The last two times I have done this week's group challenge I have been a big, fat failure.  I have had a one-a-day Coke Zero habit for the last couple of years.  I have successfully quit before and I know for my own health (especially for my teeth) I need to cut back to having a soda only occasionally.  I have been slowing down on soda for the last month and I hope this week with NO soda at all will be the push I need to break the habit all together.  Usually I curse Stephanie when this challenge comes around but this time I am excited!

weekly challenge

I am really excited for this weeks group goal. I'm not a huge pop drinker but i have been more laxed on it since moving. Whenever I have done these challenges, this is my favorite challenge to do because it makes me think about what i need to be intaking (water) and i usually get tons of extra water in! Here's to another great week!

Changing my habits

When I was pregnant with my first son, I was unbearably nauseous and dizzy the first 2-3 months.  It was constant dizziness that wouldn't go away, and I would have to lie down in bed without moving.  One Saturday afternoon we decided to go to Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  I still wasn't feeling well, but I really wanted to get out and begin exploring the city. 

As we sat inside, I was still completely miserable, and my husband suggested I order a coke.  As soon as I did, my dizziness started to lessen, and my nausea was still there but more manageable. 

And that became my love affair with coke.  It might just be a placebo affect, but I definitely turn to it when I have a headache, or feel dizzy.  Or if I am in need of encouragement to clean the house or begin dinner.  

I buy the 90 calorie cans, and on a good day I will have one can, and on a really bad day I will drink three.  I also always have a few of the mexican coke in the glass bottles in the fridge for those days when I really need a boost of energy.  

I am excited for this week's challenge.  I know Coke can't be good for the body considering it can be used to clean the corrosion on your car battery.  But I still reach for one to get me through the day.  And while I only drink the 90 calorie cans, I still could do better by not drinking it at all.  So, I am excited to see how my body feels after a week of only water drinking!

Hello,  I'm Karen, mother to Clark and ready to start the challenge. I had limited success on the first challenge, dropped out on the second one, and never got started on the third one.  That should be motivation to get going again because I've seen the success that Clark & Stephanie have had.  They made some major changes in size & shape by sticking to the program.  Recently I attended some lectures on insulin resistance & had to admit something I had been warned about was true - elevated blood glucose is a major culprit for heart disease, Alzheimer disease, obesity, & fertility issues for women. Even knowing the damage it can do to the body doesn't make it easy to change what I like to eat.  Reading encouraging posts from you about your struggles and successes does help.  Thanks to all.

Aunt Karen

I am Steph's favorite aunt, checking in for another challenge. Wish everybody LUCK!  Happy losing.

Hi Everyone!

I am Roxanna ! Mother of two who are ages 5 & 3.  We are from Southwest Kansas....yes... Kansas.... =) What I mean by southwest, I really mean "the middle of nowhere." Cornfields and flatland is what I am used to ! We couldn't be happier to be living in Colorado, this really is such a beautiful state.

For me this a very personal and tough journey. I am going on two + years of actively working on these changes. I have had little to no luck doing this on my own. Also due to some underlying health factors I have also been deterred at times.

I am continuously telling myself to be patient, do my part, and I will reap the benefits soon enough. I have slowly come to accept that realistically, it may take a lot longer to get to where I want to be physically.but putting in the work and building that foundation now, I will reach those goals.

Thanks to my wonderful neighbor (Susan Lewis) I was able to join you all. Which I believe is a blessing in disguise ( because opening up in this manner to me is daunting.) Joining this group challenge is my attempt to get out of my comfort zone.and to not be so much the "frustrated & suffering in silence type." Among reaching these fitness and health goals I need to learn to lean on others who share the same goals!

I am looking forward to being held accountable through this challenge. I now realize that healthy habits take time and and lots of hard work.

Did I mention I have zero patience with myself?

Mary Gibbs here this is my first healthy living challenge and first blogging try.  I have done other challenges which have lead to a 30 lb loss which would be great if I hadn't gained 60 lbs over the last couple of years.  Determined to get the rest off before the big 40.  Haha I have 2 kids 21 & 18 and have been married for 22 years to my sweet husband.  Hoping this challenge will get me back in groove and lead to a healthy lifestyle.

Hey all! I am not new to the healthy group challenge game, in fact I was the fearless leader for one session.

