A YOU Worth Fighting For | January 2016 Weight Loss & Better Living Challenge

[JacknSally]

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WELCOME to our first WISH challenge of 2016! I hope you are all as excited as I am about the new year – and the new YOU. ​

This month we’ll be focusing on setting the tone for the remainder of 2016, by unleashing your inner warrior and defeating the Huns, whatever form they might take for you - maybe those extra pounds you wish would retreat back over the mountains?
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So, just exactly HOW do we unleash those warriors, and as a result get our REFLECTIONS to finally show the amazingly healthy person we know we are inside? WELL…
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[JacknSally]

Just a quick reminder about how things work with our monthly WISH challenges.

Your goal is UP TO YOU! Whether you pick a goal of miles walked, pounds lost, percentage lost or days tracked.... however you choose to measure your success, that is up to you. Just pick a goal, make a PLAN to reach that goal, share that information with us and then report your weekly progress (as a percentage) toward that goal.

0 – 10%
11 – 20%
21 – 30%
31 – 40%
41 – 50%
51 – 60%
61 – 70%
71 – 80%
81 – 90%
91 – 99%
100 %


REPORTING SCHEDULE:
1/8/16
1/15/16
1/22/16
1/29/16 – FINAL WEIGH IN

Results will be reported in percentages here but no specific numbers (pounds or miles or whatever) will be reported unless you choose to do so.I will accept progress reports every Friday-Sunday and PLAN to have the results updated by Monday evenings. Because January starts on a Friday, no progress reports need to be given for the first weekend of the month.




Your participation level is up to you! If you've got the time, feel free to answer each and every QOTD and participate in the chatter! Less time? Pop on when you can to ask questions, share NSVs, etc!​

 

[JacknSally]

I hope that this format will encourage some great discussions about weight loss, maintaining, diet, exercise and healthy living! But as always, feel free to participate as much or as little as you would like.... but remember, the more you put in, the more you'll get out.

Welcome to returning friends, newbies, and anyone/everyone who would like to chat about weight loss, weight maintenance, exercise, and anything related! No rules here EXCEPT to be kind and supportive of each other! No negative energy allowed!

We talk about calories, Weight Watchers, low-carb, SparkPeople, MFP, Fitbits, Jawbones, marathon training, walking, recipes, vitamins, meal planning, smoothies, juicing, motivation, YOU NAME IT!! No positive/healthy talk is off limits!

Please consider inviting a friend (either a RL friend or a Disboard friend) to join us. They don't have to LOVE Disney like we do (but it helps). They only need to want to make healthier lifestyle choices!​

 

[JacknSally]

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS:
@JacknSally
@courtneybeth
@SarahDisney
@5xdisneyfans
@dsnyfn1022
@araes2102
@Lady Marie
@Treysar
@Flossbolna
@Zoesmama03
@bigsis1970
@njcarita
@flvy
@GeraldineW
@DisPup75
@CruisingKate
@jaelless
@RutgersAlum
@roxymama
@pjlla
@PrincessCooper's Mom
@meghammy
@4HOLIDAYS
@justgrace



FUTURE HOSTS:
February 2016: @courtneybeth
March 2016: @SarahDisney
April 2016: @flvy
May 2016: @DisPup75
June - December 2016: Volunteers needed!!

WISH MyFitnessPal NAMES:
@araes2102 - araes2102
@courtneybeth - courtney_beth
@JacknSally - megannsmith358
@SarahDisney - SarahLovesTink
@Treysar - Treysar
@jaelless - jaelless
@5xdisneyfans - madamedisney
@PrincessCooper's Mom - sep1210


WISH INSTAGRAM NAMES:
Feel free to share your Instagram name in the thread (if you'd like - it's not required!) and I will add you to the list!
@flvy - flyawaymari
@Lady Marie - p.ryan55
@JacknSally - megan.s.legett & craftiest_place_on_earth
@DisPup75 - maggielee75
@dsnyfn1022 - paigevader
@courtneybeth - courtneybeth83
@pjlla - wearemom22
@LindseyJo22 - snarkypirate
@SarahDisney - slkworks


WISH JANUARY BIRTHDAYS:
New for this month! I thought it would be fun to keep a list of any participants' birthdays for each month, so they can be acknowledged appropriately! SO! Do we have any for January?!
@Lady Marie - January 14
@JacknSally - January 22
@RutgersAlum - January 31

 

[JacknSally]

Now that we’ve gotten all of the "rules" and formalities out of the way…





Grab your spot and take a minute or two to introduce yourself. Take the rest of the week to think of your goals for the month. I’ll be back on the FIRST DAY OF 2016 to post our very first QOTD and get those goals from you!

