2015 Fit, Fun, and Fabulous February WISH Challenge! All are Welcome!

[pjlla]

Welcome (albeit a day late) to our FIT, FUN, and FABULOUS February WISH Challenge!!!

A special welcome to all newcomers!

Please read the complete instructions in post 2, and then let me know if you have any questions.

We are back to a new start in the new year and hope to find lots of people who want to take part in this wonderful support group!

The philosophy behind our challenge: small achievable goals. One month at a time, one week at a time, one day at a time, one bite at a time. Results will be posted as a % lost (pounds) towards monthly goal.

Thanks to Rose&Mike for creating our new challenge format which was a great success in 2013 and to all the previous hosts who have kept it going!

 

[pjlla]

Quick overview:

BIGGEST CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS.... I WILL BE ASKING YOU TO DO THE MATH and figure out your percentage lost and PM me that information along with the other numbers you usually send!!


Weigh in Days--Weight Loss
PM Weight to pjlla
February 1 or 2 (starting weight AND pounds lost goal for month in the subject line of your PM, i.e. Weigh In 8/1 145 start goal 5 )
February 6 (present weight in the subject line of your PM, i.e. W/I 8/8 144 AND PERCENTAGE LOST FOR THE MONTH)
February 13
February 20
February 27 or 28 (last chance)

Weight Loss Goals:
10%, orange
25% bright pink
50% purple
75% turquoise
90% red--FINISH STRONG!
100%WISH green

Weigh in Days--Maintainers:
Same as for losers. I will depend on YOU to let me know if you have reached your goal of staying within your goal range (which for our purposes is usually +/- 4 pounds) for each week.

Maintainer Goals
25% bright pink
50% purple
75% turquoise
100%WISH green

PM weights to pjlla: Please note the only way to sign up and update your numbers to send them by PM -- I don't want to miss a post.

How the challenge works:
This is the new and improved challenge that replaced the BL challenges. Like the show has evolved, so have our challenges and this format takes the best of that long standing tradition and makes it even better!

The goal of the new challenge is to meet your weight loss/maintain goals on a monthly basis. Results will be posted as percentages toward goal and your color will change as you approach your goal, similar to the exercise thread on the WISH boards. We hope that this format will encourage some great discussions about weight loss, maintaining, diet, exercise and healthy living!

It is up to the hostess each month as to whether she wants to have coaches/Question of the day, mini-challenges, etc. It is her month, so she can choose to handle it how she wants.

Here's how the new challenge will work. It is going to be a monthly individual challenge. Each month is a new start. You are competing against yourself to meet your goals for the month. No one will know your actual weight (unless you share it) except the hostess for the month. NO GOAL IS TOO SMALL.

Let me repeat: NO GOAL IS TOO SMALL. A loss is a loss is a loss. Your color will change based on your % lost toward goal.

On February 1 or 2 you will PM pjlla (hostess for February) your starting weight AND your goal for the month. On all Fridays of the month you can PM pjlla an updated weight and your percentage toward goal. Final weigh in is February 27 or 28. On Monday nights the thread will be updated with percentage toward goal.

Here is an example of what the stats will look like.

Updated August 8, 2014
Minnie Mouse 25.00%
Daisy Duck 12.00%
Goofy 0.00 %
Donald Duck 33.33%
Mickey Mouse 50.00%

In this case Goofy, put on a few pounds, but that will be reported as 0%. We are not going to call people out, but just report positive moves towards your goal!

Minnie Mouse had a starting weight of 110 with a goal of 4 pounds. At her weigh in she reported a weight of 109 with a percentage loss of 25%.

Your color will change based on your % loss. If you gain, your percentage will decrease, and your color will change, but no one will know your weight except the hostess. Only your % loss toward goal will be reported. Negative percentages will not be reported.

Participants (other than the hostess) will not know your pound lost goal or actual weight unless you choose to share it with them.

Maintainers will set a goal for the month of number of weeks they would like to stay in maintain range (+/- 4 pounds).
They will weigh in on the first day of the month and then on each of the weekends. Their results will be reported as percentages along with their goal.

For example:
Pluto 1/4 25%.

Pluto has a goal of maintaining all four weeks. He put on 1 pound at the first weigh in, but is in his maintain range.

It really is pretty simple. Remember, no one will see your weight or pound loss goal except the hostess unless you choose to share it.

Percentage loss will be updated once a week. If you miss sending in your weight over the weekend, no big deal, just send an update the following weekend. Please understand that this is a volunteer job and the hostess will only be updating once a week.

 

[pjlla]

We are STILL in need of hostesses for the remainder of 2015! These challenges don't run themselves!! But it isn't hard either and it is a GREAT motivator to keep yourself on track! Consider volunteering for a month this year!!

