July 4, 2017 challenge

[Bobbinyc]

Welcome to the next Challenge!

This one will start today, May 30 and go to July 4th.  That gives us 5 weeks to work toward our next set of goals as we try to lose weight or maintain in a healthy way.  

Everyone is welcome to join this terrific group. You can post once weekly or every day - whatever you like - to share your journey, give and get support, offer advice, get some tips.  We have celebrated each other's successes, and empathized with the setbacks.  I personally found, the more I respond to others, the easier it is for me to focus on my own journey in a positive way.  We have seen great progress in previous challenges, in weight loss, health, learning, and non-scale success, because we are in it together and focusing on being healthier and living better lives.

Some of the terms used to report our weight:

USW - ultimate starting weight - the heaviest weight when you began to lose

SW - starting weight for this challenge

CW - current weight for the day you report in

GW - goal weight for this challenge, for Halloween

UGW - ultimate goal weight that you intend to reach eventually

Some people also include their height, their age, their BMI.  

All  you need to do to join, is start posting, usually with some of the weight information.

I do find this to be an amazing group of smart, wise, kind, and determined people.  I look forward to this next challenge, and sharing this journey and all we learn with each of you.

Bobbi

[WalkingLisa]

@ThatGreen - sounds like you have a good plan and are motivating yourself to see it through.  That's awesome!  Hang in there and hopefully you will see another loss next week.  

[WalkingLisa]

@GettingfitinSC - Man that stinks!  I am the same with 300 lbs, every time I get close I start sabotaging.  + 1.3 lbs is not to bad and you can bounce back.  I have found that if I stay consistent with exercise that I can manage the food part better.  Its tough in the south (i am in ATL) as it is hot and humid and I prefer outside to a gym.  Keep your head up and do your best and hopefully soon you will be past 209.  You deserve it and I know you can do it!

[WalkingLisa]

@ThatGreen - WOW!  Ten peaks in one weekend!  I have done two and was spent.  I know you can do all 18 in the few months you have left.  Keep it up and let us know how you are progressing, so inspirational!!

[WalkingLisa]

@OrionNebula - CONGRATS on the loss!!  I am at 313.3 this week!  Congrats on your steps too, 20,000 is a lot of steps and it takes hard effort to get there. Keep up the great work.  Oh and good luck on your job on Monday.

[WalkingLisa]

@Bobbinyc - sorry to hear you have been going through so much, but it sounds like maybe your on an upswing.  Congrats on the loss and I hope it is sustained and the beginning of much more loss.  Hang in there!

[ThatGreen]

@_Lilac_  I'm still hoping to do #11 today, but the weather is not cooperating so far. All gray and foggy and the clouds are so low that if I went hiking I'd probably be swallowed by a giant cloud at some point.

@Bobbinyc  I'm not in good shape by any means, but I've gotten a lot stronger in the last few months. It's pretty easy to see improvement when you start from scratch.

My #10 was an eye opener as to my improvement since last year. Just when I was starting out last spring my mom "dragged" me up that one and I remember just having to stop and take breaks all the time because I couldn't breathe.

Going with her and my sister this Saturday I was just walking along and while I can't say it was super easy, it sure felt that way when comparing with last year. That was just the best feeling...

The hikes are very varied, but all 18 peaks are between 100 and 1000 meters above sea level and nearly all of them start around sea level.

The two smallest ones are just above 100 meters and one took me maybe 20 minutes to get up (I was disappointed) and the other took 1 hour. A great example to how varied the trails and elevation can be.

The hardest one I've done so far was almost 600m "straight up" and it took me 1h 45m (3hr total). I think I took a break every 15-30 seconds. I'm happy I made it, but I'm not doing it again until I'm in better shape because it was absolutely terrible.

Out of the last eight, I haven't been on any of them that I can remember, but based on elevation I'd classify four as hard, three as medium and one as easy. Two of the four hard ones are a bit of a drive away and I feel like those are some sort of whole-day-projects and I'm saving those for later so I have time to get in better shape.

@OrionNebula  That sounds amazing! Your country just baffles me cause it's so huge and the Appalachian trail alone is the length of Europe or something. I might run into a few people if it's on the weekend and the weather is really nice but usually I get to enjoy nature by myself and it's just a great feeling.

