Drumroll, please ...............

Time to announce the challenge winners:

Our third-place participant (834 points) is ............. Sylvia Palmer!!!

Our second-place participant (851 points) is ....... Claudia Kuntz!!!!!

And our crazy-dedicated-totally-awesome winner (854 points) is ......

Dawn Rokovitz!!!!!

Can you believe how close these ladies were in points?!? Congrats to everyone for sticking with this, whether you won or not. Claudia, e-mail me your address (or have Jen send it) and I'll get your check in the mail.

Hope to see you all in January!

Last Week Jennifer B

I have not been doing the best. Even though I tried to re commit myself to the challenge it did not totally work. I am glad I did the challenge, and I am down to 190lbs, which is what I wanted to be at. I am not sure if we are suppose to be giving points for today, or if we get a bonus point for blogging today. My total ending on Sunday is 798 pts.

Week 12

You all are so awesome! I can't believe how well everyone did on this challenge. I mean, you're like the people I watch on the Biggest Loser who have so much self-control and determination that it makes me wonder how you got overweight in the first place!!!

I have slacked with exercise and definitely didn't do my best the last few weeks. And I'm down 10 for the challenge. Not bad, eh? I plan to have a bowl of chocolate Dreyer's ice-cream (Edy's for those of you East of the Rockies), and it was on sale today, which is the only way I buy it. Then I hope to exercise my guts out so I don't gain as I snack over the holidays, and then it's back to the grind in January. Too bad with weight loss you really can't just take a break without negatively influencing your results.

I will post the top 3 scores tomorrow and get money out soon after. Congrats to everyone -- even if you didn't win, I think you all made positive life changes and therefore got your money's worth. :)

BTW, new challenge will begin Jan. 3. I thought about giving people more time to settle into the new year, but when we're talking about health, why wait? :) I hope you all have a WONDERFUL holiday season and remember that you can eat anything ... just do it in small quantities. :)

Kris & Holly final posts

Holly
Lost a total of 32 lbs. My total points are 739.

Kristine
I did LOUSY this week again. Between lack of sleep (two kids with earaches) and no husband (had to work a lot this week). I honetly didn't care I was in survival mode. So I gained a lb this week. :( I need to be careful over the holidays. I am already looking forward to the next challenge. 731 total and lost 13 lbs and 3 dress sizes.

My last post

Well, today is the end and I feel like this challenge was very successful. I have established some very good habits and I'm happy with where I am, down 3lbs from when I started and I feel good. Thanks Denise for getting me involved. My points for this last week were 67 but since I think this goes through today, I had 12 points for today. Let me know if I should give a spreadsheet total, I had one week that my calculator was not correct so I've revisited all my numbers and I believe I have the correct total. Happy Thanksgiving.

Jen's Final

So, I completely threw in the towel and came up with about 30 points this week . . . alas. I don't want to weigh myself today, so we're going to say that I didn't lose weight and that I lost a total of about 8 pounds this challenge. I will be back. I've learned that stress is a huge factor in how well I take care of myself. So, my next goal is to figure out how to take care of myself inspite of the stresses in my life . . . Thanks Denise. I'm in for 2012.

Lee's Final

Here it is, the final blog, and the end of this fitness challenge. I hope everyone has achieved at least some part of their goal. I have learned that I have more willpower than I thought I did and that I can drink a half a gallon of water in a day, something I'd never done before. I hope between now and the next challenge (which I'd like to get in on again, Denise) I will continue at least some of these things that have become a habit. It will be good for me if nothing else. I thank my dear friend Jen for introducing this challenge to me, it's the best thing I've ever done for myself on a fitness/food routine type thing. Thanks also to her for posting for me every week. We still live in the stone age with a dial-up computer and lack of some computer knowledge. She has made it much easier for me to do this. I didn't lose as much weight as I would have liked to, but I could have done more to make that happen. Plus I know more "keys" to success now too. So, I plan for more and better things for me the next time. For this last week my points are 53 (which include 1 point for the blog and 1 point for a 1 pound loss of weight).

Claudia's New Beginning

This was also a hard week for me, knowing it was the last one. It would have been easy to rationalize not exercising here and there (with the cold weather), but I stuck to it, used my treadmill and bike and lost back the pound I gained last week, plus another, for a total of 72 points and l6 pounds lost for the challenge. Even though this is the end of the challenge, I look at it as a beginning of my life change. I plan to keep going, and hit the beginning of the year with a renewed vigor. Exercising isn't such a chore anymore, and I've formed better eating habits. I will have a piece of pie on Thanksgiving, but will get right back on the plan and continue through the holidays. It feels so good to be 16 pounds lighter--what would 32 pounds lost feel like??? Thanks Jen, for motivating me to do this with you. It has been life-changing!

