LIVIN' LARGE: Minimizing yourself and maximizing your life!When you have over 100 pounds to lose it can seem impossible to get started in the right direction.
I absolutely love the idea of this challenge. I think it's just what I need to keep me going.
But...because of some extremely important committments I have right now that consume my time and energy, I wouldn't be able to be completely involved until June 12, which is when I'm officially free of these things.
Is there any way my goals could be pro-rated some how to account for the late start, but also keep me on even keel with everyone else? I would reeeeealy love to be a part of this. Any ideas or suggestions would be great!
We all have challenges in our daily lives. I don't know how completely involved you'd need to be. It's really about you setting and sticking to your own goals. If your goals are appropriate for your circumstances, than you could still start on June 1st, then really get in the groove on the 12th.
By the way, I have been thinking about this. I think before and after pictures are a great idea and can be quite the motivational tool. At the same time, I do realize there might be some people who won't participate because of the pictures. No Worries. I don't want to exclude anyone on that basis... pictures will be encouraged, but not required.
One thought I had about the pictures is that even if the participant did not want to post them publically, they might send the pictures to the person who is managing the scoring as part of the process.
We all have challenges in our daily lives. I don't know how completely involved you'd need to be. It's really about you setting and sticking to your own goals. If your goals are appropriate for your circumstances, than you could still start on June 1st, then really get in the groove on the 12th.
Just a thought...
I hear what you are saying, LD. I'll have to think about it and see what I'd be able to manage until the 12th. Thanks!
I hear what you are saying, LD. I'll have to think about it and see what I'd be able to manage until the 12th. Thanks!
You can do it! :p
There will always be something going on in your life, sometimes more consuming than others, but you'll never get a crapload of days with nothing more to do than work out. I don't get that and I'm on summer vacation, don't work, don't have kids, and my house is nearly clean. There's always gonna be something, so the important part is to remember that and do what you can when you can. Sometimes that does mean backing off and doing nothing more than 3 sets of jumping jacks somewhere in your day... but at least it's something.
And you can most certainly almost always find a way to eat relatively well.
Good luck, even though luck rarely has anything to do with it.
They're right. One of the most important things I think we can learn is how to stay the course, maintain, perservere amidst the perils that we call life. Life is a constant stream of interruptions. It has its ups and downs, rhythms and randomness but we adapt, we overcome.
If anyone out there is thinking they can't do this challenge......that is exactly why YOU SHOULD.
I will be posting some more details better laid out later tonight....
Newman
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"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
Hey everyone sorry it has taken so long to post again, had company last night and today so I have been busy. I am very excited to see how excited people are for this challenge and to see so many new faces.
I am still trying to fine tune the scoring system but this is what I have so far.
Possible goals:
1/2 day blocks of clean eating
Number of workouts
Weight gained, or weight lost (depending if your goal is to bulk or cut)
Personal Goal (this can be anything you want but try to keep it something that you can set a quantitative number too so that it stays consistent with the othes. ie. Number of cardio sessions, number of foam rolling sessions, even something non-fitness like number of hours spent with wife/kids/pet whatever)
In order to keep it fair, and everyone with a equal number of goals I feel that the 4 categories; clean eating, workouts, weight change, personal should be mandatory. Meaning each person has to set a goal for each of those categories.
Now I am going to go into the tentative weights for each goal category. I also want to note that only one person will actually be keeping the tally of everyones progress so you don't have to worry about calculating your own current score.
As it stands this is how I am considering weighing the categories:
Clean Eating: 1 point for every clean 1/2 day block. I feel this should be worth a lot because eating clean is a constant battle especially with all the temptations and pitfalls.
Number of Workouts: .3 for every workout session. This is one of the easier goals to hit and everyone should be getting 90%+ in this category.
Weight Change: .5 for every pound. I originally wanted to make it fat lost and lbm gained but as James pointed that requires to accurate of a measurement and leaves too much room for error. So, since we are all going to be eating clean anyways and doing our best on all fronts we are just going to assume that changes in weight whether up or down is lbm being added or fat being cut.
Personal Goal: .65 for each goal. There is a wide array of things we can set here so I am just going to set a general value to all of them.
Ok... hmm.. I just typed all that out and it just hit me that this may not work. Using weighted values like this would give an advantage to the person that chooses more clean eating days (and achieves them) etc. I know there is a way to equalize it but my brain is shutdown for the night and I can't seem to think clearly about it. So this is a call out to all the statistics majors out there. Please help me fix and fine tune my system. I know it will have to do with not only the numbr of goals you choose but what % of it you complete.
Also if anyone has any opinion on the weight of each category and feels it should be altered please bring it up, if I hear no complaints then those are the numbers I will use.
