The Holy Mess Spring Weight Loss Challenge 2023

Are you ready to lose weight and feel great? The Holy Mess Spring Weight Loss Challenge is April 1-30, 2023.

The Spring Challenge registration is now closed. If you are not currently enrolled, consider joining The Holy Mess 30 Day Self-Guided Weight Loss Challenge, which is available to join anytime.

You’ve joined the challenge. Congratulations. You are IN! Welcome to the spring weight loss challenge that is April 1-30, 2023. Here’s what you need to know to get started. Watch the welcome video (below) and then complete the getting started checklist.

Step 1: Watch the Welcome Video.

Picture yourself lighter, refreshed and happier by the end of April. You’ll head into summer feeling fantastic.

The Holy Mess Spring Weight Loss Challenge will give you…

• the accountability to stick to your weight loss goals.
• the motivation to enjoy this spring season lighter while making healthy choices.
• the encouragement of a supportive group of women just like you.

You can do this. I know weight loss feels overwhelming at times. This challenge is 30 days, so it’s the perfect amount of time for a refresh. You’ll create new habits that will stick.

Many of our challenge participants tell us they lost weight during the challenge AND kept up their healthy habits when the program was over, too.

You will finish the challenge confident that you can maintain the weight you’ve lost and ready to drop more pounds in the weeks to come.

Step 2: Complete the Getting Started Checklist

Print the Spring Challenge Action Guide. Within an hour after you sign up, you received an email from a company called Send Owl that has the link for you to download the printable Action Guide. If you haven’t received it, check your spam. If you still don’t receive it, click here to have another copy sent to you. You may also email us at sara@theholymess.com for help.

Before the challenge begins (or as soon as you join), complete these steps so you are ready to go. These will set you up for the ultimate weight loss success.

1. Watch Sara’s welcome video, above.
2. Print the Action Guide.
3. Mark your calendar with challenge dates.
4. Join the Facebook group.
5. Choose a food tracker such as My Fitness Pal, Weight Watchers, or a paper journal.
6. Buy healthy groceries.
7. Clean up your kitchen by stocking healthy foods & hiding or throwing away junk food.

Step 3: Review What the Challenge Includes

The Weight Loss Challenge includes daily and weekly activities.

Daily Activities

Here are the activities you are expected to do each day in April:

• Track your food. Stay within your daily calorie or points range. Use an app like My Fitness Pal or Weight Watchers. A paper food journal works, too, but you must include calories or points. If you are feeling stuck or overwhelmed about what to eat, use The Holy Mess 7 Day Easy Meal Plan or The Holy Mess Super Satisfied Meal Plan.
• Check in EVERY evening in the Facebook group. Share a photo or type out your daily food log every single night before you go to bed. The daily post goes live at 6:00 PM EST. Please post ONLY in the day’s post for this purpose. (See below for a video for help with this.) Do NOT post your photo in a new comment in the Facebook group, or it will be deleted. Email us at sara@theholymess.com if you need help with this. Remember that everyone who posts all 30 days of food logs is eligible for an exclusive $79 gift!
• Eat 2+ cups of vegetables. Include at least 2 cups of fresh produce per day.
• Drink 3+ cups water. Only plain or plain sparkling water counts as water.
• Move 10+ minutes. Move your body in some way for 10 minutes each day. All activity counts for this, including cleaning your house or gardening.
• Stress relief activity for 15+ minutes. Journal, pray, knit, read a magazine, soak in a bath or do something for yourself. If you are a stress eater, this is an especially important step for you.

How do I Share Daily Food Logs in the Facebook Group?

One of the most valuable features of this challenge is the opportunity for accountability with DAILY check ins in the Facebook group. You’ll be sharing a photo, screen shot, or typed description of your daily food log.

Each day in the Facebook group, you’ll see a daily check in post starting at 6:00 PM EST. Post your food log for the day in the comments of the post. Use whatever method works for you to get your food log into the comments under the day’s food log post. You can post multiple photos or screen shots as needed.

Here is a video that shows examples of members sharing their food logs at a Holy Mess Weight Loss Challenge.

It’s very important that you share your food log ONLY in the comments of the daily post. The reason for this is that if 300+ women share their food logs as a new post in the group, the group gets very cluttered with food logs and we can’t see the other important information.

When you share your food log, this is a photo or written record of what you ate that day. If you eat more after you post your food log, go back and type a correction to include what you actually ate.

