Week 4 - power week

This is the beginning of our 4th and last week of the 1st month. Next Monday is weigh in for money time! As I mentioned week 3 is usually the hardest, your excitement has warn off, the weigh in still feels far away and you can always eat this, be lazy and make up for it next week..... Well, the next week is here! After a weigh in we are on a high again if we did good, almost won, won, OR we set a new mind set for the 2nd month to do a little better with the tools we have been given. For your 2nd month, your start weight is the weight posted in that weigh in, you compete against that new number. At the end of the 3rd month we have a prize for the overall amount of weight lost and a monthly winner. So even if you don't win any of the monthlys you could be the one who loses the most in the end. Slow and steady wins the race right? You never know!

Prize amounts:

Month 1, 2 & 3
1st $70
2nd $35

Grand Prize $100

Remember, in order to win any of the prizes you must have at least 4 blog posts, 1 from each week! A couple of you didn't blog last week and I'm sad you won't be in the running this month :( Don't let your mind chatter discourage you!

This is what the Universe emailed me this morning and I think we can all relate with our thoughts around weight loss:

"Annie, there are those who absolutely think all the right thoughts. Yet if they're not doing all they can, with what they've got, from where they are, then you can just guess what else they're probably thinking. And those other thoughts are busy at work, too. Tallyho,     The Universe" This week's challenge is to set a schedule. Write it down, PLAN IT. What are you eating? When are you exercising? Each week I schedule my exercise so that it's non-negotiable. I have planned it already. I already know I don't do well in the evenings. I don't want to work out once I'm ready to relax. I don't want to go back out in the dark... That's just me. So I have always scheduled my workouts during lunch or before I get home. I pack my work out clothes and take them with me. No going in the house to find something else to do! This may not fit your lifestyle but it's what I have to do. Find out what you have to do to make it happen and DO IT! Food is the other component here. Are you planning your meals or waiting until you are hungry and cooking what ever you like? And since you are hungry you are really in need of something good and big right?  If you plan your meals and snacks you will not feel this urge to run to the closet and decide between your nuts or your chips. Pack your lunch and you will likely skip the work lunch run to the fast food joint. When I worked out at lunch and made my lunch to eat at my desk I completely eliminated my buffet lunch socializing with co-workers. Which was so hard but so good for me. I felt better each day. I lost weight/maintained, worked better, had more energy and was happy at work which made people like me more. We all have some lifestyle changes to make and losing isn't everything. Next week we will start the week off with a challenge about grocery shopping and what your weakness's are. Last week I mentioned how I have been able to replace many of my bad meals with healthier options that satisfy my cravings. These weekly challenges don't end when the week is over. Keep pushing through. Keep them with you when you shop or plan meals. Make them your new style. My schedule this week: Monday: Daily Method Barr class - 12:15 Tuesday: Run 5 or 6 miles 11:30 Wednesday: Run 4 miles - 4pm Thursday: 45min kickboxing video Friday: Run 4 or 5 miles Sat: (day off of work) Hike, bike ride or something with my friends that is fun, yet social. Weather dependent. Sunday: Off (but since it's the last day before weigh in, I might switch my off day with another) I will make 2 shakes a day (or make them into pancakes). Dinners will be carb free. No alcohol except for Sat. Lunches will be my pita's or "Chicken" taco. I like a snack at night so I will eat cuties (any night) or home made popcorn (limit 2 nights). Last week I thought I lost .6lbs over my weekend in Tahoe but turns out it was the altitude changes that messed with me and the next day I was 138.6 again. I am still 138.6. I had a little too much to eat over the weekend and weekends are always going to be my weakness. This next weekend I will have to find a way to burn as much as I drink/consume :) I also did not get to work out as much as I had planned, life got crazy and then there was the rain. I ran in the rain over the weekend so it's doable but not my favorite. I hope to be at 137 for my weigh in next week, which will be a 2.8% loss and 4lbs for month 1! (to figure out percentage divide the amount lost/beginning weight. Mine was 4/141.1, 4 divided by 141.1 showed 0.02834. Move the decimal by to spots and that's the percentage.)

Please, don't give up! If you didn't blog, if you didn't lose weight, stay in the game! We want you here! Do you need a daily email boost from me? Tell me, I'll send one! I like to get mine from tut.com. They Universe sure does love me and loves to send me lovely messages every morning.

Hope to hear from EVERYBODY this week! xo