Finally I know I have repeated myself a few times here, I apologize, I have it all in my head and I am trying to get it all out before I forget any details. So again, I apologize for any repetitiveness and disorder.
-Kyle
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
After thinking a little more about my proposed scoring system I think I remember how I would keep it fair. If I am still in error please let me know but I think this keeps things fair.
Each of the weighted numbers I provided will be calculated on the completion percentage of each category. For example if someone has chosen 24 workouts and manages to get 20/24 by the end of the competition then their score for that section would be (20/24*0.3). Where as a second person might have only chose 20 workout blocks and completed 18/20 so their score would be (18/20*0.3) and they would score higher.
Obviously what we want for this competition is people to set reasonable but challenging goals for themselves. Don't set something that is going to be too hard to achieve, but also don't pick something so low you could hit it without breaking a sweat. Also I plan to set minimums on each category ie. the least amount of clean eating blocks you can choose is 65% so out of 122 possible blocks you have to set a goal of atleast 80.
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
I absolutely love the idea of this challenge. I think it's just what I need to keep me going.
But...because of some extremely important committments I have right now that consume my time and energy, I wouldn't be able to be completely involved until June 12, which is when I'm officially free of these things.
Is there any way my goals could be pro-rated some how to account for the late start, but also keep me on even keel with everyone else? I would reeeeealy love to be a part of this. Any ideas or suggestions would be great!
Victoria:
Is there any way that you could work your exercise in over the course of the day for the first two weeks??? It may not be a typical workout, but I know on the days where I am booked to the wall, I find at least 20-30 minutes a day to at least move. I may have to do it 10 minutes at a time but I still and try to get something done.
Weight Change: .5 for every pound. I originally wanted to make it fat lost and lbm gained but as James pointed that requires to accurate of a measurement and leaves too much room for error. So, since we are all going to be eating clean anyways and doing our best on all fronts we are just going to assume that changes in weight whether up or down is lbm being added or fat being cut.
I have to say, in all honesty, I'm really against any form of goal that measures something a person has no actual control over. I mean, you can control the calories in and out, but you can't make your body cooperate like that and actually lose/gain pounds. If it were that simple, if there were no such thing as a plateau, it'd be much easier for people to stick with their programs.
I personally try very hard to not ever set a goal I can't actively control. It's too discouraging when things don't cooperate, even when you do everything right.
Ok, so I was tied up for much of this evening. Sign and I have been tossing around a lot of ideas. Keep in mind, nothing is set in stone yet. This is still discussion. Some ideas that I have.
For signing up you will receive 3 blocks. 1000 blocks are possible in the contest. All participants who last 40 days and/or meet the minimums for each category will receive a T-Shirt.
Nutrition Goal - Adherence to a plan of good nutrition. Note: this should be both healthy and support your goals. When you write out your plan in your log, you should detail what your definition of this will be.
61 Days in 1/2 day blocks = 122 blocks.
A bonus of 5 blocks will be awarded for scores 65%-69%.
10 blocks for 70%-74%.
15 blocks for 75%-79%.
20 blocks for 80%-84%.
25 blocks for 85% - 90%
A minimum of 80 blocks should be achieved.
147 total blocks possible in Nutrition Goal. Bonus blocks only count toward the Overall Winner of the Challenge. For ranking within each category % of goal achieved will be used.
While my goal might be blocks 110 blocks Yours might be 98 blocks. So a running total of mine might be:
Newman - Nutrition 50/110 or 45% of Goal.
Fitness Goal - You decide number and type of workout per week. These can be Resistance training, Cardio/HIIT, Walking - Dedicated time for exercise and physical activity.
Resistance Training - 2 blocks for every 15 minutes (Max 200 Blocks).
Cardio/Intervals/. - 1 block for every 15 minutes (Max 125 Blocks).
Walking/Group Sports - 1 block for every 30 minutes (Max 125 Blocks)
450 Blocks available. There is a 100 block minimum goal for the Fitness section of the Challenge. (The minimum is equal to ~ 24 minutes a day of activity for the 61 days.)
My goal might be to have 38 Resistance sessions of 45 minutes, 20 Interval Sessions of 15 minutes, and 7 1 hour hikes. I would earn 114 blocks, 20 blocks, and 14 blocks respectively. A total of 148 blocks. A running total might look like this:
Personal Goal - Choose your own adventure. Goals might include weight gain, weight loss, body fat %, spending more time with the family, reading a certain number of books, or anything you can imagine. If you want to gain weight, this may be a number of lbs. If you want to lose weight this may be a waist circumference. If you want to spend time with the family, maybe X number of hours per week or a certain night a week. Consistent effort for 61 days is required. No matter what it is. Achieve it!
