Kath

Hello all! Thank you so much for your support, sorry I've been quiet - busy (and very cold) weekend! Week one was a success! Yay, 1/4 of the way there! In my personally life, I've also been successful working on unpacking the house and getting things in order. (I unpacked my scale today - yikes the holidays hit hard lol.) So I'm feeling good both physically and mentally de-cluttering everything. I also got a new brita filter so my water bottle is constantly full of fresh clean water yum. I hope you are all having a great start this week.

Thank you! Yes I love it, though think I need to tweak my recipe. I let it cook all day, but it still tastes a bit weak. Ah well, I'm learning as I go haha. Today was a good day - did more grocery shopping to stock up before (what is supposed to be) a super cold icy weekend. Got more veggies, sparkling water (my replacement for soda - no sugar! Just bubbles), and various essentials. Because I had so many stops I ended up walking LOTS, and I plan on doing more zumba tomorrow. Ooh, I also got a new Brita water pitcher and cucumbers so I can fill up my water bottle - making fresh cucumber water. Yummmm!

I'm sorry you are feeling that way. I find that sometimes just having something like gum, or ice-cubes, or a good cup of coffee (SOMETHING in my mouth lol) help keeps the emotional binging at bay. Could always browse the NF forums too for inspiration to stay strong, or try meditation. (Taking some deep calming breaths to sort of clear your head and keep your thoughts from circling back to food helps.) I'm here if you need to vent or need a cheerleader haha. Today has gone pretty well for me. I got sparkling water at the store which squashes my soda cravings. (Yay!) And all the shopping I did gave me an excuse to walk around lots. \o/

Today has gone really well. I did my zumba, lasting as long as I did before (about a half hour) but I'm hoping to push past that the next time. I feel like I am starting to get my rhythm, which is awesome, but I want to be able to do it for an hour - that way I could attend an actual zumba class, which run that length of time. Food was good today, I had a sort of mini-meals throughout the day deal - eating many healthy snacks instead of scheduled meals. I also made bone broth which I am very excited for, because this weekend it's supposed to be FREEZING, and it will be nice to have something to heat up & stay warm with. Tomorrow is shopping day for more veggies/fruits & snacks. Any recommendations?

Thank you! Yeah, I definitely think at least a good chunk is mental. That confidence of "Yes, I totally take care of myself" haha. Thank you!

I follow Bexlife (she is on youtube, & has a website) She has some great beginner's tools and guided meditations. I also love Grace Smith, though she is more on the holistic healing side of things - leans towards self-hypnosis rather than meditation. (Though they are super similar.) I tune into her periscope which she does a free guided session weekdays at 12 eastern, I believe? I usually catch the vids after she has done them. ANYWAY - yeah, as someone new to mediation, guides help a lot. (Also, lots of lovely resources in this thread, thank you!)

Unfortunately migraines make me really dizzy, so even walking is tough haha. x_x But good news is I was able to be up and about today, so tomorrow I will resume my zumba! Today has gone well, I think drinking lots of water is definitely making my skin look good - I love it. Food as been pretty good today, I splurged a bit with a papa murphy's delite pizza - totally not paleo! However, I ate less than pizza than I normally would - and considering I haven't eaten a ton today, my calories are still a-ok! I am looking forward to more zumba tomorrow. \o/

Yes! I got about a half hour into the first disc and I was dying lol. It is really fun though, and definitely harder than it looks! I am enjoying it. Oooh awesome job so far. For the drinks, instead of going cold turkey you could always switch out to diet options, or low fat/cal, etc. That might help with the cravings as you gradually stop drinking them or just in reducing your amount.

Ok, so day two and I'm still on a roll! Ate a ton of veggies today and in general had good balanced foods. I need to catch up on water a bit, but I should still meet my goal by bedtime. I didn't work out today due to having a migraine (ow) but I am hoping to do more zumba either tomorrow or the next day - depending on when the last of this migraine leaves me.

Woo! Great job so far. I haven't read Neverwhere, I'll have to give it a shot! I've been reading non-fiction lately with Big Magic, a great book about creativity - especially when it comes to writing. And I love what you've done with the progress bars - I might have to steal that idea haha.