Future challenge hosts:

March 2015: pjlla
April 2015: ohMom
May 2015: ** PICTURE YOUR NAME HERE!!
June 2015: ** OR HERE....
July 2015: ** OR EVEN HERE!!
August 2015:

 

[pjlla]

Participants for February (updated 3/2/2015 8:10 pm)

50sjayne 20%

Flossbolna 35%

GrandAdmiralStrife 92.5%

MissDisney121 87%

ohMom 24%

pixiegirl131415 40%

pjlla 25%

SarahDisney

WriteDisney

 

[pjlla]

Reserved

 

[pjlla]

And we are off and running for February! Of course, a day late thanks to the update on the boards.... but don't they look nice!!?? It took me a minute to understand how to use them, but so far I am loving it!!

WELCOME to your FIT, FUN, and FABULOUS FEBRUARY challenge!! I have the month all set up so that we can ALL gain some knowledge and motivation and insight.....but just because I have a schedule doesn't mean we can't talk about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING! Feel free to offer up suggestions and ideas if there is something in particular you'd like to chat about!

FIRST UP for FEBRUARY is a MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY!! Just because today isn't January 1st DOESN'T MEAN you can't have a FRESH START to a fabulous year!!

 

[pjlla]

Well howdy all! Sorry I didn't get this thread started yesterday, but every time I came to check the boards were still down and I eventually gave up! We are getting MORE snow here today, so it is another snow day for us (and most of the NE area).

The new boards looks amazing, but it seems like I lost my avatar. I need to go over to the tech boards and check out the Q and A and see if I need to pick a new one. I held onto my old one because I knew it was one of the "originals" and wasn't available any longer and (silly as it sounds) it was a bit of a "badge of honor" that showed I had been here on the DIS for a long time! Anyhow..... like I said... newbies, feel free to introduce yourself and for the rest of us.... welcome to February. Remember to PM your starting weight and goal to me and this month the biggest change is that I will be asking YOU to do the math and send me the PERCENTAGES along with pounds lost every week (I am mathematically challenged). I'll be back in a bit to see if folks are finding their way here!........................P

 

[pjlla]

WOOHOO.... easy-peasy lemon squeezie, I've got a new avatar! This was a favorite of mine from our 2004 trip! ..................P

 

[ohMom]

Fly by, I'm in and PM my goal

Love the new look of the boards, looks like I gotta customize later too but for now I'm off to the gym!

 

[Flossbolna]

Pam, great start to the thread! It seems like your initial post lost its colours though... It is all blue to me. ;-)

I got through the first day at my course without eating too baldly and I went for a nice, but short walk before dinner to try to get in my steps...

 

[pixiegirl131415]

I'm in! Now that I figured out the new board layout, lol. I like them, though!

I, too, can't see any colors in your first post, FYI.

 

[GrandAdmiralStrife]

I'm in for February!

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm in! On the subway right now (I actually get cell reception most of the way home), but I'll PM my start weight and goal when I get home.

I'm starting to learn the new boards ... I tried to upload an avatar yesterday but it didn't seem to work, so I'll try again later. I may have to resize it - it's a decent sized file.

Anyway ... February is starting out okay for me, although I did snack a bit to much yesterday. Oh well, today is a new day. I actually missed one of my scheduled snacks today because I was shoveling, but I'm not too hungry right now so I think I'll be okay.

I hate typing on my phone, so I'll stop here. I hope everyone is starting off the month strong!

 

[pjlla]

Good morning all! Happy Tuesday!! I have a bunch of PM's in my box and will check them out and update the "participants" list this morning! Welcome to ..............

I'd like you all to select a new (healthy) food to commit to trying. I understand that most of you cannot RUN to the market today and buy something new, but please think about it and make a commitment to buying and trying a new food SOON and let us know how you liked it! Let us know TODAY what you plan to try!

Here are some ideas for some healthy foods that are more "popular" today............... quinoa (super easy to cook), green tea, tumeric, chia seeds, goat cheese, almond milk, green smoothies (not really a single food), kale. Or how about grabbing something that you've seen in the store for a while but hesitated to try like..........star fruit, leeks, bok choy, Ezekiel bread, whole wheat pasta, lentils, greek yogurt, or purple potatoes???

Life on a weight-loss/weight-maintenance journey can get pretty boring if you limit yourself to just familiar foods.... oatmeal for breakfast, turkey sandwich for lunch, chicken breast with green beans for dinner.... okay for a day or two.... but dull if eaten continuously. There is a WHOLE WORLD of fun, tasty, exciting, HEALTHY foods out there... we just need to find them and try them.... and then share with out friends!