Leslie's last post...

Im a slacker and didnt even keep track of my points this week but I still tried to do almost everything. I lost 1.8 lbs this week and Im down 17.4 lbs for the challenge. Now...just to keep it off. I was about .7 away from my goal on this. So I dont think thats too bad. Hopefully I can still lose that this week.

Dawn week 12

No weight lost or gained this week. Exactly the same as last week. That's good for me going into this holiday week. So, 71 points this week with a total weight loss of 10.6 pounds and a total of 854 points. My goal was 12 pounds (a pound a week) so I came awfully close and am happy with what I lost. I plan to keep doing everything on the list except writing gratitude every day and I'm sure I'll have a treat here and there. Adding fruits and vegetables as a requirement next time will probably be my biggest challenge but then again, I thought no treats was going to kill me this time and it didn't. Congratulations to those who lost 20 pounds or close to it. That is awesome. I'm really looking forward to starting again in January. Thanks Denise. This has been great.

Last Post

No weight loss this week. I ended with 69 points for the week.
I am excited for the holidays. Thanksgiving should be fun. Hope not to stuff myself to much. I feel more in control of my eating so hopefully I won't put on weight over the holidays.
Thank you Denise for your work in putting this together. It has been fun.

Wendy's Final

Knowing that I wasn't going to win made the last week really hard to stay on track, which I paid for. I got 53 points for a total of 711. My total weight loss was 20 pounds. That I am proud of and going to try and continue to lose weight. See you all in January!

Kris' points

It was a very stressful week. But I did pretty good until Sunday. Usually when I am stressed I eat all the candy I can find and although I ate more calories than I should have I did not eat candy. So I figure that is a break through. I didn't gain or lose which means I need to work hard this week to reach my goal of losing 4 lbs before this ends. If I do I will have lost a total of 15 lbs. pts this week. 67

(Posted for Kris)

Dawn week 11

I thought for sure that I was a victim of the "day after Fast Sunday weigh in". I thought my weight loss last Monday was a little too much for my norm. Sure enough, Tuesday I went up a pound and maintained it all week. I knew I'd have to lose over a pound to beat last Monday's weight and just didn't think it was possible. Especially since I had the "hungries" yesterday...but I did do it and was down .6 over last week's weight getting me out of the 190's! Yay! Points this week are 72. I also increased the intensity of my workouts so maybe that helped.

Jen H. Week 11

Total points this week 50 (includes the blog point). I don't want to talk about it.

Lee's Week 11

My week has had a few setbacks and a few new increases, so it still balances out pretty similarly. Each new week brings the chance to start anew though. Unfortunately, I didn't lose any weight this week, but rather gained 2. Ugh!
So, my points for the week are 54 (53 + 1 for the blog).

Too Much Salt!

I was doing really well on Thursday--had lost a pound, but on Saturday and Sunday ate some salty snacks. Today, I'm back to last week's weight. So, I'm down 15 pounds for the challenge, and with only one week to go, may not make my 20 lb. goal. I'm still excited that I lost the 15, and will definitely keep going through the holidays, so as not to lose my momentum. My points this week are 71 total. I'm looking forward to the new year challenge already!

Lots of good things

I wanted to start by saying that this challenge has been very good for me. My family pooped out a few weeks ago but I have built it into the my everyday routine and lots of good things have come from me because of it. The reading challenge was great because our family is now working at finishing the Book of Mormon by the end of the year which will be the first time for the kids on their own. The thankful challenge turned into a huge blessing that has spread across family and friends. It has brightened our days, given us great ideas and turned November into a very special month. The exercising is wonderful and so good for all of us. I like to exercise but this challenge has made me think more of it and why I'm doing it each day. My eating is about the same but I am conscious of everything I eat and how good it is for me. I watch my vitamins every day and meal portions. All in all, I am very appreciative to those that got me involved with this challenge. My points for last week were 67. I can't believe we are almost done. This is so much a part of my everyday life now, maybe I will just have to continue it through January. :o)

Week 11

Okay, so I guess I kinda threw in the towel this week. I started the week with 9's, and then I stopped writing on my food journal, which is where I also keep track of my points. So, I wrote down here and there, and I don't even want to go try to find where I wrote everything down. I realize I'm not in the top 3, but I am still down 10 pounds. The goal is too keep that off during the holidays!!! (I think it will help if I do the 100-cal treat per day rule and no more!)

