Bea Amaya

Looks like a really GREAT start on this challenge with a good mix of veteran challengers and first-time folks. This should be FUN. Here's just a few more reminders about how this works: Although the weigh-ins are scheduled to occur on Sundays, as the challenge ends on Sunday, you are welcome to adjust this to whatever works for you. We're definitely flexible here. You'll know that I've updated the spreadsheet with your data when you see a "Like" from me on your weigh-in post. Everyone who is working toward a goal is welcome to join us in this. We've had some very successful pre-surgery participants before, participants that are at goal, in "maintenance" mode, and simply wanting to maintain their weight, and a whole bunch of us that fall somewhere in the middle. All are welcome here! When a question is asked or a comment made that seems to be directed at me, FEEL FREE TO RESPOND. I'm merely the volunteer that keeps the stats for the group...it's really the group itself that keeps the group going, and individual participation in cheering on, consoling, providing input, etc. is really what makes the challenges work for us all. So yes, please, be an active participant when you can! The spreadsheet may look a little funny now, with a lot of people showing a start weight of 200 and goal weight of 199. :-) These figures are merely placeholders until the challenge gets rolling. I'll change the text color from gray to black when "real" data gets entered. I try to post a kind of wrap-up from the previous week just before a new round of weigh-ins are recorded. In this post I try to list everyone who has crossed a "border" of some kind. For example, I was THRILLED to list my own name in crossing over from the 200s to the 190s (ONEDERLAND) during the last challenge. I'm currently chasing another move from the 190s into the 180s for this challenge and will proudly list my name along with all the others who make a "border crossing". Hope this helps explain things just a bit, but honestly, you should be able to figure out the challenge "norms" as we move along together. Here's hoping for a great deal of SUCCESS for all in the Easter Challenge! Bea

You just did, Sue! :-) Post your weight, and Easter goal weight, on Sunday when we all kick off this challenge together. Welcome!

I'm running a bit behind, it seems, but finally have the introduction to the Easter Challenge posted (http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/301321-easter-challenge/). Weigh-ins will be on SUNDAYs for this one, or whatever day of the week works best for you, individually (smile). Yes...we're flexible. :-)

Yes...tomorrow is the final weigh-in (although late comers will definitely be counted). :-)

St. Patrick’s Day Week 3 Results Here’s a wrap-up of how the third week of the St. Patrick’s Day Challenge went: Number of people reporting in Week 3: 79 Total weight lost by the group: 144.5 Average pounds lost per person for week: 1.8 Week 3 Border Crossings: 290s to 280s: Bigbeaz 270s to 260s: Lynnc121, StaceyVSG 250s to 240s: BlondeBanshee 220s to 210s: Ree, Stacy_wls 210s to 200s: whodatgirl 200s to 190s (ONEDERLAND!): Beach Lover 180s to 170s: longtimecoming7 160s to 150s: Busymomof3, EarthyGoalie 140s to 130s: erp Luck of the Irish to you all in the FINAL WEEK! As always, my apologies if I missed anyone!

Sure! Easter Challenge will be next!

LOL! I know the feeling! No worries...we give him a week and see what happens.

I weighed in at 196.2 this morning. Yippee! I might actually make GOAL (196) for this challenge!

St. Patrick’s Day Week 2 Results Here’s a wrap-up of how the second week of the St. Patrick’s Day Challenge went: Number of people reporting in Week 2: 82 Total weight lost by the group: 156.6 Average pounds lost per person for week: 1.9 Week 2 Border Crossings: 310s to 300s: Hevnbound 300s to 290s (TWODERLAND!): BrantS1976 270s to 260s: Kiap82, Fallenangel2904 250s to 240s: kyleebean 220s to 210s: HardWork13 200s to 190s (ONEDERLAND!): Deezjeanz, BeaAmaya, NewNana 190s to 180s: Jhealan, ladyleio, mamamareli 180s to 170s: onsummit 160s to 150s: tddonnell87 Luck of the Irish to you all in Week 3! As always, my apologies if I missed anyone!

BIG Congrats! I know the feeling (and only recently, of course). Welcome to the club! LOL!

My update: Sleeved on July 31, I started at 293 and am now at 197...94 lbs lost. My goal is 160. I started at size 22-24 and am now wearing size 14 jeans. I can go smaller (medium) in some tops, but I still have unusually large hips (saddlebags) to deal with. My losses have slowed down drastically, so it's not as exciting to weigh in every morning like it was in the beginning, but there are still a couple of things that have not changed for me: The sleeve has changed my life and lifestyle. My old path toward future weight-related medical problems has been derailed. Although the sleeve is not for everyone, I am quick to share my experience with those who ask. I have absolutely NO REGRETS. My next challenges involve the amount of skin I have collected. I have neither the money, the inclination (I'm almost 54 years old), nor the time to invest in plastics so I am trying to make the best of what I have and adjust my clothing style to minimize my bumps and bags. I visit this forum every day (although I'm pretty much of a "lurker") because I believe an integral part of our success involves interacting with others who understand what we are going through. My family and friends are so very supportive, but the community here, all of you, are the ones that totally UNDERSTAND it. Luck to all and congrats on the successes!!!

I've looked at it a couple of times over the past 2 days and it always opens for me. So, I can't really figure out how to help with this. Is anyone else having problems? I'd like to help but don't know what to try. So sorry!

