Halloween to Thanksgiving (U.S.) Challenge 2016

[Bobbinyc]

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Halloween to Thanksgiving Challenge!!!

This challenge will begin on Halloween October 31st and finish on Thanksgiving (U.S.) November 24th. This is a little less than 4 weeks!  It helps us be realistic about weight loss goals and practice good habits before the next set of  holidays.

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 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 Nov. 24)

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!!

[Bobbinyc]

@A_Lurker  You are very impressive.  There was a time, not long ago, I would have eaten the muffin, the cookie, the protein bar, and gone back for more, hungry or not.

[_Lilac_]

@Bobbinyc  Basement. My son moved into a basement apartment one time and his phone stopped working, his internet, etc. It was the copper pipes for the plumbing causing the problem. So that might be it with your fitbit? When you say it doesn't work do you mean it won't sync, etc?

[_Lilac_]

I'm doing fine. I've been going to the pool, walking with Mom, burning calories and trying to hit my caloric intake goals. Typically I've been doing 10-13k steps per day. Today is pretty rotten, though. I've been struck by seizures so I didn't go to the pool. I've been netflixing and being generally lazy so I have to move a bit. It's raining so the only outdoor walking I'll do is take the dogs around a block or two when it clears some. Today's circumstance would be perfect for an indoor exercise machine. 

I don't like going out travelling by myself on my bad days, so groceries will have to wait. Sticking close to home is probably best. 

Sorry if I'm blah today. I'm still cheering for everyone. Sick days suck and we all get them. Just have to bounce back with gusto tomorrow.

[HeartBiller]

@Gayle1018 I completely understand the trying to maintain during these holidays. I too will pray if I don't lose to at least maintain... I did set a goal for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I will strive to meet them. BUT in all honesty, it will be hard during this time. I may possibly by the grace of God make the Thanksgiving, but Christmas will be a whole other story...lol. Sweets are my weakness.

You walking is great, Such an inspiration. I really need to get better at it. We were on a good routine, but things have slipped off here lately. I have to get started back.

Today was a busy day at the office, but I took my lunch break and walked down the road to the bank and back. It gave me a little over 1600 steps, so I'll take that. 🙂 It was a pretty day and a friend walked with me, so it is at least a little walking when we normally sit all day at a desk.

[HeartBiller]

@_Lilac_ You are always an inspiration. I am beyond impressed with your steps. I strive to get there one day. I struggle to get steps in. However I have set a goal starting yesterday, to get at least my 10K for 7 days in a row. So I am praying I can make it happen. It is hard when you sit on your butt all day for a living...lol. I CAN DO THIS!!! lol. Hope you get to feeling better.

[A_Lurker]

@Bobbinyc - I surprised myself really.  Customer visits are usually bad for me.  I have little to no control over what we bring in for lunch, so it's hard to plan for it.  Since a number of us joined the weight loss challenge in the spring I have changed up items if I bring them.  Although last year during an audit I brought in fruit and veggie trays for snacks.  Now, pretty much every time (which I did today) if it's my meeting I pick up a fruit platter and a collection of two-bite brownies and such things.  So today I picked at the fruit (berries, melon and a bit of pineapple) and had 2 brownies.  We had subway for lunch and I went off and got some mustard out of the fridge.  Honestly I prefer it.  I came home tonight, still way too low in calories but had a huge salad (packaged but good) and some leftover lasagna from last night.  I'm also going to work through the meat in the freezer and then do some cooking / meal planning so I have some quick choices some nights when I need them.  Three days into this week and I haven't had a dinner until after 8pm (too late) but part of that is work schedule this week.

[A_Lurker]

@_Lilac_ - take care of yourself, and I hope tomorrow brings a better day.

[dancefoxtrot]

@Bobbinyc

Hello. You are right since this morning I was 2 lbs lighter so back to where I was on the day after Halloween so I guess I'm maintaining. Calves have recovered so off to a dance class tonight. I hope the teacher let's us dance a lot and not talk too much. I'm almost at 8 k in step so I may make it close to 10k before going to sleep. 

I remember when you were at 189 for a while so 186 is better. Hopefully you will be rewarded soon. Also I know that you have burned some fat as you redeveloped your muscles after surgery and time off your foot. Muscle is more dense and weighs more than fat. 

I know that the healthy changes that you make every day while win out but who knows when the scale will get the message.

Off to class now.

Barbara G

[Gayle1018]

Morning all!  have a great day.  I'm trying to get motivated, didn't get my walking in yesterday or this morning, kinda a the sluggish side, yuk!   meanwhile, have to work all day behind a computer.  

day by day...  

trying to get motivated for the rest of the day,  so far so good on the calories (they put all the holiday left overs out at the office desserts!) so just staying upstairs/  out of sight out of mind?   

[HeartBiller]

@A_LurkerI struggle with the late night suppers. It seems we hardly ever get to eat before 8.. I know this is one of our biggest struggles, so I feel the pain there.