Remember to post your final week's points by next Tuesday. Also, please tell me your total weight loss so we can also kind of keep track of how much everyone loses on this challenge. Hopefully, then, it will also motivate people to join our challenge.

I'll post final rules in early December and start getting the word out so we can have a good-sized group. I liked the size of this group, so I'm hoping we get about the same numbers. I have decided on the final point ... but I guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out for yourself. :)

Happy last week!!!

Leslies Check in...

Another crappy points week. Sorry for such harsh language. ;) 56 points but I lost 2 lbs so Im proud of that! I think I exercised like 2 times. WHOOPS. Im up to 15.6 lbs!!

November15th Post

Honestly, I think your body protests when you are constantly fighting weight. I was down another 1/2 pound, but man is it slow. I guess the end result is worth it.
I keep telling myself it is worth it. Which it is. It feels so much better than overeating.
I got 71 points this week, so I did well with points.
Next week will be the hard one. It will be a fun week. Lots of company and noise at my house.
I wouldn't have it any other way though.

Wendy--Week 11

I'm down 3 more pounds! So excited! If I can lose 3 more I will be back at my pre-pregnancy weight which is not great, but an accomplishment nonetheless. I got 61 points this week. Still trying to give my mind a pep talk that I can continue the things I've been doing right through the holidays. I think all of the weight I am losing is definitely worth the 20 dollars. I know I can do even better if I got as many points each week that some of you are. So that will be my goal in January.

Late--but not her fault

I have had a rough week--and am now traveling for the next 2 weeks.  Still banned from exercise, but trying with all the other steps.  I got a pitiful 55 points this week.  Below is the post from Kristine, who sent it to me on time, but I was not able to be online at all yesterday.  So, don't hold it against her--
Jessica

This week was bad. My poor husband had to put in 80 hours at his first job and and still do 20 hours at the other job, which meant I was a single mom all week. Exercise was hard to get in and I did not eat healthly so I was surprised when I lost half a pound. Nice even if I did not deserve it. 70 points. I have set a goal to lose 4 lbs before this contest ends. So that will make me be better.

Kristine

Jennifer B Week 10

I forgot to post last week, or maybe I just did not want to admit how may treats I ate. This week is not much better, but I need the points. I have resigned myself to realizing that I will most likely not win unless some people just plain drop out. I think this is why I have had such an increase in my sweets. My husband reminded me that I have lost weight and that I am looking really good, so even if I don't win the $20 to enter was worth it. I read some of the other peoples post and I realize that I need to finish this thing out strong for myself, not for the money. I really wanted to be down at 190 by the time this challenge was over, but this week I gained weight, and overall I have not been able to get below 191. I know, just one pound, but it still ticks me off. I was doing so well at the beginning that I thought I might even get lower then 190lbs, but I will now be happy if I can just get there. Week 9 points was 62, and week 10 points was 64, for a total of 675 points.

Lee's Week 10

I had a little setback this week. I spent Friday night at the movies and going to dinner afterwards, hence losing several points because of it. I had a moment of weakness because I was feeling especially lonely. One bright spot of my week though was when I was on the phone with a nurse from my insurance company. She calls me every few months to check on my medical status (as a courtesy of the company). I was excited to share with her what I'd been doing the last 2 months. She was interested in hearing about it and was happy for me. She won't be able to call me in Feb., someone else will call me in stead. But I will hear from her in May. I look forward to telling her of further progress. She's been a good listening ear. For this past week, I earned 55 points, which includes 1 point for the blog, but no points for weigh loss, as I gained 3 pounds. Friday didn't help . . ..

Lee's Week 10

I had a little setback this week.  I spent Friday night at the movies and going to dinner afterwards, hence losing several points because of it.  I had a moment of weakness because I was feeling especially lonely.  One bright spot of my week though was when I was on the phone with a nurse from my insurance company.  She calls me every few months to check on my medical status (as a courtesy of the company).  I was excited to share with her what I'd been doing the last 2 months.  She was interested in hearing about it and was happy for me.  She won't be able to call me in Feb., someone else will call me instead.  But I will hear from her in May.  I look forward to telling her of further progress.  She's been a good listening ear.  For this past week, I earned 55 points, which includes 1 point for the blog, but no points for weight loss, as I gained 3 pounds.  Friday didn't help..........

