Week 1 of New Fall Challenge

Week one of the Fire Up for Fall challenge is here and I am excited to be a part of it.  I am hoping that being a part of this seasonal challenge with others will be the nudge of motivation, inspiration, and accountability that I am needing at this time. 

For the next 10 weeks I'll blog through my weight loss victories and struggles. I'll answer weekly challenge questions and post something positive: a picture, words, or something that makes me smile.  I will post that picture tomorrow--be sure to come back to visit!   

Here are the first week's questions: 

What are your goals for the Fall Challenge? Why have you chosen these goals?  What do you think will be your biggest challenge in reaching your goals?  

1. Be accountable by participating in this challenge and blogging about it weekly. Challenges motivate me probably because I am bit competitive by nature. (or could that be perfectionistic tendencies ?)  I believe that carving out the time to do the blogging on a regular basis will be the most difficult part of this goal for me --especially if I am having trouble with the other goals on my list.  Although my goals are not hierarchical, this goal is the one that will embarrass remind force help me to keep the rest.

2. Decrease my weight by 10 pounds. I have much more that I want to lose, but I want to be realistic and also be sure and achieve it.  No use in giving myself an excuse for giving up before I get started by making my goal too high.  I have lost significant weight over the last year and a half, but have found myself stalled recently. Part of this is due to a plateau, some of it is due to stress, but most of it is due to my lack of focus.  I have been waffling in a 10 - 15 pound range for too long and it is time to break this pattern.  The hardest thing about this goal will be mental and emotional -  I am an emotional eater and have some crap long term stress that I would rather cope with instead of eat.    

3. Pay attention to what my body is saying or not saying.  In other words -- eat when I am hungry, rest when I am tired, acknowledge what I am feeling and deal with it. Oftentimes I find myself eating because the clock says it is dinnertime or because I am out with friends and they are all eating not because I am hungry.  How crazy is that?? Not a good way to lose weight!  The difficult part of this goal is that I often overlook, ignore, or don't think about what I am feeling-- I just go with the flow of the moment.  I need to be more mindful - especially when it comes to eating.

4. Exercise at least four times a week.   Last spring I was going to the gym five days a week and had a pretty good habit going.  Then summer came along with longer days and looser schedules. It got harder and harder to go five days when I was out later doing other things.  Then other things took precedent--going on vacation, preparing to go on vacation, unpacking from going on vacation, other short trips...and pretty soon I wasn't going at all.   The hardest thing about this goal will be finding the right time and making it a habit again.  Priority. No excuses.

5. Get at least seven hours of sleep a night.  In the past I found that if I didn't get enough sleep, I didn't lose weight regardless of what I ate or did.  Eight hours a night would be great, but there have been times when I was getting an average of only five hours of sleep a night.  That is not enough.  I am better now about getting more sleep, but still allow myself to take time from my sleep to do other things.  The hardest thing about this goal will be getting to bed on time.  I am by nature a night owl and there are just so many things I want to do.  When I get my second wind at night I find it so difficult to turn myself off in order to go to bed.  I feel like I am losing productive time when actually I am losing productive time the next day when I don't get my sleep.

6.  Have a food plan and have the right foods available.  This goal is so obvious and yet is one I find most difficult to keep.  I need to know ahead of time what I plan to eat and I need to have the ingredients available to make it.  My refrigerator and pantry need to be full of healthy foods and not quick-to-eat snacks that generally are over processed high calorie and non-satisfying. The hardest thing about this goal is that I am lazy don't like filling out a food plan because the rebel in me wants the freedom to go out if I want. I never have liked being told what I have to eat -  that is why certain commercial diet plans haven't worked for me - I sabotage myself.  I think I may write the plan for only a few days at a time to help me keep this goal to start out.


What have you done this week that's made you feel fabulous? 
This week I got together with a group of friends and had a great time catching up because I haven't seen many of them since June. Originally we started meeting as an occasional after work happy hour, but now only one of the six people who was there this week still worked at the same place. So while it is no longer an after work thing and usually more than an hour, it is still most definitely happy!   


Where in the world do you live? Whats amazing about it? 
I live in central region of the United States of America in the state of Missouri also known as the Midwest.  I have lived in only one other state, but I have also lived in Europe.   I have loved all the places I have lived, but I especially find Missouri wonderful.  I am sure there is no bias!
Missouri is amazing because most years there is actually all seasons: colorful crisp days of autumn, cold snowy days of winters, fresh flowery days of spring, and unbearably humid warm days of summer.  Another amazing thing about Missouri, for me at least, is that much of my family lives in Missouri so visiting is affordable and can be a weekend trip. 


There you have it - - 
For the next 10 weeks I shall get myself Fired up for Fall!  Be sure to stop by tomorrow for my positive picture.  

Are you or would you ever participate in a group challenge ? Why or why not?