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

[fatmich]

Im 2 kg down! Weekend was rough with food but all the walking around the city was no sweat at all. I barely noticed that i already hit my target steps for the day. Few more kg to go.

[awood08]

@Brujita

You look awesome and you are almost the same as me! Makes me feel a whole lot better. Thank you so very much for sharing!!!!!

I'm mostly in Medium shirts, some small, size 8-10 pants depending on if they stretch or not because I have HUGE thighs (always have, always will lol). My waist is 30 and my hips are 40. So i'm right about the same as you! I have a 6 (almost 7 year old) and a 3 year old. I was always in the 150's weight range in high school and I played almost every sport, so I've always been athletic. Now my stomach is my main issue. This was after my 5k in February, medium shirt, medium workout capri. The only full body ones I have are with a bra and panty lol not ready to share those yet! 🙂

[awood08]

I've been struggling for months, literally months....I drop and go back up, then down and then up again

😞 I'm starting this 15 day challenge I found online, it's a strict meal plan and excercise routine for 15 days. I'm hoping it will jump start my weight loss again, or at least give me some physical change results I want. I see a huge difference in my stomach but I'm still not where I want to be. 2 kids have done a number on my stomach and I'm hoping I can make the changes I want and it's not something I'm stuck with (loose skin and stretch marks). I know it will never fully go away but hopefully it will fade a little.

USW  6/16/15 235

PW     3/27/16 168

CSW    4/4/16 170

CGW  5/30/16 160

UGW  6/16/16 145

[scottie0714]

@Brujita Thanks for the feedback!  Sometimes I just feel like I'm not doing enough. However, this week, I was a little off - but I lost 1.5 lbs.  Who knows.  So, this week I'm making an effort to do 40 min in the morning vs. my usual 30 min.  AND to eat better.  Let me know if you have any more tips.

[MegCH]

Checking in late from weigh in on Saturday:

USW: 175

CSW: 157.5

CW (4-2-16): 155.5

GW: 150

UGW: 150!!

A good week! We had a huge special meal yesterday, so going to try and be really good this week to offset any damage! Trying to squeeze in as many steps as possible among a busy week will be interesting though. 

[MegCH]

@HelenKr It's nice to hear someone else is still eating everything (including chocolate, for me!) and still having results as well...makes me feel less guilty! And, for me, it makes it a lot more doable because I haven't drastically changed anything. I know I'll be able to continue even after my goal is met and maintain into the future! 

[bblastin]

USW: Dec 2015 - 284lbs

CSW: 3/27/16 - 232.5lbs

GW: 5/31/16 - 225lbs

UGW: 200lbs

[HelenKr]

@megh - Thanks for those comments! It does help to feel like there are others following similar plans. Yep, I feel I can do this, it's just going to take me a little longer. 😎

[219Liz]

Started losing in 2012 with the Ultra. Kept it off for years, but then had a child. Having trouble shedding the preggo pounds, so back to tracking calories I go!

USW- 248

CSW- 204.1

GW- 190

UGW- 170

[NiTRoX624]

USW- 238 lbs

CSW- 180 lbs

GW- 165 lbs

UGW- 140 lbs

[Bogdel]

@HelenKr,

Sounds like we have similar weight-loss goals. I am 62, and 5'5". I lost about 25 lbs since January (I weighed 183 lbs then). Today I reached 158. In my 20's, my perfect weight was 136 lbs, but I am aiming toward 145 lbs. as my ultimate goal now (subject to revision). Like you, if I reach 149 by the end of this challenge, I will be very happy. 

With minor exceptions, I am still avoiding bread, potatoes, and rice. I log my intake every day. One of my fitbit friends inspired me to walk 10+K per day on this challenge. So far, I did great. I'd like to keep it that way.

Thank for your friendship and for being an inspiration.

[Brujita]

Checking in with yesterdays weight. 

USW- 168 (1/1/16)

UGW- 128-125

MFP- Bruitabrujita

this challenge:

SW- 152 (3/27)

CW- 151 (4/3) -1lb

GW- 140 (5/30)

I am going out of town Wednesday. I will be heading home for a friends wedding and taking my daughter as a treat as her birthday is Sunday. Its her "Golden Birthday" and all she wants is Burritos on the beach. We are living in the Midwest currently so are definitely missing food from home (Sunny California). I already know we are going to be eating stuff we normally don't. Taco shops, In N Out and so on and so forth. We will also be hitting Vegas and the Grand Canyon. I will be packing workout clothes and running shoes. You can run anywhere right? I hope I will be able to off set any gain with making sure I hit my 10k steps daily. If I gain a lb or two I won't beat myself up over it. I will be back Monday night so will weigh in next tuesday. 

[Brujita]

---

DJC_63 wrote:My weekly check-in. I'm up a bit from my impromptu mid-week weigh-in. It's always like that for me, tho. 

