Easter to Memorial Day Challenge 2016

[awood08]

Welcome to the next challenge!!!

Our challenge starts Easter March 27th through Memorial Day May 30th. (USA holiday)

To be part of the challenge you start by posting your initial weight stats and what you would like to achieve by the end of the challenge. You can then check in as often as you'd like with a weight update, to share a story from your week or start a conversation about a topic you'd like some advice on.

Welcome to all our new members, old timers, and anyone who is just following our challenge! Let's continue to work hard, meet our goals, and most important, give each other the encouragement and positive thoughts to keep all our spirits up!

Thanks to @saraj91 for the last challenge! Hope to see you again in here 🙂

 
A little rundown of terminology for anyone who is new: 

USW- Ultimate Starting Weight

CSW- Current Starting Weight

GW- Goal Weight

UGW- Ultimate Goal Weight

PW- Previous Weight

CW- Current Weight

MFP- My Fitness Pal

Here is a link for our group! Thanks @Brujita

https://www.fitbit.com/group/22KZ7F

[FJBenjamin]

SW - 91.9 kgs (24 Mar)

CW - 90.0 kgs (10 Apr)

CW - 89.0 kgs (17 Apr)

GW - 87 kgs
UGW - 82 kgs

CW Loss - 1.0
Net Loss - 2.9kgs

[almost_where]

LW: 348
CW: 348

(+/-) 0.000lbs

Wasn't able to weigh in on Sunday due to the scale where I was at giving me the lovely "Err" message. Went on vacation with others and had everything(cake,cookie,candy,baked goods, etc.) around me that I've kept out of my kitchen since Mar 9 and managed to avoid most. The airline seat seatbelt closed this trip a little easier then my previous journey in January and i hit the 10k mark for the first time in awhile(warm weather helped). Just weighed in today after a 1,400 mile car trip back and given all that went on, Ill take the 0. Its amazing when you let yourself get overtired how it controls what you want to eat.

Best of luck to each and everyone

[MegCH]

Check in...not a great one, but not terrible either I guess.

USW: 175 (Thanksgiving 2015)

CSW: 157.5

PW: 155.5 (4-2-16)

CW: 156 (4-16-16)

GW: 150

UGW: 150!

I did eat a lot last week 😛 But, a non scale goal: I tightened my fitbit a notch last week. Not sure what that means, and I debated, but it's not uncomfy so I went with it! I also got some new clothes at a garage sale! I think sizes are really weird...I'm 5'8" and wear size 10...kind of...for some things! Then some 10's are so tight. Ugh.

I've been enjoying the motivational posts lately...got to push through this!

[HelenKr]

Well, I was feeling very good today in my new size 8 dress.  (Ok, I would have gotten a 10, but they didn't have a 10 and it was on clearance.)   And @OCDOC I got what I'm considering a back handed compliment, trying to just take it as not meant to come out that way.  So the compliment, Wow, you look great.  (Nice!) But then, "So what was that - was your belly just fat?"  Honestly, I don't think this person meant to be mean, but that hurt my feelings.  😞

And BTW @OCDOC, I'm a little worried about saggy face.  I read somewhere a suggestion to chew gum to exercise those muscles.  So I'm chewing gum that says it whitens your teeth.  Double benefit!! 🙂

[awood08]

I didn't drop a lot of weight in the 15 day challenge but I did drop some inches which is great! I can fit in a size 6 now, (my goal was a size 😎 and my muscles definitely have more definition. The challenge was great, nice little revamp on my workouts and nutrition. I gotta work harder on nutrition, I got too comfortable before.

USW  6/16/15 235

PW      4/13/16 169

CSW   4/18/16 168

CGW  5/30/16 165

[Brujita]

Finally Checking in:

USW- 168 (1/1/16)

UGW- 128-125

MFP- Bruitabrujita

this challenge:

SW- 152 (3/27)

PW- 151 (4/3) -1lb

 CW- 149.6 (4/19)

GW- 140 (5/30)

Kind of long, due to my absence and lots of self-reflection. 

