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You are here: Home / Non-House Stuff / Weight Loss Motivation: The 5 Week Weight Loss Challenge

Weight Loss Motivation: The 5 Week Weight Loss Challenge

March 27, 2013 By Shannah 18 Comments

A few weeks back, a friend of mine on Facebook sent out a message asking if we wanted to participate in a 5 week weight loss program.  The details were pretty vague on her post but I jumped at the chance for a little weight loss motivation and said yes.  The challenge just ended so I thought I would share a little bit about it with you.

The Basics:
The idea of the challenge is to movitate you to follow along in the hopes of losing the largest % of weight so you win a pot of money at the end.  Looking great and getting healthy is obviously the biggest goal but a little extra $$$ makes it all so much better.

The Buy-In:
Each person that participates pays an entry fee. This money creates “the pot” that the winner will get at the end.  For our challenge, the entry fee was $15.  We had 20+ people so our pot started out big 🙂

The Challenges:

Each week brings a new challenge.  The challenges are cumulative so that they really become effective over time.
Our challenges were:
Week 1: Hydration Nation – Drink 64oz of water per day.
Week 2: Sweet Tooth Cured – No sweets (i.e. cookies, brownies, etc.)
Week 3: Bust a Move – Work out for at least 30 minutes per day.
Week 4: On the Wagon – No wine, beer, etc.
Week 5: Clean it Up – Clean eating.  No processed foods at all.

Infractions:
Now, obviously, it would be awesome if everyone did all the challenges perfectly for all five weeks.  But, we live in reality here people.  Sometimes you just need a donut…or, in my case especially, you have a meeting and just know that 4th glass of water during the work day is going to make you miss it because you are here:

source

So, whenever you have an infraction {meaning you don’t follow the challenges}, you pay a dollar.  So, miss a glass of water…$1.  Eat a candy bar…$1.

Source

You get the picture.

Reporting:
The organizer keeps tracks of everyone’s reporting.  Each week, as a participant, you give your % of weight lost and the number of infractions you have to the organizer.  Weigh-in day is the same day each week and is done as the first thing you do when you wake up to make sure you capture your true weight.
To calculate the % lost, you need two pieces of info {and for me…a calculator}:
– Your starting weight (the weight you start with at the beginning of the challenge)
– Your new weight

Now, let’s calculate:
1)  Subtract your new weight from your starting weight.
2)  Multiply the number from step 1 by 100.
3)  Divide the number in step 2 by your original starting weight.

Surprises:

source


My organizer did such a fantastic job and even offered some surprises.  One week, you could lose one infraction if you tried a new fruit or vegetable.  It was meant to inspire us to seek out more healtful eating options while also rewarding us by erasing an infraction {i.e. giving us back $1}.

The Prizes:
There were two winners for our challenge:
– The person who lost the largest % of weight won the entire pot minus$15.
– The person who had the least number of infractions won their $15 entry fee back (hence the reason #1 was minus $15}

The Results:
I thought the challenge was awesome!  I didn’t do as well as I probably could have but still felt pretty great seeing a loss each week on the scale.
We had ladies in our group lose over 10% of their total weight which is awesome!  The winner got a good chuck of money and healthier body too.

So, would you ever consider a weight loss challenge like this?  Which week would be the hardest for you to stick with it?

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Filed Under: Non-House Stuff Tagged With: five week weight loss challenge, getting healthy, weight loss

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Comments

  1. Lisa Nelson says

    March 27, 2013 at 4:06 pm

    I would definitely do it. I think it’s easier to do things like this with others. It just helps to have the support of others who are doing the same thing. Plus, there is accountability – which is important.

    Kudos to you Shannah! You are awesome!
    Lisa Nelson recently posted…Happiness is – Knowing that People Do Good ThingsMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Esther Davison says

    March 27, 2013 at 4:11 pm

    That looks like it was fun and motivating! Thanks for sharing! I’m working on losing about 15 or 20 pounds. It is work!
    Esther Davison recently posted…Weight Loss Wednesday: Guest Post EditionMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Lusine says

    March 29, 2013 at 11:41 am

    wow,how interesting!Would love to participate in such kind of a program!

