S day mods along with Vanilla N days at least until the summer solstice, which is June 21 this year. That will also coincide with a new 21-day streak for me, which would be my first after perfect vanilla No S from jan. 1st until april. I haven't figured out what the mods will be, but I can't keep eating whole packages of Dove chocolate pieces and whole batches of chocolate chip cookies on the weekends.

Jun1 success!
Jun 2 failure, although I may go back and call it a declared S day, as I started the day sick.
Jun 3 & 4 success!
June 5. Failure! by S-mods terms.
success! with Vanilla No S.
June 6. Failure! by S-mods terms. Vanilla S success!.
June 7 Success!
June 8. Success!
June 9 and 10, Wed. and Thurs. Successes!
June 11 Success!
June 12: Vanilla No S exempt My S-day mod: success
June 13: Vanilla No S exempt My S-day mod: success
June 14: success
June 15: success
June 16: success
June 17: success
June 18: success
June 19: Vanilla No S exempt My S-day mod: success
June 20: Vanilla No S exempt My S-day mod: failure
June 21: Success
June 22: Success
June 23: Success
June 24: Success
June 25: Success
June 26 Vanilla No S exempt My S-day mod: failure
June 27 Vanilla No S exempt My S-day mod: failure
June 28: Success
June 29: Success
June 30

[paulawylma]

I almost forgot to weigh on Wednessday --my challenge is to weigh only once a week on Wednessday due to the fact that with my weight flucuates. So, it was difficult for me to see the modest losses since re-starting No S until I looked back 6 weeks (lost 3 lbs, posted on another thread). I put a sign on my scale that reads, "Stop, Wed only" in red letters. I saw it on Wednessday and due to the Monday holdiay thought it was Tuesday until after breakfast when my brain woke up. My weight was 2 lbs higher than last week and 1 lb higher than what I considered my "real weight". My weight flucuatates by about 5 lbs during the month and later in the day on Wednessday I started my peroid, so I don't consider my weight this week to be a true weight. It will be interesting to see what my weight next week is.

[kccc]

Weekly update (~reneew, should I be putting this in my initial post up above? I was afraid it wouldn't show up.)

[Moved to my initial post]

[~reneew]

KCCC... I usually say to edit your first post just so we can all find everyone's at the top, but it doesn't matter. Whatever

Lets go folks!!! I didn't make a week yet, but I had several special events this week and get down to a fairly regular new summer schedule on Monday, so I have high hopes.

[oolala53]

See update added to Wed. June 5.

[~reneew]

Push yourself to do great this week!
Give it your all and see how much easier it gets when you do 21 in a row. It honestly becomes automatic! I want 21! Lets do it!!!

[Nichole]

I am challenging myself to keep sweets to minimum!!! Last trimester, have to keep it healthy.

More info: I exercise Monday - Friday and one day of the weekend. Mostly recumbant stationary bike and every other day I do free weights.

1
2
3
4
Saturday, 5 - two pieces of cake at wedding
Sunday, 6 - No desserts! Yay!
7 - Fail! Small piece of homemade cookie.
8 - A couple small squares of chocolate, but otherwise okay!
9 - Gonna call this a yellowish day because it was MOSTLY healthy, but I had a s'more. Weight is great! Baby moves around lots now.
10- GREEEEEEEEN
11 - Green again.
Sat, 12 - Piece of cake and some ice cream for Step-Dad's b'day
Sun, 13 - A little bit of ice cream, threw the rest away.
14- Pretty good. I'm going to say "Green".
15 - GREEN!!!!! Husband said to me, "you want a Blizzard?" To which I said, "NOW?" (It was 9 pm and a Tuesday!). "...Yeah" Me: No.
16 - Totally Green. I am doing so well! It makes me feel good that I am taking good care of myself and my baby. 17ish pounds gained.
17 - Greenn
18 - Vacation. Didn't go overboard. Only dessert was some Kohr Brother's ice cream and some fudge.
Sat, 19 - Vacation. Kohr Bro's again and fudge. Hardly any snacks.
Sun, 20 - Father's Day - Sliver of ice cream cake.
21- Came down with FOOD POISONING! Was in hospital 12 am to 7 am trying to get hydrated. Ate hardly anything all day, until dinner around 9:30 (I had been sleeping) - Cambell's Condensed, didn't even finish it, and some crackers.

