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Back in February, I participated in a Plank Challenge. The idea was to do a plank exercise, holding it longer each day as strength (or resolve) increased over the month. Since I love doing yoga, I figured adding a daily plank would be no problem. Turns out, it really was a challenge for me to keep doing planks. Every. Single. Day.
The Plank Challenge was created by a blogger friend, The Smart FI. Now, he has created another health challenge. This time it’s a weight loss challenge, and I’m all in.
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Who Joined The Weight Loss Challenge?
Upate: Although this weight loss challenge was an informal contest among a group of blogging friends, there are lots of other weight loss challenges out there if you would like to join one.
Related: HealthyWage Review: 10 Tips That Will Make You A Winner
I’ve jumped into the weight loss challenge with both feet, but I’m not the only one! Several other personal finance bloggers besides me have signed up for The Smart FI’s Weight Loss Challenge. (Update: links removed for those who have stopped blogging).
The Smart FI
Ms. ZiYou
Steveonomics
Countdown to Tranquility
Zero to Fire
Everyone’s set their goals, and we’re sharing our progress each week. Turns out there is a lot of interest in living a healthy lifestyle within the personal finance community.
Related: Weight Loss & The Path To FI
I’ve discovered that I’m incredibly motivated by this group challenge! It was just what I needed to help me focus on losing weight before my niece’s wedding in July. Not to mention the additional pounds I want to lose by October, before my second Chautauqua, which will be in Greece.
Focused on personal finance and reaching financial independence (FI), the Chautauqua experience is all about hanging out with interesting people in beautiful places. We get to mingle with the biggest names in the FI community to talk about money.
Read about my first trip to Chautauqua, which was held in Stratford Upon Avon in England. The post features some fun photos with a bunch of money nerds!
Weight Loss Challenge – Put It Out There
Let me put my goal out there, big and bold: For the June Weight Loss Challenge, I plan to lose ten pounds.
It was a little scary to post my weight loss goal, because, well, what if I don’t reach it? I had to push through my fear. By sharing my goal and supporting others in reaching their goals, we will all win. This is often true with money goals, too. Sharing the ups and downs along the way to financial independence or weight loss can be inspiring.
So far, it’s working.
I’ve already lost 4 pounds during the first week of the June Weight Loss Challenge!
Why I Joined A Weight Loss Challenge
As the primary caregiver for my disabled husband, I’m well aware that I need to keep myself healthy. Being a caregiver puts me at a higher risk for becoming ill or dying early. Plus, there are hidden costs of caring for a loved one.
The stress of being a caregiver can also contribute to weight gain. Over the past few years, my weight has crept up and it’s been hard to lose. No matter what I do, my weight seems to stay the same.
I’ve tried following a raw food diet, cutting carbs, a no sugar diet, and vegetarianism. I even played around with the carnivore diet. My weight has stayed about the same over all.
The few times I’ve lost weight, it eventually found me again.
Do Something Different
For the June Weight Loss Challenge, I’ve decided to take a four-part approach:
- Count calories.
- Stop using stevia.
- Get more fiber.
- Move more!
1. Count Calories
Despite feeling uncomfortable in my body with clothes that are too tight, my diet isn’t terrible. I don’t eat junk food or food that’s heavily processed. Fast food? No thanks!
Inexpensive, whole food as close to what you’d find in nature makes up the bulk of my diet. The great thing about eating unprocessed food is that it also saves a ton of money! I’m always looking for ways to find extra cash to help me boost retirement savings. Plus, real food tastes better.
So whole, unprocessed food is good. I just eat too much of it.
Time for a food journal. I’m counting calories, so that I can stop eating before going over my limit. It’s kind of like a budget! When you plan and track your spending, you are able to save more.
Eating less food will no doubt help me save money in my quest to boost retirement savings, too.
2. Stop Using Stevia
Stevia is an herb from South America, Stevia rebaudiana. It’s a lovely plant, I’ve grown it in my garden. Stevia extract has become widely available in the past few years as a zero calorie sweetener.
