Week #8 & Final Results

I am sorry that I couldn't respond individually to all of your comments in your point reports this week.  Many of you had a great time doing this challenge, and I am grateful that you were able to feel some success at being healthy.  I am happy I got through the holidays in a much healthier position than I would have without the challenge.  I, too, have mixed feelings about health challenges.  I am glad to have the rules that keep me exercising regularly and turning down the sweets that I would have no willpower to walk away from otherwise.  Still, I grumble at the challenge because of the restrictions it places on me.  I'm always happy to get to the end of a health challenge to return to "freedom," but I also get scared that I'm going to suddenly lose all self-control when I don't have a team to account to.  I still find myself counting fruits and vegetables and ounces of water, looking at the clock when I consider an evening snack, and thinking about how many days I've exercised, even when I'm not doing a health challenge.  Obviously, these rules are not going to force anyone to be healthy, but I sure get a lot closer to being healthy when I'm following them.  I hope all of you will keep up many of the habits you've formed and use this challenge as a starting point for the rest of your life.  As I've said many times before, being healthy is a marathon, not a sprint.  We all have setbacks, but pick yourself up and move on from them with renewed determination.

Alright, enough of my editorializing.  First I will run through the Week 8 Results, and then I will get to the Final Results.  This week, I saw an amazing surge in commitment with all except 3 participants getting at least 95% of their points (that's over 94% of you).  WOW!  Here are the week 8 team standings:

1st Place - BLUE
2nd Place - ORANGE
3rd Place - GREEN
4th Place - RED

A dozen of you lost at least 2 pounds this week: Anita Slaugh, Cheryl Hoskinson, Jeff Spencer, Julie Jacobson, Karla Cubillas, Larry Wilson, Lindsay Wilson, Mary Ann Brenneman, Stacy Chandler, Tonja Wade, Traci Taylor, and Wendi Gardner.  And a half dozen of you lost at least 4 inches from your waist and hips: Amanda Billman, Jeff Spencer, Lindsay Wilson, Stacy Chandler, Traci Taylor, and Tracie Spencer.  Congratulations!  You all really pushed yourselves to achieve those kind of results.

Now I will move on to the Final Results.  As a group we lost over 450 pounds and 225 inches.  Not bad during the holidays!!!  We had an amazing 10 people tie for the most weekly points with perfect scores for the duration of the challenge: Adrianne Wilson, Briana Livingston, Larry Wilson, Lisa Armstrong, Lynette Wilson, Mary Ann Lyons, Natausha Medellin, Stacy Chandler, Stephanie Probst, and Tiffany Hamilton.  Congratulations to all of you.  We also had a number of people who were within a point or two of perfect scores, and I commend them as well.

Many of you lost a significant percentage of your body weight in the last eight weeks.  I will tell you about the top three: Tiffany Hamilton lost 9.4% of her body weight, Julie Jacobson lost 10.1% of her body weight, and the person with the highest percentage of weight loss is STACY CHANDLER with a mind-boggling 14.0% weight loss this challenge. Fabulous job, ladies!

And now for the Final Team Results:

1st Place - BLUE (20,362 points)
2nd Place - ORANGE (20,058 points)
3rd Place - GREEN (19,911 points)
4th Place - RED (18,870 points)

All of you are winners for participating in this Sensible Lifestyle Challenge.  Thank you for being serious about your health and giving these last eight weeks your full effort.  After some preliminary calculations, I apologize in advance to the winners for the small winnings you will be receiving.  With so many people earning back half of their participation fees and so many winners to divide the remaining money, the winners will not be getting nearly the financial compensation I had anticipated.  However, I hope that the improved health you've achieved and the habits you've formed have been worth all of your efforts.  Thanks for letting me be part of your life for the last eight weeks.  I have enjoyed sharing the many successes you've achieved and goals you've accomplished.  My current plan is to start a challenge again in the summer, and I will let you know when I do.  Now go out there and stay healthy!

LAST POINT REPORT!!!

Thank you to everyone for participating in this Sensible Lifestyle Challenge with me.  I have had a very motivated eight weeks, and I hope you've all had a good experience as well.

As you prepare to make your final point report, please remember that you will be reporting points in every category of the point reporting form, including inches and weight loss percentage.  When you measure inches, you get 5 points per half inch (10 points per whole inch) lost since you last reported inches at the four week mark.

Your weight loss percentage is cumulative for the whole competition.  To calculate it manually, take your total pounds lost during the competition divided by your starting weight times 1000.  For instance, if I started at 160 and now weigh 153, I would take 7 divided by 160 times 1000 and get 43.75.  I would round up to 44 points and report 44 for weight loss percentage points.  I hope this is all clear.  If there is any uncertainty, please send an email or ask in the comments section of the point report.

I plan to have the results from this challenge posted on Wednesday and the checks mailed out no later than Saturday.  Most of you will be receiving money for getting 95% of your weekly points, and some of you will get additional money for winning various categories.  You are all amazing, and I have loved being part of your journey to a healthier you.  I look forward to seeing some awesome numbers in your point reports!