---

@DJC_63 I have the same issue. I told myself That I should really stop doing that and wait till weigh in day. I always seem to flucuate 1lb +/-  midweek but it balances itself out by weigh in day. 

[Elansc]

Hi everyone!!

Great to hear about so many successes!!

Unfortunately I am up 0.2 pounds this week.  Ahhh.  Weighed myself again this morning just to double check.  

CSW for this challenge 177.8 on March 27th

CW (April 3rd) 178

GW for this challenge 169

UGW 165

Getting my 10,000+ steps, ate 1700-1800 calories on 6 of 7 days, overall 4700 calorie deficit for the week and have been increasing my H2O intake (over 2500 mls on two days).  Still getting used to drinking water throughout the day but I am  working on it…

Came across the "body weight planner" in another discussion thread and it is really helpful if you are having trouble figuring out how many calories you should be eating.  

https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/bwp/index.html

This highlighted that by eating between 1703 to 1838 calories, I should get to my goal… my job changes from day to day with respect to activity level so I calculated on the very light days (1703 cals) and the light days (1838 cals)

So no weight loss this week, BUT I did have a big win this week.  

I am currently in a size 12 (from a very tight size 20!!) and I know that if I do lose this 15 pounds I will be in a size 10.  I noticed that my size 12's were getting a bit baggy (my skinny jeans have become my baggy jeans   so tonight I went shopping at my favourite thrift store -- they were having a 75% off sale on pants - and I tried on a bunch of size 10s   AND ALL but one fit -- fit as in I was able to put them on and do them up!  Several were a bit tight but once I lose 5-10 pounds they will be fine.  Wow that is so motivating!

So I will double my efforts and hope that the scale goes down next week.  

[sedentarynomad]

Hi Group, 

New to the group and new to fitbit.  Activity is only a challenge for me when work gets in the way either by depleating my hours or my energy. Otherwise I love brisk walking, trails, kayaking, gym cardio, and weight training. I'm trying out yoga too (at home). My downfall is failure to meal plan and too many sweets/pizza in the office. 

Current Stats: 

CW: 245

GW: 235

[Bogdel]

Hello, Everyone! Here is my report for week 1:

USW- Ultimate Starting Weight - 183.5 (1/7/16)

PW- Previous Weight - 169.5 (I think!)

CSW- Current Starting Weight - 159.5 (3/26/16)

CW- Current Weight - 158 (4/4/16). That's 1.5 lbs loss on the 1st week of this challenge. 

GW- Goal Weight - 149.5 (by 5/12/16). After this, I will be traveling overseas, and hope to maintain my new weight).

UGW- Ultimate Goal Weight: 135-145 lbs, not sure (I will assess that when I reach 145 lbs)

Keep it on. everyone! We can do it!

[DJC_63]

@Brujita, have a great time in SoCal! I also used to live there and I miss so many things about it, like Jamba Juice! Where I live now no one seems to have caught on to the Smoothie thing. It sounds like you have a good plan for managing not to gain a lot of weight. Your trip sounds like it will be a lot of fun! I think sometimes we have to forget our rigid plans for a little fun, as long as it doesn't last too long.

[DJC_63]

I've been "bad" the past 2 days and I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. I haven't slept well, and that makes me a) not have the energy to drive 30 minutes to the gym and workout, and b) crave sweets. I keep seeing those commercials where the Cookie Monster is using the new hands free Siri while he makes chocolate chip cookies. Normally I'd never even think of cookies, but those freaking commercials kept putting that idea in my head, and I had 1 package of chocolate chip cookie mix from long ago. I finally caved and made them last night. I've eaten all but 1 already.
I'm praying that I can get a decent night's sleep tonight so I can go to the gym and exercise a lot for the rest of the week! I have to get a camera and put it in my room to see what happens while I'm sleeping. My Fitbit shows me being restless usually 2 - 3 hours every night, and I believe it's accurate. (I already have a CPap machine so that's taken care of).

[DJC_63]

@Awood,
I feel you! It's the same for me. Today I weighed myself and I was up even more than the last time. I read things others post about how they lost 30 lbs in a few months and I get frustrated. I KNOW I've been working hard- I do weekly challenges and I make a point to increase my steps each week, I try to do some type of exercise every day, and I track my calories daily. I rarely allow any bread (which I love), chocolate, etc. but the weight comes off SO slowly, as in 15 pounds in 8 months. I know that some of the medications I take cause weight gain. Could there be something like that slowing you down?

Sent from my iPad

[DJC_63]

@HelenKr,
It's nice to know someone close to my age. I'm 52 and so many things about me are changing that I find it hard to know what exercise is good for me and what is bad. So many things put a lot of stress on knees, back, etc. I know what things used to work for me but I'm not sure about now. Like the annoying flab on the arm. I work my arms every time I work out and I've got muscle definition now, but the flab is still there. I wonder if it's just there once you're a certain age? I'm hoping not!