The point of this competition is, first and foremost, a way for us to encourage ourselves to get healthy and lose weight. At the same time, I would hope we could encourage each other to eat better, be more active, and live a healthy lifestyle. Wouldn't it feel good to serve as inspiration for other individuals and to be considered great role models? Not to mention how great we'll look and feel once the competition is done! Each of us has our individual motivations to achieve our own good health, and I firmly believe in the strength of numbers. Where one of us might be struggling with our progress while dieting and exercising on our own, maybe a whole group of us who all have the same goal can provide the inspiration for us to do what we could not by ourselves!
The fee for competing is $10. Everyone will need to get their money to me by May 15th. This will give all of you plenty of time to set the money aside and either bring it to me in person or mail it to me. If you need any of my contact info, message me on Facebook or email me at amy.baltz@gmail.com. If you cannot get the $10 entry fee to me within the allotted time you will not be allowed to compete. Adversely, once you have paid your $10, the money cannot be refunded unless you have extenuating circumstances that prevent you from participating. Once the competition is over, the prize money will be given to the winner no later than August 15th, 2011.
Our first weigh-in will be Sunday, May 1st and the results posted on Monday, May 2nd at the latest. The last weigh-in will be Sunday, July 31st, and the results of the whole competition posted Monday, August 1st. We will be weighing in every Sunday. I will need your weight by the end of that day. The earlier, the better. Please try to use the same scale each week and weigh yourself at the same time every Sunday. Feel free to send me a message on Facebook, text me, email me, call me, or tell me in person. There are many ways to get in contact with me, so there should be no problems in getting me your weight on time every week. If you absolutely cannot get to your scale or if it breaks and you have to buy a new one, please let me know ahead of time.
You are allowed to use any diet and exercise method you like, as long as it is safe and healthy. Use of medical appetite suppressants, commercial laxatives, diuretics (except in case of medical necessity), energy drinks, and the over-the-counter drug Alli are not allowed. These would be considered an unfair advantage for anyone using them. Natural supplements and vitamins are okay. Surgical procedures such as gastric bypass, lap-band, and liposuction are automatic disqualifiers. If you have any questions about what might or might not be allowed during the competition, do not hesitate to ask.
A lot of this competition is based on honesty. I won't be able to see some of you on a daily or even weekly basis, so I will have to take your word for it when you tell me how much you've lost and that you have done so legally. Please be honest in your methods and in the accuracy of your progress. Last time I hosted a competition, the very first week a contestant lost 8 lbs. That type of weight loss is not impossible to obtain during the first week, but if it had continued every week, the red flag would have been raised and I would have needed greater proof that it was legitimately achieved (for instance, before and after pictures with a displayed time stamp). Please do not be offended if I ask you for proof should your weight loss produce vastly significant numbers every week. I am just trying to make sure your progress is accurate.
To make the playing field as even as possible, our weight loss will be measured by percentage of weight lost, not by pounds. That way a larger person who loses more weight will have no greater impact than a smaller person who loses less weight. The formula for calculating weight loss percentage is as follows:
pounds lost / previous weight x 100 = weight loss %
We will not be posting our weights publicly, so those of you who are sensitive, don't worry! I will create a closed group on Facebook that will house all of our information and weekly progress. You may all post in the group if you like with comments, topics, photos, recipes, graphs, etc, but please use common courtesy. Playful trash talking is ok, but emphatic put-downs, spamming, flaming, and inappropriate use of the group will not be tolerated. I will moderate the group and make sure the rules are being followed to the best of my abilities. I promise I will be as fair as possible.
Do not hesitate to contact me regarding the rules or to ask questions about anything. Additionally, if you know of anyone who might want to participate, please direct them to this blog post or send them my email! The deadline to sign up is Sunday, April 30, at 11:59 pm!
I wish each and every one of you the best of luck in our competition! Here's to good health!
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