Christmas 2016 to Valentine's Day 2017 Challenge

[Bobbinyc]

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!!

[_Lilac_]

What a day! I awoke this morning feeling a little odd and very tired. I found on my bedside table my notepad with three times written in my messy hand. I'd been up three times with seizures and wrote down when they'd happened but I didn't remember doing it. I remember a bit better now. Went walking with Mom but because I wasn't feeling the greatest we did only 3 laps instead of 4. I had a good sleep thisafternoon then took the boys for their walks, then did a 45 min livingroom workout...I'll hit 15,000 steps for the day by the time the clock rolls over at midnight. I'm a bit hungry so I might have a snack, I have calories to play with tonight. 

I had another dental filling scheduled for tomorrow but we have bad weather moving in. I don't want to walk there and back in freezing rain and sleet. I rescheduled. I've been feeling enough stress over it, just couldn't handle an appointment so quickly after the last one. Since I'll be trapped in the house tomorrow I think I'll get all my housework done and do a few workouts between my sedentary activities. It's all about balance!

I'm going to lay off the coffee for this week. It might be contributing to my increased feeling of stress. Hot tea is always calming. I have no other goals really, just continuing on with making sure I get at least two workouts per day at 30-45 min each with heartrate in fatburning or aerobic zone. This seems to be really working for me. I've noticed it's not as easy to get into that zone now, I'm having to put more effort into my workouts, which means I'm getting fitter, I believe. And I HATE to sweat, but there's no avoiding it. 

I'm feeling very encouraged tonight that I'll be making my goal for this challenge. I so hope everyone else is feeling the same. I'm going to toss a big balloon of motivational confetti in here. *poof*...got you covered!

[BLLingg]

I agree, @GershonSurge  (Message# 687), Working out with Resistance Bands and Weights (especially the 2-1/2# ones I'm using right now!!!) doesn't burn the Calories.  Snow Shoveling did that MUCH better!  But I have so little strength in my Arms compared with what I used to have.  That's my reason for doing them.

Swimming is GREAT!  I used to do 15-20 Minutes of Laps every Day.  However, our Pool here in Saint Helens became VERY cold to me.  Not sure what happened.  There was a Time when it was perfect.  Warm enough so I wasn't shivering yet cold enough that I didn't feel like taking a Nap.  I wasn't able to keep going when shivering with Goose Bumps all over me!!!  So I gave up and did nothing for years.  Until my FitBit.

I've been walking since June.  And now I've added the Upper Arm strengthening Workouts.  Later on, I'm thinking of getting a Bicycle.  My Fanny's smaller now so those Tiny Bike Seats shouldn't hurt so much.  (Unless the loss of all that Fat Padding down there makes a difference!!!)  But not until I don't have to wear my Winter Jackets!  I've also been playing with the notion of starting back into Roller Skating.  Used to do Roller Skate Dancing.  WAY BACK when!!!  Now though, I'd just get Street Skates and skate up & down the Sidewalks.  Just for Fun!!!

[Chocobo9]

@A_Lurker tbh I don't have the cravings anymore. So I'm hoping it was just my hormones messing with me. I'm a little bit reluctant to up my calorie count due to 1) lost weight over the last couple of months; 2) I have tried to eat more than 1,200 cal but when I do I always tend to eat only sweets to fill it in the cal left since I'm always thinking I still have so and so amount of cal left why not eat a bar of chocolate ... which is not good at all since my goal is to eat healthy and try to cut out as much sugar as I can. 

My third reason would be currently I have not lost any weight in a week now and I'm afraid if I eat more than usual and my scale does move up, I would blame it on myself for eating more and would be depressed. I know weight increase and decrease happens and is not always linked to what you eat. But for me, it would be very detrimental and I don't want to ruin my hard work of weeks in a matter of days.

[Glenda]

Lilac, I'm horrified you are just going to "lay off coffee" for a week. You may have a TERRIBLE headache today. If coffee is a problem you should reduce caffeine gradually probably unless you were not drinking enough to be a problem anyway.