Here are the ways to share your daily food log (Choose any method that is easiest for you):

• Take a screen shot with your phone of the app you used to track your food. Here is a video that explains how to take a screen shot with an iPhone or Android. You may share more than one screen shot in the comments.
• Take a screen shot with your computer. Here is how to take a screen shot with a laptop.
• Take a photo of a written food log. (If you keep your food log in a written journal, also include calories for items you eat and total calories for the day.)
• Take photos of your plate for each meal and snack. (If you track with food photos, also include calories for items you eat and total calories for the day.)
• Type out what you ate that day in the comments of the Facebook post.
• Tip: You may need to share more than one photo per day in the comments.
• Tip: If you need further assistance with how to share your food log, email us at sara@theholymess.com and we will help you.

Weekly Activities

• Watch the weekly live video with Sara. Videos are every Monday night at 7:00 PM EST in the Facebook group. During the Summer & Fall Challenges, many members said these videos were the high point of the whole experience. Each video is like a Masterclass and is jam-packed with new information that will help you lose weight and keep it off for life. Get expert advice from someone who has been maintaining a 100+ pound weight loss for almost two decades and has led thousands of women to achieving their goals. If you can’t attend live, a replay is available. Be sure to have your Spring Printable Action Guide handy during the videos, because we will use some of the worksheets together.
• Weigh-in every Saturday. Share your results (+ or -, not your actual weight unless you want to) in the Facebook group. Weigh-in posts goes live every Saturday at 6:00 AM EST.

NEW! Prize for Posting 30 Days of Food Logs

NEW exciting opportunity for this Challenge. Everyone who posts a food log all 30 days will receive an exclusive gift from me (valued at $79). This gift alone pays for the cost of enrollment!

Everyone who posts a food log every day in the Facebook group for April 1-30 will qualify for this free gift. If you miss a day, you are allowed to go back and post your food log for the previous day. If you need help posting your food log, email us at sara@theholymess.com.

Bonus! Christian Weight Loss Guide (Gift from Faithful Finish Lines)

As an optional bonus gift, you received a printable Christian Weight Loss Action Guide.

This guide is an exclusive gift that is only available to Spring Challenge participants. It provides you with a Bible verse, mini-devotion, and reflection question for each day of the challenge. If desired, use these as one of the “Other” selections on your weekly checklist.

This is a free gift from Faithful Finish Lines, which is the online Christian weight loss program Sara runs together with her business partner, Becky. Learn more about Faithful Finish Lines here.

Exclusive Bonus for Spring Challenge Members

After you complete the Fall Weight Loss Challenge, you may be asking yourself…Now what? How do I keep the weight loss going?

We invite you to join us in the Faithful Finish Lines membership program where we give you even more weekly support, Biblical weight loss guidance, and practical weight loss guidance.

Sign up by April 30th & receive 50% off your first month of membership.

Click here to enroll in Faithful Finish Lines membership with discount.

Need Another Copy of the Printable Action Guide?

Click here for directions if you need another copy of the Printable Action Guide.

If you need more help, email us sara@theholymess.com.

Find the Facebook Group

Click here to join the Spring 2023 The Holy Mess Weight Loss Challenge Facebook Group.

The group is private. Only other people in the Challenge will be able to see what you post. No one else will be allowed to join.

Note: It may take a day or two to be approved for the group. We individually approve group members to be sure only those who join the Challenge are allowed in. Thank you in advance for your patience.

This is a “pop-up” group which means it will only be open for the challenge. For ongoing weight loss support, join The Holy Mess Diet Challenge Group.

Important Challenge Dates

Mark your calendar with these important dates.

Early Bird Bonus Video

• Monday, March 27 – Bonus video as Early Bird Registration free gift, 7:00 PM EST

Week 1: April 1-7

• Saturday, April 1 – Challenge begins! Take a starting weight.
• Monday, April 3 – Live video with Sara, 7:00 PM EST

Week 2: April 8-14

• Saturday, April 8 – Weigh-in #1
• Monday, April 10 – Live video with Sara, 7:00 PM EST

Week 3: April 15-21

• Saturday, April 15 – Weigh-in #2
• Monday, April 17 – Live video with Sara, 7:00 PM EST

Week 4: April 22-28

• Saturday, April 22 – Weigh-in #3
• Monday, April 24 – Live video with Sara, 7:00 PM EST

Wrap Up: April 29-30

• Saturday, April 29 – Weigh-in #4 – Final weigh-in.
• Sunday, October 30 – Challenge ends!