[satikat]

helped me get off my butt and do the aerobics i needed to do.

thanks!

also0 got a part time job doing mostly physical labor, so that will help with some of the weight training days and possibly some of the aerobics

[~reneew]

Wow you guys! I see tons of green smiles!

mrsj... a successful week under your thinning belt!
butterfly... it was a green yesteday, only 4 more for the week!
royce... are we sober or getting the munchies?
Julia... all green! Keep it up!
sopiasapientia... all green and wow, you make me tired reading about all of those steps!
grammy G... successful all week last week. Do it again
idon'tknow... green green
paulawylma... you too!
shannahR... feeling well yet? Kick back at it with successful greens!
mimi... green and moving! Great!
KCCC... you've done a very good week, keep it up!
scrybil... so successful and green that you developed poison ivy!
satikat... food poisoning? Yuck! Take care!
oolala55... I'm struggling too. Lets keep the rest of the week green and check on eachother!
Nicole... I for got you were prego! How fun fun. Take care of yourself and freeze the cookies until the weekend. Any nasty cravings?



Did I miss anyone?



Lets go challengers!!! The beginning of the summer kind of sets the habit-sceene for the entire summer, so set the good habits now!

[Nichole]

Lol thanks! I'm 27 weeks. 18 lbs gained ...

And husband gave me that because it was the very last piece of the last batch I made and I'm not making anymore . So it should be pretty easy from here on out.

Guy at work's daughters are selling homemade cookies for 25 cents for Haiti (how cute!) but I am resisting.

[Grammy G]

RENEEW: YOU go girl!!! so besides taking care of 4 kids, you are taking care to encourage all of us...well..right back atcha !!!
Hope to see a BIG GREEN STAR in that post of yours!!

[butterfly1000]

Reneew,
You're incredible -- taking the time for a personalized message to each of us. Support like this is the main reason I keep coming back to this site.
Thank you!!!

[paulawylma]

Sorry, I accidentally duplicated my post when I edited it from my ipod Touch instead of the computer.

[oolala53]

bump

[Grammy G]

Maybe we need an 0fficial bumper !!!

[butterfly1000]

I met my objective this week -- some kind of physical activity on at least 5 days per week. Will try to do some physical activity over the week-end as well -- but if I'm not able to, it still feels good that I at least met my 5 times objective this week. I'll try to do it again next week!

[paulawylma]

Butterfly,
Have you read the Urban ranger posts? It sounds like you are headed that way. Reinhard didn't just use No S to lose weight that was the diet or gluttony solution. For Sloth or exercise, he used both shovelglove (strength training) and urban ranger (walking program). In Urban ranger, you walk on N days and have S days off.

I don't know the details of Urban ranger--just check the bulletin board.

[butterfly1000]

Butterfly,
Have you read the Urban ranger posts? It sounds like you are headed that way.

No, I don't usually read those -- I'll check them out. Thanks!

[~reneew]

Brag or confess? How was your week everyone??? I made a green star for the week, but just barely.

[oolala53]

I don't know if you saw any of my posts about it, but last weekend I overate and my tolerance has declined so much so that I was nauseous off and on for days. I thought I must be cured. I promised myself that this weekend I was just going to eat meals, casually snack a bit, but have only a portion of dessert with meals, not grazing sugar all day. Yet, I started today with chocolate chips after my left-over shrimp taco breakfast. That is not what I meant by dessert aftr a meal.

I'm praying I am not an idiot today. Oh, someone rescue me!