[Glenda]

BLLingg, I rented some inline skates on the Florida beach one year. They were so TERRIBLE compared to what you probably used some years back if you had leather shoe skates. It is absolutely insane that those inline skates are like rigid plastic. Incredible. You need rent some like you are thinking of using before buying. Also was your blood clots treatment the reason for your damaged muscle and loss of padding on seat? I had radiation that mostly destroyed all the muscle on my back side from waist to knees. It is really hard to get that repaired. I'm very active and I like having a smaller flatter rear but I need more muscle there for some things I do. Recumbent bikes have better seats often. Bikes and those little 2 foot square "stair-climbers" like you can buy new on eBay are good for thighs and some are only $30. Both of those things are considered aerobic and give you steps as well as being a muscle building activity.

On livestrong.com yesterday they had an article about what happens to your fitness when you are prevented from any exercise for a period of time. I hadn't even considered putting FLEXIBILITY into my exercise plan I'm trying to make.!!! They had "eleven flexibility moves almost anyone can do". Seems like we could do some of that laying in bed. I'm much more likely to do exercise if it is brief, effective, useful, easy, handy. I don't want to waste my life on it. I don't want to dress up, try to look nice, and spent time driving somewhere to do it and back, buy special clothes etc...Their article thought buying outfits would be motivating. ha LOL

[_Lilac_]

@Glenda I don't have coffee every day. I make a pot every other day or even every third day, but for a few days I had more than usual and I thought it was contributing to my stress issues. I've discovered this morning what it actually was, an out of sync hormonal fluxuation. Almost a week early. That would also cause the five days of seizures, tiredness, stress, crankiness, etc. Tada, mystery solved. I am going to stick to the tea for a few days, as it's a better diuretic for me.

[GershonSurge]

@BLLingg,

I'm glad you called attention to the message where I said weight lifting doesn't burn many calories. The reason I pointed that out is people often complain they lift weights, but they aren't losing weight. Sometimes, they mention they log the workout and insert their own estimate of calories burned. I did not mean to suggest people shouldn't lift weights.

Ken Cooper, in his book "Aerobics for Total Well-Being" mentions the cardio aspect of our exercise program should be about 100 minus our age, and the rest should be resistance training. 

I've had long discussions about this with a retired pathologist who had a passion throughout her career to study exercise and diet and their effects on health. She is 68, lifts weights, runs, chases the neighor's cows when they get out, kayaks, rows, cross-country skis, and other things. 

As you've noticed, our arm strength weakens as we get older if we don't lift weights. You can come back from that by gradually lifting heavier weights when you are ready. In my experience, it takes an hour to an hour and a half to have a good effect. I add  my cardio on top of that. (I've been slacking on cardio lately.) 

The obvious effect of not being able to get up if you fall down is a minor issue compared to what else is happening. Our bones need stress to "remodel" and reconstruct. There are constant microfractures and bits of bone collect. Their circulation is similar to a sponge. When we squeeze them, the bad stuff goes out. When they expand, the good stuff goes in. There are little "scrubbie bubbles" (not the scientific term) that are activated by flexion in the bones. To squeeze the bones, we need to either flex them through weight lifting or do an impact exercise such as jogging. Walking is not enough.

I know this is getting long, but this is important. Consuming dairy products causes osteoporosis. The proteins are attached to sulfur and forms sulfuric acid in our body. Calcium is leeched from the bones to neutralize the acid. In other words, the more dairy a person consumes, the worse their bones get.

Calcium supplements are no better. They are absorbed by the bones, but since there is no remodeling, they form bones that are brittle like chalk. Although they look great on x-rays, they break easily. The solution is to get calcium from plants. This is only one reason why a Whole Foods Plant Based Diet is so important. The animal products a person eats displaces the plant products that contain all the happy nutrients.

Everyone is where they are when they start to get back in shape. The good news is bones can remodel back to the strength of a young person's bones. The muscles won't improve that far, but they improve more than people think. In my opinion, (when I say this, I speak from personal experience, but not from scientific research) it's important to regain the flexibility and knowledge of how to use muscles. This happens naturally when we exercise. Then we won't find ourselves falling in the middle of a road and unable to get up. (I saw this happen to a woman, which is one of my motivations to lift weights.)