Ive been neglecting to check in since getting home last tuesday from being out of town. That trip was very emotionally draining, sleepless (i slept less than 10 hrs those 5 days) and I didnt eat nearly as much junk as i had hoped. I did manage my 10k steps easily. The day I went to the Grand Canyon I hit 15k, which oddly my friends fitbit had her at 20k. I came home with a cold and my right knee really bothering me. My weight last week averaged at 151.6 according to the fitbit app & Aria. So not much in way of weight gain from the trip. Been having a hard time breaking out of the 150's. I am still "overweight" (26.1) according to BMI, I have about 5 more lbs or so till i hit "healthy"   I spent this last week "recovering" from said trip. So I slept the first few days, getting back into schedule and spent the weekend lazing around eating wings/pizza, drinking beer and revisiting my goals. Yesterday I went running, its been a few weeks. I was pleasantly surprised at how ready my body was and how much it was missed. 

Essentially I started back on the weight loss journey because my best friend from highschool invited me to her wedding and asked me to be in it, this was back in December and I was mortified. I knew my weight had ballooned up again and I wasnt doing anything for my health. So I decided I needed to do something and this wedding wasn't going to be my finish line (its lifelong right?) but that a marker along the way. So here I am in April feeling good about myself (picture is of me, My daughter and niece) and now that I'm home its been a "Now What?" or a breather I guess. Normally I would be like "well thats it, im done, i did it" however this time I know what weight i would ultimately like to be at- let me rephrase i know where I want my body to be. So I will continue. I think its nice to have markers to gauge your progress. Thats why we have these challenges, correct? So my next marker is the end of this challenge. This journey for me has been about Health. Reminding myself to be gentle with myself and to also push myself because I am worth it and my kids deserve someone who will keep up. And to keep on going even when I dont feel like it. My sister has asked what works and I always tell her that "consistancy is key, in anything" I can tell that in my pictures from my trip home I look so tired but I also look really happy. Something that my great grandmother said to my daughter stuck with me "what do you eat? make sure your eating right not those hamburgers and junk, eat right for a happy body" She's 83, i'll take her wisdom and keep my body in movement as well.

[Cherylwith5]

Hey All,

A little late to the party since I just found this challange.  I've have my fitbit for almost a month.  

USW- 229

CSW- 219

GW- 209

UGW- 135

PW- Previous Weight

CW- Current Weight

[DJC_63]

I do have problems with my back and knee, but they've been much better lately, so I couldn't think of what else could cause a problem . I was doing some new exercises that I found online. I took a week off and I'm feeling good now. Back at the gym! @SunsetRunner

[HelenKr]

@Brujita - Great photo!  And love your comment: "Reminding myself to be gentle with myself and to also push myself because I am worth it and my kids deserve someone who will keep up."  So true!

[Elansc]

@Brujita and I love your grandmother's advice -- eat right for a happy body!!   Very inspiring self reflection!  Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

[OCDOC]

@Brujita  My wife saw your photo and said "She's worried about her weight!!!??? My dream is to be even close to that slim" 🙂  BTW wife is starting Fitbit and diet and is moving in the right direction...imo she looks fine, but she wants SLIM!

Thursday Weigh-In..

USW 246

CSW 212

LstWk 207

Today 204.2

CGW 200

UGW 189

I have no idea when the next plateau will happen, but I will (obviously) enjoy the melting as long as it continues.

 After my insurance physical late 2015 with rising BP and lipids (and weighing almost 250), I asked what I should lose. The answer was basically "Ideally drop 60, but realistically a 20-40 loss will make a meaningful difference". Wife buys me a Fitbit and says 'maybe this will help'...has it ever! 

UGW had been 200..a number I thought impossible, but now is 189..so called textbook ideal..I may never make it, but no matter; my Doctor is amazed and happy..my labs (checked last week) are normal as is BP. If I maintain for 6 months my insurance rates will drop (yay).

Posting with this group every week and sharing stories is the best part about this whole Fitbit thing.

Thanks to everybody here..let's keep going!!  🙂  Rob

[ellie1712]

Looks interesting , can anyone join?

[IamRBrown]

Yes....   Jump in and join us!
Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE Smartphone

[YMFit]

Here are my current stats as of 4.21.16:

PW:  240 lbs (wheeeeeeew!!)

USW:  234.6 (April 4th)

CW:  225.4 (April 21st)     (-9.2 lbs)

GW:  175 lbs

UGW:  165 lbs

It's been a struggle to stay away from all of the snacks at my job, so I just started working out during my lunch hour.  I am determined to hit the UGW by the end of this year!

What's working for me?   A combination of clean eating, intermittent fasting and high intensity workouts.  So far, so good!!

Hey everyone, let's kick it up an extra notch for the last few days of April!!   When you feel like you can't do anymore...push and go a little bit further.

