Woohoo! We made it 12 weeks! How did we all do? I've been reading the blogs and many have been doing fantastic!! I admire all of you who have stuck to your goals and lost a lot of weight! Some have fallen along the way and hopefully they will pick themselves up and get back on track. Then there are some who have stuck with the challenge but have just done so-so with their goals.
I would fall into this last group.
I don't have awesome results to show for this summer. Not. At. All. Despite the support and the goals, I've just kinda fallen into a funk. And really, really need to get out of it. I haven't been consistent at all. I've had weeks where I've been spot on at 1200 - 1400 calories, exercising well and doing good. Just to fall flat on my face the next week. And the falling on my face was hard.
I didn't admit all my failures on the blog, I didn't lie, I just was a little vague. (this is humbling people, really). I felt as a leader of a challenge, telling you that I was binging on crap wasn't going to help any of you, so I kept it to myself. Well, hiding didn't help. At all.
I pretty much maintained the first part of the summer, kinda yoyoing up and down but then August hit and I gained weight. Yup, I gained. And I feel it and my clothes feel it. Just a bit.
On a good note, exercise has been good. Really good. It actually ticks me off that I'm FINALLY getting into a good exercise routine and getting my muscles going and then I turn around and eat crap.
I have school starting next week and I will have a good routine here with the kids. Summer with 13 kids here has been chaotic and anything BUT routine. I will have less daycare kids and my 3 kids will be homeschooling so it's time for organization and routine to kick in. I'm hoping this makes a difference.
It HAS to make a difference.
What is the alternative? Me continuing to eat until I grow out of my clothes? Uh uh. That just can't happen. I feel like I blew the whole summer and I'm super depressed about it. But I can't change what I did, can I? The only thing I can do is move forward.
Luckily Mir is starting up a new little challenge in a couple of weeks. The Christmas Dress Countdown Challenge. Now, I don't celebrate Christmas, nor do I have any idea what size dress I would wear. I'm more of a skirt wearer myself. But, that's not the point of the challenge of course. There is a jacket that I want desperately to wear this winter that will require more weight loss.
Take a look at the challenge and decide if it is for you. If not, please, please, please, continue moving forward. Continue to stay healthy. Whether you are needing to lose a lot of weigh, maintaining or just trying to lose the last 5 pounds, we all need to stay healthy and fit.
So for the last time, link in your results and let me know that you have not quit! I thank all of you who have stuck with this!
Giveaway winners will be announced later and I will email you with what you have won.
I can't find the linky!!!! Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteHere's my finale post: http://happyweightafter.blogspot.com/2011/08/slimmer-this-summer-finale-update.html
And you're gonna kill the fat this fall, girl. Let's do it! I don't care if it's a dress, coat, bikini, or burlap sack. As long as it's a smaller one that doesn't fit now. :) It's just for motivation.
Despite it all, you are still here, too, and NOT hiding. So, you will kick this stall out of your life sometime soon. It is hard this journey, especially when you are in the middle (well I am ) and still have far to go. But, you can do it.
ReplyDeleteThank-you for setting up the challenge. I met many folks along the way. While I did not make my weight loss goal, by two pounds, I did well. Thank0you again for your support and encouragement along the way. Stay strong!!! Michele
You did a great job motivating others during this challenge. Now, I know you didn't ask for advice, but I hope you don't mind if I offer a little. My advice is to not cut your calories back so far. You can still lose weight in a 1400-1600 calorie range if you absolutely certain to never go beyond that. In that range, you can allow yourself little treats, and you are not cheating. I encourage you to check out sparkpeople, the site will take your height,weight, gender, and activity level and suggest a calorie level that will allow you to lose 1-3 pounds a week consistently.
ReplyDeleteJust my two cents though.
