Our Diet Challenge

New Challenge!

2008-05-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I finally put all of our starting weights and measurements in one document. Hopefully you can read it. So by the end of May, let's have another (mid) weigh in just to see where we all stand.

*Also let me know if I have anything wrong.

Blog Update

2008-01-28T11:55:00.000-08:00

The Diet Challenge kind of fizzled out last year. Seems like we couldn't quite get everyone on board at the same time. This year Jessica and Jen decided to keep separate blogs detailing their own journeys to lose weight. And with much discussion they have decided to once again compete with each other to find out who loses 10% and 20% of their weight first. The prizes aren't big but they compliment each of their own incentive rewards.

Who knows maybe past members of the Diet Challenge will read this and want to participate also. Regardless we hope everyone works towards their goals to live a healthier lifestyle.

Check out Jessica's Get Fit 2008 Blog.

Check out Jen's 2008 Resolution Update Blog.

Starting Weights

2007-10-22T09:37:00.001-07:00

I had to go back to our discussion about starting over to find our starting weights for this challenge. That way we can determine a winner when the time comes.

Alexandra 174
Jen 250
Jessica 210.8
Janelle no weight given

On the discussion i mentioned, Janelle did not want to give her weight since she felt it was bad, so I don't know what to put for her. Since she hasn't weighed in at all this cycle, I'm not quite sure if she's participating.

So now we know where we started.

Last challenge of the year

2007-10-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well I've been bad when it's come to keeping up with this blog. Our last challenge was scheduled to end Aug 31, but as we got closer to that date we realized noone was really doing well. So.... we started a new challenge going from Sept 1 to Nov 15.

Right now Jen is still at 250, Alexandra is around 175, and I (Jessica) was 213.8 this morning. That is actually down a bit from my last weigh in.

I went walking yesterday... did 3 miles. I felt so good afterwards. I have to start doing something. Jen has been going to the gym, and Alexandra is starting a aerobics class at school. So she will be getting in a lot of exercise.

Come on girls! Let's get back into this before the holidays!

Week 4 Update

2007-07-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Alexandra 179 179 175 ??? (-4)
Janelle 214 210 211 (-3)
Jennifer 253 250.5 249 250 250 (-3)
Jessica 204.2 207.2 204.7 208.6 207.6 (+3.4)

Looks like everyone is losing weight expect me (Jessica)! Only a month left in this challenge! Let's get going!

Week 2 Update

2007-07-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Alexandra 179 179 (0)
Janelle 214
Jennifer 253 250.5 249 (-4.0)
Jessica 204.2 207.2 204.7 (+.5)

Jen is still in the lead with a total weight loss of 4 lbs. Keep up the good work! Janelle is back with us starting this week. Welcome back!

Note: (The numbers are now color coded per week, so you can see how everyone did each week, and the ending totals are overall weight loss/gain.) Feel free to leave comments!

Week 1 Update

2007-07-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

Alexandra 179
Jennifer 253 250.5 (-2.5)
Jessica 204.2 207.2 (+3)

I'm waiting for Alexandra's Week 1 weight, but so far Jen is in the lead!

CHALLENGE DATES: JULY 1 - AUG 31

2007-07-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

Our newest cycle of our Diet Challenge is under way. I'm going to keep track on this site just for an easier reference for all of the participants and others who wish to keep track of our progress.

So here are the starting weights:

Alexandra 179
Jennifer 253
Jessica 204.2

Janelle will be starting this cycle a little late, so as soon as she posts her starting weight, I'll update.

Update

2007-05-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

Our challenge has been trying to re-group these last couple months. We created a YahooGroup to allow us to chat with and motivate each other. It is our hope that as summer arrives, we will all renew our commitment to the challenge and weight loss and that our blog will once again be filled with updates.

If you would like to join our challenge, please post a comment or join our Yahoo Group (the link is in the sidebar). We will only consider serious requests and would prefer dieters who need to lose more than just 10 "vanity" pounds.

Challenge Suspended

2007-03-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Due to life smacking all of the challengers between the eyes, we are taking a break from the challenge. We will return in April--ready to lose those pounds that were gained over the last month and more!

