Monday, January 4, 2010

I'm On!


I know I've mentioned this in a couple of my posts, but I thought I would make it official. Today is the first day of the month-long Game On Diet challenge, and I shall be participating on Team Ho Ho. The rear end is pushing maximum density so something had to be done before it exploded.

I spent most of the day on New Year's going through the book, reviewing the rules and requirements, and I must admit, I'm getting a little nervous. Here's the basic premise:


* You get points for various healthy behaviors...eating right, getting enough sleep, exercising daily, drinking water, taking up a new healthy habit and quitting a bad habit, communicating with your teammates and adversaries, etc. You are docked points if you screw up. You report your weekly points into a team member every Monday. At the end of the month, the team with the most points, wins. Prizes are involved.

* You eat five small meals a day, subscribing to the old "fist-sized", "palm-sized" or "thumb-sized" portions of carb, protein and fat, respectively. This may take some adjustment, as I've been quite slothful lately.
* You drink 3 LITERS of water a day. I may just float away! At what point does it just overflow and come back out of my mouth? Can I die from this?

* You perform some form of exercise 20 minutes a day. I don't think this is going to be an issue with me. My burning questions is...does playing the drums on the "hard" level on Rock Band qualify? Since I'm sweating after playing some Alice in Chains, I'm thinking it does.

* To prevent the dreaded weight plateau, you are allowed one day off a week from this regimen to do as you please (preferably not to binge though). This is the only time you can drink wine. Is there a drug to take when I start to have withdrawal symptoms? Isn't wine really a fruit?

* Daily communication must occur between you, your teammates and your opponents. This would include both support and harassment. Hey guys, I even signed up for Twitter in order to be a proper team player. This was no small decision, as I've resisted this time-sucking application for a long time. I really look forward to this part of the game. Already, probably a hundred e-mails have gone back and forth, providing tips, grocery lists, recipes, and encouragement. We're all in this together!


The book itself is a load of fun to read. The book is narrated primarily by a woman, and her male partner chimes in now and again. She seems to walk-the-walk, if you know what I mean. She has always struggled with her weight, but her competitive, take-no-prisoners attitude makes this diet challenge a good fit - she looks like a million bucks. She is foul-mouthed and full of sass, but I love it. Reminds me of me a little.

So stay tuned for updates. I may not be blogging as much for the next month, as I will be hanging out in the bathroom alot after all that water. On second hand, I guess I can take my netbook in there... May the best team (Ho's) win.



28 comments:

Susan said...

Oh man! Your Hos are so gonna kick butt! But I don't want to see you hangin' around any street corners with your "Ho" costume on! LOL That would just be wrong! LOL

Seriously, good luck and get healthy, Sandy! :)

JoAnn said...

Good luck, Sandy... and of course wine is a fruit! Does that mean you can have a glass more than once a week??

Molly said...

I think wine is definitely a fruit - with anti-oxident benefits :)

I am psyching myself up for that first glass of water - and a light 8 minute workout as I type this.

Best of luck to a great HO from a fellow Ding Dong!

Julie P. said...

It's not so bad after the first few days! After weighing in this morning, I am so glad we are starting. I am out of control - way worse than I was expecting.

Anonymous said...

Way too many rules for me. Good luck! I look forward to checking out your progress.

bermudaonion said...

I'm sure you will totally rock at this!

Nicole (Linus's Blanket) said...

Good luck! I am hoping that the fist size is per food group, or is that for the complete meal?

Iliana said...

Good luck, Sandy! You can do it!

Michele said...

This sounds like so much fun....I'll be rooting for you!

(And yes, all that water may indeed drown you...)

Sandy Nawrot said...

Susan - If I stay on this plan long enough, I might actually look presentable in that Ho outfit!

JoAnn - Unfortunately NOT. Huge bummer.

Molly - I'm starting in on my third liter of water. My body is going "what the heck are you DOING?"

Julie - I know, bad scene this morning. I will be glad when my body becomes used to all this water!

Stacy - It was all a little overwhelming at first, but in a sick way I do like rules!

Beth - you too! I mean it! Sort of.

Kathy - I'm glad you have confidence in me! I love food so much!

Nicole - it is per meal, thank goodness! Still, feels a little like starvation.

Iliana - Thank you! I need all the support I can get!

Michele - That's what I'm thinking at this point!

Literary Feline said...

I think it's great that so many bloggers are getting into this. I wish you the best of luck, Sandy!

Eidin said...

This sounds like a terrific way to kick off the New Year. Good luck!

Jen - devourer of books said...

You can have wine twice a week, day off AND meal off! Just one glass on the meal off, though.

Go Go Ho Hos!

caite said...

No wine! Wine is good for you...really. To heck with that...lol

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Don't forget, as a Ho Ho, be sure to use Shaquille O'Neal as your guide when determining a fist size!

Go Ding Dongs!

Cathy said...

Go Sandy!!!! I can't wait to see how many pounds you drop. But 3 liters of water daily? Insane. Get ready to feel like you have to pee all the time.

Craftymoose Crafts said...

Good Luck--this sounds like quite an undertaking!

Ti said...

Wine is definitely a fruit. You go ahead and have a nice, big glass :)

Ana S. said...

Go Sandy! You can do it!

Melody said...

Go, Sandy! I know you can do it!

ds said...

I need those three liters of water now, because you have me laughing so hard I'm crying it all out.
Wine is definitely a fruit--and a medicine. This is proven fact. Chocolate is also beneficial.
"Alice in Chains"?! LOL!!

In all seriousness, I wish you and your team the best of luck. Be healthy! Be smart!

Alyce said...

Good luck with the challenge!

Jenners said...

"Pee a little, blog a little, pee pee pee, blog a lot pee a little more"

I'm no Fizzy but this is supposed to be a parody of that song from The Music Man.

The book is a fun, down-to-earth read,isn't it?

Good luck ... even though you are on the wrong team!

Zibilee said...

I hope you do spectacularly well on this challenge and I will be rooting for you. If you ever need any encouragement, you know where to find me!!

Alice said...

So much water?!?! Have fun doing this, Sandy!

The Bumbles said...

If you are blogging from the bathroom - I don't want to know about it!!!

Water is such a key thing to losing weight and proper health - and so easy. But it is an adjustment drinking so much more than you are used to. I still don't come close the the levels your book suggests. But I've always got some in hand wherever I go. Unless it is a light beer - which Andy tells me might as well be water anyway ;0)

Anna said...

Good luck, Sandy! This sounds like a lot of fun. I'm going to have to check out that book. I know I certainly could use it.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Darlene said...

Good luck Sandy! And yes of course wine is a fruit. It must be listed in there somewhere. lol.