12-24-2016 13:29
12-24-2016 13:29
Welcome all Challengers! What an amazing group we have!
Let's all continue together to take off the excess pounds and keep getting healthier.
This challenge will begin on Christmas and finish on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14.
All you need to join this challenge is to post your stats regarding your weight, and check in weekly or as often as you'd like. We are a great support group and enjoy keeping up with each other and being there for our ups and downs. Generally we have found that the more we check in and offer support, tips, info, and ideas to others, the more we get for ourselves.
We list our weight, as well as any other goals we might have related to being healthy (such as increase water, more active minutes, etc). Developing good health habits is primary.
A little rundown of terminology for anyone who is new.
USW- Ultimate Starting Weight
CSW- Current Starting Weight (for this challenge)
GW- Goal Weight (for Feb 14)
UGW- Ultimate Goal Weight (what your healthy target weight is)
PW- Previous Weight
CW- Current Weight
MFP- My Fitness Pal
List as much info as you like. Some people include age, gender, height....whatever seems relevant to you.
We keep it as serious or light as we feel, but we always keep it focused on being as healthy as possible, while we support each other kindly. We can do this together!!
Answered! Go to the Best Answer.
01-03-2017 12:24
01-03-2017 12:24
Hi, I'm Brie, new to the Community but not to Fitbit.
USW- 170.4 on 1/1/17
CSW- 168.6 on 1/3/17 (not sure why so much loss so quick, probably water?)
GW- 163.8
UGW- 135 (ish)
I'm 46, WAHM. 4 kids: 24/D, 20/S, 16/S and 4/D (our Texas surprise, LOL). Had a bad 2015 where my husband was diagnosed with and then too quickly died from cancer, so I moved me and 3/4 of the kids from Texas back home to Indiana over Christmas break in 2015. 2016 was spent trying to get it together. I bought us a house in May, quit smoking and drinking in August, and just on the 1st dusted off the Fitbit, got back on the treadmill (9 miles in 3 days, w00t!!), and put down the sugar and lesser-awesome carbs in favor for healthier foods. I'd say most of the weight I need to lose can be attributed to stress during hubby's illness and grief after his death. Not an excuse, but a reason.
Anyhoo. Just looking for some accountability and support, and to support others in their endeavors as well. 🙂
01-03-2017 12:29
01-03-2017 12:29
Thanks for the explanation of the Daniel Plan. I love that it is based on principles, like keeping kosher. It is so hard to stick to our beliefs and not be emotional or social about food in an unhealthy way. I have liked both Dr Amen and Dr Hyman but they sure do know how to package things for the sale. I'm glad to hear you think they are ok. This plan is so much like dozens of other plans out there, including others by Dr H. So this time it is packaged for churches (ironic since it was about being kosher). We don't seem to be able to eat reasonably without some gimmick or structure attached. For me, eating mostly vegetarian works - with no processed junk. Their plan is just like that - no junk. Whatever gets us to eat healthy works, no matter who is making the money on it.
01-03-2017 13:33
01-03-2017 13:33
@Brujita My dogs are 48lb and 28lb. The bigger one is the puller. (Boxer mix) I got a special harness for him that is supposed to stop the pulling, and it works okay but if he's walking with the smaller dog he has to be in the lead. And if his feet are cold because we are on ice and snow, he just wants to get home near the end of our walks. To avoid the twisted leashes and pulling and frustration, I take them separately. I've also been making our walks longer so it gives me more steps!!
I actually jogged a bit with them today. My daughter and I took them out together and on the way home she stopped at the store. I continued home but to distract the bigger one from being fixated on her, I started to jog and they LOVED it. I had to stop as a truck came by, then a dog came out of a house. To distract him from the dog, I jogged again. I can't go long or far...this was about 2/3 down the street...because I'm very heavy and I'm scared of hurting my joints, but I cannot wait to be able to jog regularly and give us as much exercise as we all need.
01-03-2017 13:42
01-03-2017 13:42
@SunsetRunner I also take meds that are fighting my weight loss. I take two neurological meds for my epilepsy and both have "moderate weight gain" as side effects. Nice, huh??? One of them isn't helping my epilepsy so I'm going to ask to be taken off it. The other is required or I'm constantly seizing, so I need it. I think I'm probably doing pretty well for taking these meds. All we can do is work at it.
01-03-2017 13:59
01-03-2017 13:59
Daniel didn't just stay kosher. He was vegan.
Dan 1:12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, yamim asarim (ten days); and let them give us vegetables to eat, and mayim (water) to drink.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International
01-03-2017 14:11
01-03-2017 14:11
@smwcbrie We sound so similar. I was a Working at home mom, 46, Son 23, Daughter 20, husband diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and passed away 18 months later. It was the trigger that made me think of myself and the rest of my life. I had to get healthy. I couldn't put my loved ones through another health scare like that. There was no one who could do it but me. So, I got my ancient fitbit out of the drawer and got myself walking and tracking. I immediately began feeling better emotionally.