Week 2 Results

2007-02-26T20:43:00.000-08:00

Quick update:

Sharon 184 (2 pounds lost, 1.08%)
Jessica 195 (1 pound lost, 0.51%)
Jen 246 (1 pound gain, -0.41%)
Janelle 181 (3 pound gain, -1.69%)
Bambi (no report)
Ida (no report)

Feb 16 Weigh-in

2007-02-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

As of Feb 16 (Week 2), here are the results we have collected so far. We are missing weights from Bambi, Ida, and Janelle. Please email your weights as soon as possible, so we can update this site.

** Sharon is in the lead as this moment. Congrats!

Bambi 182, ? (missing info)
Ida 194, ? (missing info)
Janelle 178, ? (missing info)
Jen 245, 245 (0% lost)
Jessica 196, 196 (0% lost)
Sharon 186, 184 (1.08% lost) **

New Challenge!

2007-02-11T20:38:00.000-08:00

It's time to start a new challenge. We welcome new challenger, Ida, and say goodbye to Shanese who reached her goal! Congrats!

This challenge will run until March 30 with weekly weigh-ins on Fridays. The winner will win either $10 or a book from each participant. Good luck!

Starting weights:

Bambi 182
Ida 194
Janelle 178
Jen 245
Jessica 196
Sharon 186

Winner Annouced!

2007-02-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

Shanese is the winner of the current challenge! She'll receive $5 from the other 3 challengers. Here are the results:

Shanese 112 (8.5 lost, 7.05%)

Sharon 187 (8 lost, 4.10%)

Jen 245 (4.5 lost, 1.80%)

Janelle 180 (4 gained, -2.27%)

The new challenge will begin this coming weekend!

Last Weigh-in before Challenge Ends

2007-01-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

These results are for the weigh-in on January 19-20.

Sharon 189 (6 pounds lost, 3.08%)
Jen 245 (4.5 pounds lost, 1.80%)
Janelle 179 (3 point gain, -1.70%)

I did not receive a weigh-in from any other challengers. Check the blog next Wednesday to see the final results. The winner will receive $5 from each other dieter.

Midway Update

2007-01-22T14:23:00.001-08:00

Due to life, I'm sorry results weren't posted last week. Here are results that I have received:

Dieter, start weight, wk 1, wk 2, total %

Jen 249.5, 243.5, 245, 1.8%
Janelle 176, 175, 175, 0.57%
Shanese 120.5, 118, 117, 2.90%
Sharon 195, 195, 191, 2.05%

Shanese is in the lead. Hopefully, we'll get another weigh-in this coming week. The challenge ends on Feb 2.

Warm Up Challenge

2007-01-08T21:14:00.000-08:00

To start off the new year, the challengers decided to do a warm up challenge. It will last one month with weekly weigh-ins. The winner will receive $5 from each of the other dieters. Here are the starting weights:

Janelle 176
Jen 249.5
Jessica 191
Shanese 120.5
Sharon 195
Bambi (unknown)
Indera 216

We'd also like to welcome Indera back to the challenge after a short break. We welcome Sharon back to the states after a 2 week mission trip to Nigeria (now if she can get her luggage back). We also extend our sympathies to Jessica and Bambi, who lost their mother this past weekend.

Holiday Break

2006-12-16T16:15:00.000-08:00

The Diet Challenge will be taking a break for the holidays. They will resume the challenge in January. Hopefully our challengers will not be playing "catch-up" after the break.

Final Results

2006-12-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Shanese!

Shanese will win $15 from each of the other challengers (with the exception of Sharon).

Here are the final standings:

Shanese 119 (11 pounds lost, 8.46%)

Jen 247.5 (12.5 pounds lost, 4.81%)

Janelle 177 (7 pounds lost, 3.90%)

Jessica 188 (3 pounds lost, 1.57%)

Bambi 179 (no change, 0%)

Sharon 194 (1 pound gain, -0.52%)

One more week to go!

2006-12-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

Here are the standings with one more week to go:

Shanese 121 (9 pounds lost) 6.92%
Jen 150 (10 pounds lost) 3.85%
Janelle 177 (7 pounds lost) 3.80%
Jessica 191 (no change) 0%
Sharon 194 (1 pound gain) -0.52%
Bambi 182 (3 pound gain) -1.68%

Good luck!