[Grammy G]

oolala you may have to try my trick of staying as far away fro the source of food as possibe! I hide out in my little tiny study and read or meditate or do something on the computer. I shut the door and put on music and avoid TV with its commercials for foods... this is the best rescue work I can do from a computer!!
reneew how exciting!! great job!!
to all posters good work!! Looks like everyone is trying their best, a,d that is all anyone can ask of you!!
My story I am (as usual) a bit out of step with the rest of you! i decided to begin with June 1st and count 7days as a week with 5 of those requiring me to exercise with "vim and vigor". It is working!! and most days I am inspired to do more than 20 minutes of more than one activity. I began tracking what and for how long but gave that up here although I do keep track of it on paper. Here is an advantage I hadn't planned: It seems that if I must exercise on my S days, I am less likely to snack/eat off the charts! I am going to keep that in mind for future use! I need to do my exercise tomorrow and Monday to get my second week in but, I don't see any reason why that won't happen This has been a good thing for me to try! Whoo Hoo!!

[oolala53]

I am with you, JLV, on seeing the glass half--no, three-quarters--full because of the reduction in hours spent eating sugar. Same as you, every day for me. I don't know if was same as you but A LOT everyday, not just a pack of M & M's. So, decreasing that to one or two days a week is huge. In fact, knock on wood, I feel that I am dealing with the last pieces in the puzzle.

Okay, back to the Indian dance workout I took a break from an hour ago.

[Grammy G]

For everyone:

"If I have the BELIEF that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the CAPACITY to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning!"

Mahatma Gahndi

[oolala53]

Along with belief has to come desire. Interesting that Gandhi never felt he had to change his physique in order to reach for his goals. "How can I fight the British? I'm too skinny! They'll never take me seriously!" Makes me wonder what I'll work on when eating is not such a big focus in my life. I doubt it will be getting a Nobel prize, but it's go to be better than these 40 years of obsession.

[sophiasapientia]

We're half way through June! Let's finish strong, everybody!

[satikat]

I am trying to develop good habits on my days off from work. I haven't had such a physically demanding job in years and I am trying to resist the couch on my days off from work. I'm trying not to weigh myself as much, but am hoping at least a few pounds have come off.

thanks for the support and the continued encouragement!

[oolala53]

I'm visiting a friend who doesn't eat that much, but I know him well enough to insist on meals. I did end up eating lighter than I would have yesterday. I'm going to push for enough food because although it would be attractive to drop a few pounds, it's not worth it just to put it back on. Anyway, I don't want to take any S days while I'm here. But it does feel a little funny to be a woman and to want more food than a man. However, he's 2 inches shorter and a smaller frame than I am. Thus I justify it. (I've also discovered he snacks a lot on Hershey's kisses and mini-candy bars, so I think that ruins his appetite.) Anyway, I'll get through it. I'm hardly starving!

[~reneew]

I've discovered something that I think may be worth mentioning. I may also make a new post about it, but I thought I'd post here for my best- No S - buddies. Since I began No S in Oct. '08, I've had serious issues with S days. I loose all control. We're talking having potato chips for breakfast type of control loss. I've been on a rollercoaster ride since day 1. I loose all week, then gain every darn weekend... up to usually 8-10 pounds. No exageration! I've also had scale issues. Weigh or not weigh... when...etc. If I gain, I feel bad and eat. If I loose, I celebrate and figure I earned the food, and I eat. I have done many tests with myself on that issue and I know that if I don't weigh, I gain gain gain. If I weigh once a month, I gain. If I weigh daily and record it, I stress out. I have been weighing daily because if I don't I tend to 'forget' I'm trying to loose, but I've only been officially recording though on Friday mornings when I weigh the least. I'm still loosing all control on the S days so I tried another approach. I started to weigh myself on Mondays thinking that I'd have to behave on the weekend. It seems to be working! My rollercoaster ride has been on the flat-to-downward trend for 2 weeks.

[butterfly1000]

I started to weigh myself on Mondays thinking that I'd have to behave on the weekend. It seems to be working! My rollercoaster ride has been on the flat-to-downward trend for 2 weeks.