I work in an office and the holidays are hard due to so many people bringing stuff in. We have co-workers, patients, reps, and higher management... so it is hard. However I have some sweet girls up front who will most of the time make sure it isn't in my face...lol. We also have a few of the reps to where they now will bring fruit, so that's a plus...

It is hard for me to get my steps in. I sit all day, so I am setting myself a goal to get my 10,000 steps in no matter what for a minimum of 7 days in a row. I have 2 so far...lol. BUT its a start.

I know today is not my official weigh day, but I can not help but weigh when I am in this office,,,,lol. Anyhow, I lost another 7 ounces, so I guess its paying off. I wont officially count it... but it does make me happy. Now just have to keep it off and lose 6 more ounces by next Tuesday if I am going to make my Thanksgiving challenge,,, 🙂

Enough rambling... Time to get busy. Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

[Bobbinyc]

@_Lilac_ I hope you are starting to feel better.  I'm a terrible patient and hate it when I am laid up, though I wish I could give myself some down time and just read, watch old movies, finish a genealogy project...

Well, I do hope you feel better soon.  Has a neurologist re-evaluated your medication?  Your body is changing, and well, I just hope you get the best care possible.  You deserve it.

[Bobbinyc]

@dancefoxtrot I'm so glad the scale stopped being so mean to you.  I hope the dancing is going well.  In times like these, having that in your life is very important.  

Thanks for the encouragement.

[Bobbinyc]

@Gayle1018 I know about the lack of motivation all too well. In trying to get healthier, I've had to work on getting the emotions out of it.  I try very hard not to do emotional eating and with prepping food and planning and focusing on eating to nourish my body, I'm doing fairly well with that.  To me, waiting for motivation to exercise, is the same kind of thing.  Motivation is a mind set, a set of feelings, about what we want and don't want in the moment as opposed to what we want longer term for ourselves.  For me lack of motivation is also tied in to negative thinking -"I can do this tomorrow", "one day doesn't matter", "I'm too tired"....etc.  I can come up with any excuse.  But that is just putting obstacles in my own path and making it harder to get what I really want long term.  I've had to work really hard to remember that  thoughts about motivation are just another set of thoughts and feelings that come and go.  And my choices for health are more important than that.  I have to stop myself from the negative thinking, ignore my feelings in the moment, and just do something, even if it is small.  Usually if I get my sneakers on and get started it gets much easier.  But, for me, I can't let myself do nothing.  Then it just gets harder and harder to stay on track.  

What works for me (most of the time) is thinking of it as habits, something I have to do no matter what.  There are all kind of things I do automatically - I brush my teeth, shower, work, and don't keep wondering if I feel like it.  I just do it.  I'm trying to get there with exercise.  That has made it easier and easier for me.

[_Lilac_]

@Bobbinyc Still not feeling right but yesterday I had a few errands and racked up 8,000 steps in walking. One of my appointments yesterday had been causing me anxiety the last few days but that's better now since it's done. I've been feeling tired and draggy (along with anxiety chest pains, etc). I haven't had the usual pep in my step. Maybe I just need to get a good steady pace going and let the pixie voice and those good exercise chemicals take over. My daughter and I have a few things we are doing today that will give us steps and I'll be out in the fresh air and she'll be with me, so I won't be as worried about a possible seizure. I had two in the night and one as I got up this morning. 

I'm going to get myself back into the mental groove of this thing...that's 95% of the battle for me, I think. I don't mess up on food but I might have been eating too little again. I had some issues with dizzy spells and weakness yesterday. 

Ok, time to get ready for some steps. We also have something happening this afternoon that we've been waiting for for over a year...maybe more. Exciting!!! 

[Gayle1018]

@Bobbinyc@_Lilac_   thanks for the encouragement!!    did manage to get it together yesterday on steps and calories,  so much much better than last year at this time when I weight 40+ and did NOTHING.

looking forward to another nice weekend -- parties are coming up so planning ahead.    I did find a friend to walk with on lunch hours 3 x a week - so that's was great this week, fresh air, moment and laughs.

bummer is still weight the same but that's OK, no gain - feeling good and doing the right things..  need to keep working on my  tortoise attitute "so but steady wins the race"  -- 

[_Lilac_]

Week 3 Day 5:

I reached my 10,000 steps while waiting for the bus to come home from the mall. Instead of just sitting, my daughter and I walked around the mall a few times at a decent pace (when I could get people out of my way). We went to the new movie from the Harry Potter universe. This is something we have done since she was a little girl. Before the local theatres allowed you to book your seats ahead of time, we'd line up 12 hours before they opened the door just so we could get in and get good seats. The one time we didn't do something so foolish we had to sit in the front row and it was difficult to see. We'd meet other crazy fans (both children and parents) in line and spend the day with them. This was tradition for us. She is 21yrs old now, but we still get all excited and go. 