For setting and reaching your goal, you will earn 250 blocks.
Personal Goals may be revised 1x during the course of the challenge but the revision must be approved.
Competitive Goal - Participate in a public event such as a weight lifting meet, strongman competition, walk/run/race, etc. during the 61 days of the Challenge. Many events cost minimally to participate.perhaps $10.00 donated to a worthy cause such as Race for the Cure, etc. If you are having trouble with this one, let me know and I will personally help supply entry fees or find you an event in your area that is free.
50 blocks will be awarded for each event. (Max 150 blocks).
You cannot earn double blocks. For instance if you walk for 2 hours in the participation of this event, you cannot earn the 50 blocks to meet this goal and the 4 blocks for walking (Fitness Goal).
A minimum of 1 event (50 blocks) is required.
Awards determined by Private Message vote by participants for:
"Most Improved"
"The Mahler Award for Motivation"
Challenge Awards for:
Overall Winner - He/She with the most blocks wins.
Nutrition
Fitness
I already have some great prizes lined up from JP, Leigh P, John Izzo, Alan Aragon, and Mike Roussell. While these are not the focus of the Challenge, they are a nice extra at the end.
Everyone will need to have a log. We will be having an Official Rules and Sign up Thread in the near future....
Tell me what you guys think.....
PS HELP WE STILL NEED A TITLE.
Newman
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"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
I would love to participate, but I will be unable to log my progress from about the 22 of June until about the 13-14th of July. May could possibly at the earliest be able to start logging again around the 3rd of July, but that is a big IF! You know the military life is unpredictable and that will be the timeframe I am heading home and out processing.
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Your accomplishments can only be as big as your heart.
I'm not crazy about the required competition part of the challenge. It shouldn't be weighted with almost as many blocks as Training portion of the challenge. It makes me feel like it could make the challenge come down to who has the $$$ to enter 5 events. I'd rather see the blocks given to reaching personal goals because those are more important.
It looks Like a good plan to me James and Sign thanks for all the work you have done so far. I am looking forward to getting started.
IMO JJ if you want to log in when you can I am sure that would be fine. I think it is the least that we can do considering all of the sacrafices you have had to make while serving for us.
__________________ -50# by 4/1/10 2 down 48 to go.
I think that participating in the community is worth it. I also feel that readying yourself both mentally and physically for a competition have benefits far beyond what I might be able to devise in a Challenge. As I said, if money is a problem, no worries. We'll make it work. But you make an excellent point Paula. This isn't about who has the most money. I don't want something like that to get in the way of our achieving great things. I am human and make mistakes..especially at 4 am. Thanks for pointing that out. I did redistribute some of the points too!!
Newman
__________________
"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
Paula just and idea but many of the runs and walks in my area are charity based and maybe you could get friends, coworkers or family to sponsor you thus covering your entry fee. If that won't work PM me I wouldn't mind spending some of the money I saved on Girl Scout cookies sponsoring you.
__________________ -50# by 4/1/10 2 down 48 to go.
I think that participating in the community is worth it. I also feel that readying yourself both mentally and physically for a competition have benefits far beyond what I might be able to devise in a Challenge. As I said, if money is a problem, no worries. We'll make it work.
Newman
The revisions make more sense to me.
I agree that participating in the community is worth it. But for someone who has been sitting on her buttocks the better part of her adult life, the idea of 5 events was just a bit much, especially when looking at budget, and getting the other areas of my new found fitness life together. I think this challenge is going to be very good for me in that regard.
I found a couple of events that I am looking at and that fit within my budget. I would like to find a charity based event, but the reality is that Houston is heading into the hot-as-hell time of the year and so I might not find that until this fall.
I think with the revisions it should be 3 max events. I am writing on my pda at work so I have to edit things sometimes. We might consider looking at a mall-walking sort of event. When I was in Houston a couple of years ago, they had a March of Dimes walk at a mall.
Paula you're doing great...we'll make it work.
Newman
__________________
"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
I didn't go back and look at revisions, but had a quick thought -- what about giving a higher number of points for the 1st event to encourage everyone to participate in 1 thing.
Seems fairly ok to me. Hopefully there'll be something around. We had been planning on a tri in July, but we're no way ready for that, unless we try it relay-style. But surely there'll be something else going on.
The personal goal is an all or nothing proposal? (I don't really care, just want to make an informed decision about what that'll be.)
I've learned before in other places to stay away from the challenges, since the completion rate was so low, it's not much fun when there's 8 people at the end still doing it... they're the people that didn't really need the challenge anyway. Hopefully it'll work out better here.