We're all looking for a system that works for us individually and I'm realizing more and more that it's a trial and error process, and it's not just one change that will make a difference (in my case anyways), but a whole bunch of little changes.
Keep it up Reneew!

[kccc]

"Tiny little changes" is right, Butterfly! Reneew, glad you've found a pattern that's working for you with the scale!

I've been doing pretty well overall, though the check in here is SUCH a good idea. I totally forgot about intentional mindful eating for a bit - life intervened, and it slipped my mind. However, after a week, I still did it at least once a day - I remember thinking "this is so good!" about something each day. Nice that it "stuck"...but I can see it gradually disappearing without reinforcement. So, that's where I need to go. Iwant to be more intentional about it, and increase that habit.

Walking is up and down in terms of amount, but I continue to wear the pedometer and be aware of it. And just doing that helps overall.

[Nichole]

I feel back on track. For a couple weeks there I started to slip into bad habits of eating some sort of dessert every day, which is NOT good for me and the baby. I've nipped that in the bud now. That's the secret to staying healthy all your life, isn't it? Just making sure to stay on the path, even though you start to veer off of it.

Here's some motivation for people who want to work out more: I'm 28 and a half weeks pregnant (7 months) and I exercise most days, belly and all! Not to sound full of myself, but if I can do it, you can do it!

[mrsj]

Congrats everybody on all the GREENS!

sophiasapientia, how do you log on all your steps without your feet falling off? I'm beat at 6,000!

renew, congrats on finding something that's working to control S days!

nichole, if you can exersize, so can I! Thanks!

[kccc]

Just updated my original post for this week.

Nichole, good for you for exercising while expecting! I agree that the secret to staying healthy overall is "getting back on the path" when you veer off!

Hope everyone has SATISFYING and PLEASANT S-days this weekend! Remember, the goal is ENJOYMENT, not self-punishment. So, ENJOY!

[sophiasapientia]

sophiasapientia, how do you log on all your steps without your feet falling off? I'm beat at 6,000!

About half of them usually come from a daily walk/nordic walk and the rest are from going about my day (running errands, doing house/yardwork, playing with DD) ... Walking is one of my hobbies and that helps.

Have a fantastic weekend, all!

[Grammy G]

oolala Loved your comment about Gandi not letting his size hold him back!! Can't imagine he even thought about his size.. or that of anyone else!!
Looks like everyone is giving this their all! I am finding that doing this is making me more aware of what I am doing and the relationship between physical activity and my wanting to snack. I seem to be making progress with seeing snacks as a "reward; for good behaviors. I can't even tell you how great my lower back is feeling since I have been doing yoga..pretty much a little every day! I even carried the 4 year old up to the second floor bedroom while she was here. I could not have done that a few months ago. No aches or pains the next day!
Good luck to everyone...we are on the home stretch!!

[Scrybil]

reneew, I really like the aspect of NoS that makes me feel like an 'adult' - you know, one of those people who knows what works & what doesn't? Sounds like you are doing exactly that - fine-tuning your personal best approach.

I can completely relate to the scale-fear. I don't ever weigh anymore. There is no way what I see there will help me. So I stopped. I still have plenty of issues with food, weight, feeling fat, etc. without the scale. It only served to make things worse for me.....

[Grammy G]

bumpitty bump bump.. bump bump!

[sophiasapientia]

21- Came down with FOOD POISONING! Was in hospital 12 am to 7 am trying to get hydrated. Ate hardly anything all day, until dinner around 9:30 (I had been sleeping) - Cambell's Condensed, didn't even finish it, and some crackers.

Yikes! Hope you're feeling better Nichole!

[Nichole]

Thanks! I'm feeling much better. I'm still getting hydrated and the blood vessels in my face are still broken a bit, so I'm blotchy-faced.

[oolala53]

Oh, what people will do to lose water weight! Of course, I'm kidding. I hope I don't seem too heartless. Weight loss is never worth that kind of experience. I hope you recover completely soon.