Wow, 10.000 ft sounds like a killer view! Over 3 times as high as anything around here too. You have to let me know when you decide to conquer it cause it sounds absolutely amazing! 6 miles of any sort of elevation sounds insane, though.

Good luck!

@WalkingLisa  Oh, wow, no. I did 10 so far this season. The 10th was done this weekend. I wish I could do 10 in a day.

I did four of those in the same day as they're a bit connected and you don't have to return all the way to the starting point to do the next each time. More like a round trip where you can go out of your way to reach each peak but don't have to do them all. Great hike! I have plans to go back and do it again later this summer to see if I can improve my time.

-

Since I started writing this, the clouds have started lifting! I'm gonna eat some proper food for fuel and then head out for #11.

[annypi]

@Bobbinyc I get how you feel, the whole I feel like I am doing everything I can and the scale wont move and all I want is my body back feeling. 3 years ago I was at the end of my first year of grad school and I had managed to drop weight rather than gain it. i was weighing 170 lbs. in great shape and only about 10 pounds from GOAL. After a summer of study abroad in Europe the weight came back on and I shot up to 190 and once school started again the WINE with dinner every night habit I picked up in Southern France didn't kick so I finished grad school at about 195 and then my move to Miami added another 10 pounds so here I am about 8 months into getting used to delicious Cuban food all around me and I have dropped the 10 pounds that the tastes of home gave me BUT I JUST WANT TO AT LEAST GET MY BODY BACK! So you aren't alone. Your comments and encouragement to everyone here really help and this challenge will help. So I hope you start to feel better and that these medications don't have their way with you. We are stronger than the food we run to to make us feel better about anything, we can beat the laziness that we face about working out. We GOT this! Thanks for sharing Bobbi, hearing a bit of your struggle and encouragement makes it easier for anyone to feel like they aren't the only ones struggling. 

[RachelShrinks]

So last week, I made my 30 pounds lost goal and I felt great and I was all ready to do this Hashimoto dietary plan... And then I TOTALLY fell off the wagon. Totally. Drank soda, ate junk food. It was weird and disturbing. I've decided that a lot of it is that, subconsciously, I don't want to find out that I have to give up MORE things to really fix myself. I'm tired of giving up things. Let's forget the fact that I had no bloating or belly pain and minimal fibromyalgia pain the two weeks I didn't eat dairy or gluten and cut down on carbs. Let's ignore the amount of energy I had (walked an average of 26k a day during that time), because my brain doesn't want to hear that. It wants to hear that I can lose weight and feel fine and eat McDonald's.

Screw that.

I'm taking this obnoxious weight gain (which, because I'm on my period, isn't actually as bad as it looks) and learning from it. Back to the good stuff with me!

USW 194 (1/1/2017)

CSW 165.3 (5/30)

CW (6/7) 163.6 (-1.7) Made my birthday goal early! YAY!

CW (6/14) 166 (+ 2.4)

CGW (7/4) 159.9 (6.1 pounds—~2 lb a week)

UGW 145-ish? I keep revising, but basically anything under 150 is good

[_Lilac_]

I was so happy to read through everyone's posts today. I had so many notifications...I thought, "Wow, somebody is busy writing up a storm!" I was desperate to sit down, so it was a great time to read. I got a call from Mom saying she couldn't walk due to an appointment. I took the dogs to get a new anti-pull thingamajig and when I dropped them off at home, I walked to a kitchen remodeling showroom, which is attached to a window/door place. I have two quotes coming in for my kitchen counter replacement and my picture window replacement. AND I got a reference for a guy who can do something with my falling apart back porch. Yippee. I continued to the hardware store and from there *huff puff* I turned to go home but made pit stops at the pharmacy for water and then a store to pick up some grub. I hit 10,000 steps by 11am and I wasn't home yet! I cleaned my house (because I had these guys coming to measure for the estimates) and I'm sitting at 14,415 steps currently. I'm really tired and just need to relax. I don't want to push my knee too much, though it's not hurting. I already made plans to go walking with Mom tomorrow and my sister is going to come over and help me in my flower bed and plant lettuces and swiss chard and spinach in my planters for the deck. Phew, I'm worn out just reading it all back. 

I had the energy, I felt good, and I still feel good. Now to get some veggies into me. The notes in here about the mountains and hiking are great. And btw, I'm at the northeastern end of the Appalachians but they aren't mountains by the time they reach here. We aren't too hilly. Such an ancient mountain range...it even stretches into Europe. (Geology and Geography was a fav subject of mine).