Good

[Brujita]

@OCDOC ha tell your wife i just chose a very flattering picture, that hid where i carry my extra weight -my midsection. I get the same response from my sister. Her qualms were "you have a nice body show it off, people would love to be your size" but its not about vanity for me. I just want to fit in my clothes again and feel good that these bones can carry me. I also deal with life long manic depression, so if/when I am diligent with being active and fueling my body right my depression isnt so bad.  it really is a snowball effect for me. I want to treat my body and my mind right.

Also its awesome that youre wife is starting out on her journey. Being there to support each other will be wonderful and maybe a little nerve wracking. I'm sure I get on my husbands nerves, he bought a fitbit after seeing me stick with mine. Hasnt made the same impact for him. Im sure you are very supportive and love her as she is but we tend to be our own worst critics dont we?

 Nice to see those changes though in regards to your health and yay for another motivator- insurance rates. nothings impossible. Sharing/reading stories is my favorite part too. when i see someone reaching their goals a little voice in my head good "yay im so happy for them" especially when you've been following their progress. 

[scottie0714]

Hi everyone!  I have a plateau question.  I keep hearing people say that "you will hit a plateau soon"..."change your work out up"....So, the question is:  at what point does a plateau usually happen?  When it did, what did you do differently? Has anyone NOT hit a plateau? If not, what did you do to keep it from happening? 

[OCDOC]

---

@scottie0714 wrote:

Hi everyone!  I have a plateau question.  I keep hearing people say that "you will hit a plateau soon"..."change your work out up"....So, the question is:  at what point does a plateau usually happen?  When it did, what did you do differently? Has anyone NOT hit a plateau? If not, what did you do to keep it from happening? 

---

I've had 2 plateaus since Jan 1.

1) The first three weeks of my new year's resolution I did what I always did...cut cals below BMR, exercise (walking was all I felt I could do), and ate the basic 45C-30P-25F ratio..no sugar. I dropped weight then hit a wall. Felt discouraged and tired. Decided to try 'real' low carb (specifically Superbowl weekend)..less than 40g carb (now less than 20), same protein, more healthy fats. I felt like crap for a week (as I was warned), but one day I woke up and felt like a million bucks! Bizarre, but true. Loss continued, started weights. Cheated quite often ie carb binge 1-2 times a week.

2) Second wall was between 210-215; couldn't budge it seemed. Resolved to stop 'cheating', and added 20 mins of insane HIIT 3X a week...melting started again..where I am now. Hoping my next 'stall' is at my prescribed target weight!

Everybody has different results and strategies, but currently strict LC w some intermittent fasting (eg 20 hours) and HIIT 3 times a week are doing the trick. Don't know if this helps re your question, but here's hoping you never hit a wall that can't be broken 🙂  Rob

[jcardwell23]

Just recently got the blaze fitbit had the flex before but didnt really like it. My Husband and I are trying to have children (have been trying for a year) and was recently told by a MD that I have PCOS and that with my current weight on top of that it will be harder to have children and the risks will be greater. 

UCW= 235

CW=235

GW by end of Challange: 224

UGW by September 23rd: 190

UGW YEAR:150

[HelenKr]

@scottie0714 - Plateaus - ugh!

Yes, I struggled with one at 152 and am hoping I'm on the other side of it.  🙂  Most dieters do experience them at some point.  I agree with @OCDOC - everyone's different and will hit them at different points.  I'm very analytical in nature, so it bugs me to not see any rhyme or reason for where to expect these.

Some people might have a nifty idea they give you for how to break through.  If it sounds appealing, I say go for it!  I do think people tend to innately understand what works for them.  More excercise can't hurt, but I don't think you should ever bring your food intake too low, that will mess with your metabolism.

My best advice is just don't give up!  As long as you keep heart and take in less calories than you're expending you'll start losing again.  And often, there will be a nice little bump in the loss.  Recognize that the plateau is a result of the success you've already had.  🙂  Look for non-scale victories... are your clothes getting looser, are you feeling more energetic?!   Those are great things - even better than a stupid number on a scale! 

Good luck @scottie0714!  You can do it!   We all can!

[ms1960]

Current weigh in.  No weight loss. Having trouble with night time foraging.  At least I am still getting my steps and work outs in.  Started some new workouts but I traditionally have gone this far and stall and lose my motivation.  Will take it one day at a time and keep moving.

Good luck everyone.

USW: 205

SW: 173

CW: 170

GW: 165

UGW: 140