    Lusine

    Reply
  4. Hilary says

    April 2, 2013 at 10:54 pm

    This is such an awesome way to motivate people to get fit 🙂 I would totally do this!
    Hilary recently posted…Cloth Diaper Q&AMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Abby says

    April 3, 2013 at 9:10 am

    I’ve never heard of that one…but sounds very fun! $ would be a great motivation! =)

    Reply
  6. Marti says

    April 3, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    I would love to do something like this. I just don’t know anyone who would pay to do it. The hardest for me would be the week without sweets, a habit I am trying (unsuccessfully) to break.
    Marti recently posted…Death and TaxesMy Profile

    Reply
  7. emily says

    April 5, 2013 at 3:27 am

    fun! I like how each week is a different challenge… you don’t have avoid everything the whole challenge!
    Emily
    emily recently posted…FlashBack Friday: T-Shirt QuiltMy Profile

    Reply
  8. day2day SuperMom says

    April 6, 2013 at 12:40 am

    I LOVE this idea ~ I gotta get all my ladies together but after I have my twins…gunna need the support! I found you at the TaterTots & Jello Party =) PINNED!!
    day2day SuperMom recently posted…day2day Tips ~ Make your own Chalk Paint {DIY Friday}My Profile

    Reply
  9. Karyn - Pint Sized Baker says

    April 8, 2013 at 12:18 am

    I need to get my butt in gear. It sounds like you are doing well. Keep it up! Thanks so much for sharing on Two Cup Tuesday at Pint Sized Baker.
    Karyn – Pint Sized Baker recently posted…Chocolate BabkaMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Tanya says

    April 14, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    Feeling inspired to eat healthy and get out for a good walk today, thank you so much for sharing at the Pretty Things party this week Shannah!! Hope to see you again tomorrow night 🙂

    xo, Tanya
    twelveOeight
    Tanya recently posted…Vintage Kitchen WreathMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Azriel Stone says

    May 6, 2013 at 1:20 am

    This sounds awesome! I’m definitely going to do it. However, I don’t drink any alcohol to begin with. Any thoughts as to what I should substitute for that challenge? 🙂
    Azriel Stone recently posted…“A person’s a person, no matter how small”My Profile

    Reply
    • Shannah says

      May 6, 2013 at 8:20 am

      Do you drink soda? That might be a good substitute.

      Reply
  12. Kylie says

    May 1, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    Where can I get the organizer to do this with friends?

    Reply
  13. Shannah Coe says

    May 1, 2014 at 1:59 pm

    Hi there- The organizer is a person that you choose to head up the challenge. That person can create a tracking tool that works for them 🙂

    Reply
  14. Kylie says

    May 1, 2014 at 3:16 pm

    What tracking tool did you use when you did this? I need to create one because we are starting this on Monday!

    Reply
  15. Shannah Coe says

    May 2, 2014 at 11:50 am

    Hi Kylie – I will actually be sharing the perfect printable for this on Thursday, May 8th! Stay tuned 🙂

    Reply
  16. Lora Whetro says

    August 6, 2020 at 3:29 pm

    Our office is doing this challenge and I wanted to see if I could get the printable tracking tool if you still have available. We just love this idea and are very pumped!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Healthier Living with Steps and #BalanceRewards - Just Us Four says:
    April 1, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    […] week, I shared with you a recent 5 week diet challenge I participated in.  The overall goal of the challenge was weight loss but it was also used a […]

    Reply

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About Me

Hi, I'm Shannah! Welcome to My Suburban Kitchen, where you'll find tons of recipe ideas including family friendly dinners, sinfully delicious desserts and even Paleo and Whole30 recipes. I love spending time in our kitchen and also share little glimpses of my life as a wife to one awesome Mathlete and working mom to 2 cute kids! I hope you'll grab a seat at our table and enjoy your time in the kitchen with us.

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