Even though stevia is 150 times sweeter than sugar, it has no calories!
I thought stevia was safe and used a LOT of it, every day. However, I’d begun to question why my stomach looks so bloated. I discovered stevia may be the cause!
Stevia tastes sweet.
When the body senses sweetness, it’s expecting glucose. Stevia does not contain glucose. A chemical chain reaction ensues, resulting in elevated cortisol levels. Excess cortisol contributes to abdominal fat!
I’m curious to see if swearing off stevia for a month will make a difference in my weight.
3. Get More Fiber
The Standard American Diet (SAD) has become highly processed and devoid not only of nutrients, but also of fiber. It’s recommended that men get up to 38 grams of fiber per day, while women should aim to get 25 grams daily.
This was definitely a challenge when I tried to follow a low carb diet in the past. If you don’t eat cereal or beans, it’s hard to get enough fiber!
My plan for the June Weight Loss Challenge is to be less restrictive about what I eat, as long as I make sure it’s high fiber. I’m tracking fiber as well as calories in my food journal.
4. Move More!
Exercise goes right along with eating less when trying to lose weight. You don’t have to spend money to get fit. Walking is free.
A few of my fellow bloggers in the weight loss challenge are simultaneously working on a 500,000 step challenge. I’m nowhere near that level, as I can only reach 10,000 steps about once per week!
So far in June I’m averaging a little over 5,000 steps per day, or a little over 2 miles per day. However, I attended two yoga classes last week! I have a wellness benefit through my job that covers the cost of fitness classes and videos. However, there are also excellent yoga routines available for free on YouTube, such as Yoga With Adriene.
Final Thoughts
My plan to lose weight includes four simple steps: count calories, cut stevia, increase fiber, and move more. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on special diet foods or fitness classes if you join a weight loss challenge. Ask any money nerd – you can improve what you focus on.
Question: What do you think of my four-part approach to the June Weight Loss challenge? In what ways are losing weight and getting fit related to being better with your money?
Well done on losing weight in your first week!
Interesting facts about stevia!
Kay xx
http://Www.mummywho.com
Thank you, Kay!
I was actually surprised at how much weight I lost in the first week. Now I just have to keep losing to reach my goal!
I’ve used stevia for many years, and never realized there could be drawbacks to it.
Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it!
I definitely need to move more and eat more fiber! I’m setting my goal a littler lower but I’m right there with you lady! =)
LOL, I hear you, Melanie!
Originally, I wanted to set my goal at 5 pounds because that sounded realistic to me, but I went for more. Pushing myself!
Thanks for commenting, and good luck on reaching your goal, too!
This sounds like an awesome program. It’s even better that you have other bloggers a part of it so all of you can cheer each other on! I love that it’s added motivation to reach your goals. And you’ve already lost 4 pounds that’s awesome congratulations! Definitely keep taking in fiber and exercising. This was a great post I feel very confident for you reaching your 10 lb mark.
Aw, thanks so much, Kayla! Really appreciate the support of readers like you! You’re right, it really is motivating to have other bloggers and readers cheering to help us reach our goals.
I’m counting calories using the My Fitness Pal app. I love that it’s free and it offers so much feedback! I am also trying to exercise 5 days a week. I started out more sporadically, but I was able to be consistent this week. Most days I go out for a walk, but sometimes I will do a video on YouTube if I need/want to work out inside at home. I eat way too much junk food and sugar and I’ve noticed in the past couple weeks, since I’ve started eating better, I have had no headaches! I am used to having at least 3-4 headaches that require medication per week. I also have other health problem that will be lessened by weight loss and a healthier lifestyle.
Stephanie, that is great that you are seeing such an improvement! Nice tip about using YouTube exercise videos – that’s a good strategy for when it’s too hot outside. (No, I’m not a fan of hot yoga, lol!) I’ve been trying to walk earlier in the day and later in the evening when it’s cooler. Planning to do some more extensive hiking this weekend. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your support!
