Weight Loss & Hair Growth Challenge 2012 Q1

decided to go back to the vegan diet... my longest vegan stretch is 3 months so i'm going to try to beat that... my gf is ordering me a juicer so i can't wait for that to come in! been going easy on the exercise because of the pt test in the morning (wish me luck!) but tomorrow afternoon i'm going to get back to the weight lifting... also doing a couple walk in classes this weekend zumba and yoga then i'll chose which i like better to supplement the weight lifting because i can't afford both!

so starting tomorrow my workout schedule is as follows

mon am pt: long run (3-4 miles)
tues pm weight training upper body
wed am pt: whatever they tell me to do lol
pm yoga or zumba
thur pm weight training lower body
fri am pt: run the hills of death
sat whichever class i chose to join

still working out this diet and supplement thing but it's all vegan for the next 3+months
also down to 2-3 cigarettes a day from about 1/2 a pack :/
 
The scale is still going down :)
I'm gathering motivation momentum now, the better I do, the better I want to keep on doing :)
Let's keep it going, Ladies! (and Gents :))
 
Checking in. I finally got my little critters back in school yesterday from winter break! YAY! I started the couch to 5k program yesterday. If anyone is interested in that you can find it at coolrunning.com and there's also a challenge going on in the health and fitness forum.

I haven't weighed myself again but I know my weight guestimate of 226 is accurate because I went to the doc, and I weighed 228 fully clothed with shoes.

And I have two very easy tips that have helped me in the past to lose weight.
1. Cut ALL your portions in half. This is an easy way to cut your calories without actually having to count your calories or stop eating the foods you really like! Make your plate like you normally do, then take half of everything off and save it for the next day or your next meal. You'd be amazed at how MUCH you actually eat. The point is to stop eating when you're no longer hungry...not when you're FULL. If you've eaten till you feel full, you've eaten too much. So instead of me eating 2 chili dogs like I normally would, I only eat one, etc. (Don't cut veggies in half unless their slathered in cheese, butter or cream!)

2. Drink 1 8 oz cup of water before you start eating.

I did these two things before and the weight was easy to lose even without exercise. Now that I'm in my 30s, though, I find that I HAVE to exercise now. I guess my metabolism speed is dropping. Besides, I need to exercise anyway to maintain muscle tone and strength and keep my heart healthy.
 
I started taking carb and fat/chitosan blockers before meals. So a few weeks will tell if it is working or not. I started working out twice a day again but I have decided to go low impact and see if I can get better results. I always thought high impact would work but I have to change it up if what I am doing wasn't working.

I will walk/run/jog for an hour each morning then do low impact cardio for an hour in evening. I am thinking about going to zumba in the morning.
 
After my weekly weigh-in I've gained 1lb since last week. This is my first time since I started 5 weeks ago that I didn't lose my usual 1lb/wk. I'm not too surprised, because I ate badly and missed 3 days of working out... but it still sucks.

On a positive note, the black levi's I'd stopped wearing because they had gotten entirely too tight are now back to fitting much more comfortably :)

Now... to get back on track and get back to losing. :/
 
After my weekly weigh-in I've gained 1lb since last week. This is my first time since I started 5 weeks ago that I didn't lose my usual 1lb/wk. I'm not too surprised, because I ate badly and missed 3 days of working out... but it still sucks.

On a positive note, the black levi's I'd stopped wearing because they had gotten entirely too tight are now back to fitting much more comfortably :)

Now... to get back on track and get back to losing. :/

Yes, you can do it! One minor setback is nothing compared to the healthy changes you've already made :)

And it's a great feeling when your old clothes become comfortable to wear.

Hope everyone is still motivated! :)
 
Well, I don't know that I've lost any weight from my original weigh in, but it does appear that I've lost the 3 lbs I gained during New Year's. Ya!!!
 
I've been doing very well with sticking with my workout schedule, eating healthy foods, drinking more water and green tea. My hair is doing well although I really wish I had more time to do more steaming. I'll do better.
 