First couple days have been really good (ish). I've been on track with food, water, and activity. Unfortunately today was a bummer because I had a migraine and couldn't do too much, but I stayed on track! I look forward to shaking this thing and pressing on! Also, welcome more new faces! This place is starting to feel like a party.

Hiya Zho! Awesome job so far on your challenge, even though you had a little bit of a rough start you pushed through and are doing great things. I think your drawings look really cool by the way, I look forward to seeing more of them.

Thank you! I appreciate it. I actually don't read and write as much as I used to, but I am slowly getting back into the habit. (Been reading 'Big Magic' by Elizabeth Gilbert - a great book on being creative, especially when it comes to writing.) Eventually I would love to write a book, been sort of a dream of mine since I was young. (Back when I devoured books in a single day haha.)

I used: half a green apple, half a banana, 1/4 cup mixed dark berries, splash of coconut water, 1 small sprig/leaf of kale with the core removed. I could taste the kale a TINY bit, but that was because I didn't blend super well. Also, even though I tasted it I thought it tasted good, sort of a hint of sweet plant. (It made me want to add mint of some other herb to the smoothie, yum!) Thank you! Amazon.com has lots of options for 32 oz bottles if you are in the mood to shop haha. Yeah the zumba kit that I got consists of 5 discs, and it's basically cardio exercises that feel like dancing. It's set to original modern Latin music and I've had fun so far! There is a bit of a learning curve, but the first disc (Step by Step) you can do over and over till you get the basic moves down. The instructors start doing the moves slow and then speed up to tempo - which is what get's you sweating! I'll let you guys know how it goes the more I get into it. Thank you so much!

Day one has gone well! I've eaten good food, been guzzling water, and I got my first zumba workout in today. Let me tell you, it LOOKS easy, but after a half hour I was dying. The awesome thing is I couldn't tell that a half hour had passed, it was a lot of fun. (And challenging!) Back on the subject of food, I had a homemade fruit smoothie for breakfast - with kale! Delicious... though, I would blend it more next time. Ended up with kale in my teeth lol. I'll try to keep you guys updated throughout the week!

Aww oh no! Well, I definitely don't want that. Thank you! No, not too lecturey at all haha. I appreciate the help and advice, thank you.

Thank you all! I'm 5'4", and yeah I used an online calculator that said between 1200-1500 calories. I suppose I'm a bit TOO ambitious hahaha. I will just eat healthy filling food this week and track that to see what my average calorie intake looks like - then adjust from there. Oooh I will have to check out that hydrocoach app, ty!

I used to do DDR! Not gracefully, but still. I'm shooting for around 1200 calories per day. I will see how it feels for the first week and then adjust if needed. I tried zumba for the first time today. Wow, it looks easy, but it definitely has you working up a sweat fast! I was able to make it about 26 minutes in to the work out before needing to stop haha. I'm enjoying it so far though. Also welcome new faces!

Those sound like great goals! What sort of exercises do you like/plan to do? Also your life goal sounds really fun, is there a book you have in mind for the first week?

Hey Grizzy, sign me up! This sounds like a great idea. I'm trying to start slow so that I can actually achieve my goals, & not overwhelm myself. My name is Kath, and I am starting my first challenge. Well, my second first challenge. (The first one I started I took on more than I could chew, and ended up dropping out.) So this time around, my goals are more manageable. My goal is basically weight loss for this challenge - setting up some positive habits that can continue on after the challenge is over. My three quests are: 1. Eat within my calorie budget. 2. Drink 64 oz of water a day. 3. Do my zumba workout at least twice a week. Starting small on this because my activity is really low right now, but I plan on having this become a regular thing. I will pop in regularly with updates and support.

Thank you! That quote at the beginning was something I wrote, actually. I enjoy creating my own lore for challenges. (Even though I did not finish my last one, for my previous "first" challenge I was a dwarf and wrote a background story for her/me.) I am glad you liked it! Yes! Let's be friends haha - Netflix and dad jokes bring people together.

Thank you! Thanks Pete! I appreciate it.