The Challenge...

We're halfway through season 6 of Jilly's Losers and right about now is when it really starts to get tough, especially for the new people.  If you think about it, doing something like this is hard anyway.  You are in a group consisting mostly of people that you've never met and every week you're standing on a scale and posting that picture for all of those people to see.  It takes guts and it takes commitment and I'm proud of every single person who has ever been in my group.

Lately a lot of people (including me) have had reasons/excuses for not doing well.  Things going on in life...changes happening...places to go, people to see, etc.  And sometimes we just want to say "screw it, I don't care.  I'm just gonna eat whatever I feel like, consequences be damned."  Sometimes it's a case of being a mother of young children and having to put their needs first and deciding that your journey isn't as important and has to be set aside.  But whatever the "reason" for not eating right or not getting in some sort of intentional movement every day...it's always an "excuse".  Always.

One thing I really try to drive home in my group is that it's okay to put yourself first sometimes.  It's okay to want to be healthier and happier and it's okay to take the time you need to do so.  And this week I want everyone to prove to themselves that they can do anything...for one week.  Below is the challenge I posted to my group (minus some of the logistics that don't matter to people not in the group)

"CHALLENGE(s)!!!!!!!!! Every season I do a take on this challenge and I think it's time to do it again. After watching the group this week it seems that a lot of us are really struggling...for various reasons. For this challenge I want everyone to focus on 3 specific things. 1) Putting YOURSELF first 2) Will power and 3) NO EXCUSES. 

This group is a place to vent. It is a place to share our struggles and our successes. It is a safe place. But it is also a place to learn and to be pushed harder than we may want to be pushed at times. So this week I am going to push you and you are all going to push yourselves into a very uncomfortable place. But before you freak out about it, I want you to tell yourselves this. "I can do ANYTHING for one week. Anything." Because you can. There is no excuse not to do this challenge. Having said that however, it of course is not mandatory. But I truly hope everyone will do it. And if you do, I promise you you will see results.

(They can do 1, 2 or 3 of the below challenges...with rewards and penalties for each.  Or none at all.)

1) NO SODA for the entire week. Not regular, not diet. None, nada.

2) No eating out for the entire week. None. No Subway, no "But what if I get a salad?" Nope. Nothing.

3) NO SUGAR for the entire week. This does not mean you have to read the label of every item you eat. It is a common sense challenge. No cupcakes, no candy, no sugared cereal, etc. If when you eat it you think of it as a sugary food, don't eat it. Fruits are fine as they are a natural sugar.

So put yourselves first this week. I don't want to hear "Well I'll be at a party!" or "But I'm going on vacation!" or "But I HAVE to...." etc etc. This is a no excuses week. There is no reason why we can't do this for one single week. We are strong and we are capable. Tell your families your challenge and have them do it with you! But even if they won't....put yourself first. You are important. This is YOUR journey. Don't let anyone else dictate it for you. This week will be very hard, but if you do it...you won't regret it :) Good luck everyone!!!"

So that's the challenge for this next week and I fully expect people to hate me for it haha.  Is it hard?  Of course.  Is it going to be miserable?  Probably more for some than for others, but yes.  But it will also help us to realize that we don't NEED those things.  The more we eat them, the more we crave them...and then we blame the scale when it doesn't show us a number we like.  But it's not all about the number.  It's about changing our lives.  Permanently.  This isn't a diet.  This is a change for the better.  No one's asking anyone to give up these things forever.  God knows that I need a cupcake every once in a while or someone gets hurt!

I challenge anyone reading this to try something similar in their own journey.  Challenge your spouses and your kids..or your parents. What can you give up for a week?  The things you have the hardest time parting with are probably the thing you need to give up the most!  As for me, I will be doing all 3.  The no soda thing will be easy as I've already implemented that in my home, but the other two....oh man.

So we'll see how it goes!  No excuses.  None.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch!!  :)