[DJC_63]

@WalkingLisa,  I know where Gwinnett is, although I never lived there. I lived in Cobb/Marietta for awhile and then up 400 around Dunwoody. My Dad lived in Douglasville for 27 years until he passed in 2013. My brother lives in town, right off of the Howell Mill Road exit on 75. I would still be there if I hadn't gotten a job offer in Southern California. Atlanta has so many good things to offer, I miss the variety that a large city has. 

Do you like living there? 

[DJC_63]

Nice to see you back, @awood08! You are a crazy busy woman! That is impressive. If I remember right, you bought a new house last summer, right? How are you liking it?

[DJC_63]

@Bobbinyc  I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!! I so hope that it keeps going down, since I know how long you've been trying and how hard you work. If giving up dairy works for you I might have to think about it. Once again, YAY for you!

Also I'm glad to know that there is someone else with a car almost as old as mine! I'm attached to it, it's been through so much with me. It was the newest car I've ever owned and the first one that I found by myself (my Dad had always went shopping with me but he was struggling with cancer back then). I found out the A/C needs some repairs which are pretty expensive. I HATE being without A/C, but I don't have that amount of money for repairs, plus I don't know if it's worth putting that much money into such an old car. On the other hand.... I don't have money for a new car right now.  Ugh. I consoled myself with a cinnamon muffin tonight.

[Gayle1018]

Morning!  hard to believe we are half way through June already...   

Had a long t-storm last night, I was out trying to get my last walk in when we got stuck in it about a mile away.  - So ran home, streets were flooding, stepped in hole -- so need less to say completely soaked and now have a boo-boo to the palm of my hand.   Didn't even make step goal 

haven't gone down much on the scales. BUT the good news is I now able to get into my size 8 cargo pants I bought 6 years ago... and I can breath too.  Guess I can't have both in the same week.  But very excited that things are fitting again.

-- gonna hit step goal today!  who's with me?

[annypi]

@ThatGreen So after reading some of the posts on here and trying to find good ideas about getting motivated I have decided on 3 habits I want to develop. 1) Taking a picture with some goal clothes that def dont fit now but hopefully will as I start dropping the LBs, I want to see progress! 2) @ThatGreen your idea on a list of hills gave me an idea to make a list of running trails I want to hit in Miami. I want to complete the list by September 6th which will be my 1 year anniversary of having moved here, this way I get to see Miami while getting tan 🙂 THANKS FOR THE GREAT IDEA! 3) Today, as I have been for a while I logged my breakfast and lunch on the fitbit app and then for some reason I decided to finish my logging of last night's food choices, I wanted to understand why I had put on a pound if I ate pretty healthy and went to the gym... revelation I went over my calories, not by much but I went over and I realized something i already kind of knew when the forks are crossed you are done so STOP. From no on I'll make sure I log while I eat or during the day and not after so I know that i need to STOP! I had the tools in my hands all along. If I stick to the app it promises to get me to goal by HALLOWEEN so here we go!

[ksarasarah]

Hi,  I hope I'm not too late to join in this Challenge, but I'm on a mission and I need guidance.  My weight has been fluctuating a lot usually between 138lbs - 144lbs.  I want to get to 125lbs.

USW - 144lbs

SW - 144lbs

CW - 138lbs

GW -125lbs for Halloween

UGW -125lbs

height- 5’3

age- nearly 40

30% body fat when last I checked about a month ago. I want to get down to to 23% or less. I desperately want a 6 pack. I'm getting older, it's now or never.

My diet pics (& fitbit screenshots)

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN3motEK_Mn2qNO--kx9LaGxKMZ3VbJ8EKVw7ZkXEI25x8LSmybCWyrIZjqG0_X...

(live and updated album).

Any advice you can shed? Is my diet ok? Are portion sizes too big?  Should I eat 5 small meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning snack? afternoon snack?) I think I'll stop drinking entirely until July 4th, it could help. I was drinking Vodka before, b/c it has low calories compared to other alcohol - but perhaps I should stop.

Thanks!