It's weigh in time again

2006-12-04T22:29:00.000-08:00

Hope I got all these right. It's been a long day and I realized that I hadn't posted the standings yet.

Shanese 125 (5 pounds lost) 3.85%
Jen 250.5 (9.5 pounds lost) 3.65%
Janelle 178 (6 pounds lost) 3.26%
Jessica 189 (2 pounds lost) 1.05%
Sharon 195 (2 pound gain) -1.04%
Bambi 182 (2 pound gain) -1.12%

Remember, the challenge ends on December 15, with the winner receiving $15 from the other challengers (see October 31 or November 1's post for the exceptions).

Good luck!

Quick Update

2006-11-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

Here is the current weights of all the dieters (with the exception of Bambi). Sorry I don't have percentages for you... I'll get them in the next update later in the week. All-in-all, we didn't do too bad with a holiday in the week,

Shanese 125 (5 pounds lost)
Jen 254 (6 pounds lost)
Janelle 182 (2 pounds lost)
Jessica 192 (1 pound gain)
Sharon 195 (2 pound gain)
Bambi no report

Week 2 Results

2006-11-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

These are the results of Week 2. Shanese is currently in the lead.

Name: starting weight, week 1, this week

Shanese: 130, 127, 126 (-4 lbs, -3.08%)
Jen: 260, 254.5, 255 (-5 lbs, -1.92%)
Janelle: 184, 182, 181 (-3 lbs, -1.63%)
Jessica: 191, 193, 189 (-2 lbs, -1.05%)
Bambi: 179, 181, 179 (0 lbs, 0 %)
Sharon: 193, 195, 194 (+1 lb, +.52%)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Of course we are all going to eat... probably a whole lot, but do your best to eat in moderation. Or at least get some exercise in to burn up some of those holiday pounds. And DON'T allow this to be the beginning of a backslide. We are all doing well, so don't mess that up for yourselves.

~jessica

Week 1

2006-11-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

Results of the first week of the diet challenge:

Shanese 127 (3 pounds lost, 2.31%)
Jen 254.5 (5.5 pounds lost, 2.12%)
Janelle 182 (2 pounds lost, 1.09%)
Sharon 195 (2 pounds gained, -1.04%)
Jessica 193 (2 pounds gained, -1.05%)
Bambi 181 (2 pounds gained, -1.12%)

Shanese, our newest challenger, is in the lead. Congrats and keep up the good work.

Just a small update, Janelle has decided to not receive a prize if she wins, as she has won the last two challenges. Sharon has asked to unofficially drop out of the challenge, due to a hectic work/school schedule and an upcoming trip to Africa. She will continue to diet with the group, however, she will not send or receive prize money.

Our New Look

2006-11-08T15:46:00.000-08:00

With the new challenge comes a new look! I want to say a big thank you to Jessica for hunting out this template for us to use. She's also teaching me how to update the blog (other than just the posts).

We'd love to hear your comments on our blog and the challenge. What do you like? What would you like to see added? Would you like to join? Just post!

It's starting again!

2006-11-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

The dieters are starting a new challenge today. We welcome Shanese and say a tearful goodbye (hope you come back) to Indera.

This challenge will run from November 1 thru December 15, with weekly weigh-ins. At the end of the challenger, whoever lost the greatest percentage of weight will win $15 from each of the other dieters.

Here are the starting weights:

Shanese 130
Bambi 179
Janelle 184
Jessica 191
Sharon 193
Jen 260

And the winner is...

2006-10-31T15:26:00.000-08:00

Janelle!

Here are the results:

Janelle 184 (lost 12.5 pounds, 6.36%)

Bambi 179 (lost 5.5 pounds, 2.98%)

Sharon 193 (lost 4 pounds, 2.03%)

Jen 260 (lost 1 pound, 0.38%)

Jessica 191 (no change, 0%)

Each challenger will send Janelle $10 for her win.

The new challenge will be posted on November 1.

Challenge Standings

2006-10-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on the standings.