I salute you, sister. It's not easy to make the first move, but we can do it together. We need to, to surviv and live our lives fully. Thanks for sharing your story.
01-03-2017 14:24
01-03-2017 14:24
@_Lilac_Wow -- 18m. That's a long time to deal with cancer, bless your heart. We didn't have so long, 5 months. Like you, it came down to not wanting to do this to the kids a second time. Esp. with this 4yo. She is my light and deserves to have one parent around for as long as possible.
Thanks for your reply. I know we can do this. 🙂 A healthier 2017 to us!
01-03-2017 14:42
01-03-2017 14:42
After a little over one week of having and using my Fitbit, I already feel myself pushing to be more active. For the past four days I have reached my 8,000 step goal, but I'm a little nervous about today. It has been raining since the morning which makes walking outside a chore, so besides sticking it out for a 30 minute dog walk earlier, I need to find other ways to round out the rest of my steps. Does anyone have suggestions of things to do at home to get some extra steps in besides just pacing around? Unfortunately, I do not have a treadmill at home otherwise this would be easy peasy.
01-03-2017 14:50
01-03-2017 14:50
@professorpeteThanks for your kind words.. I have been chatting some with a nutritionist online (A Free one) but all the same, first I don't think she is a spiritual person so I don't think she understands the fast. Second, she is a certified nutritionist so she wants me to go by the nutrition guidelines, which would include meat..lol. Anyhow, we are working together to discuss ways for me to get my protein and healthy fats and stick to the fast as well. I explained to her that I am not worried about the fast making me unhealthy, simply due to it being a fast for the Lord. He is not going to let anything negative happen to someone fasting for him.
Hope you have a wonderful evening!
01-03-2017 14:55
01-03-2017 14:55
@GershonSurgeI do not know if the Daniel Plan and the Daniel Fast are the same thing. I have not researched the Daniel Plan. I have been reading on the Daniel Fast and it appears to be a plant based way of eating. My husband and I did it 2 years ago, but for some reason skipped last year, so we are back on track this year.
01-03-2017 16:52
01-03-2017 16:52
@em.kz Youtube will be your friend! Check out the Leslie Sansone videos, especially 'happy mile'. It takes 15 min. and is fun and full of energy. There are also videos of hiking trails that you can walk/march to once you get her steps learned. I watch tv and do marching, side stepping, kicking all in one spot. My dogs think I'm nuts but they got used to it. I can get up to 'aerobic' heartrate zone doing it. I've even done easy jogging in place to get my steps and calorie burn. There are so many options. Have fun with it. I get terribly bored with a treadmill and find this is a nice change.
01-03-2017 17:18 - edited 01-03-2017 17:26
01-03-2017 17:18 - edited 01-03-2017 17:26
I'm so glad you called attention to the Daniel fast.
First, let me say there are some medical conditions where long term complete fasting is needed. These are quite serious, and it's doubtful you have any of them. It's also doubtful you will find a medical team that will recommend them. They should be done in an inpatient setting.
I'm Jewish and keep fairly strict kosher. Since I don't eat animal products, it is easy. However, kosher does not equate to healthy. Oreos are probably kosher. (Many Jewish people become vegan in areas where kosher meat is not available.)
By the 1500's according to some writings, people had lost the ability to do long fasts -- even 24 hours. When we fast, it's understood that if we start to feel bad, we can eat.
After a careful reading, I don't think a fast is being described in the first chapter of Daniel. Instead, it describes a way of eating that was to be maintained for three years before being presented to the king and indefinitely after. The King James bible has a reasonable translation you can read.
It started with a 10 day test:
Dan 1:15 And at the end of the ten days, they looked handsomer and fatter than all the youths who ate the king's food.
I would not take the word "fatter" to mean overweight. I'd compare them to the others who were sickly looking and oily from eating mostly meat. (The bibilical equivalent of the Atkin's diet and other low carb-high protein diets.) The passage also states they had a fair (healthy looking) appearance.
If after a careful reading of the first chapter of Daniel you agree that it's a way of eating instead of a fast, then the way of eating becomes clearer.
The best reference I can find translates pulse as beans. Rice and beans is a traditional Chaldean recipe. You can broaden this to substitue any starch for the rice -- potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grain bread, corn, lentils, etc. To make it healthier, add a serving of mixed frozen or fresh vegetables. If you like, you can have a side salad without dressing. A fruit or two a day completes the diet. If you aren't trying to lose weight, an ounce of nuts is allowable.