Sarah

[_Lilac_]

Well, something interesting just happened. I had the guy from the kitchen reno place here and he wanted to see how the people had installed the bad tile on my kitchen counters. He pulled down this panel and looked underneath. It was a whole other storage area that I never knew I had!!!! Inside was one fancy looking cast iron pan and childrens' party hats. The dude left his $100 pan (I looked it up online) when he sold me the house. It looks brand new. When I was reaching for the party hats in the back, I bent my knees down to a squat and immediately I felt the wrenching in my bad knee. DRAT *smuga-braka-flazagrr-ahhh* (yes, it was cartoon-swearing worthy). Now, I'm so scared I've re-damaged it. I'm going to take a pill immediately and rest. 

This morning I'd walked with Mom in the park and later took my dogs out for a neighbourhood trek so I have 7000 steps already. That's going to have to be enough. I'm so scared I've injured myself again.

Oh, and the interesting thing is that as soon as it happened I got all dopey and tired, almost like I was drugged. I got all weak. Something is going on with my system. I know adrenaline sometimes pumps when you get hurt, but the opposite? I might lie down after I eat. I'm forgetting to have lunch lately and that's not good. 

Ok, just wanted to vent a bit. This knee has been such a problem.

[Gayle1018]

@_Lilac_  you sure started off with an interesting day!!  secret storage - wow.  and congrats on 7k already.

I got up and managed to get 3500 with the pup before work.  Had to go in to get blood draw for lab work--they missed 3 times so- gotta go back next week.  Hate lab work!

My little puddle diving Tuesday night caught up with me yesterday -and had hurt my palm when I went down, but now everything is ache.. I don't bounce like I use too.

Gonna try to get my 10.500 in today and hopefully more.   My church is having its annual Fish Fry - yum! so going to walk 3 miles to church to prepare for supper...then 3 miles home.

Have a great day all and a wonderful weekend!  

[Gayle1018]

@ksarasarah  welcome!!   I wouldn't try eating 5 meals a day unless that's your norm.

What's worked for me is to watch what I eat, quality and quantity.  Logging on Fitbit food really made me aware of how much or how bad I was doing at the time and before I ate.

the app is great for suggesting based on your age, info, and how fast you want to loose in setting calorie goals. 

This time it's not a diet - but a way of life outlook.  I've lost and gained myself too many times.   So far I'm down 45LB  and have about 7 to go to get where I want to maintain.  - with the thought if it takes me months that's OK,  as long as I don't gain or go back to old habits.

Love this group--we all share success, failures and frustrations and joys.  Keeps me on track knowing other are in the same boat, and we all row together.

Ok, have a good weekend and great having as a part of the community.

[_Lilac_]

I'm happy to say that my knee is ok so far after my scare of hurting it again yesterday. It was fine during my walk with the dogs this morning and also when my sister and I went up the street and back. I'm still going to rest it though. 

We have plans to 'laze around'. We might not even get any planting done. Back to walking tomorrow though. 

It's Friday...everyone celebrate! 

[OrionNebula]

Woke up this morning and I was down to 312.2!

USW - 330

SW - 316.5 June 2

CW - 314.2 June 11

CW - 312.2 June 16

GW - 305 July 4

UGW - 195

Because I'm so big, small weight loss isn't really visible, so sometimes it can be a little discouraging to not see any difference in my body. However, looking at those numbers, I'm approaching 20 pounds lost since my USW! My jeans are actually fitting more loosely than they did when I was heavier. I'm so looking forward to breaking the 300 mark, not only because it will be great to be back in the 200's, but also because I have some shirts I love that are just a little too tight now and will fit perfect then.

@WalkingLisa congrats on the loss! We're neck and neck!

@Bobbinyc glad to hear that the scale is moving for you! Dairy is a weird thing. Only about 30% of the world population is lactose tolerant, although there are plenty of lactose intolerant people who still eat cheese and yogurt because it doesn't bother them like milk does. Maybe you've been intolerant all along and it's finally decided to cause problems for you?

@ThatGreen this country is huge! I know because I drove across it in September of 2015 when I moved. There are some truly amazing places here! However, even people who live here don't even really know just how many great natural wonders there are. I don't doubt that the Appalachian trail is the length of Europe! It's so long! There's also the Pacific Crest trail out here in the west. I'd like to hike one of these long trails in their entirety, but it takes months to do them - it would take me years doing it in small chunks to complete the whole thing! 

@_Lilac_ Glad to hear that your knee is ok!