Janelle 4.33% (188 lbs)
Bambi 2.44% (180 lbs)
Sharon 1.52% (194 lbs)
Jen 0.77% (259 lbs)
Jessica 0% (191 lbs)

The challenge ends on October 31st. Person with the greatest percentage lost will win $10 from each of the other dieters.

Good luck!

First weigh-in

2006-10-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Since the original post, there has been a small change in the prize for the winner. Instead of receiving cash and a book, the prize is now only cash.

Here are the standings:

Janelle 192 (2.29%)
Bambi 181 (1.90%)
Sharon 195 (1.02%)
Jen 259.5 (0.57%)
Jessica 191 (0%)
Indera ? (no report)

There will be another weigh-in on Sunday, October 15th and a final one on Tuesday, October 31st.

As always, if you're interested in joining, just leave a comment and we'll get back to you.

New Challenge

2006-09-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Our new challenge has started. This new challenge will run 6 weeks, ending on October 31st. We will have weigh-ins on September 30, October 15 and October 31. The person who loses the greatest percentage of weight will be declared the winner.

As of publishing this post, the prize will continue to be $10 and a book from each challenger. However, the challengers are in talks about changing the prize. The blog will be updated if a change is made.

Here are the new starting weights:

Bambi 184.5
Jessica 191
Janelle 196.5
Sharon 197
Indera 210
Jen 261

As always, if you would like to join the challenge or learn more, just post and leave an e-mail address.

We Have a Winner!

2006-09-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Janelle. She is the winner of the current diet challenge. She will receive $10 and a book from each of the other challengers.

Here are the final results:
Janelle 196.5 (12.5 pounds lost... 5.98%)
Indera 210 (8 pounds lost... 3.67%)
Jen 261 (9 pounds lost... 3.33%)
Jessica 191 (2 pounds lost... 1.04%)
Bambi 184.5 (.5 pound lost... 0.27%)
Sharon 197 (.5 pound gain... -0.25%)

The new challenge will be posted shortly. Good luck.

Oops!

2006-09-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

I made a boo boo when posting the current results (and almost gave Janelle a heart attack). Sorry about that!

Janelle is currently at 200 (not 211) pounds. She has lost 9 pounds and is at 4.31%.

Current Standings

2006-09-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here are the current standings in the diet challenge. There are 2 more weeks until the final weigh-in.

Janelle 211 (total of 9 pounds lost) 4.31%
Bambi 179 (total of 6 pounds lost) 3.24%
Indera 211 (total of 7 pounds lost) 3.21%
Jen 264 (total of 6 pounds lost) 2.22%
Sharon 197 (one pound gained) -0.51%
Jessica 196 (3 pounds gained) - 1.55%

Congrats to Janelle who is in the lead. Sharon and Jessica, you're heading in the wrong direction! Good luck in getting back on track.

Ladies, remember the final weigh-in is on September 15th. The winner will receive $10 (in the form of their choice) and a book (the winner can place restrictions, but cannot request certain books) from each of the other contestants. Good luck to everyone. Stay (or get back) on track!

Quick update on challenge

2006-08-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

I finally received the last weigh-in, so here are the results:

Bambi 181 (4 pounds lost... 2.16%)
Janelle 205 (4 pounds lost... 1.91%)
Indera 214 (4 pounds lost... 1.83%)
Jessica 190 (3 pounds lost... 1.55%)
Jen 266.5 (3.5 pounds lost.... 1.30%)
Sharon 195 (1 pound lost... 0.51%)

Weigh-In

2006-08-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is the first weigh-in of the current challenge. Our next one will be on August 31st and the final weigh-in will be on September 15th. The winner (the person with the greatest percentage of weight lost) will win $10 and a book from each of the other participants.

Bambi 181 (4 pounds lost... 2.16%)
Janelle 205 (4 pounds lost... 1.91%)
Jessica 190 (3 pounds lost... 1.55%)
Jen 266.5 (3.5 pounds lost.... 1.30%)
Sharon 195 (1 pound lost... 0.51%)
Indera no report

Bambi is in the lead! Everyone has lost some weight... keep it off and good luck in the next phase of the challenge.

Challenge 4 Changes

2006-08-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

Since posting on July 31st, we've had two new people added to the Challenge. It was also decided to extend the challenge to September 15. So, there will be 2 mid-point weigh ins (August 15 and 31st).

