Out with the old, In with the New

Changing over.  Finishing one program and starting a new.  Chalean Extreme is over and I kind of messed up the last few days.  Finishing strong was never my strong point.  I tend to binge eat sweets right before I start a new program and this time was no different.  Friday and Saturday I ate until I felt sick.  Mostly all that Easter candy that I have been ignoring up until now.  I don't really feel bad about it.  It means my weigh in on Monday won't be as good as it would have been but I have learned that if the scale is up a pound or so after eating a lot the day before it doesn't really mean a whole lot.  It's just excess food.  Besides that I kind of cheated and weighed myself on Friday morning.  I was 151.2.  I was upset that I didn't go down any, and I am still stuck here at the 150 mark, but I also know that I have lost inches and built a ton of muscle.  I was talking to my neighbor yesterday for the first time in several months and he remarked that I had lost weight, so that makes me feel good because while the scale hasn't gone down, I know that I am looking different.  I also know that on Monday I am starting Turbo Fire and returning to a mostly cardio workout, and I even signed up for the Feel Great in 8 Challenge and I intend to win!

The feel great in 8 challenge is hosted by Tiffany at www.feelgreatin8.com   It costs $20 to join the challenge, and $10 goes to Tiffany for orchestrating and hosting the challenge, and the other $10 goes to a communal pot that you can win!  You get cash prizes for coming in 1st-4th and also for being the person with the highest percentage of weight loss.  The challenge is 8 weeks long and the way you compete is by tracking points.  It is rather involved so I will just briefly outline some of the sections you get points in. You get points for eating vegetables, fruit, fiber, and protein (servings per day are: 4,3,3,4 respectively and you get points for each serving you eat but don't get more points for eating more servings than required).  You also get points for sleep, uplifting reading, service, family time, exercise (points depend on the length of workout: 15 min, 30 min and 45 min, each amount of time earning more points as the time increases).  You get points for drinking water and keeping a gratitude journal.  You also have to subtract 5 points for every item you eat on the "bad" list.  Such items include but are not limited to: candy, cookies, fried foods, soda (regular and diet), chips etc.  You get two items each week on the bad list that you don't have to subtract points for.  This is to remind us that we are trying to live a lifestyle not a fad diet.  You can still eat the items on the bad list, you just have to subtract points for it.  You also select a goal you want to complete during the challenge and an addiction you want to overcome.  You get points for every day you don't give into your addiction and you get points for completing your goal at the end.

My goal is to get in 10,000 steps every day except for Sunday.  Since I just got my fitbit, and it is something I have been thinking about I thought it was an appropriate goal (it is also on the recommended goal list so I know it is an approved goal).  Your goal can't be anything covered by the challenge and it can't be weight loss either.  For my addiction I chose lying down on the couch in the afternoon and putting a movie on for the kids.  I get really tired in the afternoon and usually from 3-4 I put a movie on for the kids and pass out on the couch.  Your addiction has to be something that is hard for you to overcome and can't be covered by the challenge (for example I was thinking of giving up diet soda, but you already have to subtract points for drinking it so I couldn't use that as my addiction.  You also can't choose sweets either.)  I know this is going to be very challenging for me as I get very very tired in the afternoon to the point where I almost can't function.  It's not so bad if we are out of the house, but most often we are home.  So that is my addiction and my goal.

The average number of people in the challenge is 150 so usually the first place winner gets about $300 and the second place gets $270 and third gets less and fourth gets less.  You can read all about it on her blog and website.  Anyway, it's about making healthy choices and while it is focused on weight loss and improving health it also has a more well rounded view instead of the narrow view of just food.  Since it also includes the spiritual aspects and family time and service into the challenge it is about improving yourself as a whole.

I am ready for this challenge, and I really want to win.  I am hoping that 8 weeks from now (challenge ends June 29th-ish) I will look and feel even better, and have some money to buy new summer clothes!