Started with 57,and now 24 Left As of Last Update...How Many of You Will FINISH the Slimmer This Summer Challenge?

Week 1, there were 57 challengers starting all fresh and energized. Here's the roster on day one: Slimmer This Summer Begins

Now, with only 2 weigh-ins to go, this weekend/Monday and August 28, only 9 days left,  we have 24 fighting on and checking in--including Deb, our leader. (Some might still be in the challenge, but just forgot to update for whatever reason, but 23 checked into the linky plus Deb's post with the linky, for 24 who officially checked in for the last update.)

Here's the update roster for last weekend: Slimmer This Summer Week 11

Thank you to those couple dozen still hanging in, whether doing well or not so well or awful. Thank you for NOT GIVING UP, NOT QUITTING, which was one of the rules of the challenge. Just hang in!

That's more than half who GAVE UP on the challenge.

This is expected. I expected it, though I hoped otherwise. I hoped no one would quit even if they did not meet all their goals, did not have great weigh-ins, did not feel motivated. Just hang in there and be accountable. But that's par for the course. Ask Allan how many quit right in the middle of a phase. Or early in a phase. It's how it goes. People start all flush with desire to change...and that fizzles. Life gets in the way. Stress hits.

We had a death in my family. I didn't quit.
Some of us have major health issues, but didn't quit.
Some of us have trouble with the summer heat and exercise. But don't quit.
Some have new jobs, no jobs, vacations, children acting up...and don't quit.

Thank you for hanging in there to all these folks:

1.	DebK	9.	Dieting4Disney	17.	Beyond My Looking Glass
2.	Jo @ A Well Kept Life	10.	Empty Nest	18.	Mir aka Princess Dieter
3.	sarah	11.	Julie	19.	sugar
4.	The Voices Within Unleashed	12.	Angela Pea	20.	Karen@Turn My Life Around
5.	Michele	13.	Laryssa @ Magic Garden	21.	Natasha @ My Journey to a Better Life
6.	Brandi	14.	Miss April	22.	Stormy@BigButtTheory
7.	Vicki M.	15.	JoBee	23.	MB
8.	A Hippo With A Headband	16.	Amber Overcoming

And if you didn't update, but you haven't given up...get back in the game. Only 9 days to go. Let's make it a good 9 days, 9 days to feel satisfaction about. Remember to link up this Sunday/Monday with Deb at her blog post for the challenge.

Let's make it a soundly accountable 9 days. Let's finish strong, no matter the ups and down. Let's finish this together....because completing a challenge makes you part of a minority. Every challenge I've been in has had oodles of drop-outs. Stay in and feel proud about it.

Persevering, even in the face of setbacks and adversity--that's what lifelong weight maintenance will be. Not quitting. Getting back on the horse when falls occur. Maintaining motivation, or fighting to get it back when it lags. Struggling. Breezing through. Struggling again. Falling. Getting up. Forging habits. Finding your groove. Holding on. That's what a lifelong weight loss success story is like. You've seen the successful maintainers blog about it. You don't win if you give up. Giving up is the only failure.

Don't quit. Keep going. Be strong.

Be well...

Day 8 of Phase 5: Anime Motivation for Those Fighting the Fat, For Those Under Assault by Cravings or Urges or Food Thoughts, For Those Who Made the Decision to Be Healthy....!

Eating's fine, but the salt attack has hit me. This does take a bit of a toll (it can enlarge appetite and can stall loss for a spell). It's one of my demons I fight against constatly, and I've gotten lots, lots better. Investing in every Mrs. Dash and some other salt-free seasonings has helped. Though, really, even delicious herb blends aren't the same as salt for salt fiends like moi. BUT..it takes time to get used to less, and I'm working on it.

My mojo is slacking just a litttle, and I feel that, so I'm renewing the fire. I have to be my own cheerleader. That's how it is. Every day, we get up and cheer ourselves on, or the fire goes out too easily. BURN! Wanna BURN!

I had an allergy issue last night that curtailed date night. An eye swelling up (I clearly touched something, maybe my pineapple chunks, and then touched my face) and some eczema. I didn't wanna put on makeup , so we had fun at home. One of the things we did was start watching a well-reviewed and nifty little boxing anime (well, not little, since it goes on for many episodes and the manga is very popular and has a gazillion chapters): Hajime no Ippo.

I was watching episode 3 last night with hubby (whose dad boxed in his youth, and he's a guy who likes watching sports and Ultimate Fighter and stuff, so yeah, up his alley), and I kept thinking how much this applied to FATFIGHTING!

If you're having a hard time, remember, we need to be like young Ippo and have that resolve, that staying power, that refusal to stay down in the face of assaults (of all food kinds, emotional kinds that make us seek food, etc).

In the clip, he's a total newbie (Ippo, that is), who is thrown in the ring (and he's NEVER had gym training) against a seasoned and top-notch fighter, son of a pro, whose been training in technique since childhood. It's a "test by fire" for Ippo arranged by the old-man gym owner to see what Ippo's made of. His mettle. If he really has what it takes to be a boxer.

He does!

Do you and I have what it takes to win the fat fight?

We do! If we choose to have it, right?  Ippo says mid-fight: "I made my decision to be a boxer!"

That boy made his decision and never waivered. That's what it takes to win.

I need to never waiver, even when I fall down--get the hell back up right off. Keep fighting! Ippo says: "I won't fall down. I'm going to be reborn. I'm going to become a boxer."

For us: "I won't stay down. I'm going to be reborn. I'm going to become healthy and goal weight."

Here ya go:




It's got an old-fashioned anime look, and the animation is not the top-notch, fancy, cool stuff that I've gotten used to. But the story and characters and humor are endearing and interesting. Wimpy, good-hearted boy without a dad, constantly bullied in school, gets inspired and gets a dream: to become a boxer. Natural talent and a weird, but enthusiastic mentor (and fun gym characters add to the charm) help him realize his potential. Nice anime. Inspiring, too. Think a bit of Rocky, with a dorkier, sweeter hero.

While he does get knocked out, he's shown what he's made of. Gets back to work. Acquires a top-notch mentor in the old fella, and begins his serious training. It's all good!

Like Ippo, we need help to realize our potential. It can be books, magazines, blogs, a dietitian, a trainer, a forum, a challenge, blogging buddies, whatever. Mentors and allies. We need that to achieve important quests.  All of us in the DDDY challenge phases (and I've been in since the first one) understand that having people support you  matters, and having a tough mentor (ahem) is also good for some of us. (Not everyone wants that, but many people benefit from a voice that calls us on our crap and tells us to get going.)

Get your inspiration wherever you can! It's a real fight for the prize, right?

Yosh! Let's do it!

Happy new week to you all. Let's be amazing!