Jen H. Week 10

I think I've mentally thrown in the towel. I managed a mere 56 points (includes bonus), but still lost 2 pounds, so something went right. Or it was yesterday's fast, idunno. I would really like to end this thing at 268 where I ended last challenge. So next challenge I can really lose weight. That means I have 5 pounds to go in two weeks. I can do that. Go me.

Claudia's Week 10

This week I'm visiting my son in Seattle with a new baby. I've been struggling this week with finding time and a place to exercise. It's rainy and cold here. There's no place to walk and no treadmill. I've been walking the halls, doing jumping jacks and situps, trying to get my 30 minutes in. I will have to continue to be creative this week. I think I lost 2 lbs, but can't be sure because it's a different scale. Next week will be the true test, when I get back on my schedule and on my own scale. If the scale is correct, I've lost 15 lbs. and I got 72 points this week! Only 5 lbs. more to go to my goal (under 2o0 lbs). This has been a great challenge and I've enjoyed getting healthier. I'm looking forward to continuing with the next challenge. Thanks Denise!

How low can you go?

With points that is. I did HORRIBLE with points this week. We are doing some remodeling in our kitchen so the oven was out of commission for a couple of days which meant microwave meals, eating out, or eating at SIL's house. I did horrible with water on those days. One night I even ran across the new tile that I wasn't supposed to be on for a vitamin. I couldn't lose that point!!! I also had my first treat since this began. I had some pumpkin roll at a Relief Society dinner we had. Ohhhh my my my...it was worth it. It was so good. I thought my weight gain would be horrible but Im only up .2. Points this week are 54.

Dawn week 10

I just have to keep being strict, it's what works for me. Even my own teammates are trying to sabotage me. This week, "evil" Denise sent her daughter over with a dessert for me at a church function...my son was thrilled when I brought it home and gave it to him :) Another challenge was a celebration with the Polynesian side of the family. If anyone has been to a Polynesian gathering you know it's all about the food. There were desserts everywhere and tons of food. I still wouldn't give in. My highlight this week was when my 12 year old came home from school and said, "Mom, did you get new jeans?" My answer was, "No, I just fit back into a pair I was too fat for", then he told me I looked nice. That's enough to keep me going. Weight loss was 1.8 pounds and points were 72. I'm not going to give up at all.

Week 10 points

Wow. Not a good week. I barely kept a food journal. I exercised only one day. And I caved and ate some treats. Yet my weight is exactly the same -- what's up with that?!? I got only 50 points. :( I'll try to do better so I can end this challenge more than 10 down from where I started. Even if I'm not going to win, I can still end strong! I had someone at church tell me that my face looked thinner. I felt guilty knowing I had a bad week, but I also realized I am seeing results and this is about results, not points! Off to a better week ...

How dumb is that

I did well on the diet, and even lost a half pound. The problem is yesterday I realized I had not written down a single thing I was thankful for the whole week. So I lost 6 points right there. I also don't exercise on Sunday. So I only ended up with 65 points. I won't forget those again. I wrote them all down yesterday so I can say I did them, but did not give myself the points.

Nov. 8 - Thanksgiving is coming

66 points for last week. This traveling is really tough on my goals for this program. I hope to do better this week and my family have been slacking so I think I will also focus on getting them all started again. I love my thankful list. It helps me be more appreciative and happy.

Wendy's weekly report

Checking in with 60 points for the week. I did terrible with the no treats thing this week. I don't even have leftover Halloween candy that I like, so I don't know what the problem was. I was pretty sure my weight loss was going to suffer because of it, but I actually lost .6 pounds. At least I didn't go up! Now I'm trying to figure out how I can keep this up through the holidays. I know that it's going to be a challenge.

Lee's Week 9

Wow, it’s winding down fast……only the last couple of weeks to go. Hope everyone is fulfilling their goals for this challenge. I know I have surpassed some big hurdles in my daily habits. I’m already looking forward to areas of improvement with the next challenge. When will that one be?? My birthday was this past week, so I lost a couple of points due to that, but I’m ready to jump back on the bandwagon for a new week. I had a great birthday and chose to go into the day with low expectations for any kind of recognitions so that I could appreciate even more the people in my life who made me feel special on my big day, including my dear friend and fellow competitor Jen. My points for this week were 54, including a point for this blog and 1 point for losing weight.

