Money where my mouth is...

[Froggiesrock]

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I've actually started here before, a few months back. Unfortunately, my lack of self-control and self-defeatism has always gotten in the way of progress and won the last battle I fought. No more though! I'm undergoing counseling for my depression which has been going great over the last month. So, I've decided to put my money and pride where my mouth is! I have a weekly bet ($10) going with my sister on who can stay on track with our 'committed' workouts. Complete with witnesses and a shared google doc to document. I also have a huge bet with my husband (with his promise to not intentionally sabotage) that if I haven't lost a significant amount of weight by April 1st, 2013, I owe him $300. We haven't done the math to determine what that weight is, but I refuse to give him $300 to spend on his car. I want to spend it on my Datsun!! My motivation doesn't just come from my pocket-book though, it mainly comes from my 4-year old daughter. I absolutely adore my child and want to give her the best life possible. She's already shown signs of following some of my nasty eating habits. I refuse to deny her a healthy life and healthy mindset while growing up. There is only 1 thing that will get in the way of my plans, and that's if I get pregnant. We are actually trying to have another, so if I do get pregnant, I'll continue some light workouts and keep eating as Paleo as possible.

I'm looking forward to all the future challenges with everyone! Stay Groovy!

[sumdawgtwigg]

No reason to feel ashamed! Many people have false starts or hit hiccups a long the way. I know that I've done so more than once. Good luck on getting your depression under control, it's a big one, I know! Also, I hope you win all your bets!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Depression is a tough battle to face, good for you for doing something about it. Getting grips on depression will help with weight loss and losing weight will help with depression. Have you looked into the next challenge? Also, you get 15 pts to begin with for your stats, it doesn't look like you've used all yours. I recommend nailing down what a "significant" amount of weight is soon, and then setting some realistic goals to accomplish in six weeks.

[Laureleye]

I was battling some fairly severe depression, and I think the workouts and diet changes are about 90% of the reason for my turnaround. One of the things I think helped me was sitting down and setting a firm but realistic workout schedule for myself. Same with my diet; what was realistic and sustainable for me and my family together? Feel free to send me a PM if you have questions. Glad you didn't let a slip derail you totally. Welcome back.

[Froggiesrock]

Thanks so much for the support everyone! I've set some pretty realistic goals with my workouts and weightloss. We agreed to use the standard 'healthy' weight loss amount of 1-2lbs/week when calculating the amount I need to lose. I'll need to lose 21lbs by April 1st, so average about 1.5 lbs a week. And my workouts are following Steve's Rebel Fitness Guide with a little extra cardio thrown in.

[Laureleye]

By the way, as a Lorelei, I particularly welcome another germanic mythical being. Sounds like you've got a good head of steam built of for the next challenge.

[Space_Elf]

Ohh... The bet sounds like a great motivator. I should see if i can find someone to do something similar. I could use the money and I am just competitive enough that it might work out.

[gwenster89]

hey! i'm new too, and have had about a million false starts. and i seriously mean a million. i could be so motivated in one second and then looking for ben and jerry's in the next. it sounds like you're off to a really good start! with all my yo-yo experience, i've thought a lot about why false starts are false and what helps make the start "true." well, i'm about one week into what a feel and hope is my true start. for probably 2 months i just didn't care. i ate absolutely horribly and hated myself for it. and i finally realized that the problem wasn't me eating crap and hating myself for it, it was the other way around. i didn't care, i was feeling low, so i ate. maybe that seems obvious, but i think you have to realize it in your own way. i mean no WONDER will power doesn't work!! it's not just "choosing" not to eat something, it's something inside of you that's grasping for instant release.

so i changed my game plan. i stopped worrying about what i was eating entirely and decided to work on my own sense of self and self respect. i read quotes, i had long talks with my sister, i read other people's success stories, and figured out that i just wasn't happy and that that really had nothing to do with my weight. so i got happy! i started doing things that made me feel accomplished, made me feel good about myself. working out was one of them, but even just cooking a healthy meal or reading a book instead of watching tv made a difference. i did things that allowed me to pat myself on the back and the rest followed.

anyway, i hope that helps. i still have a really long way to go but at the same time, i feel like i'm already there. being healthy is a lifestyle, not just a 6 month period you give yourself to get skinny. when you live the lifestyle, yeah you lose weight, get stronger, all of that, but more than anything, you make yourself realize that you already had it in you, it was already there, you just had to find it. good luck, and hope to "see" you for the next challenge!