Shrink For Good

Our new challenge starts TODAY! I cannot even TELL you how excited I am for this challenge. Not only will we be improving our own health, we are going to giving back to our communities while we do it! It’s a win-win, right?

Lose For Good launches today and will run through October 17, 2009. Last year was the debut of the campaign and it produced AMAZING results. Members lost over 4 MILLION pounds, Weight Watchers donated $1 million to charities focused on fighting hunger, and 1,500,000 pounds of food to local food banks! The funds contributed by Weight Watchers represent the difference between life and death for up to 6,000 children! This year, they are hoping to make it even bigger and better.

This is where we come in. We are having our own spin-off of the Lose For Good campaign called Shrink For Good. The challenge starts TODAY and will run 7 weeks until October 17, 2009. So go, GO step on your scale. Look at the number. Come back here and leave a comment with your starting weight (we need this for tracking our total #s lost!), if you don’t feel comfortable putting the number out there, shoot me an email (melissa@shrinkingjeans.net) with it. I promise I will keep it a secret and it will be for my eyes only.

The details: After today, we will weigh-in on Wednesdays, as usual. We like to keep it simple. Each week, after you weigh-in, we encourage you to go out and BUY NON-PERISHABLE FOOD products (think canned goods, etc… preferably HEALTHY!) in an amount equaling the amount of weight you lost.

1 pound = 16 ounces

So if you lost two-and-a-half pounds, you would need 40 oz. of food items. Simple, no?

A lot of times during our weigh-ins, we hear “only down 1 pound” or something to that effect. What some people may not realize, is that those “little losses” add up. Let’s think about it this way… a stick of butter weighs 4 oz. Every POUND you lose is FOUR STICKS OF BUTTER, people! If you lose 4 pounds total the next 7 weeks, that is equal to SIXTEEN sticks of butter! Four pounds may not seem like a significant amount of weight, but when you imagine carrying those sixteen sticks of butter EVERY DAY, ALL DAY, that helps put it in perspective. We want you to actually “feel” the amount of weight that you are losing.

Each week, you will be adding to your food collection as you weigh-in. At the end of 7 weeks, you will hopefully have a nice stack of non-perishable food items! Are you still with me? Here’s the AWESOME part: You are going to donate these food items that you are going to WORK SO HARD for to your local food bank! You will be turning yourself into a healthier version of you AND helping out those in need in your own community. If you are a WW member and attend meetings, talk to your leader about dropping your food off there! (You do not have to be a WW member to participate in our Shrink For Good challenge.)

Ideas for food items:

Fruit and Vegetables Group: Canned or dry fruits and vegetables in an array of colors will help ensure consumption of many vitamins and minerals.

• Canned vegetables
• Vegetable juice
• Canned tomatoes (juice and sauce)
• Canned fruit and fruit cups (in its own juice)
• Fruit juice
• Dried fruit

Grain Group: Whole grains provide maximum nutrition value and long-lasting energy.

• Oatmeal Whole grain crackers
• Low sugar/high fiber cereals
• All pasta types
• Whole grain rice

Protein Group: Lean meats and canned or dry beans provide the necessary fuel for muscles.

• Canned tuna, salmon or chicken
• Bean soups
• Baked beans
• Dried and canned beans and peas.
• Chili Beef stew
• Peanut butter Nuts

This is a lot of new info to digest, I know. Let’s recap:

YOU = Focus on healthy eating, exercise, and well-being.

LOG your starting weight today. (or when you jump into this challenge if you are reading this later!)

WEIGH-IN on Wednesdays with us.

COLLECT non-perishable items in the amount of weight lost for the next 7 weeks. Photos encouraged, but not mandatory. ;o)

ENCOURAGE your fellow Sisters and Brothers.

GRAB one of our new buttons created by our own amazing Christy.

DONATE your food collection at the end of this challenge.

Stay tuned for even more fun things happening with Lose For Good in the coming weeks! If you have ANY questions AT ALL, whether it’s finding a food bank in your area or help with all this math, we are here. Just ask. For realz, yo. And pssst… our EA Sports Active challenge is starting tomorrow, it’s not too late to jump in!

Let’s get this party started… It’s time to SHRINK FOR GOOD!

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Tags: a healthier you, Action Against Hunger, food bank, food pantry, giving back to your community, Lose For Good, losing weight, new challenge, Share Our Strength, Shrink For Good, sisterhood, Weight Watchers

Category: The Sisterhood