Fall 2013 Healthy Challenge: Inga H. Intro

How To Earn Points

HOW TO EARN POINTS
5 points for paying $10 and posting your picture with an "intro post with diet plan" on this blog. (I can help if you if you don't know how to post. . .or you can scroll down to the How to Post instructions in RED) Deadline for paying $10 is Monday Sept 30th and deadline for posting intro is Friday Oct 4th.

2 points/day for following your own customized diet plan
2 points/day for keeping a food journal
1 point/day for each 1/2 hour of exercise, max of 10 points per week. (***Not counting extra pop challenge points. Note: you may lump all your weekly exercise points into one day but you risk the chance of loosing pop challenge points. . .see below right)
1 point/per day for drinking at least 48oz of water
1 point/day for taking a multi vitamin
1 point/day for flossing (hey, I'm a hygienist and I'm trying to rid the world of periodontal disease!)
3 points/week for: 1. weighing in (do not post your weight) 2. BRIEFLY recap your previous week in a post on this blog 3. updating your point total in your picture caption BEFORE midnight on Sunday of each week. Our weeks begin each Monday morning. ADD these 3 points in with the "just started week's points

At the end of the challenge you will also have a chance to win additional points for % of weight lost. You can win 1 point for each % of weight lost, IE: loosing 10% of your weight equals 10 extra points! These points will be taken once, at the end of the 12 week challenge.

This challenge will last 12 weeks, starting

TO POST: In the upper right hand corner you will see "New Post" click on it. If you are like me it may take you a second to find it but I promise it is there!!! You will be brought to a screen were you can enter a title for your post on the dash board at the top of the screen. Please put your name and the week the post is for. You can then add your entry for the week whether good or ill we want to hear it! That's how this works in a group competition. We are all here to cheer you on!!! When you are satisfied with the content go ahead and hit publish!

HOW TO POST YOUR PHOTO AND YOUR WEEKLY POINTS:

In the upper right hand corner, next to "new post" you will also see "DESIGN." If you click on that it will take you to "bones" of the blog. On the left hand side you will see a menu under "new post." click on "LAYOUT." It will take you to the actual layout of the blog. In the left hand column you will see a place to click on "add a Gadget" It will then pull up another menu. Scroll down to Image and click on the (+) sign. You can there down down load your photo. Your name will be the title and your weekly point total will be the caption. . . .as I go back and re read this it all sounds very confusing. If you need help just let me know and I will be more than happy to assist you!!!

*****Once your pic is up all you will need to do weekly to update your points is, click on the tool/wrench in the lower right hand corner of your pic. You can then put in your new point total for the week in the caption area.

This site will stay public until everyone who wants to join lets me know and gets me their email address and cell #. After that I will make this site private for our challenge group.

FIRST PLACE WINNER: Gets 60% of the cash

SECOND PLACE WINNER: Gets 30% of the cash

THIRD PLACE WINNER: Gets 10% of the cash

In the case of a tie the winner will be determined by % of weight lost over the 12 week period. So, don't forget to note your initial weight so we can figure it out at the end of the challenge in December

Monday, September 30, 2013

Inga H. Intro

Greetings all! I am excited and hopeful for this challenge. I have never done anything like this before. I usually make all kinds of promises to myself regarding my diet, safer than public proclamations, but in my experience, they're very short lived. Hmm, wonder why?

I have two darling daughters (3.5 yrs & 10 mos) and a great husband. I am a teacher by trade but I am currently working for my parents on their orchard. Also I am a runner. It is my therapy (see above reference to the two small people in my life) and my obsession. I'm running my first marathon on October 7th.

After my first daughter was born, bolstered by the calorie demands of breastfeeding, my running habit actually resulted in weight loss. Down the 30 pounds that had snuck on sometime between college and my first few years of teaching, I felt great. Then I got pregnant with baby #2... (Love her, totally worth it!) Anxious to get back to my post-pre, or is it pre-post?, pregnancy weight, I've been making those promises all too often but again, without follow through.

My major trip ups are timing and fatigue. As I am still nursing (and running quite a bit), if I wait too long between meals, I end up feeling ravenous and eat way too much. I also tend to eat when I don't think I should be eating, so I don't put food on the plate, instead grazing as I pass through the kitchen or prepare meals for the family. Portions & planning needed! I also suffer from a sweet tooth, especially at night. Once I start to get tired, I tend to crave sweets. Again twisting logic that if I don't eat a "portion" it won't really count. But I have the sneaking suspicion that the small handful of chocolate chips I swipe from the baking cupboard each time I pass through the kitchen actually do add up to something, and I believe it's located on my belt line.

The Diet Plan:

3 Meals / 2 Snacks- balanced & portioned

Eat more veggies

Limit sweet treats to special occasions

I don't think I need to be much more specific in my diet plan because I know from past experiences whenever I keep a food journal I am much more thoughtful about the food choices I make. Honestly because who wants to write that they had kettle corn, some bites of baby yogurt, and string cheese for dinner? Yes, this did happen, or does happen. So bring on the accountability! I'm ready!

2 comments:

Doran & Jody said...: Good luck on your Half!!
You sneak baby food!!!??? Do they still have Dutch Apple dessert? That was my favorite...er I mean my baby's favorite.; September 30, 2013 at 8:52 AM
Collins Bound said...: Hi Inga! One of my twin daughter's name is Inga! Love that name. It sounds like we have several runners doing this challenge. I need you all to teach me how to love it...; September 30, 2013 at 12:10 PM