Went out last night, a break from revision!
We danced all night!!
I've lost pound since yesterday, although I am aware that could be mostly water weight, so I won't weigh in for a while in case it temporarily goes up and I get discouraged LOL
I am at 150.6 pounds now.
Let's keep it goiiiiiinnnnnnggggggg, yeeeeaaaahhh!
Off to exercise now :)
 
Alright, first official weigh-in: I lost 7 pounds since starting this challenge! So I am now at 190. I'm happy but I'm a little bit bummed because it's not more. It's all good though! :yep:

Here's the kicker though: sometime right before Christmas my hair measured at about 4" and I trimmed about an inch worth of some really nasty split ends and I went down to 3". I just measured my hair on a whim and I'm back at 3.5 inches! Woot! :yay: :woot:
 
Last edited:
At last! (sorry I've changed internet providers and not having a good run of it - slooooow and frustrating...)


I've just updated the challenger list - if you're yet to put up your start post or to give an update, please do so, we love to hear from you! :yep:


*CherryPie*
AfrikanRose
AyannaDivine
beccaBeccaBECCA
Black Ambrosia
bronzebomb
cherryhair123
Curly Lee
drmuffin
jerseygirl1977
lawyer2be371
LilMissSunshine5
LuvlyRain3
Mazza64
mEmYSELFaNDj
naturalpride
NatrulyBlessed
NJoy
NubianQueen
Onhergrind09
princessdi
SkySurfer
Spongebob
Stiletto_Diva
sunnieb
ToSelahWithLove
yorkpatties

If you've joined the challenge and not thanked the first post - it's likely I haven't found you within the thread and added you to the list.- I do try! Please PM me if I've missed you and I'll add.

Now for my update:

I've gained 1lb this week :ohwell:. Current weight 117.5lbs. The good news is that I've lost half and inch on the waist and definitely look slimmer - two people have said I'm looking slimmer in the body and face - yay, I'm getting my cheekbones back! :yep:

I'm going to switch things up a little bit - force myself to do my lunchtime walks regardless to how stressed or busy I get.

Keep at it, even if like me you've not got the results you wanted this week.

Hairwise: Found a new braider and making an appointment for 2 weeks from now - the hair is feeling much better but needs a few more DC's before I put it away for 8 weeks or so.

Any more updates, please?!
 
My starting weight is 205. I just started WW and my weight in is next week (online). I am doing a nutritarian based diet via Dr. Fuhrman, Turbo Fire, Bikram Yoga.
 
My starting weight is 205. I just started WW and my weight in is next week (online). I am doing a nutritarian based diet via Dr. Fuhrman, Turbo Fire, Bikram Yoga.

Oh how I miss my beloved Bikram yoga :sad: Chile I almost died last time I went...laid down for shavasana and could NOT get back up. I just laid there in that hot a$$ room w/ sweat drippin down my body and fell asleep until class was over :ohwell: Its too bad because I really enjoyed going until that happened.

edited for spelling
 
Last edited:
I said I wouldn't weigh in, but I lost another pound since yesterday.
The lack of all the junk food i used to eat is really making a difference, plus i went out yesterday again, loads more dancing=loads more exercise!!
Feeling great about this, but i'm just waiting for the initial fast weight loss to taper off, because realistically I can't expect to lose at this rate for the rest of my weight loss journey.
I need to be slow and steady

3.6 pounds lost
21.6 pounds to go.

Stay motivated people!! How are people doing?
 
did my first weigh in today and lost 5 pounds yay, most of it water weight though. this week im going to

-space out my meals (small more frequent meals)
-hill walking once a day (7 days)
-eat more protein (each meal)
-drink 2 litres of water a day (throughout day)
-add some vegetables ad fruit to my diet (
-continue to track foods on tracker
 
Hey everyone!!! I hope everyone is back on track!!! For my part, I'm still working out with the Turbofire dvds and I love it!!!! I never thought working out from home could be so fun ;-) Keep it up ladies!!!
 
RE: Challenge #1: Weight Loss & Hair Growth Challenge 2012 Q1

Sorry it took me so long to upload this info.

What's your main motivation: (What's your backstory/ why did you join this challenge/why do you want to lose weight/grow hair?)
I am joining this challenge because the challenge goals are in line with my personal goals for 2012. I hope that joining the challenge will help to keep me motivated. I am also hoping that being a part of the challenge group will help to provide information and ideas to get through times when I am not progressing or have hit a plateau (hair or weight), every bit of help, helps. :)

My motivation for the hair growing portion of the challenge is my friend wannabelong, she is my main hairspiration. I have struggled to manage, style, and live with weak, damaged breaking hair since I began taking care of my own hair when I was about twelve. I have never achieved longer than neck length hair. My hair has severely over processed and damaged since late elementary school/ junior high school, and that was nearly 100 years ago. Thats a long time to not know how to achieve a healthy head of hair that is all your own (no receipts necessary). My hair was short (ear length), broken, brittle and showing up in bits and pieces all over my clothing and pillow cases. More hair was in my comb and brushes than remained on my head. I'm ready to move beyond the vicious miserable cycle.