The last one I participated in I was just coming off of knee surgery and it didn't go very well. I should have been focusing more on recovery instead of trying to get fit. I fizzled out very quickly.

Now just a couple months after my one year knee surgery anniversary, my knee still reminds me a few times a day that my "recovery" will last a lifetime.

I can no longer participate in any long distance running, which is one of the few things that seemed to keep me reasonably slim. I have basically been in mourning this whole time, and it shows. It shows when I can't button my pants, it shows when I can't zip up my favorite dress...and I'm super tired of it.

My genetics skew to the plumper end of the spectrum, my "people" are all tall and "corn fed". I know that keeping myself from getting excessively overweight as I age will be a life long battle. Sometimes that knowledge fuels the flames of my indignation and makes me work harder. Sometimes I let the idea of always have to watch what I eat drag me down into "the depths of despair" so I eat a pie.

I am ready to lose this weight. I am so done with it. A happy and successful journey to us all!

Sariah

Back to Life . . . Back to Reality

As of a couple weeks ago I was in Hawaii. It was dreamy, fun, lovely, filled with things like macadmia nuts covered in chocolate and coconut ice cream "smoothies" for breakfast. This picture is not the most glamorous from the trip, but it is a good before picture, because it shows me my middle, which is suffering from what I've lovlingly named, "the summer of working, moving, having too much stress/fun pudge".

I have done a challenge or two or three and am in need of some motivation, accountability and support. Perfect timing!

I have four kids. Pictured above in my oldest daughter, Margaret (12 years old). Other kids are 10, 7, and 4 (boy, girl, boy). I love to be healthy and fit so I can play with them, hike with them, beat them in a race. . . No letting them win in these parts. I love to run, but had a foot surgery last winter that is still slowing me down. I swim too, and try to lift weights. I'm not performing to my max at anything right now . . .but I'm trying.

(Family selfie, where we were instructed to laugh with as much hilarity as we could muster.)

Hopefully this challenge will help me shed these extra stress pounds and keep me motivated to work on some of my fitness goals. I love having fitness goals to work toward and train for. It brings me a lot of balance and joy. On the docket for sometime this year: PR in a 5k, do a pull-up (yes, that's right, just one!), save for and buy a decent bike so my triathlon dreams can come true.

Thanks for hosting Stephanie! Glad to have so much good company for the next 10 weeks.

If you start to feel overwhelmed, just visualize yourself here. . . it really helps! 

Aloha friends, let's do this!

Hi

I'm Nicole. The last challenge I did I had a lot of weight loss success. Unfortunately, I let life's excuses get in the way and I fell off the exercise wagon. I've struggled with getting back into a good consistent work out routine since I had baby #2. I'm hoping to get into a good enough work out habit this time to stick with it even after the challenge. Happy weight loss!

Hello!

Hello all! My name is Elise! I recently moved from Greeley Colorado to Clifton Colorado....I know Stephanie from when we were both in Greeley. So many of us are in the same boat! I too recently moved, am busy, have young children and have gotten OFF track with healthy eating and exercise. I'm VERY excited about this challenge! I'm ready for some BIG changes in my life and am excited for the BIG results!! I wish you all the best!

Jenni

Hi Everyone!!

Steph's favorite cousin checking in AGAIN!!

Excited for a new fitness challenge.  I am going to try a few new things.  I love these challenges. They make me accountable. That is what I guess I need. Maybe its just the money involved.... Not the winnings but that I paid to do this so I am sticking to it.

I wish you all well.

Introductions

Hello Everyone,

My name is Artesia and this is my third Stephanie challenge. I had great success with the first one but was not as determined the second round. Like many of you, I am a busy mom! I have 5 kiddos ranging from 6 months to 10 years old but mine are mostly girls (with one little guy to keep things interesting!) We also just completed our second cross country move in 2 years- both with newborns. I am ready to settle down, buy a house and never do that again! We are back in Boise, and that is how I know Stephanie and LauriAnn. Oh yeah and I started a new job, I am the capital project manager for St. Lukes. My job is very flexible which has allowed me to start exercising with some regularity again. I just need to be committed and I know I will see great results. I normally would post a million pictures of my kids but I'm typing this up on my cell so be prepared! I look forward to "competing" with you all.

