Halloween to Winter Holidays Challenge

[_Lilac_]

Hello everyone and welcome to the Halloween to Winter Holidays Challenge!! We'll tally up Dec 31 and start the New Year running! (or walking, or swimming, or biking, etc). There are many people who kinda disappear during holidays so I want to cover as much ground as we can while we can and be here over the next 8 weeks for these trying times!! 

We can post (daily/weekly) about our weight and non-scale successes, share helpful tips, support each other and talk about our ups and downs.  The following abbreviations can be helpful to use:

USW - Ultimate start weight

SW - starting weight for the challenge

CW - current weight 

PW - previous week's weight

GW - goal weight for the challenge

UGW- ultimate goal weight

To join, please simply post and you are in! Have a great time, let's get this going!

[_Lilac_]

I had a nap this afternoon and felt I needed to get OUT and do something. It was already dark, but I decided to go walking, taking one dog at a time instead of both at once. I took them each on extended walks, so I have 8000 steps total. I'm glad that I got myself out even when I felt lazy and it was dark out. I'd prefer 10,000 steps but I'm sore.

[johnkier]

Can't live without eating.

[HeartBiller]

@Gayle1018  Well I am glad that I can at least help in some way.. lol, even if it wasn't a very good one..lol. I just feel like I am struggling so much since what ever was going on with me. I don't have the taste for water like I did before, so that causes me to struggle to get my water in. Then like yesterday I had several bites of candy which I NEVER do. What is up with all this...?? When I got to church last night each of my grand kids had a box of candy... I ended up eating a few Gobstoppers and a few Whoppers.. I can not believe I did that.. I will pay for it later.. I have to figure out something to get me back on track... So @_Lilac_  maybe you could find us a good deal on the cattle prods and we could all get one...lol. I definitely need something. 

Well today is my anniversary... YAY!! Today I have been married to the man of my dreams for 31 years and I can honestly say, I love him more every single day! I am sure we won't over eat tonight...lol, as we are in revival. So it will be same ol same ol rush rush rush..lol. Rush home from work to rush to church to rush home and get the boy in bed since there is school tomorrow..lol.

I was a little mean to my precious husband this morning though..lol. I did not tell him it was our anniversary, just to see how long it takes him to remember...lol. I know that was awful... I did leave him a gift and card at home for him to find when he gets in this evening, because he gets home before I do...lol. Just a small mean streak I have..lol.

Well I guess its time to get this day started and start my countdown to 5:00pm..lol. I hope you all have a wonderfully blessed day!

[_Lilac_]

I got in my steps! I went to the mall with my daughter to pick up a few things and then I walked each dog separately. I'm struggling trying to track my lunch, but I'll do my best. I haven't had supper yet but not very hungry. Feeling blah in my belly.

Glad I got all my steps though. It's such an encouragement. 

[_Lilac_]

Went to water aerobics class this morning and got 5000 steps. I'm hanging out at the library for a few hours then I'll finish off the rest with dog walks etc. Yay for steps!

Update: about 4 hours later...

I overdid it. I walked the dogs then had to return to the pool to pick up something from a locker, by the time I am able to sit on my rear end and relax, I'm over 12,000 steps and feet feeling pain. Resting for the evening and probably tomorrow too. I wish I had someone to make me dinner!

[yagirltildz]

aaaaaaaand I have gained a pound and am at my heaviest yet... despite getting my steps in every day, going to the gym and religiously counting my calories. I feel in a word, hopeless.  

[_Lilac_]

@yagirltildz WATER. One pound is not fat! It's holding extra water. Breathe. No panicking allowed! No despair allowed! To me, one pound is the retention of an extra dash of salt on my eggs or an extra piece of bread in a day. If you are walking, hitting the gym, etc, you could also be gaining muscle. Please, just keep it up and drink your water, eat your greens and I'm SURE you'll see that stupid pound disappear. Be healthy!

[yagirltildz]

Thank you so much, I really needed to hear that! I just got back from a run, and I feel a lot better. Ready to head into this weekend optimistic! 

[_Lilac_]

I took a rest day yesterday after having done too much two days in a row. I did a walk with an elderly and very chubby dog (so it was a slow walk) and then came home to take my own dogs for one at a good pace. I've got almost 9000 steps. Before supper I was shaky and off-balance so I might have waited too long to eat. I've had my fill now, though, and ready to relax for the rest of the evening. 

@HeartBiller  and @yagirltildz How did your weekend go? Feeling good? Get your steps in?

My mom activated a new Alta HR on her account today and it's working well for her. Four of us in the family now with them. I'm still trying to get my sister on here for the support of a great group of people. She reached an important milestone today but I'll let her tell us all about it if she ever gets her butt in here. 

[MagsOnTheBeach]

USW - 234

SW - 169.4

CW - 167.1

PW - 169.4

GW - 161

UGW- 155

It's been a busy week and I have been trying to stay on target.  I had a splurge meal on Thursday and I'm feeling pretty good.  I have some really good sweet potatoes so I'm feeling nourished and ready for tomorrow. 

