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!!

[dancefoxtrot]

@HeartBiller

Congrats. You did a fabulous job of beating your goal. YAY. 

I agree that we have so much to be thankful for and it is uplifting to think about it too. 

Best,

Barbara G

[dancefoxtrot]

@Bobbinyc

Good morning my East Coast sis,

I like your attitude and focus on your healthy improvements. Back to hiking and doing the things that you love! You write the most supportive and insightful replies to us and I find it extremely helpful. I'm thankful for you and our challenge group. I will check in on Thanksgiving morning and hope to get back down a little bit to at least where I started! But as you said so well when I focus on all the things that I can do at my tender young age, well I feel strong, healthy and grateful.

Big hugs,

Barbara G 

[dancefoxtrot]

@almost_where

Wow it looks like you started on the next challenge since you beat your goal by -3 lbs so far. Congrats, you are amazing.

Barbara G

[_Lilac_]

Week 4 Day 2:

I started my day with a plan. I had to go to one of the big box paid member stores to their pharmacy for a prescription for my dog. It is not accessible by bus so I dropped off at another large retailer and walked a good distance (over a highway bridge that freaks me out when large trucks zoom along under me). I had 30 minutes to wait for the prescription so instead of sitting in the seats provided I WALKED. Thirty minutes of going up and down every aisle around the perimeter 4 times. I'm sure security was checking me out since I wasn't shopping. (I don't have a membership). From there I returned across the bridge and to the bus stop. 7000 steps. I dropped off downtown to do another errand and then stopped to get a bottle of water. Now I'm at the library. 9600 steps. 

This journey is about small changes or just changing the way we think about things. Walking instead of sitting to wait is my success today. It used to be that I'd enter that store (when I was a member), and simply doing my shopping was exhausting and I'd be in pain and stiffen up and need to recover for a day or two. And I didn't buy much! It was simply walking around it that caused me pain. My life has changed so much. 

Please know, that whether you meet your challenge goals or not, whether the scale is moving or not, you are making changes to your life. If you are staying active, you are doing something positive. Even though I've lost only a few pounds the last three weeks, I am AWESOME. I make the right decisions for my health and I don't just sit around. Even though I watched a little too much netflix the last week I was marching and walking while I was doing it. 

This struggle is about changing habits and changing how we think. And I can do it. So can you. Be awesome!! 

[dancefoxtrot]

@_Lilac_ Another optimistic and inspiring post from our Northern Neighbor. You are getting healthier by the day. Yes we agree, that we can do it, including changing our thinking and habits. 

All the best,

Barbara G

[almost_where]

What do the following all have in common?

a) Walking 30 steps on a treadmill located in new york city's most upscale gym wearing a top of the lilne gym outfit.

b) Walking 30 steps on the Appalachian Trail while overlooking the highest elevation in the state of Maine on a warm summer day.

c) Walking 30 steps to return a grocery cart in the freezing rain and high wind.

d) Walking 30 steps with your slippers and pjs around your apartment while its 20 degrees outside and snowy.

When you finish all the above, you end up with 30 additional steps on your fitibit. I know you might have a preference for one method over the other but the point is they all get the job done. During these cabin fever inducing days here in the cold/dark/winterish northeast, in the past I have found it very difficult to get my 10k steps in. There is not a decent gym that is in a feasable distance and when its 20 degrees out and windy,  I might get a mile walk in but doing more then that sometimes is not part of my gameplan.

This past week I have resorted to unconventional methods inside my apartment to get my steps in including walking loops around the interior perimeter and walking multiple sets of stairs. When you first think of the concept, you might think that you would go crazy just doing loops in such a small confined space or going up down up down the same set of stairs, but after sticking with it for a week, and playing some good music, news, radio while doing such I have found it do be quite enjoyable. Get creative, start off doing short distances. Space them out over the day. Tie them into your everday routine. For example, making coffee? Do 2 perimeter loops and a set of stair while waiting for the keurig or kettle to finish. Microwaving something for a mintue? Bang out a quick perimeter or set of stairs. Have fun with it and good luck

[dancefoxtrot]

@DJC_63  Boy I can relate to spending Christmas and Thanksgiving alone and enjoying it.  I had to work on my poor me messages but did what I wanted and enjoyed the day each time. I'm out here in N. Cal and it is raining right now but it was crisp and clear today.  Off to my son's for T Day.  I'm not near family out here but I moved away from NYC in 1970 eek that is 46 years ago!!!

Sounds like you need to go to the gym 4 times a week so you stay toned and don't get so sore.  Can you give that to yourself?  Or do less if you miss a week so as not to get sooo sore. 

All the best,

Barbara 

[dancefoxtrot]

@Cele21

Don't lose hope since we will keep going and you will make healthy changes one by one. 