In other news :) I also have a challenge going for anyone who finds the Christmas Dress one isn't for them. You can find the details here: http://thriceblessed-lessofme.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-challenge.html
Thank you for the Challenge. It really got me back to acting like I have some sense :-) Don't fret over how you did, what you've done, that you fell short -- all that is just learning opportunities. When overeating stops serving a purpose, we will stop it. When we want to get to our goal more than we want to overeat, we will stay on track.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for organizing this challenge. I have found a great support network here and it's been so helpful!
ReplyDeleteDebbi - you didn't quit. Of all the mini-goals in the challenge, this one was the most important. It's the persistence, the perseverance, and the plain old fashioned mule headed-ness that will get you to the place of balance between eating, exercise, emotional and physical health. You CAN do it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for organizing the challenge and supporting all of us throughout.
I'm proud of you for not quitting and picking up your exercise routine is great! We can do this! I have a goal for 15 lbs by Dec 31st. It's only 3 lbs a month. I think that's pretty doable. "Let's do this thing"! quoting from Ratatouille is not necessarily a good thing when trying to lose weight, huh?
ReplyDeleteAngela is right. NOT quitting is key. I can't tell you how many times i've heard successful dieter/maintainers say the key was persistence...just keeping a hand in, not totally giving up, regrouping, PERSEVERING.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I wanted the no quit rule. That's why the new challenge has the no quit rule. I'd rather people have bad weeks, talk about it, learn from them--including ME--be embarrassed enough about accountability to use it as a motivating tool on those moments of temptation. If we know we HAVE TO TALK about the bad weeks, bad numbers, we may eat less. hahahahah Worked with Allan!!!!
Not quitting is part of the formula, and you did not quit and give up on us. So, no giving up on Debbi, either. Onward.
Awh I can't believe it's over!
ReplyDeleteYou've been great!! Thank you soo much for hosting this challenge.
At least you aren't giving up & that's half the battle. You can do it, you gave many of us the inspiration to do it this last 12 weeks so keep with it and you will do it!
ReplyDeleteI'm so grateful that this challenge started when it did because it's what got me going and I credit you and all the followers for what I've accomplished this last 12 weeks, along with the motivation I have to continue until I reach my ultimate goal!!
Thank you for putting this challenge together. It was so great to make new friends and have people to be accountable to. It was exactly what I needed for this summer!
ReplyDeleteWe may have not reached our goals during this challenge but hopefully we learned some lessons and took some steps in the right direction. Life is full of ups and downs and we need to learn how to roll with them without turning to food. Congrats on the progress you did make. Keep fighting for your health - you are worth it! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteyay! congrats everyone.. even if we didn't get our posts up on time every week (I'm thinking of myself)we pulled through!
ReplyDeleteyay us!!
Thanks Debbie!!
I know exactly how you feel. I lost 83 pounds and gained it all back and, just to make sure, I gained even more. Stupid. Then I had to start all over. Again. And I did. Because of your kind words when I was struggling as to whether or not I should join the challenge. And you were right- and it paid off BIG TIME. I will be forever grateful to you!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, regardless of when it happens, it WILL happen. So don't let this get you down or defeat you! Get right back up on that horse and ride him all the way to a slimmer you and that lovely jacket!
Again, thank you so very, very much!
I am really proud to see 21 of y'all make it all the way through. We started with more than 50, and look, fewer than half persevered. Those who persevere are the ones who make their goals happen. Keep fighting..me and all of you..we need to keep going and not quit.
ReplyDeleteOnward...downward...to health.
We didn't quit ... that's so important. That means that even when we faltered, ate what we shouldn't have, didn't drink all our water or exercise like we had hoped, the challenge was in the back of our minds so we just got back on track the next meal. It kept up from totally losing focus. The challenge did that. YOU did that because of your challenge.
ReplyDeleteForbes once said, "History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats." We've been honest with ourselves and others about our successes and our failures during this challenge ... because of that, we will triumph in the end! Thanks again for putting this together.
Thanks for everything Debbi! I did not do well either but we met some very nice people along the way right? Just keep pushing ahead and it will happen!
ReplyDelete