Here are the starting weights of all challengers:

Bambi 185
Jessica 193
Sharon 196.5
Janelle 209
Indera 218
Jen 270

We will still entertain any requests to join the new challenge in September. Please send an e-mail to karalfaje@hotmail.com if you are interested.

Challenge 4

2006-07-31T18:03:00.000-07:00

Rules for Challenge 4:

1. Will run until August 30 with a mid-point weigh in on August 15th.
2. The winner will be the challenge with the greatest percentage of weight lost during the month.
3. The winner will receive $10 (in cash or gift certificate from choice of store) and a book from each challenger.

For this challenge, Sharon returns and Janelle joins us! Good luck to everyone.

Starting weights:
Jessica 193
Sharon 196.5
Janelle 209
Jen 270

Chellenge 3 concludes

2006-07-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

Jessica weighed in today at 193 (that is 4 pounds lost-- 2.07%).
Jen is at 270 (for a total of 3 pounds lost--- 1.1%).

Jess is the winner (for the second challenge in a row). Congrats! She will be receiving $10 and a book from Jen's library.

Challenge 3 is coming to an end

2006-07-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow (Monday) is the final weigh-in for Diet Challenge 3. Jessica was in the lead after the last weigh-in. Will she have kept the lead and win the second challenge in a row?

A new challenge will begin on August 1. Sharon will be rejoining the challenge and we also have a new challenger joining us. Her name is Janelle from California.

Good luck to all the participants. Anyone reading this who would like to join, just post a comment or send an e-mail to karalfaje@hotmail.com and we will consider your request.

New challengers?

2006-07-17T19:52:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in joining our diet challenge? We will be starting a new challenge on August 1, 2006 and are open for new people to join in.

We have 3 criteria:

1. You are serious about losing weight and will stick with it for the length of the challenge.
2. You will be completely honest about how you are doing (we live all over the country... so we can't check up on you).
3. You are willing to cough up about $10 and a book (winnings may vary) if you lose the challenge.

If you're still interested, please contact Jen at karalfaje@hotmail.com with diet challenge in the subject line.

July 15 update

2006-07-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

Here are the results from the last weigh-in. The final weigh-in will be on July 31st.

Jessica 192 (total of 5 pounds lost.... 2.5%)
Jen 270 (total of 3 pounds lost.... 1.1%)

Jessica is in the lead. Keep up the good work ladies.

Prize change

2006-07-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

Since Sharon had to drop out of the current challenge, Jess and I decided to up the stakes a little by upping the prize. The winner will receive $10 (or $1 for each pound lost) and a book from the losers library.

As Jessica and I are big readers, we both liked this addition. However, we read different genres of books, so it will be interesting to see what is passed along.

We'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on our challenge.

Update

2006-07-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

We have sad news. Sharon has asked to drop out of the challenge until further notice. She's been swamped with work and not able to be faithful to a diet. We will welcome her back with open arms as soon as her life as settled and she is able to re-commit to the diet challenge.

So, now it's just Jessica and Jen. Good luck ladies! And here are the current standings:

Jessica 196 (1 pound lost... 0.51%)
Jen 271.5 (1.5 pounds lost... 0.55%)

Jen is just barely in the lead after this first check in. Both contestants will weigh in again on July 15th and the final weigh in will be on July 31st.

Diet Challenge 3

2006-06-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

The next phase of the diet challenge will begin on Thursday, June 16th and run until Monday, July 31st. There will be weigh-ins on July 1, 15 and 31st.

The challenger who losses the largest pecentage of weight in those 6 weeks will be declared the winner. The winner will receive 1 dollar for each pound lost or $10 (whichever is greater) to the store of their choice. In the case of a tie (in percentage), the challenger with the most pounds lost will be the winner.

Starting weights:
Sharon 203
Jessica 197
Jen 273

Results of the Second Challenge

2006-06-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the results:

Sharon 203 (no change)
Jessica 197 (4.37% lost)
Jen 273 (2.15% lost)

Jessica is our winner! Sharon and Jen each owe her $10 to the store of her choice. Jessica, please let them know your store choice (or if you'd like cash).