For those who can't stand the thought of cardio or resistance exercise, house cleaning and yard work are suitable alternatives. Especially focus on doing things above the head. If you choose this route, I suggest focusing on trying to burn at least 1,000 extra calories a day above your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR.)

[Bobbinyc]

Not my check in day but I don't care!

Weight every single day since August: 186

Weight the last 3 days: 183.5

And it probably went down more after my happy dance! Tadaaaa!

I'm so stunned, I'm afraid this might get long.  (sorry)

But I actually do think this might be useful to some.

After a medical proceedure on my foot and being laid up for several months, I gained about 30 pounds and had awful muscle atrophy.  I had zero strength, could feel the bones beneath the fat.  I felt like a frail old woman.

I have gradually walked more and more, worked with a trainer in a gym, eaten very well, etc.  And the scale has been exactly the same every single day. I even bought a new scale - no change.  It only went up a tiny bit if I ate out a lot but then came right back to the same old 186. And it was not muscle weight .  Even though I am stronger than before, my measurements are exactly the same.  I have seen doctors, and I do have a thyroid issue - auto-immune, but still.

Nobody does maintenance that steadily!

Saturday I was in the march and walked a whole lot, which I have done other times.  So, I thought the weight drop on Sunday was dehydration, and have been drinking more.  Monday the weight was still down  (184.) I thought, ok, keep drinking, maybe it takes more than one day to rehydrate.  But today it is another .5 less!  So, I'm taking it!  (If it goes back up tomorrow, all of you scattered over two continents will hear me crying!)

Lessons:

-This has been great in helping me stay focused on health, not weight.  The scale is just a number.  I don't want another cancer scare, or any other awful disease.  

-It has helped me stay focused on energy and strength.  I don't want to ever be that weak again, at any age.

-I have increased my ability to be patient.

-I have increased my ability to manage being discouraged (ok, there may have been some chocolate involved, but not much)

-I have a stronger ability to handle stress.

-I honestly don't know if my sugar free (almost) week helped or not, as I have done that before with no change.  But I still think it was good for me to do.

- I have become much more assertive and resourceful about getting good health care.  I even saw a naturopath who said my body is in homeostasis.  Who knows?

-Through the discouragement and desperation, I became more focused on finding fun activities that I will do no  matter what the weight is.  

We all get very discouraged, focus on the number too much, and ignore strength, flexibility, endurance, etc. And we forget to do fun active things.  And really enjoy our bodies while we can.

Mostly, thank you all for the enormous amount of encouragement and support.  And wisdom.

[Brujita]

USW- 171.6

UGW-   135

MFP- brujitabrujita 

CSW: 171.6 (12/28)

PW: 170.4  (-1.2 1/03)

PW: 169.4 (-1 1/10)

PW: 167 (-2.4 1/17)

CW: 167.1 (+.1 1/24)

..

GW-   165 (for Feb 14)  

quick update before I go take a morning nap as im feeling like death. I have a cold that started sunday night.

I gained this week but honestly feels more like maintained. My stats for the last week have been my lowest since the new year. But I am perfectly fine/ok with it. I reminded myself that rest is most important.  

My best friend and I decided to incorporate some strength training this week. cardio/arms M/W/F Cardio/legs T/Th/S and see how this week goes. She lives in HI so theres a bit of a time difference but it would be a nice way to have accountability. Ive been drinking my water and tea like theres nothing else, trying to flush this cold out. 

[_Lilac_]

@Bobbinyc  If you are inclined to chat about your day Saturday, I'd love to hear about it in a private message. 

Good for you in breaking that 186 number. It might have just been a superbly stubborn plateau that will now give way under your strength! I would think all the activities you've been doing, the preparation for your trip, the adrenaline, enthusiasm, etc would have increased your heart rate for an extended period of time. It could have caused your metabolism to shift for a few days and *bam* the number dropped. Yay you! Sometimes change is very important when we get in a rut. 

[Bobbinyc]

@_Lilac_ Thanks for your support, and thanks for asking.  I sent you a private message.  Let me know if you get it, as I'm so not good at this.  I want to hear about your experience too.  I have pictures of the most creative signs I've ever seen but don't know how to share them.