Don't forget to give your final reports over in the December 2015 thread, too! THANK YOU @pjlla SO MUCH for being such an AMAZING host once again!!
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[courtneybeth]

CLAIMING A SPOT. (psst.. Also, future hosts need 2016 dates next to their names. I think I'll snag February since it's a short month.)

MULAN AS A THEME. Donny Osmond singing "I'll Make a Man Out of You" is my go-to prep song for every run I do. It boosts me up every time and gets me ready.

 

[JacknSally]

(psst.. Also, future hosts need 2016 dates next to their names. I think I'll snag February since it's a short month.)

Ahh, they do! Good lookin' out. I fixed it! And YAY for you hosting in February! November was AWESOME so I'm excited to see what's hiding up your sleeve for February!

 

[SarahDisney]

Saving my spot ... I'll be back with an intro later.
Also, I'll be missing the 5th-12th, so I'll miss the first weigh in. I guess I'll have to run a 10k through Epcot that day to make up for it...

March should be a low-key month for me, so I'll host then. Now I have 2 months to think about a theme...

 

[5xdisneyfans]

I am in on this challenge. I need to get my butt in gear. Trying to decide on my goal. Not sure if I want weight or exercise minutes.

 

[dsnyfn1022]

I'm in!!

 

[JacknSally]

Saving my spot ... I'll be back with an intro later.
Also, I'll be missing the 5th-12th, so I'll miss the first weigh in. I guess I'll have to run a 10k through Epcot that day to make up for it...

March should be a low-key month for me, so I'll host then. Now I have 2 months to think about a theme...

I am in on this challenge. I need to get my butt in gear. Trying to decide on my goal. Not sure if I want weight or exercise minutes.

I'm in!!

Welcome, welcome, welcome! SO excited to be tackling this month with you guys!

@SarahDisney THANK YOU for volunteering to host for us in March! I can almost guarantee I will be one of your participants, and I can't wait to see what you come up with for a theme! And no worries about missing some time in January - I SUPPOSE we can forgive you for running a marathon in EPCOT...

 

[araes2102]

I'm here! Totally in for this new year!!

Intro: Hi, I'm Amanda. I've been a long time member and have often been an active participant in WISH. But... I've been mia for awhile because, well, life. I got married and had a baby. He is adorable and amazing and now that he will be a year old in March, it's time to stop giving myself so much "new mom" leeway and kick my butt into gear! So excited to get reacquainted with those who have been around, and meet all the those who have joined while I was away!

 

[Lady Marie]

LOVE the theme! I am in for January after being a total slacker in December! Haha!
Happy Early Birthday, @JacknSally! Your birthday is the same as my DH. And 8 days after mine! I'm on the 14th.

 

[Treysar]

I would like to join. I'm new here. I have lost most of my weight already - my challenge is keeping it off and getting off the last 10 pounds. So far I have lost almost 25% of my body weight.
My goal is twofold:
1. Exercise at least 3x a week - this I can track here.
2. Following a lower carb lifestyle - not sure how to track that here, lol. I guess by pounds at first, but i'm tryingto keep the focus off of the scale and about healty living.

 

[JacknSally]

I'm here! Totally in for this new year!!

Intro: Hi, I'm Amanda. I've been a long time member and have often been an active participant in WISH. But... I've been mia for awhile because, well, life. I got married and had a baby. He is adorable and amazing and now that he will be a year old in March, it's time to stop giving myself so much "new mom" leeway and kick my butt into gear! So excited to get reacquainted with those who have been around, and meet all the those who have joined while I was away!

Welcome back! We all totally understand that life happens, so no hard feelings at all about your time away with your new family! Congratulations, by the way, on both your marriage and your little boy!

LOVE the theme! I am in for January after being a total slacker in December! Haha!
Happy Early Birthday, @JacknSally! Your birthday is the same as my DH. And 8 days after mine! I'm on the 14th.