Sounds like you are carrying a double load right now. Have you discovered one thing that you can do differently today that will lift your spirits? 

Have you tried to make a list of things that you are thankful for since that tends to make us feel better. 

Take care,

Barbara G

[DJC_63]

@almost_where  What a great post! You are so right. I remember last winter that the longer the bad weather went on the more creative I got to get my steps in. There's no mall nearby for me to walk in when weather is bad, so sometimes I go to a grocery store or other large store and walk up and down the aisles.  as long as i have music, I'm good.

[DJC_63]

@dancefoxtrot  All of this time I thought that you lived in NYC! Northern CA? I would love to go to San Fran sometime.  Do you live near there? I used to work with a young attorney who went to Berkley and she told me that I would fit right in there and would love it. 

You are right, I probably would be better off if I could go to the gym 4 times a week but it's a 40 minute drive so I don't get there that often. But if I can at least do the same weight machines regularly I'll be better off. The one to work my inner thighs gets me the most.  

I hope that you have a wonderful time with your son over Thanksgiving. 

[DJC_63]

@_Lilac_What a nice, uplifting message. Thank you! I know what you mean about the walking, I used to be in a similar boat if I'd go shopping/running errands for a day. It would wipe me out. I'm so glad that Im not like that now.

[RubyH]

Greetings all,

Still maintaining

CW 54.2kg or 119.5 lbs BMI=22.6

I'm happy with where I am even though it rocks around a lot, it took a lot of determined effort to get and stay within my 54-55kg range. For my petite 5'1" height 120 lbs seem to be the new norm for me and not having been this light since in my early teens I am very happy with where LCHF has taken me. My carb levels will have to adjusted down aagain as though I'm not losing weight on my current level my inflammation markers are up, so I am back to finding the right level of carbs where inflammation does not occur and flare my auto=immune issues. Then I have to find a level of healthy fats that does not cause weight gain and I should be in true form and happier maintaining. Seems even some basics that others take for granted can give me problems, but where there is a problem there is also a solution, and it is up to each of us to solve our own and research always helps, as does good friends who have been there themselves.

Love the new format, love reading the comments, solutions, successes and the frustrations, they are a part of all of us and once we accept ourselves for who and what we are along with all our believed faults and virtues then we can work on ourselves in a more devoted way a step at a time, we are all changing continually, learning more, doing better, and I love you all. Keep up with your goals fixed firmly in sight. Practice with persistance and patience and you will succeed. Yes there are always hiccups and speed bumps and detours, we are only human, but once we realize we have taken a wrong turn, we can work toward another path to the goalpost. Love to all.

[Gayle1018]

USW- Ultimate Starting Weight  196.6

Starting challenge weight  161.2 (Oct 31st)

Today’s weight: 157.

Weight on T/Day:  157—made it! GW- Goal Weight   (for Nov. 24)   157 (-4.2)

GW for Christmas 153

UGW  143  (and maintain!!! 142-146 range)

[Cele21]

Just wondering if there is going to be a Thanksgiving to Christmas challenge?

[_Lilac_]

@Cele21  There is already a Christmas challenge listed. I'm sure you could jump in at any time!

[A_Lurker]

@_Lilac_- I think I lost a post I was going to make.  Or I thought about it and didn't make it.  I know you're working hard on keeping your calories up, however, after a couple of weeks at this new level you can make a decision to drop them a bit if you're not seeing any movement.  When I first started I lost well on a defecit of 1500 a day.  Oddly enough as I got lighter (and I find that word strange to use) that defecit didn't work for me.  Raising my calories actually helped.  However, we are all different and what worked for me may not be ideal for you.  Also, the tracker may be less accurate at heavier weights.  Although what I found is that as I became more fit I was burning fewer calories as my heart rate wasn't going into the cardio zone just taking a walk out to our warehouse.

[A_Lurker]

Oh, and I started the Christmas cookie ball baking.  I'm freezing them as I go so I can bake them up later.  For fun I've been dropping them into a calorie program and then just dividing them up by what it makes.  Now, these are relatively smaller cookies (~18g of dough per cookie), but so far the calorie counts are pretty similar (70-80 cals).  Later, when I'm making them up and eating some I may just do a generic 80 cal cookie entry if I'm back to logging (or just keep in mind how many I might take).  I'm likely going to go back to what I was doing in the spring - baking 2 up fresh when I'm making my dinner.

[DiAnn704689]

Pray you all have a very blessed and safe Thanksgiving

I didn't hit my  gw of 190 for this challenge I only missed it by 1#

but I know that I will meet my ugw of 150 one # at a time So on to the next challenge.

[hannahbebrave]

Yes, there will be another challenge.  Probably starting by tomorrow and going through New Year. I checked and that is how they did it last year.

Funny, I never would have thought to go to another forum.  

[almost_where]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! See you in the next challenge.