Keep going, you’re doing great! Losing weight is so hard but I found out that its so much easier when you don’t think about it and also you’re other half is in on it. For two weeks we ate healthy, no rice, and smaller portions, but I wasn’t working out. I was surprised I lost 8 pounds without even trying. I eventually gained everything back because I kept checking my weight and I kept thinking about it. lol. It just works better when you don’t think about losing pounds but just eating more colorful veggies and green.
Thanks, Melanie! Your strategy sounds great – I agree that it really helps when partners are trying to get healthy together. There’s that accountability and encouragement factor that comes in to play! Rather than not think about it, I am leaning toward adding in some affirmations to up my motivation. It helps me get in more exercise.
Love The Smart FI’s challenges! I’m hoping to hit that 500k step mark, but it’s going to be close. I didn’t realize going into the month how big of a challenge that one would be.
Angela, I’m so impressed that you’re able to get in so many steps! I’m lucky to get in 10,000 per day (most days it’s less, but I’ve managed to increase it this past week).
Yes, The Smart Fi’s challenges are fun. I enjoy them, too!
Thanks for stopping by, I’m loving the positive messages and all the support!
I think you 4 part approach is great. Fiber is so important and often overlooked. I’m glad more and more people are emphasizing that more fiber is needed in our diets. Fiber helps keep us feel satiated and full. It’s also a great “prebiotic food” for our gut bacteria to grow well and healthy– and scientists and medical professionals are beginning to learn more and more about how important our gut health is. Fiber also helps to reduce toxins and carcinogens in our body by making our bowels work well :).
And thanks for sharing all of those plant-based recipes with me on Twitter!
Thanks, Dr. McFrugal! I use probiotics, too, so I try to consume enough prebiotic food, as you said, to feed those friendly bacteria. I’ve found that it’s pretty hard to get enough fiber if I’m not eating whole foods. My staples are split pea soup, black bean soup, and refried beans (I’m not a big cereal eater), along with all the greens, veggies, fruits & nuts I like to eat.
You’re welcome for the recipes, thank you for all the pictures & recipes you shared, too!
Congrats on your weight loss! You got this!
Thanks so much, Michelle!
Really appreciate your support & very happy you stopped by! 😊
You’re 4 part challenge sounds great! I wish I had known about this challenge sooner. I would have loved to join as I think it’s a great way to motivate oneself and others.
I’m interested in seeing if stevia does effect mid section fat. I don’t use it as often but I have always thought its better for you. I am quite high on the sugar measurement, I do wish to cut it down along with junk/processed food. My personal goal is to finally tone my abdominals and arms. Taking it a day at a time. I post my gym workout on my blog, overall like you, I just eat way to much and I don’t burn it all.
I will have to follow your progress. Is it also posted on your blog.
Thank you, Daisy! The jury is still out on stevia for me, as the size of my belly hasn’t shrunk much. Surprisingly, it was easy to give up even though I had been using so much of it. I will continue to avoid it for awhile longer to see if it makes a difference.
Watch out for my weight loss challenge follow up post coming out this week! I’ll be reporting on my progress.
Hi, one of the understated factors in my weight loss story is sleep. (At least I haven’t stated it very loudly.) You remarked that stevia raises cortisol levels. (That was a surprise to me.) So does burning the midnight oil. When I started losing weight I purposed to start getting more sleep. I should say that losing weight is not changing one big thing, but many little reinforcing things. So, turn off the tube (and all screens) at 9pm tonight and start journalling your objectives for the next day befor nodding off early.
Steve, this is such great advice! I’ve made many small lifestyle changes over the years. The more I research and learn, the better I do at consistently following a healthier path.
Your comment is timely – I just reserved “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker, from my library.
I recognize that I need to get more sleep to be healthier. I even participated in a “Healing the Healer” painting workshop and my painting included a golden “nine” in the image I created – to reinforce my goal of starting to wind down each evening at 9pm.
Knowing that getting enough sleep can reduce cortisol and help with weight loss is motivating, thanks for sharing!