I didn't eat enough today. I need to have something before it gets too late. Tomorrow is Saturday so I might walk down to the library for the writers group. Or maybe go for a good walk in the park. Or even go to the YMCA and try not to fall off a treadmill. I had a dream that I took the dogs jogging. I guess my pixie voice was prodding at me while I was sleeping! haha.

My plan for this evening is to RELAX. I was hardly home all day. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend. MOVE. Eat your green stuff. Have a laugh. Do something fun just for yourself!

[DJC_63]

How is everyone doing this weekend? It snowed here for the first time, just a little bit. The next few days are supposed to be very cold, tho. No walking outside this weekend! I'm slowly getting back to my usual self. My weight stabilized at 191, after my election indulges. It's funny how hard it's been for me to lose 1 or 2 pounds, but 1 1/2 weeks of letting myself have some "bad" food and I gain 2 pounds. It's kind of frustrating. I have to admit I don't regret eating the food. I had 3 slices of good pizza from a pizza shop for the first time in over a year, it was SO GOOD. I didn't buy it, one of the volunteers brought 4 pizzas for the rest of us. At least I just had the cheese, nothing more re: toppings. And this week I let myself buy See's chocolates for the first time in a long time (if you've never had See's candy you don't know what you're missing). But I'm done now. I feel like I can go back to my usual foods now. I tried to get more exercise this week but my body didn't cooperate every day. I did some different things on Tuesday and Wednesday my back hurt more than usual and the pain went down to my thigh. That's usually a pinched nerve which requires a few days of rest for me. Fortunately it only needed 2 days so I was back at the gym yesterday.
Does anyone here in the U.S. have special plans for Thanksgiving? I have a strange family, the only one who has hosted dinners for many years was my brother's wife and once her kids moved away she stopped doing it. Even when she did have them she usually didn't invite us until the day before or the day off. My sister always goes to her in-laws, so that leaves my Mom and I. We usually don't do anything. I've tried so inviting my brother and sister-in-law to my place but they never want to come. Kind of sad, since I used to be big on family holidays, but I can't change others. This year might be different since my nephew has just moved back. He and I have a lot in common so I enjoy having him around again.

[almost_where]

Week 1 - 283 - (11/06)

Week 2 278 - (11/13)

Week 3 275 - (11/20) - CW

Turkey Day Goal 277 lbs.

-3 lbs

Gonna try to maintain up until thanksgiving. Have a good week/

[_Lilac_]

Week 3 Day 7:

I've realized I have to have a plan each day for my activity or I struggle to get in my steps. Weekends are tough with the lack of water aerobics. Yesterday, I walked for 3500 steps maximum on an errand and I had to get more somehow. While watching tv I did 6500 steps marching and doing Leslie Sansone walking. That's a LOT to have to make up to get my 10,000. Today, I will need to figure something out because I don't want to have to do that again. 

The library is open til 5pm. Maybe I'll trek down there. Or I'll call Mom and see if we can walk in the park, though it's been a bit rainy. Yeah, it's drizzling currently. I suppose I could go to the mall and walk but then there's a temptation to spend money! The library is probably the best idea. I could get some work done while there. 

I need to get more creative with my food or find different things so I don't get too bored. There are a lot of things I don't eat because of physical problems. I know it sounds stupid but I don't eat rice much because it sticks behind my tonsil, pasta because it makes me really hungry later, any whole grain/wheat products because it irritates my intestines. No brussel sprouts, no frozen veggies, etc etc. I'm a blast at dinner parties. LOL. My go-to supper has been a baked chicken breast, a pile of steamed spinach and a few mini potatoes or string beans or squash. I'm not a huge food planner and never will be. 

Speaking of food, it's breakfast time. The coffee is brewed and I got my first rumble in the belly. I hope everyone had a good week and will have a good day today. We are almost due for another weigh-in. Just one more week to go for this challenge, huh?

[A_Lurker]

---

@A_Lurker wrote:

USW: 407.0

CSW: 360.0 (Feb 2016)
PW: 271.8 (11/06/16)
CW: 270.8 (-1.0)
GW: 265.6 (Thanksgiving)
LT: 2.15 lbs/week for 41 weeks

---

Again, an odd week.  I've eaten more purchased food than I usually do (visitors at the plant) but I'm usually pretty good at estimating my intake.  I also took my mother for a drive and lunch yesterday.  So, I haven't decided if I need to adjust my calories or not.  Oddly I might adjust them up slightly.  I bought some new equipment and I don't want to overdo it too much.  My calories burned are trending upwards a little at the moment.  If I coast a little for the next few weeks I'm okay with that.  For those that may not read other discussion areas here's a link to my new stuff:

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Get-Moving/New-Toys/m-p/1654378#U1654378

USW: 407.0

CSW: 360.0 (Feb 2016)
PW: 270.8 (11/13/16)
CW: 269.8 (-1.0)
GW: 265.6 (Thanksgiving)
LT: 2.15 lbs/week for 42 weeks