Wow, I am seeing a lot of little boys amongst us! If it weren't for location we could all clean our houses, meet at the football field, and play until everyone is worn out, then send the boys around the track for 4 more laps! I'm pretty sure that could solve a lot of my problems haha. My name is Susan, I have 3 boys (9, 7, and 2) and a girl (5) who has her girly side, but defiantly keeps up with the boys! My excuses for not working out as much as I hope, eating right, and sleeping are many, but none of them are good ones ; ). We had a lot of crazy this summer, and a few fairly rough moments, but I am ready to get back on track. I am grateful for everyone who is willing to participate and Stephanie for putting it together, because I tried on my own, and let's just face it . . . I'm not that motivated.

Hello! My name is Amber and I am excited but nervous to start this challenge! Like so many of you, I have a lot on my plate.  I have three boys (7,4 &2).  I am also a new teacher and am pretty thrilled to be teaching 6th grade science!  My husband and I work opposite shifts so that adds another dimension of complication on when I can exercise. I am very excited for this and I just hope I can finish this challenge!

Hello ladies!  I am LauriAnn and this is my 3rd "Stephanie" challenge.  I have 4 kids (10, 8, 3, & 1).  The last 2 challenges I did really helped me get back into shape after that 4th baby.  I finished a half marathon in May and ran a really intense 10 mile mountain trail run in July.  Since the last race I have lost some exercising momentum and a week or so ago I was thinking to myself "I wish Stephanie would do another challenge so I can get back on track."  She totally read my mind! My biggest goal is to get my running workouts (ideally 3-4x a week) done in the morning...before the kids get up for school.  I don't want to have any more excuses on that front.  I am a night owl so this will be a challenge!  Good luck everyone!  I am excited.

Hey everyone!!! My name is Sarah. I'm so excited to be a part of this. Working out, eating better and living a healthier life style in general is a lot easier for me when I'm doing it with other people. This will be fun!!!
I have 3 wild boys (7, 5 and 2) and a beautiful 4 month old little girl. I just want to feel healthy and have energy so I can play with my kids and keep my house...well decent. I don't think it'll ever be completely clean for many years :)

hey!

Hey guys! My name is Cheree! I'm super excited to start this challenge! Like Stephanie, our family recently moved and I chose doing other things besides working out! I need my workout routine back! I also have 2 special needs kiddos and I have been using them as my excuse for far too long. Although they need soooo much attention between Dr's appointments, therapies, and basic every day needs, I also need to make myself important too. That's why I want to start this! I cant wait to get to know everyone else!

Hello!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Jessica and I am really excited to participate in this latest challenge.  I tried a challenge once before, but I was 9 weeks pregnant at the time and I stopped participating after the first couple of weeks. I now have a three month old, and I am more than ready to develop some healthy lifestyle changes with eating right and exercising.

Our family has undergone a lot of changes in the last couple of months, and I feel like we are just now getting into a good routine.  We had our third son May 30th, and four weeks after his birth my husband graduated from residency, we moved to a new city, and he started a new job.  We now live in San Antonio, and I spend my days with my three boys exploring the city. Our two oldest are 2 and 3.

I am excited to start the challenge, and I hope to get to know everyone through this blog!

Back to the Basics

 Hello Friends old and new!  Although I wasn't ready for my boys to go back to school (you can read about our fainting fiasco on my personal blog), I am more than ready to be back to some good habits!

My name is Stephanie, I am married to Clark and we have 3 boys ages 7,5, and 2.  We recently moved to Pueblo, Colorado.  I had great success over the past challenges losing about 30 pounds and making exercise a normal part of my daily routine.  HOWEVER, this whole move thing killed me.  I've had a summer of stress, travel, eating out way too much and putting other things (like unpacking) over working out.  I'm feeling it.  I'm honestly terrified to weigh in on Monday.
What if I gained it all back in less than 3 months?!  AAAAAH!  But the past is in the past.  Looking forward and upward...and hoping the scale will go downward.

Thanks everyone for joining this crazy adventure with me!  I'll try my best to make it F.U.N.!

***TAKE A FEW "BEFORE" PICTURES!  IT'S AWESOME WHEN THE SCALE MIGHT NOT BE MOVING LIKE YOU WANT TO SEE SOME PROGRESS IN PHOTOS!***