I went to suck my belly in to put on pants I hadn't worn in a while that had been fitting me tight and realized I didn't have to cause they fit perfect! I'll count that as a win!!

Hi friends, I’ve been struggling the couple weeks. Going back to work has really put a damper on getting in a workout, not just because of time, but I work on my feet and without that stress relief I’ve found myself having a cocktail more often. Trying not to be too hard on myself and refocus on my why’s.

So what I want to know is; what’s your why? And how do you stay focused?

Is anyone weighing themselves just once per month? I have anxiety and i get obsessed really easily about my weight. After doing 2 kickstarters in the last 2 months and weighing myself every other day I decided to stop and just weigh every 2 weeks instead but keep up my activity and my healthy eating. The weight off of my shoulders since my last weigh in feels amazing.

Missed my goal for round 2 and now I’m extra determined to get it for round 3... but it’ll be hard. Dusted off MyFitnessPal and started logging food. Anyone else have new or enhanced strategies for this round? If so, what are they?

I’ve been doing these games since November and never lost one. I totally bombed this round. I’ll never make it to round 3. Might just have to start a new game.

TIP OF THE DAY: Workout shoes- So everyone's goals are going to be different when it comes to weight loss and their approaches will hopefully fit those goals. Exercise is likely a staple for many who are trying to lose weight and again preference will be the dictating factor of what exercise plan will be used. But whatever plan you use, MAKE SURE you use the correct footwear. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from people in the gym that their feet hurt, their knees hurt, their hips hurt, etc. and the first thing I check is their footwear and 90% of the time it's the wrong type to wear. An example would be wearing "running" shoes and doing heavy squats with them. Since most running shoes are cushioned and allow a "collapse" in the heel area on impact, once you load a bar or use dumbbells and try to squat, that same heel area collapses due to the extra weight and depending on if your feet overpronate/underpronate, definitely affects the joints in your ankle and then could travel up to the knee because of the angle of stress on the tibia/fibula. But many people think it's just their form. Their form might be spot on, but the pressure around the joints aren't evident. Same if you're a runner and use basketball shoes for running. You might be okay for a while, but many basketball shoes are designed more for lateral movements and not running straight ahead on concrete surfaces for extended periods of time. Also, make sure to check the wear of the soles on your shoes. They may look good on top, but it's the soles that matter more than anything else. Don't wait too long to replace them because you think you can get another couple of months out of them. That's a couple of months of abusing your feet and joints that's unnecessary.

STEPS!!!!
1. Do you track your steps?
1a. What do you track with?
2. What is your daily goal?
3. How many days (out of 30) did you hit your goal last month (June)
4. For the days you didnt hit your goal, what stopped you?
5. What tricks do you have for getting in steps?

For me.
1. I am obsessive. I track religiously
1a. I use Samsung health on my phone and smartwatch
2. 17,000/day goal. I know I can do more, but on rest days, I try not to over do it.
3. I hit my goal 26 out of 30 days in june
4. 2 days were due to leg injury, 2 days were after a 22 mile run. Needed time to recover. I missed them all by 1000-4000 steps. So not a complete lack of steps, just reduced
5. I walk/run first thing in the morning. Shooting for 8k-10k steps before I start work. I take the dog for a few walks a day. If I drive somewhere, I park further away than I need. And I uses a Variable Heigh Desk, so I can stand/pace during long calls.

Hey everyone! I have done many diet bets to varying degrees of success. The last few I have barely scratched by in round one and then not been consistent enough in round two to keep going. I was really worried for this round because a week ago I wasn’t close to my goal weight despite having really good eating and exercise habits. I stuck with it though without giving up and the weight came off in this last week. It didn’t just fall off, it came off because I didn’t give up. I continued my good eating habits and resisted the urge for treating myself. I made my goal and need to remember to stay true to my eating habits going forward to this next round.. I think the second round is the hardest. Where I have gone wrong in the past is I have rewarded myself with a week or more of taking it easy and not watching what I eat as closely. Let’s all remember to still pay attention even though we are at the beginning of this round. Good luck everyone! We proud of all the little daily choices you’re making! Doing this for six months and being consistent will develop good habits. Once we get in the habit of not treating our selves it won’t be a hard “choice” each time we choose to skip the dessert. It will just be our habit and we won’t feel like we are on a diet. When I really pay attention, I notice that the people I think don’t need to worry about their weight, food choices, or exercise are actually the people who have good lifelong habits of eating healthy and exercising. It’s not that they don’t need to worry about it, it is that they have developed habits that prevent them from having that third cookie.. Sorry this got long. Trying to remind myself as much as all of you!