You don't have to worry about any macros or nutrients as they are all there. Starches all have all the proteins. Some of them are missing some nutrients which is the reason for the vegetables.
Don't eat any vegetable oils. They are as bad or worse than animal fats. Oils are for burning in a lamp, not eating.
Eat until your hunger pangs disappear. If you don't get hunger pangs, eat about 600 calories a meal. If you get hungry between meals eat more. It's difficult to overeat with this way of eating if you stop short of feeling full.
Some cautions:
If you are taking blood pressure medication, take your blood pressure daily. Many times, the need for medication disappears within a few days.
If you are diabetic, monitor your sugar levels carefully. About 80% of type 2 diabetics are off medication within 10 days. Keep in touch with your doctor as things change.
Many people's chlorestoral levels drop quickly and the need for medication disappears in 10 to 30 days.
Most overweight people lose between 4 and 12 pounds in 10 days without counting or consciously restricting calories. I'd expect closer to 4 than 12.
I've been on the Daniel plan for a few years, except I call it the McDougall way of eating. It's essentially the same thing. He even uses this passage as a reference.
01-03-2017 17:19
01-03-2017 17:19
em.kz, A guy working at my house one day advertised on Craig's list that he would pay $150 for a treadmill. Another man sent him a picture of a great treadmill and said he would sell his for $65. My workman bought it and was very pleased. There is a lot of exercise equipment in homes not being used. As a college kid you might not be able to afford another expense of any size & I can understand that. I did get a used stationary bike for $25. and you get steps on those too and they are lots better for thigh muscle than walking . New Fitbits easily count steps on bikes old Fitbit ones were not so sensitive but would count steps when attached to the toe of a sandal.
01-03-2017 18:10
01-03-2017 18:10
I am new to the community page. I got my fitbit in May 2016 after an anxiety attack and a high blood pressure scare.
USW 208 lbs (5/22/16)
W on first day of school 197 (8/30/16)
Lowest W 177.6 (12/16/16)
CSW 179.8 (1/3/17)
GW 169.8 (by 2/14/17)
UGW 158 (5/22/17)
I've lost 30 pounds and lowered my BP! I hit a plateau during the holidays, but now that the holiday breaks are over I am getting back into my routine. Thanks for posting this challenge. I hope it keeps me accountable and gives me strength!
01-03-2017 19:02
01-03-2017 19:02
@GershonSurge Wow, you really have figured this out... Lol. I need to be so knowledgeable about it. Thanks for sharing,!
01-03-2017 19:14
01-03-2017 19:14
@dwest05- your original post: https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Manage-Weight/Christmas-2016-to-Valentine-s-Day-2017-Challenge/m-p/1...
If you choose your own profile it will show you your posts. I sometimes post too much to find it that way. Since I post on the same day each week I just page back in the thread to that day and find it that way.
Anne | Rural Ontario, Canada
Ionic (gifted), Alta HR (gifted), Charge 2, Flex 2, Charge HR, One, Blaze (retired), Trendweight.com,
Down 150 pounds from my top weight (and still going), sharing my experiences here to try and help others.
01-03-2017 19:27
01-03-2017 19:27
@GershonSurge- please, please don't bring the diet wars to this thread. You never post in these threads and the diet wars usually degrade into simple bickering. I could make the same claims about reversing my diabetes with a non-vegan diet. I've also lost a considerable amount of weight on the same. Everyone has to find their own path, whatever works for them - no matter what you believe. I generally avoid threads once this starts and I don't want to simply ignore all of your posts (as some I do enjoy).
Anne | Rural Ontario, Canada
Ionic (gifted), Alta HR (gifted), Charge 2, Flex 2, Charge HR, One, Blaze (retired), Trendweight.com,
Down 150 pounds from my top weight (and still going), sharing my experiences here to try and help others.
01-03-2017 23:28
01-03-2017 23:28
Glad it worked for you on your ankle too. It sure is more accurate. I got a large size for my new charge 2 so it fits around my ankle. I added a hole in the band so I can also put it on my wrist. On my ankle it is a balancing act to check the time or the number of steps. I stand on one leg and cross the over ankle over my knee to see it.
We can do this.
Barbara G
01-03-2017 23:31
01-03-2017 23:31
welcome SW99
Balance is cool when we reach it. Eat healthy food lots of veggies and lean protein to nourish your cells. You can do this.
Best
Barbara G
01-04-2017 00:26
01-04-2017 00:26
I agree with Anne that we want to keep our group supportive and not bickering. This is not about who is right. It works well because we root for each other's success even when their path isn't just like ours. That said, I like the PBS doctors that teach nutrition including Mark Hyman, Joel Fuhrman, Daniel Amen and several others. They really offer good info and inspiration.
Barbara G