Bobbi

(Miss Low Tech)

[Glenda]

                                    Lilac,  I feel positive you will reject this, and you may already know all about it,   but just in case.......the University of Gothenburg said that when drugs don't work  for epilepsy, a safe, effective & low risk alternative treatmet is early epilepsy surgery.  Evidently it isn't new as there was a report about it from the Henry Ford Health system too in 2012.   A link you might look into is http://hdl.handle.net/2077/48660  

[Bobbinyc]

@almost_where  Congratulations!! I just saw your post about losing 100 lbs.  (I'm trying to catch up, sorry I'm late).  That is so amazing.  I feel like we should have a forum party to celebrate.  You have been working so hard and so consistently  and when you got off track you got back on.  You have certainly been one of my role models on here and I greatly appreciate all you have shared.

I hope you are celebrating in some wonderful healthy motivating way.  

Enjoy your well earned victory.

Bobbi

[Bobbinyc]

@Bogdel  About wall push-ups.  A physical therapist taught me that after a shoulder injury.  She said that the shoulders have a number of small muscles and tendons, and in women they are usually not that strong - we tend to be strongest in our lower bodies, men in their upper bodies.  Our arms have a ball/socket joint that is loose, unlike our legs, so our arms can move in a wider range of motions.  That said, we need to be careful, especially if we are new to this.  I strongly advocate doing strength exercises in tiny increments to prevent injuries.  I had been told to use the wall, just do a few, not until you feel the muscles burn like you can with larger muscles.  After your muscles and tendons are a bit stronger and flexible (you have to do that too), you can move further down the wall and gradually go to a sofa arm, a plank with your elbows down, then plank with hands down, full push up even with tiny moves at first.  This is what I was taught and have read about.  Find what makes sense for your body.

[_Lilac_]

@Glenda  The theory is that when I hit pre-menopause, my hormones caused me to have the seizures. They are concentrated over a three day window at ovulation and during my period. The neurologist feels that once I go through menopause, they'll disappear. Trying to control the hormones didn't help at all and made my blood pressure go up. So, we just have to wait for nature to take its course. This month was weird, I had them all out of whack and now my menses started 5 days early. I don't think a surgery is going to help when it's all hormonal. I just have to be patient. 

[Glenda]

Lilac, That sounds rather hopeful, good, to me. Best wishes.

[nightswimming]

My water weight has been really up and down down these last few weeks, I'm not sure why, it's normally nice and predictable in line with my cycle. This morning I am down almost 2 pounds on yesterday and it's likely to be back up tomorrow, so I won't extend my goal just yet!

F/35/5'0"

USW: 174

SW: 120.3 (12/26)

PW: 122.4 (01/03)

        119.4 (01/10)

        120.2 (01/17)

CW: 115.8 (01/24)

GW: 118

UGW: 112

[SunsetRunner]

I was very happy today to see that I have shed the 3 pounds that I gained when I started doing the Whole30 Diet. I also shed an additional pound.

SW:183

CW:182

My original goal weight was 173 (I think) but I know I won't reach that by 2/14. However, I'm happy to be going in the right direction!

[professorpete]

I don't know why everyone isn't cheering for Bobbi for finally having a weight loss after 5 months of nothing.  I think that calls for celebration.  Bobbi, you celebrate everyone on here.  I'm thinking you deserve a party too.  You had given stickers to Lilac, and a "party" to Almost_where.  Your turn.

****congratulations!!  you did it!!  your patience and determination paid off!  HOORAY!!! ****

[dancefoxtrot]

@Bobbinyc

Well I'm so very happy for you. Finally you broke through the plateau.  

Yes indeed I am relieved to know that something changed inside.  I wonder if it was all those strong sisterly feelings bubbling up on Sat.. 

I've been reading on line about Curcumin, Ginger, Cinnamon, Gymnema, Quercitin, and Berbine to reduce insulin resistance that blocks weight loss.  

Have you had your A1c tested recently? It needs to be 5.5 or less to be normal. 

YAY again. 

Best,

Barb G