I'll BB in a bit to chat more!...................P

 

[ohMom]

Spaghetti squash! My DD been telling me for months to try it and for some reason I just haven't brought myself to do so . I will buy it next week when I go to grocery

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all!

I can now see pretty colors in your first post, Pamela, so thing must be moving along in the boards upgrade. Thanks so much for hostessing this month! I'm going to chit chat rather than be an official participant this month.

A new food that I recently tried was Stonyfield Organic Greek and chia blood orange yogurt. It is so delicious and I do not generally like greek yogurt. It is 3 WW points and a tad expensive but packs 12g of protein and 500 mg of omega-3s and I can pronounce every single ingredient!

A new food that I would like to try is nutritional yeast. It's supposed to be tasty and can be added to alot of things as well as add some nutrients. Anyone tried it?

 

[pjlla]

Spaghetti squash! My DD been telling me for months to try it and for some reason I just haven't brought myself to do so . I will buy it next week when I go to grocery

I tried spaghetti squash again last year and really fell in love with it! I don't care for it as a subsitute for pasta (with red sauce), but treating it as an ingredient with other things it is great! I've made it "baked stuffed" a few times.... baked until soft, scrape out the strands and mix with other sauteed veggies, some cheese (I've used a few different kinds), maybe some beans, pack back into the shell and bake until it is bubbly... YUM!

Good morning all!

I can now see pretty colors in your first post, Pamela, so thing must be moving along in the boards upgrade. Thanks so much for hostessing this month! I'm going to chit chat rather than be an official participant this month.

Actually that was my fault.... the colors didn't copy when I did a "copy and paste" so I had to go and adjust it.

A new food that I recently tried was Stonyfield Organic Greek and chia blood orange yogurt. It is so delicious and I do not generally like greek yogurt. It is 3 WW points and a tad expensive but packs 12g of protein and 500 mg of omega-3s and I can pronounce every single ingredient!

I LOVE greek yogurt and that sound like a delicious flavor!

A new food that I would like to try is nutritional yeast. It's supposed to be tasty and can be added to alot of things as well as add some nutrients. Anyone tried it?

I have tried it in a few things (like the above mentioned spaghetti squash).... kind of as a cheese substitute or cheese "booster".... but that's it. I haven't yet tried it on anything else.

***********************

Hey all! A bit quiet here today! Hope everyone is well. I'm off to work! Hope the rest of your day is wonderful and get yourself ready for a "WOOHOO Wednesday"!!! See you all tomorrow! ................P

 

[ohMom]

not sure if it's my computer, or if the boards are running slow? not complaining I like the new boards absolutely and i'll be patient for those tweaking them!

anyhow, I'm trying to learn a little of the new LO and thought I'd share two things I've learned so far. at the very bottom of the page, lower right hand corner is a blue arrow for quick navigation! cool!

and if you are like me and the bright white was hurting your eyes, If you go to your Personal Details, under "Preferences", the first option is "Style". There's a "Dark Scheme" that's a little bit darker and easier to read

 

[Flossbolna]

not sure if it's my computer, or if the boards are running slow? not complaining I like the new boards absolutely and i'll be patient for those tweaking them!

anyhow, I'm trying to learn a little of the new LO and thought I'd share two things I've learned so far. at the very bottom of the page, lower right hand corner is a blue arrow for quick navigation! cool!

and if you are like me and the bright white was hurting your eyes, If you go to your Personal Details, under "Preferences", the first option is "Style". There's a "Dark Scheme" that's a little bit darker and easier to read

That little blue arrow should be in the bar that shows which forum you are in at the top as well - it is the same at the bottom as on the top. It is very helpful for easy navigation!

I think the boards still are busy being adjusted, this afternoon they seemed to be down for a little bit even.

One thing that I like is that you can tag people and they will see that you are talking about them and then hopefully join into the conversation like this: @ohMom

I still find the look weired, but having had the transition from vbulletin (old software) to xenforo (new software) on another forum I know that it does not take long to get used to the new look and feel. To me the new software is just so much more userfriendly. And I love the look that is less cluttered!

I think it is interesting, how little people use the like button so far. On the other boards, people like posts all the time, but here it is still so rare. I guess this will change over time!

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh - and in WISH news... I am not doing very well here. We had a lovely wine tasting tonight as the evening programm. We are in one of Germany's major wine regions here and the wines were great. But I don't want to know how many points this was...

At least I made a point to go out twice today to walk a little bit. Did not make my 10.000 steps the last two days, but I climbed 35 stories every day as my room is on the 5th floor and I am not taking the elevator!

I think I will use my weight on Saturday as my February weight...