Hi I'm Kristen Topham. When I was 11 I came home from Trick-or-Treating with a bag full of delicious candy. My dad offered me $100 to hand it over and give up candy for one year. The next Halloween I got $100 from my dad as well as a new bag full of candy to enjoy. Good luck to all!!

It has been fun to read everyone's introduction. I have heard through the grapevine that there are some very competitive people out there (you know who you are). I hope to give you a good run for the money. Two days and 8 points. I only have to do this 82 more times : )

A couple of fun tools I have found that I thought I would pass along:

1. Trailguru for iPhone or iTouch (tracks your time and milage as you run also includes your elevation. When you are done, you can post your run to the internet complete with picture if you choose.)

2. Lose it for iPhone or iTouch (Tracks your daily weight, and diet. You can set weight loss goals and it lets you know how many calories you can eat to hit your goal and then tracks your progress against that. You can also enter your exercise and it will take than into account as well.

A note on my geeky side - I like to track my progress against my goals in Excel creating graphs on how I am doing. As they say, you can not improve what you do not measure (or maybe that is just engineers who say that: ) If anyone is interested, I would be glad to share the format.

Good luck all,
Jake

And now.. Malissa A.

I figured I should introduce myself too. I am a mom to two adorable and dramatic kids and wife to Derick. Last week, today at 5:30, I became one organ lighter- my gall bladder. I am trying to heal and recover, but find it difficult to do because I am a social beast.
In the days when I HAD a gall bladder, I was training for a marathon- to the point where I had already completed my expected 20+ mile runs, and it was three weeks away (October 10th). I had to let go of accomplishing that goal, and defer my entry. I am really trying not to be bitter, but it is difficult! I have been consoling myself with silly knitting projects and lots of reading.

Thank goodness my surgery kinda took my appetite away, because I am usually a big time over eater. After years of working with a nutritionist, I am going to strive to balance portion and eating times as my "good eating" - I have not done well in these challenges in the past because I am unwilling to go to drastic means that will not realistically be part of my day to day life. I know I will use sweetner in some form, and some type of flour and fat as well, but intend to use them better. I am a firm believer in calories and quality. I can eat less and better with slow churned ice cream than two pieces of toast and jam.

I often find myself motivated by deadlines, expectations and the support of others, so I figured this challenge could be fun. Using a blog to report will be a new switch as well. Best of luck everyone!

Intro

I'm Angela, and there's no topping that worm story of Michelle's so I'm not even going to try! I'm in this for the sleep, and might as well do the rest although I'm perfectly content with my figure.
Good luck all!

Introducing Laura Nielsen

Hi everyone!

I'm excited to participate with all of you and hope to make some new, healthy habits that stick long term.
I moved to New Jersey a year ago, and I really like it here. My husband is in graduate school at Princeton and I am working as a research chemist for a pharmaceutical company in the area. My husband and I have an adorable, spunky house-trained rabbit who keeps us entertained when we're at home. We have a blog if you're interested in keeping up with us. Good luck to everyone; it should be a fun 12 weeks!

Introducing Jake Wasden

Hi All,

I figured since Michelle was doing this, there was not going to be sugar in the house for the next 12 weeks and I was not going to get any anyway I might as well join. : )

I am looking forward to testing myself and trying to create healthy habits I hope to carry on past this competition. I have had fits and starts at exercising over the last year and have not been able to keep at it consistently, I hope this "peer pressure" helps get me over the hump. Good luck to all the way I look at it, we are all winners for just trying.

Thanks -
Jake

Virginia

I am excited for the challenge and am only motivated by the $$. It's sad but true. Apparently, only $$ motivates me to exercise every day and give up delicious treats. I have four kids, no pets, and a wonderful husband, (none of which would join this challenge with me). Today, the first day, I think to myself, I can do this for 12 weeks. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

Introducing...Norah Wasden

Hello all!
So excited to join you all in the 12 week challenge! :-)
For those who don't know me, I'm Jake and Michelle's sister-in-law. I love snuggling with my debonair husband and trying to cuddle with my cute little 9 month old boy who likes to wiggle away from me. I also love being outdoors, traveling, singing karaoke, shoe shopping, and chocolate...I mean carrots!
OK, did anyone else go to town this weekend on the treats in preparation for the challenge? I ate two huge chocolate chip cookies from our local pizzeria (they're SO good), an Italian ice, and half a batch of brownies with mint cream cheese frosting. And, if I'd had time, I would have gone to the Bent Spoon for a cupcake and some dark chocolate sorbet and to It's Nuts for their cookie dough ice cream. Now I think I've made myself sick enough that I hopefully won't crave sweets for at least 2 days!!! I promise I'm a serious contender!!! ;-)

Get a good night sleep tonight!