Wow! I just looked at your profile and realized how much you and I have in common! I'm a few months older and a couple of inches taller, but the rest is so very similar...right down the line. Next week will be Onederland for you, I'm almost sure of it. Good luck!

I did it! I made it to ONEDERLAND! Been there all week, actually, so getting to report it today means NO GOING BACK! 198.0

Hmm...now that's an option I didn't even think of! I'll wait a bit for votes to come in, but I could easily see that we have a regular weigh-in day on a specific day of the week for every challenge with the FINAL weigh-in being on the day of the holiday, no matter what day it lands on. Hmm...that may be my favorite option yet. Thanks! P.S. Keep in mind that all of you have the option of weighing in on whatever day you choose. I sign in pretty much every day, just after I log my food in MyFitnessPal, so checking in here is part of my daily routine. If we choose FRIDAYS and you prefer MONDAYS, then by all means, report your weight every Monday. It's all fun, it's all about progress, and we have no strict rules. Still, I think we are down to selecting a consistent weigh-in day to begin with the next challenge. Thanks for all the feedback and conversation.

Just to make the challenges a little more fun, I try to watch for people that have crossed from one "decade" (10 lbs group) on the scale to another. For instance, I've got my fingers crossed that my Monday weigh-in will reflect my crossing from the 200s to the 190s, which carries a double-whammy as it also passes a "century" (100 lbs group) mark and puts me solidly in "Onederland". My first weigh-in had me at 206.4 and my second at 200.2. While that was a BIG deal for me (I average 1.5 lbs per week losses right now) it didn't cross any "borders" as they are both between 200 and 210. This coming Monday however? Well, watch out because I think I have a BIG border crossing to record as I move into the 190s. Highlighting people that have moved from one group and across the "border" into the next is just a way of making things a little more fun.

An Irishman was terribly overweight, so his doctor put him on a diet. The doctor said, "I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for 2 weeks. The next time I see you, you should have lost 5 lbs." When the Irishman returned, the doctor was shocked to see that he had lost 60 lbs! "Why, that's amazing!", the doctor said, "did you follow my instructions?" The Irishman nodded... "I'll tell you though, I t'aut I were going to drop dead by dat 3rd day." "From the hunger, you mean?", asked the doctor. "No, from the skippin."

St. Patrick’s Day Week 1 Results Here’s a wrap-up of how the first week of the St. Patrick’s Day Challenge went: Number of people reporting in Week 1: 86 Total weight lost by the group: 169.8 Average pounds lost per person for week: 2.0 Week 1 Border Crossings: 320s to 310s: Hevnbound 310s to 300s: Sleeveless n Seattle 260s to 250s: BlondeBanshee 240s to 230s: Danni-doinit4me, WeighDownSouth (him) 230s to 220s: susan6161, Chelenka 220s to 210s: andreamy7 210s to 200s: Cathysleever, VSG AJH 200s to 190s (ONEDERLAND!): snochick2005 190s to 180s: ladyd728, Evolving 180s to 170s: iris26, ribearty 150s to 140s: skinnygirl2b 140s to 130s: npark36 Luck of the Irish to you all in Week 2! As always, my apologies if I missed anyone!

Some of us here have been involved in quite a few challenges over the past few months, but we are also thrilled to have a new batch of Challengers join us for this one. I need to pose a question to the group, both veterans and newbies, before we move on to the next (Easter) challenge. I have always adjusted to challenge weigh-ins to END on the actual holiday. This means that for our next challenge, weigh-ins will be on Sunday. For longer challenges, it seems an okay move as we quickly get into the groove of things and adjust to a different weigh-in day. However, sometimes it [obviously] just gets a bit difficult to remember what day we are supposed to log in. So, I'm posting a set of polling questions to the group here. 1. Would you like the Challenges to continue to end ON the holiday itself, making weigh-ins for them often occur on different days of the week (Easter, SUN, April 20; Memorial Day, MON, May 26; Independence Day, FRI, July 4; etc.)? OR 2. Would you like to pick a "standardized" weigh-in DAY for the next few challenges ? Also, if you select a STANDARDIZED weigh-in day, what day would you prefer? Thanks so much! P.S. I'm not quite sure how to vote on this one myself (LOL!), but I'll try to post my own answer soon.

Happy Re-Birthday, Chelenka! And needing to reset your goal to something that's more of a stretch? PRICELESS!

LOVE the tutu, Wags! You look AWESOME! Congrats on a HUGE (pun intended) accomplishment!

Not too late. It's a rather short challenge so there are only 3 check-ins left, but you are certainly welcome to join us. Please post your start weight and your March 17 goal weight, then report in on Mondays. That's it. Welcome!

200.2 this morning. TOTALLY happy with that! Onederland soon!!!

Although it's still a little early, I wanted to go ahead and get things set up for a new challenge...the Valentine's Day Challenge! 1. Be sure and log in here on Friday, January 3, 2014 to post your start weight and your goal weight for the challenge. 2. When setting your goal, keep in mind that challenge is 6 weeks long. 3. Weigh in every Friday and post your updates here. 4. Watch the data at http://sdrv.ms/JJFPls to see our progress as individuals and as a team. GOOD LUCK! Old challenges - Halloween: http://sdrv.ms/19Qmc3j - Thanksgiving: http://sdrv.ms/1c1AT8J - Christmas/New Year's: http://sdrv.ms/1956TlT