Labor Day Challenge 2015

[GoneForARun]

Hello and welcome to the Labor Day Challenge 2015. 

We welcome all newbies and the awesome achievers from our 4th of July Challenge. 

This new challenge starts on July 5th and ends on Labor Day, Sept 7th.  So please feel free to post your Labor Day weight loss goals here and we'll be sure to provide lots of encourgament and support along the way.  I've listed my goals below.  Hoping to ready for my Labor Day Disney vacation.  For the newbies, here is a short key: SW = Starting Weight, CW = Current Weight, GW = Goal Weight, UGW = Ultimate Goal Weight.

SW: 200 (Jan 5)

CW: 173.3

GW: 159 (Labor Day)

UGW: 150 (Oct 13th, Wedding Anniversary!)

Trish

[Annie_Daisy]

PhoenixLady,

are you talking about this?

http://www.doctoroz.com/article/your-guide-total-10-rapid-weight-loss-plan

[Phoenixlady]

Yes. I thought a few days of quick weight loss would motivate me to keep going. I am reading about losing muscle vs fat and it seems that losing weight quickly is associated with loss of muscle. At my age (62) I need to build more muscle. That may mean that the scale shows a increase but it will make losing weight easier if I have more muscle. Has anybody else heard of this?






Sent from Windows Mail

[tired1]

HI,

I will be 63 later this summer and my job gets me 10000 steps daily. I need to loose 35 pounds and need motivation to get more steps when not working. I lost 22 pounds with weight watchers but am gaining weight back since I stopped going due to cost.Hoping this challenge does the trick.

SW 195

CW180

GW 169

UGW145

[EileenB4796]

HI,

I am new to FitBit (only 7 days in), but I really like the feedback and motivation that it provides. This will be my first challenge, wish me luck!.

SW 235

CW 233

GW 220

UGW 160

[dancefoxtrot]

tired1

Hi there,

You know what you learned in WW so keep eating lots of veggies and lean protein. We are doing this together to gain greater health and energy. You might want to change tired1 to determined1 to help you perserve.  

We can all do this.

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

Phonix lady

You have it right. Keep muscle mass and build more. Eat veggies and lean protein and lose steadily and be consistent and patient.  When we up exercise we burn more cals. and hold a little more water to keep us hydrated.  The scale may show no weight loss for a few weeks but we may be emptying fat cells and building muscle.  Muscle burns cals. 8x more than any other body tissue.  We need our muscles to build not break down.

Be patient and you will get to your goal and be healthier. This is for a healthy lifetime.

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

ouch, Phoenix lady. 

If swollen, rest, elevate & ice. 

Fell better soon.

Barb

[Sandpiper800]

Yes. I know adding some weight training helps. Besides building muscle, which we all lose as we age, it helps the metabolism. I haven’t done any for a couple of months, but plan to add some this week. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but it should last at least 20 minutes or so. Good luck, everybody!

[Annegirl]

I like the idea of stating how we plan to hit our goals!

I plan to keep averaging 16k steps a day, for starters. I will work up to doing three 2 mile runs a week (within the next few weeks. I already do at leas one a week) and 10 pushups 4 times a week (I've never done them. For the eating part, I'll continue to average 1600 calories a day (plus a 1900-2100 splurge / calorie spike day). Since this gives me an average 700-1000 calorie deficit as long as I hit my 16k, this works well for me(and I pretty much always hit it. I missed it 2 times this month). I want to focus on eating more in the morning and less after dinner, as well as focusing on nutrient dense foods and on upping my protein. I aim for 45% carbs, 25% protein, and 30% fat calories, give or take 5%. Since I've been aiming for those goals (major protein increase, carb decrease for me), I feel fuller, have more energy, and got past my plateau! Finally....I my secondary goal (along with losing 13 lbs to get to 147), is to get in shape to run a 5k by Labour day! Hopefully all the above will help me do that.

[dancefoxtrot]

Wow Annie Girl impressive,

This is helpful to write out specific achieveable goals to get to our weight goal. 

I'm trying to be careful about eating late at night when I won't be burning it just pumping up my fat cells.

I will try for 10k + each day with a weekly average of 75,000 or better.

