Hi Fellow Participants ,
I was re-reading all the replies and thinking about the private forum we are being gifted by the Mods so that everyone feels comfortable in sharing such intimate information. I was just thinking that some people out there they may want to participate but even the private forum is too public.
So I want to be brave for myself and for any others that are on the fence about participating or that have signed up but may be feeling a flight response before this all kicks off on the 24th. So I decided I should share a bit of my/our story in the public forum and I hope this may help anyone that is on the fence about participation.
Our wedding was February 24th 2007 and yes the start date is our 6th Wedding Anniversary! In these last 5.11 years we have both allowed that wedded bless to manifest in one negative way: weight gain!
Recently two events occurred that provided us a GRAND reality check:
- my husband was diagnosed with a liver disorder
- a photograph from a really fun event = VERY SAD FACE :sigh:
Event #1: In the last 3 months my husband went though a lot of doctors appointments and scary test results. In the end he was diagnosed with a liver disorder (not disease) that needs attention or it can become disease. The most effective and simple things he can do to reverse this disorder and keep it from becoming disease is to have better nutrition, lose weight & exercise. Sounds simple but these habits were not formed at one meal and will not be reversed in one meal. He has taken many great strides in the last month toward these goals and I am very proud of him. Now with an additional “carrot of pins and community” in front of him I expect he will spend the next three months being super motivated.
Event #2: Yuck the photograph! We spent our Thanksgiving vacation at DLR. Everything was perfect and we were having so much fun; that is until I took one look at an awful photograph (thank you immediate gratification from the iPhone camera) from a character Meet & Greet. We posed with Dug at DCA and I was super excited to see him. Six days before this meeting our 12 year old Labrador passed way and hugging Dug was the greatest therapy...UNTIL I saw the photograph. OMG who are these people and how did that happen to them?!? Oh wait that is us! Crap where are those fit people from our wedding photographs of just 5.8 years ago? I just saw them on the wall in our house. Did we eat them? The next restroom we came across I spent 5 minutes quietly crying in the bathroom stall for two reasons: Dug made me super sad because I missed my dog so much and the photograph made me super FREAKED OUT. Why? No! How? I just wanted to go home, my trip was ruined. AND until now I have not admitted this to anyone not my husband, not my doctor and just barely myself.
Event Outcomes: We have spent the last 4 months exercising and eating better but the progress is slow. We are not perfect and have many periods of in activity and “excuse eating” but our mind set has shifted so much that our language and relationship about food, exercise and health is very present and active. We have participated in juice cleanses and will begin on the 24th working with a nutritionist so the timing of this challenge and our previous plans seem like it’s just meant to be. Our goals are to make healthy eating choices, obtain a healthy target weight and support each other in making these positive choices. With or without a weight loss challenge I see our life is changing but what I really like is the idea of a community of cheerleaders with common interests and goals. Good luck to everyone that has already signed up and I encourage those on the fence to sign up even if it is just to take a look at the photograph I referenced earlier because I am not posting that here! LOL! Maybe after this challenge I will change my DPF ID to DecaffinatedSugarFreeCupcake
XOXO
Liana
Hey guys, I just joined the challenge and if anyone knows me, you can easily see I don't need to loose weight (aside from a bit of belly fat here and there). I just wanted to share with you the reason I decided to join.
Growing up, I was fat. I was teased, insecure, well... a lot of people can relate so I won't go into the details. I spent the first 18 years of my life overweight and it was because of my unhealthy eating habits. Despite my active lifestyle (I was in my HS football team and played sports regularly) I never really shook the weight. I didn't know why, I mean I would diet, loose a few pounds here and there and a few months later, back to normal. Nothing really worked and I found out the hard way that all these "diets" were just a lie. A very very unhealthy lie.
After my first year of college, I had enough. Mentally, I was in the dumps. Physically, I hated the mirror. Now, I may not have been vastly overweight but I was not skinny by any stretch of the imagination. Thats when I started. I exercised every single day, changed my eating habits, read everything I could read and found out the truth behind a lot of diet plans and false information we all assume to be true. I realized that weight loss was easy. It was just a matter of doing it. And thats exactly what I did. I set out a plan and followed it. The weight melted off. In the end, I was running 5 miles a day and eating healthier than ever. Now it's been 4 years since I was overweight and I have managed to change my eating and exercise habits forever. I'm not in as great of shape as I once was and no longer run 5 miles a day haha but I am not overweight and have learned to maintain my weight and stay in relatively decent shape.
The best piece of advice I can give any of you is DONT DIET! Diets are short term. Drinking juice all day long won't solve a thing. You'll loose weight, sure but think about this: Will you go on the rest of your life drinking juice or eating no carbs or no meat or whatever diet you follow? A lifestyle change is what keeps the weight off, not a diet.
I joined because, though I am not overweight, I am very competitive and you can guarantee that for the next three months I will do everything in my power to get in better shape. I have gained a little bit of unwanted love handles and look to gain some muscle so I'll be working hard right along with you making sure that you have competition! This means a lot to me and I thank Martin for making this possible because I would've loved to have something like this to motivate me when I was trying to loose weight.
To everyone, I would like to offer any and all help, advice and support I could provide. If you have ANY questions regarding weight loss, diets, nutrition, exercise routines, feel free to PM me. I have read COUNTLESS of books and articles and tried all sorts of diets, exercise programs and can give you a helping hand in regards to what works and what is a flat out lie. This is such a great idea and I just want to help out whoever I can. Good luck to everyone and bring your A game because my eyes are on the prize! You better work just as hard to beat me! I know you all can do it and look forward to seeing all the great results!
Thanks for sharing Caffeinecupcake. I was hoping when we get the private area it would be helpful if we shared our stories and struggles. Can't wait! Will we be sending our photo/scale shot to you Martin, or will our private area be up and running by the start date?
Check your inboxes! I just sent some important information. If anyone else is interested, you still have time before Sunday!
If we are going to have a private sub-forum, then we can have different stickied threads maybe.
Such as: recipes for healthy snacks to curb cravings, un-guilty pleasures, exercise motivations, daily inspirations - we can even take turns to post a daily message, looking at the list above everyone can get 2-3 turns .... just brainstorming here.
I am a little anxious to post pictures of my misery, but I think that this is much needed and having a support group here can make a big difference
Love the ideas guys!
I need to loose 90 more !
I have read all of Maritin's emails, and I am so excited that he is so organized and thorough. Thank you so much for organizing this! I really feel like it is easier to do this kind of thing in a group.
I dread sharing my picture too, especially after I just looked at my DPF profile pic. I lost all of this weight once and now I have let it creep back. I'm super excited about having pins help along with my motivation. I really like the pin Martin is putting up!!! Maybe I could use it to finally get my SW Beloved Tales pin-lol!!
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?