Dawn week 9

Not a bad week. Decent weight loss and points of 72. Past history has shown that I usually open the Halloween candy and have eaten a bag before the actual day has come and then need to buy more to replace my binge. This year, the candy didn't get opened until the actual night. I ate dinner at 7:30pm hoping that would keep me full and not wanting candy. When the kids finally came home, my stomach was growling so hard. It was like I had been fasting. They dumped out their candy...I looked at it - leaned over and smelled it - touched it - than told them to get it out of my sight and went to bed with my stomach still growling. The way my skirt zipped up the next morning was my reward for not giving in.

Week 9 points

Well, it was my worst week yet. Dumb cold weather. When I don't exercise first thing, I don't get it done. I was doing well until I got busy, and then I missed three days. I also gave in to making a pumpkin treat early in the week. However, I didn't eat any Halloween candy. I picked out one really good thing from each of my kids' bags, and then I told myself I didn't have to eat them at all. That was a fine moment. My points this week were 64. Amazingly, I was still down in weight (barely). I'll take it!

Halloween weekend - CANDY!

My points were 66 for last week. Not too bad but I felt like I ate horrible. The holidays are going to be a challenge. We seem to have lots of birthdays in my family and lots of food I would rather not be eating. So I should really be working on self control and will power, so far, not so good. This week I'm in Portland, hope we can find some restaurants that cook without so many calories. I am taking my own snacks though so that will help.

Claudia's Report - Week 9

Well, I didn't lose the two pounds I had hoped to this week, but still did alright. I lost 1 lb. and got 70 points total (including the w-l and blog point). So, I'm at 13 total pounds lost. Still better than gaining, which I would have been doing. I didn't have any Halloween candy or treats, even though they were in abundance all around me. I'm pretty proud of myself for that!

From Jessica & Kristine

Another bad week for me--I have been banned from all forms of activity for 3 weeks, and must wear my brace all day.  Good times.  It makes life a lot less fun--I realized in my post last week I didn't say my points, so last week I had 55 and this week 60.  Boo.

Jessica

I did it! I set a goal to have a perfect week and I did it. It wasn't easy with two parties and Halloween candy everywhere. But I feel great for accomplishing it. My weight is finally dropping. I lost 4 lbs this week instead of only 1. Now I hope I can keep up this week with bags of candy all over the house...72 pts.

 

Kristine

Leslies Check in

Not so good points wise (looking like thats a trend this week) 64 points. But I did get a 2.4 lb weightloss that I wasnt really expecting since I skipped three days in exercise. Im down 13.8 lbs for the challenege. Im glad about that!

Jen H. Week 9

Not so great points this week (55 + 2 bounus = 57). But I lost a pound, so no complaining. That's probably because we had a bit of a stomach bug going around the house and nobody felt much like eating anything, let alone exercising. But I did swim on Saturday and I'm going forward, though it looks like my chances of winning this thing are nil. But I need to get back down where I was at the end of the last challenge (6 pounds to go--I can do that in 3 weeks!), then make it through the Holidays and join again to really drop 20. And I'm so excited my mom is in the top 2! No, Denise, you can't have her address (I'll give it to you when you send her prize money) because if she wins, I'll get a nice birthday present!!! But seriously, that makes me happy that she's doing so well. That we're all doing well, prize money or no. Heck $20 is cheaper than weight watchers and this is more effective!

On to the Holidays

I have decided to try to do this during the holidays. It will help me stay away from all the junk that appears around Christmas.
I got 71 points this week, and have lost 11 pounds. I wish it was more, but it isn't easy to lose weight. It is amazing that even my grandkids watch what I eat. How can you mess up with everyone watching you?
Good luck to everyone.

Wendy's check-in

My points were really not that good this week--58. So once again I expected to stay at the same weight or maybe even go up a little. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to see that I had lot 4 more pounds! That makes me so happy. I have now lost a total of 20 pounds since the start! I walk my daughter to school every morning and another mom that I see there commented to me how much weight I had lost. She told me how good I was looking and that really made my day. If I can lose 20 pounds with my poor point scores, just think what I could do if I got perfect points or close to it like many of you do each week. I'll have to join in again in January and see if I can stay in the running for the prize for that one. Between now and then, however, I want to make sure I don't destroy all of this progress over the holidays!