NikGetsFit Weight Loss Challenge!

Win this heart rate monitor!

Hey loves! Guess what? We're starting our weight loss challenge! If you have been following me on Facebook then you know I've been wanting to do this for a while now and the time is NOW! Just in time for Summer! This will last for 12 weeks so please make sure you are committed before signing up. :-)

The rules:

1. You must send $5 via paypal to beadsbraidsbeyond@yahoo.com You must mark the $5 as "GIFT" so there are no Paypal fees! All of the money will go directly to the winner of this challenge. There are NO refunds which is why I said to make sure you are fully committed. This is a one time fee that everyone on Facebook agreed on for extra motivation. The winner can buy a new outfit or whatever they want with the money! We do this in the weight loss group I'm in all of the time. I'm the one who handles the money and I've sent the money out every time so no worries there! :-)
2. You MUST submit a current before picture. You will need to take a full body picture holding a sign with this current date. You can take the picture before May 1st but no pictures will be accepted after May 1st.
3. You MUST weigh-in on May 1st! You will need to take a picture of your weight on the scale with the current date (May 1st) written on a piece of paper with your name on it. Pictures must be clear enough to read.
4. You will need to weigh-in each week. Same rules stated above apply. Take a picture of your weight on the scale with the date written on a piece of paper and your name. After May 1st every weigh-in will be on MONDAY!
5. You CANNOT be more than 3 days late with your weigh-in.
6. You must take a full body picture each month and also at the very end of the challenge holding a sign with the current dates.
7. We want to continue to be healthy with this challenge so we cannot accept anyone who is taking (or plans on taking) diet pills, diet shots, diet drops, etc. This will all be 100% from hard work, proper nutrition, exercise, etc.
8. There will be a set of basic questions to fill out each week. Just asking what you have been doing to lose the weight, etc.
9. This is a friendly challenge so please continue to be respectful and help motivate one another.
10. Pictures and weigh-in's will be posted on this blog. You will need to post your pictures on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/nikgetsfit

The winner is based off of who has the highest percent of weight lost during this challenge. 

The prizes:

• The winner will receive all of the money put in from each participant. I will let you all know this number on May 2nd.
• Polar USA is going to send the winner a FT60 Heart Rate Monitor. The same one I use! :-)
• I am hoping Urban Decay (<---click the link. maybe they will see NikGetsFit brings them traffic and want to sponsor!) will sponsor this challenge as well. If not, I will purchase an Urban Decay make up palette (I'm thinking Naked 1 or 2) to ship to the winner. I will only ship this to a US address.

The start date is May 1st, the end date is July 31st.

Don't forget to stop by and "LIKE" NikGetsFit on Facebook! Tell your friends and family! www.facebook.com/nikgetsfit

Weigh-in + Updates & Goals

Excuse my dirty scale! lol I need to wipe it off.

I'm both happy and ashamed of this weeks weigh-in. Let me explain, before my daughter had her first seizure in March I had finally made it to 225lbs and was on my way to being out of the 220's. Since dealing with my daughters health issues my weight loss took a turn for the worst. Some time last week I weighed myself and the number said 234lbs. Talk about a reality check! I quickly jumped off of the scale and got to work. Nothing major, just small changes. Drinking more water, eating less, exercising. All the basic rules to weight loss.

My daughter was in the hospital for a few days last month and she has been having other issues on and off since then. With her recently being diagnosed with Epilepsy and my son having Autism, it's very tiring. I feel like my life consists of doctors appointments and hospital visits. I'm frustrated because I don't feel like I'm getting the answers I need about my daughter so I will have to go to another Children's Hospital about an hour away.

So, there it is. That's what drove me to my weight gain. That's life though, that's the hand I was dealt and I handled it poorly. I need to get a grip and figure out a better outlet other than just food because eating like a pig only makes me feel worse. I'm really ashamed at how much I was eating, like it was my last meal every time. Completely disgusting.

As for exercise, I have recently begun walking with my children. Nothing major, to and from grandma's, from school, etc. I have also started riding my old school stationary bike again. Hey, she's old, but she gets the job done!

Here's a couple of updated pictures when I attended a birthday party this past weekend:

Current Goals:

• Drink (mostly) water. Occasional Crystal Light or Diet Dr. Pepper (weakness)
• Cardio at least 3x a week for 30 minutes each time
• I'd like to begin incorporating more strength. At least twice a week for 30 minutes each time. Any recommendations?
• Get out of the 220's once and for all! *I'm giving myself until May 12th to reach this goal. If I accomplish this, I will do something nice for myself. I'm thinking a pedi.
• Begin looking into a couch to 5k program

Simple goals, right?

If you have been following me on Facebook then you know I have plans to start a weight loss challenge soon. Make sure you stop by and "like" Nik Gets Fit on Facebook for more details! https://www.facebook.com/nikgetsfit

Thank you for following my journey, it means more than you realize! :-)

Just a bonus pic!

Nik

Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor Review!

Polar FT60 heart rate monitor

As you may know through my blog, Facebook Page or weight loss group, I use a Polar heart rate monitor during my work outs. I used to use the FT7 which was great but ever since Polar USA was kind enough to send me this FT60 heart rate monitor to review, I have been HOOKED! The FT60 offers so many features! In fact, I'm still learning about many of them.

First, let's talk about the design. I know looks aren't everything, but this one is killing other heart rate monitors. It just looks so cool and well, let's face it, I already look bad enough as it is as I'm working out, I could definitely use a few cool points. ;-) The FT60 is very sleek and comfortable. A nice size screen for easy viewing.

Okay, let's move on to some of the cool features. I think my favorite feature is the calorie counter. This tells me how many calories I am burning during my work outs and how much of it is from fat. It has been pretty eye opening for me. It's interesting to see how less intense (or what I believe is less intense) work outs burn more fat calories. It totally makes sense though. Back when I had a trainer in December he broke this down for me. By the way, my personal trainer totally loved this heart rate monitor and was happy I had it on hand.

Click to enlarge

I love how at the end of the week I can see how hard I have trained. The monitor tells me how many calories I burned that week and if I'm improving. This is a big motivator for me! If you look under your weekly summary, it will also tell you how many sessions you had along with how long you trained, which is awesome if you set a goal to do 5 sessions and it only shows 3, you know you need to get your butt in gear next week!

This heart rate monitor also breaks your heart rate down into 3 different zones. This will help you maximize each work out.  You can view all of the data as you're working out by pressing the top of bottom buttons on the right hand side.

If you're worried about setting up the watch, don't be! It's easy and completely fool proof! I thought it would confuse me but it's as easy as 1, 2, 3 thanks to the manual! :-)

There's a back light which is awesome if you don't have the best lighting or if you're in the dark (brave soul!). 

The chest strap the heart rate monitor comes with is comfortable and actually fits me, so no worries there. I actually forget I even have it on!

You can purchase this heart rate monitor on Polar's website, Amazon or stores such as Dick's Sporting Goods.

I learn new things about this watch every day so this is not the last you will hear from me about it. If you would like to see more pictures, please check out my facebook page as I post a picture of the HRM after every work out. www.facebook.com/nikgetsfit 

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!