I finally decided to try something different, something new to me. I decided to go natural. My last relaxer was 11/06/2010, my hair was slow to grow. I had my BC (big chop) this past fall, 10/28/2011 after transitioning in protective styles for just short of 1 year. I had my first trim since my big chop, to even things out on 12/2/11. Below is a picture of my natural hair blow dried straight, for measurement, it is now neck length, probably mid neck. It appears to be healthy, thick and evening out. If I can achieve shoulder length this year it will be the first time since childhood. If I can prove to myself that it is possible for me to grow my hair beyond my neck (something I had come to believe was simply not possible for me), then maybe with effort, patience and time I can achieve my other goals.

My motivation for the weight loss portion is a family member she has recently taken off a bit of weight and working dilligently to keep it off, she has illustrated that the loss is not a 3 or 6 or 9 month goal, but a lifestyle change. I've been struggling with my weight over the past 8 years. I had always been skinny, However, in 2003 I started to get a bit, chubby as my co-workers described (yep they actually said it out loud, "Wow you are getting chubby!). Needless to say I immediately reduced my daily calorie intake and got on the treadmill 2 to 3 times a week in about 3 months i lost about 25 pounds I was once again within my healthy BMI range (but only just barely). I took on a new job shortly after this accomplishment, the job was extremely stressful. I had little recourse, no support, no time, and none of the resources that had previously been available to me. I had no idea what I could do, I no longer had time to focus on me. In the last 8 years, I put all the weight I'd lost back on and gained an additional 56 pounds for measure. I am now obese, but I don't want to be. On 1/1/12 I attended a weight watchers meeting, I weighted in at 254 pounds (yep, for real), and I don't even have any new or fairly new babies I can contribute the weight gain to, its all me.

How often will you update your progress in this thread? (Daily, weekly) - Weekly for weight, Every 1.5-2 months for hair.

Current weight (or BMI if you don't want to include numbers): (Enter your current weight and/or BMI) -
My weigh-in at weight watchers on 1/1/2012 was 254 pounds, my BMI was 36.4.
Weigh-In 1/8/12 - 248.6 - BMI - 35.9
Weigh-In 1/15/12 - 246.2 - BMI - 35.6

Current hair length: (Enter your current hair length) My current hair length is neck length.

Q1 (01 Jan - 31 Mar 2012) weight loss/BMI goal: (Enter number of lbs or decrease in BMI you expect to achieve Q1 - make this challenging, but most importantly realistic) - My goal is to lose 8-10 pounds per month. I would like to have lose 24 to 30 pounds by March 31st. If I lose more I won't complain.

Q1 (01 Jan - 31 Mar 2012) hair goal: (Enter hair length you expect to achieve in Q1 - again keep it challenging yet realistic) My hair will grow at the rate it grows. Not much I can do about that, however, I do think that is realistic for me to set a goal within what my body can produce. My hair grows about a 1/2 in per month. I will set my goal for 1 to 1.5 inch of total growth with a goal of 1 in minimum retention per quarter. If I retain more I won't complain.

Full Year 2012 weight loss/BMI goal: (Where do you see your body in Dec 2012) - In December of 2012, I would like to have lost between 75 and 89 pounds. I would like to be slender.

Full year 2012 hair goal: (Where do you see your hair in Dec 2012?) - In December of 2012, I would like to have gained/retained 4.5 - 6 inches of growth. At my current length, that would put me at shoulder/collar bone length in the back and sides of my hair, while the front of my hair should just be reaching chin length.

Any other specific goals you'd like to reach: (E.g. drop 2x dress sizes, be fitter and more able to play with your children, reduced waist/thigh/arm measurement, thicker hair, better condition hair etc.) -
For my weight: I currently wear an 18/20 or 2X sized clothing. I would like to drop back down to a sized 10/12. I would like to purchase my clothes from a regular department store without issue.
For my hair: I would like my hair to be thick and healthy.