How to Use the Weekly Checklist

Your printable Spring Action Guide has a checklist for each week of the challenge. It looks like this:

Here are helpful tips for how to use the Weekly Checklist for this challenge:

• Draw a checkmark or color in each box as you complete the daily activities. (Doesn’t it feel good to add those checkmarks!?)
• Track food – Track food in a smart phone app like WW, My Fitness Pal, or Lose It. You may also track in a paper journal & you must also track calories.
• Check with the Facebook group – Part of the accountability of this challenge is DAILY check-ins. Yes, you are expected to check in EVERY day and share a copy of your food log. The daily check in post goes live at 6:00 PM EST. You can share a photo, screen shot, or type out what you ate that day.
• Stay within your calories or points – WW or My Fitness Pal will give you a set calorie range for the day. Use their system to determine your daily points or calorie allowance. Set your calorie goal at a weight loss of 0.5 pound per week. (If you are tracking on paper, here is a calculator to determine your daily calorie need.) Your goal is to stay close to within your daily calorie allowance every day (100 calories +/- is not a big deal). Sometimes you’ll mess up and that’s okay. Use our BACK on track process to get back on track fast.
• Include some treats. The goal is not perfection but learning to lose weight while actually enjoying your life. Eat mostly healthy food and enjoy some treats or junk food, too. Figure out creative ways to work treats into your daily calorie or points allowance.
• Eat 2+ cups vegetables or fruit – Enjoy at least 2 cups of produce each day, raw or cooked, fresh, frozen, or canned are fine. More is better but that is your minimum. Try to pick options without added sugar.
• Drink 3+ cups of water a day – Only plain and sparkling water counts as water. A cup is 8 ounces. You can drink other things (hello, coffee) but it doesn’t count toward your 3 cups.
• Move 10+ minutes a day – Get your body moving for 10 minutes of activity like walking, gardening, or an exercise video. If you can’t move much, do a chair workout. Any movement counts including house cleaning or shopping.
• Stress relief for 15+ minutes – Read, journal, pray, stretch, take a bath, or do some other stress-relieving activity just for you to relax and unwind. This is required because part of weight loss is learning to manage stress without turning to food.
• Other – We gave you space here to add a couple other SMALL daily goals if you want to. These sections are optional and are good for someone who needs to follow a special diet or has some other personal goal they are working on. DO NOT add too much more because you’ll get overwhelmed and quit. You can add the daily Bible reading and mini-devotions from the bonus Christian Weight Loss guide to this section if you’d like.
• Weigh in – We weigh in every Saturday. The green boxes mean you get to skip those days. If you want to weigh in daily that’s your choice, but once a week on Saturdays is all that’s required.
• Watch weekly video – Sara will be live in the Facebook group every Monday of the challenge at 7:00 PM EST. We’ll talk about setting the right calorie goal, ending emotional eating, when you fall off the food wagon, the magic of calorie density, and much more. If you can’t watch live, a replay will be available, but come live if you can because the interaction is really fun. During the Summer & Fall Challenges, many members said these videos were the BEST part of the challenge.
• Reflection – At the end of each week, answer the questions to reflect on your progress.

The Holy Mess Spring Weight Loss Kit (Order Upgrade)

Upgrade your Challenge experience by adding The Holy Mess Spring Weight Loss Kit for an additional $12.99. Click here to order.

While this kit is optional, you’re going to want a copy because it includes:

• Daily weight loss journaling page…a fun option to use for reflection and personal growth.
• Daily food log…for those who prefer tracking on paper.
• Weight loss affirmations & motivational quotes…to keep you on track with your goals when food cravings hit.
• 7 delicious healthy weight loss recipes…to make meal planning easier.
• 15 easy ways to add more vegetables to your diet…so you can boost your nutrition.
• 10 healthy ways to eat more beans…plus tips for how to digest them.
• 10 filling ways to eat more whole grains...because yes, you really can enjoy carbs and lose weight!
• Sara’s top 7 frozen meals...to pick up at the store & keep on handy for busy days.

Click here to get your Spring Weight Loss Kit now.

Want a Meal Plan?

During this challenge, no one type of food is required and no type of food is off limits. You are welcome to choose any foods as long as they fit within your daily calorie (or points) budget.

Do you want more direction? We suggest using The Holy Mess 7 Day Easy Meal Plan or The Holy Mess 7 Day Super Satisfied Meal Plan.

Contact Sara

Do you have a question or concern that wasn’t addressed here? Contact me at: sara@theholymess.com.