Because I'm not running another challenge for a while, I have added a tab at the top of this blog where you can click to find "Other Health Challenges" that I hear about.  I know of a few others who may be starting challenges soon, so I will keep it updated as I get information.

Week #7 Results

Most of us struggled with weight loss again this week.  In speaking with a few of you, we figured that we forgot to cut back in other food groups to compensate for the increased fruits and vegetables we were eating.  Although fruits/veggies are good for you, they still have calories.  We made a big jump back up to 77% of us getting 95% or more of our weekly points.  Here are last week's team results:

1st Place - BLUE
2nd Place -GREEN
3rd Place - ORANGE
4th Place - RED

Overall standings are still exceptionally close.  With everyone getting extra points next week for inches and weight loss %, it's still any team's game.  Although the majority of us saw very little weight loss last week, I want to congratulate the following three people who still managed to lose at least 2 pounds: Chad Stegelmeier, Karla Cubillas, and Stacy Chandler.  I am proud of all of you for making it through the holidays while sticking to a (relatively) healthy lifestyle.  Keep going...healthy living is a marathon, not a sprint.

Week #8 Bonus Challenge

NO WHITE FLOUR!

I apologize again for my late post of next week's bonus challenge.  I've had a more difficult time than I expected staying organized through the holidays. 

I have given us some pretty easy bonus challenges this time around, so next week might be the most difficult bonus yet.  For our final week on this sensible lifestyle challenge, we are eating no white flour.  There is truly almost no nutritional value to white flour, and we can get much more fiber and nutrition from whole grains.  Read food labels and make sure the foods you are eating have only whole grain flours.  FYI: "Enriched wheat flour" is white flour.  It is contained in pasta, tortillas, bread, rolls, biscuits, and crusts (and probably a number of items I haven't mentioned).  You don't have to go totally without, however.  Most of these foods can be found in a whole grain version and are especially healthy when you make your own.  Get creative.  Many people eat this way all the time.  Each day that you eat no white flour, you get 5 points for 35 possible bonus challenge points this week.  Note: The treats you eat on your sweets day are exempt from this rule.

Contrary to my hopes and intentions, I will not be organizing another health challenge until this summer.  Unfortunately, life throws unplanned circumstances at us, including me.  I will not be able to run another challenge for a while.  If any of you are going to start a challenge, please let me know and I will post information on this blog about health challenges for people to join.  Have an amazing and successful final week on this health challenge.

Week #6 Results

For the most part, we had a difficult weight loss week.  But many of you were just as determined as ever to get those points.  Here are the Week 6 team results:

1st Place - ORANGE
2nd Place - BLUE
3rd Place - GREEN
4th Place -RED

The following amazing people lost at least 2 pounds last week: Holli Westwood, Lindsay Gardner, Lindsay Wilson, Stacy Chandler, and Stephanie Probst.  I am very impressed with your efforts.  Unfortunately, we dropped to just 65% of us getting at least 95% of our weekly points, but I'm sure we will all do better next week!  Only two weeks to go.  Let's make these our best weeks yet!

Week #7 Bonus Challenge

INCREASE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES!

Now that the presents are unwrapped and lunch has been devoured, I can sit down and focus on getting next week's bonus challenge posted for you.  Sorry I am late getting this on the blog.

I recently spent some time looking over the US dietary guidelines found at mypyramid.gov.  If you click on the MyPyramid Plan link in the left column of this website, I think most of you will find that five fruits/vegetables per day is a good start, but not as much as is recommended.  This week, your bonus points are going to be earned by consuming additional servings of fruits or vegetables.  After you eat your five fruits/veggies each day, you will earn 1 point for the 6th fruit or vegetable, and 2 points each for the 7th and the 8th servings of fruits or vegetables you eat up to 5 possible bonus points per day.  Bonus challenge points are available every day this week for 35 possible points.

I have received requests to grant leniency to the 9 p.m. rule on New Year's Eve.  I know that extenuating circumstances arise in real life, and we need to be able to make adjustments to compensate for them.  Here is my final decision: I will allow you to have your 9 p.m. points on New Year's Eve even if you eat late.  However, to get those points, you must exercise on both Friday and Saturday for a full hour or more each day.  You don't get any extra exercise points, but you may have your 9 p.m. points if you fulfill these requirements.  Have a safe and happy New Year!

Week #5 Results

Everyone is really hitting it hard, with 85% of you getting at least 95% of your points.  I love seeing all the effort and determination going into living the daily habits of this sensible lifestyle.  Last week, the team point totals brought these results:

1st Place - BLUE
2nd Place - GREEN
3rd Place - ORANGE
4th Place - RED

Congratulations to the following people who lost at least 2 pounds last week: Adrianne Wilson, Cheryl Hoskinson, J. Clark Gardner, Larry Wilson, Lindsay Gardner, Lynette Wilson, Marci Waite, Natalie Williamsen, Stacy Chandler, Traci Taylor, and Wendy Gardner.

I hope all of you have a very safe, healthy, and merry Christmas this week.  Don't lose sight of your long-term goals just because of the holiday.