What will you change/continue in order to reach your weight loss goal? (E.g. drop 2x dress sizes, cut no. of grams of fat eaten each day be fitter and more able to play with your children, reduced waist/thigh/arm measurement, fit back into your favorite jeans or dress be very specific)
Weight watchers Plus Points. I have reduced my carbohydrate intake, increased my healthy proteins. I drink more water, tea. Less soda, and juice. Increased my veggie and fruit intake, as well as almond nuts for the protein. I use the MyfitnessPal app on my smart phone. I would like to fit back into an old dress I have that is a sized 10, the dress is probably out of style today, however, fitting into it, would be a significant achievement for me.

What will you change/continue to reach your hair goal? (E.g. Moisturize and seal religiously, weekly DCs cutting out or reducing heat, protective styling, low manipulation - be very specific...)
I will continue to wear protective styles. Low manipulation. Increase the number of times I moisturize per week. I will start to do a steam treatment every other week.

What resources will you use to help measure of achieve your weight loss goals? (E.g. Android apps or websites for tracking exercise or calories consumed, distance walked, will you keep a food and exercise diary, or follow a particular eating plan or perhaps you will partner with someone with similar goals or exercise with a partner. Please share resources - your ideas may help others on the thread)
For weight loss, I've re-started weight watchers, I've downloaded weighty lite on my android to track my weight during the week outside of my WW weekly weigh-in. I will also include more movement in my day to day like take the stairs instead of the elevator, park further from the office so that it is necessary to walk more. Also including yoga and Pilates to my weekly routine. Take my vitamins so that I am less anemic=less tired. I'd really like to find a partner to help me stay motivated, I'm working on family and friends now to find a partner who will help to keep me on track and I can do the same for her.


Ok, I think thats it. Whole life story an whatnot.

Looking forward to all of our success in 2012.

Gonnabme1st
 
gonnabme1st - thank you for your post above and I wish you all the best. Sounds like you're already making progress with your hair and with consistency, I'm sure you'll see much more. I enjoyed your "backstory" too - I'm sure someone somewhere will read it and may identify with you and maybe even join us. It's good to share!

I have just got back from my lunchtime walk - I fell off badly - and I feel really, really good.
I had a bad weekend wherein I felt constantly tired and hungry, if I wasn't sleeping, I was eating, so I really have to put in some effort and get myself back on track. I looked at my start post and reminded myself why I'd started this challenge - I've come a long way and I'm nearly there, it'd be an awful shame for me to ruin things now :nono:

Let us all keep going and spur each other on.
 
I started back with my exercise this week. Woo hoo. This week I'm working on phasing out my carbs and re-introduce veggies. I also got my multivitamin and will take that along with my nioxin
 
My computer is not working correctly, so i'm on my iPhone and cannot post my starting picture.

I started weight watchers. The point system is hard.. But doable. It's letting me see just how much I eat. I'm also savoring the food, because you get so little points that has to stretch throughout the day. I can't wait to see what I look like AFTER!
 
I'm doing pretty well. I'm slowly adding my green smoothies to my diet to replace meals. The bad thing is, I'm craving my favorite junk (gyros, orange chicken, etc). I do give in to my cravings, but I don't eat all the food in one setting.

I am doing my favorite Kathy Smith step aerobics! LOVE HER!!!

As for my hair, I decided to sell off my "NEW" wigs or return them. I enjoy my blown out hair, never knew why I was scared to use heat.
 
Back down to my starting weight of 152lbs. So hopefully next week I'll actually lose some weight towards my goal and keep it off. Because Yo-yo'ing sucks.
I haven't been doing any exercising I've just been trying to up my water intake and cut down on the sugar.

Goal weight:130
Start weight:152
Last week:155
Current weight:152
 
Last edited:
I worked out 4 days this week, which is not as much as I wanted, but still good. I did really well with eating small, healthy meals. Also, I have begun drinking a gallon of water daily. It keeps me in the bathroom, but my skin is looking much better, and it has helped me to cut out all other liquids from my diet!

Last week's BMI=46.8 ------> This week 46.1

Slow progress, but progress nonetheless!

Also, I still haven't gotten my braids. :( Last week I rocked the fro, and this week I will bun.
 
Back
Top