2 more days

2006-06-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hey girls,

Just a reminder that THURSDAY, JUNE, 15 is our last day for this challenge. Hopefully everyone is keeping up the good work, and losing lots of weight. I had a few very bad days when my grandparents visited. I gave myself permission to eat whatever, and that I did. I had a big steak dinner with all the extras, mexican, ice cream, and Krystals.

Who knows. The winner could be anyone!

June 5, 2006 updates

2006-06-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

These results are as of June 5, 2006. This session will officially end June 15, 2006 so we have less than 10 days to work hard to beat each other. It's still anyone's game! Good luck girls!

Sharon 203 (no change)
Jessica 201 (2.43% lost)
Jen 274.5 (1.61% lost)

Jessica is currently in the lead, but anyone can take the lead in the next 10 days. Keep up the good work!

New Challenge Update

2006-05-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on how the current diet challenge is going:

Sharon 203 (no change)
Jessica 204 (0.99%-- 2 lbs lost)
Jen 276 (0.989%-- 3 lbs lost)

Since we are going by percentages in this challenge, Jessica has a slight lead. We'll post another update at out 1/2 way point (Monday, June 5).

New Challenge Begins

2006-05-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

The next phase of the Diet Challenge begins on May 15th and will run until June 15th.

The person with the highest percentage of weight lost in the month will win the challenge.

The winner will get $1 for each pound lost or $10, whichever is greater. The money will be in the form of a e-gift certificate from the store of the winner's choice.

Here are the starting weights:
Sharon 203
Jessica 206
Jen 279

Good luck ladies! And feel free to post weekly with your progress.

Week 6 Results-- We have a winner!

2006-05-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here are this week's results:

Sharon 203 (no change, 5 lbs total)
Jessica 206 (1 lbs lost, 8 lbs total)
Jen 279 (no change, 11 lbs total)

And this week, we have a winner. Jennifer has met the challenge of losing 10 pounds (or more) and keeping it off for one week. Sharon and Jessica each owe Jennifer a $10 e-gift certificate to Amazon.com for winning this challenge. Congrats to all the participants!

Week 5

2006-05-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

Here are the results after five weeks of dieting:

Sharon 203 (no change, 5 lbs total)
Jessica 207 (7 lbs this week, 7 lbs total)
Jen 279 (2.5 lbs this week, 11 lbs total)

Good job to Jessica this week. She joined Weight Watchers to help with her weight loss and had an excellent week!

Jen has met the first part of the challenge of losing 10 pounds. If she can keep it off for the next week, she will be declared the winner and a new challenge will begin.

What Should the Next Challenge Be?

2006-04-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

Post comments for your suggestions on what our next challenge should be. Please include the goal (whether it be a time frame or a specific weight) and a prize. Perhaps we should even have an ultimate goal (with a bigger prize) and mini-goals to help us along the diet. All thoughts are welcome!

Week 4 Weigh-In

2006-04-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here are the results for week 4:

Sharon 203 (gain of 1 lb this week, total of 5 lbs lost)
Jessica 214 (gain of 1 lb this week, total of 0 lbs lost)
Jen 281.5 (no change this week, total of 8.5 lbs lost)

Ladies, we're going the wrong way in our diets. Good luck this coming week!

Week 3

2006-04-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Better a little late than never... here are the results for week 3

Sharon 202 (this week lost 6 lbs, total lost 6 lbs)
Jessica 213 (this week lost 3 lbs, total lost 1 lbs)
Jennifer 281.5 (this week 4.5 lbs, total lost 8.5 lbs)

Keep up the good work. Everyone lost some weight this week.

Week 2 results

2006-04-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

At the end of the second week, here are the results.

Sharon 208 (no change this week, total of 0 pounds lost)
Jessica 216 (no change this week, total of 2 pounds gained)
Jennifer 286 (4 pounds lost this week, total of 4 pounds lost)

Jen is in the lead. This week she started counting points (Weight Watchers). It's really helped her watch her intake of food. She even exercised twice this week! Go Jen!

Good luck everyone!

End of Week 1

2006-04-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

At the end of week one, here are our standings:

Jessica 216 (gain of 2 pounds)
Sharon 208 (no change)
Jen 290 (no change)

We don't seem to be getting off to a good start. We all need to re-think what exactly we are doing to lose weight. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome.