[yagirltildz]

@_Lilac_Braved the cold today to walk to the gym... and it was closed 😞 Did some stairs and pushups so I am feeling good about that. My steps are looking light today, but tomorrow I should be hitting my goal! It's tough to get those steps in with this wind chill. Does anyone have tips on how they stay active during a cold spell? 

[_Lilac_]

@yagirltildz Um..yup. I'm way over on the Atlantic coast of Canada and I walked outside all last winter. It can get a little cool at -25C. Haha. The trick is layering and they don't have to be thick layers. Hat, gloves, scarf to put in front of your face if it's very windy and freezing your face. But you'll soon discover that with all that coverage and if you are moving at a good pace, you'll get warm. Thighs get cold so tights under your pants are a good idea.  This all depends on the temperature. Some people are too cold at 5C and some at -20C. I'll be sharing some snowstorm walking pics within a month, I'm sure. Good news is that you burn more calories in the cold...your body uses them to warm you up! 

[_Lilac_]

This darned foot!! I'm just not able to walk enough to get a 'workout' and this is hurting me and my ability to lose. So, I'm brainstorming ways to exercise without putting too much stress on my foot. I'll attend water aerobics in the morning but even that doesn't get my heart rate up over 110. I think I'll go up to the gym at the YMCA and use a recumbent bike. They have two...one with a broken seat. I'm wondering if pedalling will cause my foot to hurt since the pedals aren't big and put pressure on the spot that hurts. Other than that, I don't know what to do.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I got some writing done, visited with family, and generally relaxed. Overall, quite good.

[Nora58]

@_Lilac_I am still working on my planters. It has been months of therapy ,special inserts custom made for each foot and a list of cross fit and running shoes to choose from. All of the shoes have a harder side for better support to shape your foot to help support your arch. After all this and doing additional work at home every day for almost a year we finally had to inject live stem cells and hope they are regrowing the tissue in my foot. We will do another ultra sound in 2 weeks to see if it worked. You really need to see a specialist if it is a constant thing, I go to a sport medicine specialist who deals with these injuries often and has the resources to deal with them. Please get this checked out , it should heal and with proper stretching before you walk and after you walk it should not be a constant problem , maybe years apart if you over do it like walk 7 miles when you normally walk 3.

[March55]

11-13-17.  I think I'm still in my funk.  I know what to do, but I don't do it.  Weather is getting much colder now and raining on and off, so I'm using that as an excuse not to get off the couch.  Not getting steps in so I've decided to make a challenge each week while on this challenge.  My challenge for this week is to get my steps (9000) in 5 out of 7 days this week.  I'll report back next Monday.  While I still don't have the gusto like I previously did over the weekend I started focusing more on what I'm eating.  So hopefully that will continue during the week.  Good luck everyone and have a great week!

USW - Ultimate start weight - (Previous challenge was 204)

SW - starting weight for the challenge (203)

CW - current weight  (204) - gain

PW - previous week's weight (203)

GW - goal weight for the challenge (197)

UGW- ultimate goal weight (180)

[sandmotors]

I have been focusing on body fat %. Which I have lost 2% in the last 8 weeks and only 1.2 lbs. This will help me keep track during the holidays

[sandmotors]

SW - 132.8 -  Body Fat 35.8%

GW - 129.3 - Body Fat 34.5%

[Dominique]

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@yagirltildz wrote:

Does anyone have tips on how they stay active during a cold spell? 

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Get proper gear so you can be outdoors in (almost) any weather. Cold weather is easier than super-hot, since you can always add more layers of clothes.

[Cele21]

USW- 215.0 (2/4/14)

1stCSW- 211.4 (2/14/17) First Challenge Starting Weight

2ndCSW - 210.8 (4/18/17) Second Challenge Starting Weight

3rdCSW - 212.0 (5/31/17) Third Challenge Starting Weight

4thCSW - 209.8 (7/4/17) Fourth Challenge Starting Weight

LSW - 209.0 (9/04/17) Last Challenge Starting Weight

CSW- 206.4 (10/31/17)

LW- 206.4

CW- 207.6

GW- 200.0 (January1st)

UGW- 150

Went up a bit but now worried. Facing a lot of stress this week as my brother-in-law passed away unexpectedly yesterday. 

[Dominique]

I’m reporting body fat %, not weight, and I’m using TrendWeight numbers:

USBF 2013 and before: no idea (didn’t have any device to estimate it), but probably around 25% or more.

SBF 30-Oct-17: 13.6%

PBF 6-Nov-17: 13.8%

CBF 13-Nov-17: 14.1% 

GBF: 12.5%

UGBF: 11%

Things not moving my way so far, as if my trip to the US during the last week of October was still impacting the current situation. I’ve been consistent with my diet, overall activity and workouts since I returned, so hopeful to see a turn-around at some point.