As far as keeping a log... our normal log here good enough?
Could we eliminate the mininmum?
1) It is not an essential activity for weight loss, fitness or healthy living.
2) It isn't necessarily practicle for people who are completely out of shape.
3) It probably is more of a deterent for many large people, who prefer not to exercise in public.
I'm all for giving out blocks and bonus blocks for this, but not for having a minimum requirement
It has been my experience that having everyone choose an invidual personal goal makes the goal almost insignificant. What if we have categories of personal goals for people (based on participant suggestion) to choose from beforehand. This way we can have a group of people working on weight loss, a group of people working on reading etc. People would be able to pick as many categores as they want.
It has been my experience that having everyone choose an invidual personal goal makes the goal almost insignificant. What if we have categories of personal goals for people (based on participant suggestion) to choose from beforehand. This way we can have a group of people working on weight loss, a group of people working on reading etc. People would be able to pick as many categores as they want.
I'm confused. How does having an individual personal goal become insignificant? And how does somehow making people pick from a list any more significant?
It has been my experience that having everyone choose an invidual personal goal makes the goal almost insignificant. What if we have categories of personal goals for people (based on participant suggestion) to choose from beforehand. This way we can have a group of people working on weight loss, a group of people working on reading etc. People would be able to pick as many categores as they want.
Personally I'd rather pick my own goals than choose from a list.
I do not plan on setting people's goals for them. Part of this process is actual goal setting. This is often a missing part of the equation. Being able to make and keep commitments to yourself and setting and achieving reasonable goals for yourself is foundational.
As for the event, I think it is both a unique and important aspect of the challenge asvwell. I am very sensitive to issues concerning larger people. I am one! There is more benefit inherent in participation in these sorts of activities beyond just the physical activity. I see no problem with a larger person participating in a walk or a lifting event. I am not asking you to win, only show up and be engaged in the activity.
I everyone wants me to scrap it, I will. I want people to be successful. It should not be easy, it should be possible. Trust me everyone can achieve more than they think and we will be here to help encourage them.
Newman
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"Branch chainz, bro. Leucine in the sky with diamonds." - Alan Aragon
As for the event, I think it is both a unique and important aspect of the challenge asvwell. I am very sensitive to issues concerning larger people. I am one! There is more benefit inherent in participation in these sorts of activities beyond just the physical activity. I see no problem with a larger person participating in a walk or a lifting event. I am not asking you to win, only show up and be engaged in the activity.
Newman
I think this is a good thing, actually. Incentive to overcome the aversion to public participation. There are many people who are very big that use the shyness/size/intimidation/emba rrassment/people-are-looking-at-me factor as a reason to not do things. Not go for walks, not go to the gym, not do whatever they tell themselves they'll be ok with when they're smaller.
Getting over that can be a huge boost of self confidence to a lot of people. Not only are they willing to do the work to lose the weight, they aren't held back by the "people will see me" fear.
Just like at the gym, most of the people at these events don't care about or think much about the other people doing them. They're usually busy concentrating on their own issues/goals/etc.
Could we eliminate the mininmum?
1) It is not an essential activity for weight loss, fitness or healthy living.
2) It isn't necessarily practicle for people who are completely out of shape.
3) It probably is more of a deterent for many large people, who prefer not to exercise in public.
I'm all for giving out blocks and bonus blocks for this, but not for having a minimum requirement
Honestly I wasn't crazy about the competition part of the requirement either, BUT upon reflection, I realized that it was an excuse not to step outside of my own comfort zones.
Based my own personal experience I think larger people need to step outside our comfort zones and reach a little bit. Stepping outside the comfort zone changes your thinking. I stepped outside my comfort zone last September and set a personal goal of exercising for 21 days - no excuses - for a minimum of 20 minutes a day. When I completed my goal, my boyfriend gave me a Nike+ipod kit. That opened new doors for me because the Nike+iPod site had on-going challenges for all levels.
What I found out about myself after becoming a member on that site is that I have a competitive streak. I purposely put myself into challenges to see where I would finish. And I walked to meet my goals. Sometimes I got a little graphic medal and sometimes I didn't. But I kept doing the challenges because it kept me going and focused on something other than weight loss.
The last "competition" I did was a impromptu leg press contest with my boyfriend. When I started strength training I was doing good to do 6 plates on his leg press machine on his home system to his 8 or 9 plates. If I remember correctly that night, I outlifted him and ended up pressing almost 14 plates which was the equivalent of about 300 lbs. For me it was a testament of how my consistency in training has paid off and how far I've come in a very short period of time.
Stepping out of your comfort zone shakes up your thinking and shows you how truly capable you are.
Linear Mode
