April Fools Day to Mother's Day Challenge!

[_Lilac_]

Welcome to the newest challenge! We are celebrating our scaled and non-scaled victories and progress. Following are some acronyms typically used by those who post. Some of us also track body fat or measurements, please add those as you wish.

USW - Ultimate start weight

SW - starting weight for the challenge

CW - current weight 

PW - previous week's weight

GW - goal weight for the challenge

UGW- ultimate goal weight

To join the challenge, please just hit 'reply' and post!

Good wishes and the best of luck to all. Work hard, keep your mind focused on your goals, and we will all succeed together!

[debb21]

annewestchester, I am the same way.  Too much mindless snacking and I have gained 7 lbs!!! I am going to  track everything I eat and stay within my calories to lose weight.  I am going to measure food again, which helps me to not over snack.  Will I ever learn? YIKES!!!

[annewestchester]

Okay - maybe tracking will help.  Sitting here with a bag of chocolate chips is probably not helping the situation but I have just finished a 5 mile run and I am hungry - nothing seems to satisfy except chocolate or something sweet -that is my downfall.  I do find that when I eliminate carbs, I lose weight - last year I lost about 10 pounds but was very restrictive, no carbs and tried hard to cut down on the sugar. It is hard for me to sustain - obviously.  Curious to see how you are faring.

[debb21]

i lost 50 lbs 3 years ago.  I have been gaining and losing 10 lbs 3 times since then.  I get back into the bad habit of too much snacking.  So, I keep track of what I eat to get my weight back down, stay there for a few months, and then slowly start gaining again.  Carbs are my downfall.  As long as I keep everything in moderation, I don't gain weight.  But that is the problem, snacking isn't always in moderation.  Someday I will learn how to always eat in moderation.

[Bogdel]

@annewestchester, I recommend that you read Eat to Live, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It has helped me, and it can help you, as well. 

[_Lilac_]

Time to post again. My scale is showing I've gained weight. That means no more plateau, right? bwahaha, evil scale. If the numbers can go up the numbers can go down, so here we go again...I'm gonna FIGHT. 

My walk this morning was odd. I felt a bit winded and my muscles were tired. I got home to find my fitbit chart showing my heart rate going up and down in waves with an average of 146...holy moly, how did that happen? I have trouble getting it up over 115 during a walk. I sometimes find this just before I get a cold or something, so I'll be watching for that. Anyway, I guess it was a good workout? haha. 

I'm going to put on one of those super-veg soups today and promise myself to eat it. It will empty my fridge of all my veg so I'll need to go shopping again. Cabbage, tomato, celery, peppers, onions, carrots, everything in the crisper goes in the pot. I'm feeling icky. I had some carby stuff yesterday and today I'm just so drained and feeling crappy. I have to remember that feeling. I'm not "no carb" or "low carb" but sugary stuff makes me ICK. 

It was a 50 min. walk along the waterfront. Fresh air, new shoes, nesting Canada geese, yellow finches, red winged black birds, etc. It's nice enough to avoid mall walking. Yippee!!! 

All right. My goal is set. Soup, avoid those darned sugars, lots of water, more walking. Again, if the scale can go up, it can go down. 

[annewestchester]

Thanks.  I will definitely read it.

[_Lilac_]

@Bogdel  I didn't plan it but my body went through a good example of a shock yesterday! Phew...

I had a normal breakfast and walked downtown to meet with my writers group. 4200 steps. I had a coffee and had our meeting. I walked home (another 4200 steps) and then got a message from my sister asking if I would assist her during a 'Paint Night' she was hosting. She's the artist doing the instruction. I had two hours to rest, during which I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and some tuna on crackers. Then I gathered my own art stuff and we went to set up paint night, where we lugged bags, moved tables, filled water cups, distributed items. I acted as Vanna White and held up the sample paintings and wandered around to answer questions and help when needed. I had two seizures during this whole evening too.

I was hobbling when I got home with a total of 14,850 steps. According to my fitbit, I burned 3600 calories in the day and I ate only about 1200. So, ya...a bit of a shock. I told my mom I can't walk with her this morning due to overdoing it yesterday. I limped to the bathroom when I got up. haha. 

It will give me a chance to do my painting to present to her for her birthday. I'll share it here when I get it done. 

What a day! 

[Bogdel]

@_Lilac_, That sounds like a good, helpful shock for the body. Lots of steps an great calorie deficit. I am so happy for you! 

Sometimes, when I feel like my scale is not moving (which is what's happening right now), I increase the cooked and raw veggies (lots of mixed salad - with kale, carrots, celery, lettuce, and arugula in it - for lunch and dinner), which keeps me full without the calories. Of course, I always add a few nuts and some beans, which provide the healthy fat and the protein that I need. I don't walk as much as I should, but when I do, it definitely helps. 

Right now I am listening to the Food Revolution Summit, which gives the audio interviews with some of the world experts in health and nutrition. Yesterday it was Dr. Michael Gregor and Dr, Joel Fuhrman. Both were very good. Today is on Food and Brain, with Dr. Amen, Dr. Bredesen, and Dr. Sherzai. I didn't listen to it yet. I plan to do it as soon as I finish writing. I am posting the link below, in case you are interested and have time (you may need to register to listen, but it's free, and I believe it's worth it). So, here it is: https://www.foodrevolutionsummit.org/replays/

Back to you. I am looking forward to seeing your painting. Be sure to add my name to your message, so I can get the notification in my email. 

I hope you have a great, victorious week. 🙂

[Bogdel]

Hello, Everyone!