[Nichole]

Hmm? I'm pregnant so I'm definitely not trying to lose weight, lol! Something just did not agree with me. I know you're kidding though.

[oolala53]

Oops! I forgot about your being pregnant. But of course I was kidding. Oh, just one more example in a long list of my sticking foot in my mouth! AAgh! When will I learn?

[Grammy G]

Nichole, you are being so careful and thoughtful in your eating..and to come down with food poisoning..after all your watching.. just not fair!!
Glad you are feeling better...keep yourself rested! I remember an older friend telling me that I should take advantage of every opportunity when someone wanted to do something for me, 'cause it would be a loooong time before that happened again. She was right. I'm passing the advice on to you!! ( I spent the summer I was preg with first child touring Europe with hubby and book "Europe on $5 a Day" and that is what we spent! Even made it to Russia and Scandinavia! I couldn't understand why my Mom was so worried ...now I do!! Healthy baby born in early December,1969.)

[Nichole]

Wow, what a story!

I am pretty sure it was the shrimp. My MIL made shrimp (COOKED!) and pasta for Father's Day dinner and she didn't defrost it properly. She defrosted it in the bag on the counter. I know from doing research a while ago that you have to defrost shrimp in a strainer resting in a bowl, preferably in the fridge, so it doesn't sit in its own juices. The juices drip into the bowl below. Otherwise, bacteria forms or something like that. I had lunch as 12, dinner at 7, and threw up at 9. I doubt it was from lunch. Though she says it can't POSSIBLY be from HER dinner. I disagree, but I'm not going to bring it up again to my husband OR her lol.

[Grammy G]

seeing lots of green and smiles on everyone's charts!! How great!! The month is whizzing by and we are almost THERE..success!!

[~reneew]

Hi everyone. I was on vacation for a week. No accountability, no schedule, no success. I didn't do too bad though. I usually gain when on vacation and I maintained exactly! I have been maintaining steadily for a month or so. I'm usually on my 10 pound rollercoaster ride every week, so I figure I'm doing great. Weighing in on Mondays seems to still be working for me. I just need to get my vanilla habit back. I'll be posting the July challenge now, so join me for anothr month!

Oh, and if I seem to disappear, my computer has a nasty virus or something and only works occasionally. I'm going to get a calendar though and habitcal on paper for a while.

[Grammy G]

bump abump abump bump bump abump

[ShannahR]

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to congratulate everyone on your effort to complete your challenges this month. Successful or no, I think everyone can be proud that they set a goal and tried to achieve it!
As for me, I didn't reach my goal. I only exercised 15 days this month and my goal was 18. However, I'm still proud and greatful to everyone on this thread for their support because I believe that without this challenge I wouldn't have thought about and modified my exercise program, nor would I have had even this level of success.

Also, I'd like to say a special thanks to reneew for setting up the challenge!

Congrats everyone!

[idontknow]

I agree - thanks to Reneew for setting up the challenge. I had 3 red days, but the public accountability of the challenge meant I got back on track.

Thank you

[oolala53]

Might be too late for some, but this is our last day in June. If you're wavering, stick by your guns and make the last day a Success!

[~reneew]

Whew, June is over... July is going to be much better!

[Grammy G]

this is the first time I have joined THE CHALLENGE and it really made a difference for me. I am surprised at that..I really didn't think a public posting would shame me into doing what I said I would do!! I am going for July and hoping it works again!!

[oolala53]

Let's not call it shaming. Let's call it supporting you to be your best self!

[Grammy G]

THANK YOU, OOLALA for always supporting me to be my very best self ..and if that support means I need a kick in the pants..wel..I guess..thank you for that too!!

[oolala53]

just tell me when and I'll open up that can of whoop you-know-what on you.

[kccc]

Just posted my final update on the challenge (because I just got back from vacation).

~reneew, once again, thank you for starting these challenges! I particularly liked the open-ended "set your own goal" format of this one. I felt both more supported and more accountable as I worked on mine, and believe I did far better than I would have on my own. Thank you!