I am hoping that you all are checking this tonight, but I bet there will be some who count their night at the other end of the day. I want to be able to write my points down for the day early in the day and be able to post on Sunday my week's total, so I will start tonight with the seven hours. If you do it the other day, no big deal...just keep track.

Do you have your diet and goal written out? Good. Let the games begin!

We ALL start at the same place and we all have the same holidays etc. After all, it is only 12 weeks, so...

BRING IT ON!!!!!!!

Goals: Post yours here

I loosely remember reading about a Harvard study where they visited with the graduates about their financial goals. Something like two percent of the graduates actually wrote down their goals. Several years later they followed up with the grads and found out that the two percent that had written out their goals were making more money than the rest of the graduates combined.

Take the time to write out your goal, in detail. Post it below for added commitment. I am deciding between a spiritual goal or a piano goal at the moment. I am looking forward to hearing what others are doing.

Introducing the contestants:

Signed up? then why don't you introduce yourself after this post. If not, I could always write one for you...

MICHELLE WASDEN: loves long walks on the beach.

JAKE WASDEN: is the MAN. If he could play basketball every morning and have rootbeer every night, he'd be content. He likes New Jersey, but Idaho will always be home for him.

You don't really want me to write them, now do you?????

Here's the Deal- New and Improved with MORE prizes!

My sister-in-law did this 12 week challenge with about a dozen ladies earlier this year. I saw her her trim, healthy and relaxed as she turned down cake when it was over. She said that it was simple, fun, and everyone who completed it lost at least 10 pounds.

Here's how it works:

Each day you can earn up to 4 points for healthy choices:

• Healthy Food: 1 point if you don't eat any junk food or treats. You need to write down somewhere what you will or will not do. Does healthy eating mean no white flour? Does it mean no hamburgers? Again, it doesn't mean that you will never have an unhealthy food, it just means that you don't earn your point that day. If you eat more than a palm-sized serving over the day, then not only you don't get the point, but you have to take another point off.
• Enough Sleep: 1 point if you get 7 or more hours of sleep. I need more than that, but this is just what the minimum to earn the point is.
• Exercise: 1 point for your choice of vigorous exercise for at least 35 minutes--walking fast is OK (The woman who won my sister-in-law's challenge did a marathon--BRING IT ON!) Sundays are excluded--instead give yourself a point this day for posting your points on the blog before Monday at 8AM EST).
  
• Personal Goal: 1 point for working towards the goal of your choice. Goals are always more successful when you have to report to someone. You don't have to tell us what your goal is, but before we begin, you need to write it down so it is really clear in your own head what needs to happen for you to succeed or not earn that point that day.
  

It is an honor system, so don't sign up if you are going to be lame and fudge on your points. If you eat the treat, then enjoy it and do better tomorrow, but don't give yourself points like you didn't. Don't be lame.


The Prizes:

First Prize: $200

Second Prize: $60

Third Prize: $40

In the event of a two-way tie, the first and second prize money would be divided between the two winners. In the event of a three or more tie, all the above prize money would be divided by those who are tied.

Percentage of weightloss (men's division): $50

Percentage of wieghtloss (women's division): $50

(Don't worry, we'll give you a simple formula to figure it out)

How to Get Started:

The 12 Weeks start Monday, September 28th and ends Monday, December 21. Write out your healthy food guidelines and your personal goal outline. Go ahead and start keeping track of points if you intend on joining, but I have to have your $20 check by the end of next week. Once I have your check, I will add you to the official list. You have one week to decide if you want to drop out and get your money back (No refunds after October 4th--we need to be fair to those who are still in it.) After that, the check will be cashed and there won't be any refunds. Each Monday before 8 AM you need to comment on how many points you earned that week (28 possible for the week) I will keep a running tally going on the side. During the week, you can post comments, recipes, tell others about your goals, talk about what you did that day for exercise. I am thinking about capping the enrollment at 15 so I don't spend too much time on administrative stuff.

Honestly, if this is what you've been waiting for the support and motivation to make some positive changes, then write the check today and send it to Michelle Wasden 25 Manor Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540. Then (and only then) will you have a spot secured. I figure that if you aren't interested enough to get the check in the mail, then you probably don't really want to do this so I really don't want to mess around with "holding spots" and stuff like that. Make sense?

Let the change begin!