Here are my stats for week 4:

USW - 183.5  - Jan. 2016

PW - 146.6    - March, 2019

SW - 145.6    - April 02, 2018

Week 1 - 148     - 4/09

Week 2- 146.8   - 4/15

Week 3 - 144.2  - 4/22

Week 4 -  145    - 4/29

Week 5 -            - 5/6

Week 6 -            - 5/13

GW - 138

UGW -138

Last week I only went to the Rec Center once, and didn't walk much around, either. After the Rec Center, the scale went to 144.2, but then... this week it came back to 145, where it's been for several days. 

In addition to this group, I've been active in another group, called, Any Nutritarians Out There?. I've been a Nutritarian for the last two and a half years, which has brought me this far. However, reading those posts, where people are sharing great resources and healthy, Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) recipes is not only fun, but it also teaching me a lot. 

Today I decided to empty my salad bowls and make a soup out of it. It turned out pretty good. I sauteed some onion, garlic, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and then I poured over it the two bowls of salad that I made a few days ago (which had lots of vegetables in it) and 1 liter of Beef broth. Toward the end, I added some spices (including Mrs. Dash, Italian seasoning, tomato paste, etc.). When it was finished, I also added some egg drops (from three eggs). 

My little Yorkie loved my soup, too. I gave her a sample, and when I saw how much she liked it, I gave her a proper serving. She ate it all before I knew it. I know that some people say, "don't give your dog human food", but, 1) my food is very healthy, and 2) recently I listen to some expert Vets in the area of nutrition who said that human food is much better for dogs than the processed dog food that we buy in the store. So, I am trying to balance my dog's food by sharing with her some of my healthy soups every once in a while. 

Have a great week, everyone. 

[_Lilac_]

@Bogdel  I just got it done. We're going walking in the morning so I'll present it to her then. Maybe we'll go get a frame for it afterward. You don't know the pair, but this is a close likeness, if I do say so myself.

[bethanysmum2002]

I’ve finally had a day to catch my breath ... the last 2 weeks have been crazy get ready for these dance competitions for my girls.

I have had no proper eating for the last 3 days but have been sure to make wise choices. Usually when dance comps are on there is all sorts of bad eating on my behalf but this was the first comp we’ve done since starting my weight loss journey and I did my best to be careful, I suppose weigh in this week will show if it was enough.

Last weeks weigh in results were good

USW - 103kg (227pounds) (1st Jan 2018)

SW - 92.2kg (203.2pounds) - 1/4/18 (starting weight for the Challenge)

CW - 89kg (196.2pounds) - 29/4/18

PW - 89.7kg (197.8pounds) - 22/4/18

GW – 89.5kg (197.3pounds)

UGW- 67kg (147pounds)

Now that things have settled down to normal I am really looking forward to getting back to walking, I am going tonight, I just hope my knee is OK. I need to get back out there, I have my charity walk in 2 weeks to raise money for breast cancer and want to be able to give it my best

[Cele21]

@_Lilac_ what a wonderful painting! You don't need to know the people to get the feeling! I hope she loves it!

CSW - 212.2 (4/1/18)

LW-  210.8

CW- 208.6

GW- 205.0 (5/13/18)

UGW- 150

So I cooked all my own dinners last week and cut back on the soda intake and it paid off. However I slid back to fast food on the weekend only to have it make me feel crappy (for the first time in like, forever!). So it may be easier to eat better going forward. Fingers crossed.

[Bogdel]

Oh, @_Lilac_, this is SO beautiful!!! Thank you for sharing. I can pick the feeling of the picture. You are so gifted!!! I hope you will keep doing it. I did a few paintings, myself, but I didn't have time to develop that gift as much I would have liked. Maybe I'll share a couple of my better ones some time. 

BTW, it's good to have a glimpse of the backside of you (wink). You look very nice. 

Hope you have a great day! 

[lynnmv]

finally got my new fit bit charger!! am excited to get back to counting steps!

breaking a platue is hard, always amazes me when the scale can stay at the exact number for days and weeks on end.

I finally broke mine by days of very very low carbs and lots of whole foods (and a low over all calorie count)

finally down this week after a gain 2 weeks ago and 2 weeks to lose that gain, so much easier to gain than lose!

[_Lilac_]

@Bogdel  It's a painting of my mother and her husband on our riverfront trail that we walk every second day. But, maybe some day soon I'll show a picture of myself again. I have a few but I'm never happy with them. Haha. 

[_Lilac_]

@Cele21 Thanks! She is loving it. I got a frame and she's hung it in her livingroom. I have started a new project of making 5X7 animal faces, almost like they are wondering why you are taking their picture...I'll post one of the funnier ones. I'm going to make a bunch of them. 

[Bogdel]

@_Lilac_, Sorry for my misunderstanding. After I re-read your post, I realized that (smiling). Yes, it would be nice to see a picture of you. 

It's a very nice scene to have in front of your house - a riverside trail to walk on is a dream. This painting will tell the story of you and your Mom's walks for may years to come. 

Have a great day!

[Bogdel]

@_Lilac_, Oh, this is so fun! You know, your paintings say as much about the painter as they say about the object she (you) paints. You are and amazing lady!!! Keep sharing them. This is so fun!

BTW, Are you using acrylic or oil?

[_Lilac_]

@Bogdel One last one for now. Enjoy.

[Bogdel]

@_Lilac_, Cool! The eyes are amazing, and so is the entire facial expression. You are GOOD!!! 🙂