So glad you're coming back for another challenge! Happy early birthday to both you and your DH! My DH's is just a couple of weeks after mine, too - but he's officially a February baby. Not cool enough for January! Haha. I added your birthday to the list!

I would like to join. I'm new here. I have lost most of my weight already - my challenge is keeping it off and getting off the last 10 pounds. So far I have lost almost 25% of my body weight.
My goal is twofold:
1. Exercise at least 3x a week - this I can track here.
2. Following a lower carb lifestyle - not sure how to track that here, lol. I guess by pounds at first, but i'm tryingto keep the focus off of the scale and about healty living.

HI and to our challenges! You will LOVE this community. Congratulations on your amazing progress thus far! We will definitely do everything we can to help you stay on track with your maintenance. Let us know if there's anything specific we can do to help! And it is TOTALLY ok if you only want to track one of your two goals here - it's completely up to you! I did lower carb over the summer and I really felt a ton better. It also led to the majority of my weight loss - because I am a total carb junkie, haha. Are you tracking your macros so you can keep track of your carbs numerically? That might help you avoid the scale. I know several of us are MyFitnessPlan users - if you are, too, feel free to share your MFP name and link up as friends for added accountability!

 

[Flossbolna]

Wonderful start to the thread! I am really looking forward to making a difference in January. I will be joining in, but we are away at the beginning of the month, so I will be a silent participant until we get back.

 

[JacknSally]

Jumping in with my own intro:

Hi, everyone! I'm Megan, and I'll be our host for January 2016. I joined these challenges last summer in preparation for my wedding and honeymoon in October 2015, and between the motivation, support, and accountability in these challenges and a low-carb/high-protein diet, I successfully lost 30-lbs - finally putting myself back under the 200-lb mark for the first time in 3 years.

However, since we've been home and life has calmed down, I've spent the last 2 months in a pretty bad funk and have fallen into a rough routine of staying up until 2 or 3am every night, sleeping until 12:30pm or later every day (I left a bad job the week of my wedding and have yet to find a replacement), and eating everything I want whenever I want. As a result, I've regained half of the weight that I spent MONTHS fighting to lose.

Well, NO MORE. 2016 is going to be the year that I STOP just telling myself things are going to change, and actually CHANGE THEM. I am THE BEST at coming up with excuses and reasons why I can't work out today, or why it's ok to have this treat or this cheat meal, etc. But I can't do that anymore. I've got some pretty big plans for this year. I'm trying to launch an Etsy business from my home, and a year from today, I want to be around 160-lbs, which means losing approximately 55-lbs. Given my height, that still puts me technically "overweight", but it's a weight that I'm comfortable with, and that's what matters most to me.

But it's not just that I want to lose 55-lbs. I want and need to make the lifestyle changes to keep it off so that I don't find myself in this position again. I'm not 100% sure how to go about things, but I know I need to get better about meal planning and portion control and grocery shopping. @pjlla and anyone else who does Weight Watchers, I'd be interested in talking to you a little about the program, as I think I want to try my hand at it. I need to change my frame of mind about food, and stop being afraid of certain foods - like CARBS!, and to incorporate them wisely instead. I'm also going to sign up for MyFitnessPal (I've been using LoseIt but everyone else uses MFP and I think the accountability is an important part of it) so let me know if you'd like to link up!

I'm excited to start out this year with the people I've gotten to know over the last few months, and to meet more new friends as we progress. Can't wait to see what 2016 has in store for all of us!

 

[JacknSally]

Wonderful start to the thread! I am really looking forward to making a difference in January. I will be joining in, but we are away at the beginning of the month, so I will be a silent participant until we get back.

No worries! We will love to have you whenever you are able to stop by!

 

[araes2102]

I'm on MFP! Same name there... araes2102. Not sure how to add people but feel free to add me!

 

[courtneybeth]

For those on MFP, I'm also on there. My SN is courtney_beth because I'm uncreative and keep things with my real name.

How to add people who are on MFP:
- Go to "... more"
- Select "Friends"
- in the upper right corner, hit the "+" symbol.
- From the options, select "Email"
- You can add the user name of the person you want to invite.


Please friend me!!

@araes2102 - I sent you a request. Please let me know if it's received. I look forward to supporting you on your journey.