Why I'm in the Challenge

2006-04-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

I've always been a bit overweight. In high school I was at least 200 pounds. In the 12 years since graduating, I've ballooned up to 300 pounds. My health isn't good. I have to take meds to control my blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. Who likes to take 3 different meds each day?

About 5 years ago I did the Weight Watchers/ Curves diet/exercise plan. I lost about 40 pounds. Then our family moved, I got out of the routine and I gained it all back.

In the 2 months since Sharon and I began the original challenge I lost 10 pounds. I've cut sodas completely out of my diet. I've really cut back on fast food, but I could do better. My main reason for not having lost more is the lack of exercise. I've got a treadmill at home, but finding the time and getting motivated to actually walk is hard for me. When I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is walk a mile (and don't ask me to do it before work!). I can really stand to lose at least 150 pounds. But, I'm going to make an initial goal of getting down to 200.

I'm going to do my best and blow Sharon and Jessica out of the water with my weight loss. Look out girls!

Challenge begins

2006-04-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

Losing 10 lbs. and keeping if off for a week. Sounds easy enough, but it will probably be very difficult for me. My weakness (because I'm too lazy to think ahead) is fast food. Since I refuse to lose, I guess I'll be stepping it up!

As of this morning I weighed in at 214, about 10 lbs down from my highest weight. I'm not exactly sure what my ultimate goal would be, but when I think about it 130-135 always comes to mind. That was my weight towards the end of highschool. At the time I thought I was huge, but I would love to be that size again. Problem is... I'm not sure that is realistic anymore. So my ultimate goal right now would be to fit into a size 12 or 10 (preferably). What weight I'd have to be to do that, I don't know. During my last big weight loss, I got down to 170 and a size 16.

One step at a time. I'll get there. We will all get there!

The Challenge Begins!

2006-04-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

Today, April 1, 2006 the Diet Challenge begins! With Sharon's permission, Jessica and I have set the goal and prize for phase 1 of the challenge.

The first contestant to lose 10 pounds (and keep it off for 1 week) will be the winner. The winner will receive a $10 gift certificate from each of the other participants from the online store of winners choice. In the case of a tie (two people meet the challenge), the person with the most weight lost in those weeks will win. If the same amount of weight was lost, then the two will compete for an additional week.

Here are our starting weights:
Sharon 208
Jessica 214
Jennifer 290

So, let the challenge begin!

Let's go

2006-03-31T22:21:00.000-08:00

I think we are re-starting the challege today or very soon. I don't know what the new stakes are or the new goals. I'll let you two decided the goals and reward. Just don't get to crazy.

My motivation... I hate being out of shape. I don't like being winded running to first base or playing volleyball. And I have a whole lot of cute clothes I bought last year when I was thinner and I can't fit any of them now.

My starting weight is 208. My ultimate goal is 150. I'm going to give you both a run for your money.

Can't Wait

2006-03-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

Hey Jen & Sharon,

I can't wait to start this new challenge. Hopefully our actions and successes will help motivate each other to go beyond what we imagined we could accomplish. My motivation is my upcoming 30th (shh don't tell anyone) birthday. I DO NOT want my 30's to be a continuation of my 20's. It's time for me to make some changes!

By the way... I plan on winning! :)

The origins of the challenge

2006-03-24T21:56:00.001-08:00

Almost 2 months ago, my sister Sharon and I set up a diet challenge. We each weighed ourselves and said that the first one of us who lost 10% of our weight would have to get the other person a $20 gift card to an online bookstore.

So, after 2 months of 'dieting' we haven't done so well. We've checked in weekly to see where we are and for the last two weeks we've talked almost daily to encourage each other as well as pester each other when we've eaten badly or not exercised. We give each other goals (like get in 3 workouts... or only eat fast food once this week).

After this weeks weigh in, we've decided to call a winner of 'phase one' at the end of the week (Thursday, March 30th). Then we will begin 'phase two'. My friend Jessica (we've known each other since middel school.... about 15 years), has asked if she can join our diet challenge. On Thursday we will begin the new phase with a new particpant in the challenge. We will use this blog to keep track of our progress.