Another goal is to catch up on my darn paperwork, taxes, filing, etc.. Not calorie intensive but it lowers the cortisol which makes it easier to lose. 

Now up off my seat and get water to drink and water the garden. 

Barbara G

[Annegirl]

Thank you! I started off just trying to hit 10k and cut back on sugar. I've slowly added goals and steps. Basically, everytime I "master" a healthy habbit and it starts to feel normal, I add another. So, it's been easier than I thought it would :-). I still need to lose 30+ lbs total, but at 19 lost I feel better already. It's been slower than I'd like (6 months for 20lbs), but I was determined to do this in a healthy and sustainable way. It's be nice if it would speed up a LITTLE, though 😉

[Sunny36]

My goal is to consistently reach 15,000+ steps a day and to track what I eat. I do pretty good during the week, but then I completely loose it on the weekends!

[dancefoxtrot]

Hi Sunny

Do you understand why you loose it on the weekends? I bet if you understand it you can change it.

Best,

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

Annegirl 

If you want quicker aim for 1400 cals instead of 1600 and splurge day 1x a month not each week. You may speed up your weight loss this way.  

You are on your way and are making wonderful new habits to last a life time. 8-) 

Barb

[DrSteele]

Hello - I'm a newbie!! Just got my FitBit and still trying to figure this out. I would love to join the challenge. My personal goal is to lose 41 lbs before my 50th birthday in January!! A Labor Day goal is a good start for me. 

SW: 226

CW: 225

GW: 209

UGW: 180

Thanks for the encouragement and challenge!!

Laura

[Annegirl]

Dancefoxtrot,

As much as I exercise, that's probably not the best plan. I don't want to slow my metabolism or burn muscle instead of fat. As much as I'd like a quick fix, trying extreme diets was what destroyed my health and metabolism, send me near anorexic and eventually causing me to gain 60 pounds when I started eating again. Believe me, it's not a self control issue - I used to eat 400 calories a day...on the days I ate.

So while I wish the weight would drop off quicker, the risk is NOT worth the reward. 1500 calories for a active person isn't a lot, and the calorie spike days are about keeping my metabolism fueled and preventing bad mental patterns. Eating disorders are like alcoholism. There are no "former" members of either

[Mermaid3011]

@Phoenixlady

Ugh poor you! I hope you are o.k. and feeling better soon! Walking is important, but in the end 80% of your success is decided in the kitchen (i.e. how we eat), so dont feel discouraged! You can still do this, even if you arent able to get those 10k steps in right now!!

[Mermaid3011]

@Annie_Daisy

Exercise is awesome and really good for us, so I am trying to get to 10k steps every day. It usually doesnt work during the work week (desk job), but on weekends I am doing fine (walking my dog more often and longer distances, walking to do my errands etc).

I have lost 44 lbs since Jan 1 and most of this is due to making better food choices though. I was told that 80% of my weightloss depends on my food choices and that I can't outrun my fork. So that's what I do. 500-750 cal deficit per day over the course of a week and I lose nicely.

Another goal I have is not to get discouraged when "That time of month" comes around. I always pack on 3 lbs and it drives me insane, but I also know that they will be gone after a week. So... I am practicing to accept mother nature and the weight swings.

[Mermaid3011]

@Annegirl

Oh wow you so sound like me!!

I've made some really silly choices in the last 20 years when it comes to dieting and I have to be very careful not to get back into the "the quicker the better" cycle. (That's usually when I would lose 50 lbs quickly and then pack on 75 lbs right after)

Good for you for recognizing this and being mindful of your approach! I applaud you! 

I have actually decided to get medical help this time around. For my health, for my sanity and for a longterm success. My doctor is seeing me every month and she is making sure that I keep a sensible diet and lose weight, but dont go overboard with it. So does my Psychologist. She is helping me to see my successes instead of focussing on the things I havent achieved (yet).

[Mermaid3011]

O.k. so just for the record - here are my stats for the Labour Day Challenge! 

Considering that I just dropped 3 lbs suddenly (after vacation and a flight, which usually adds water weight) I am going to aim for 228 lbs... that's an even 10 lbs in 9 weeks. 

Labour Day Challenge
USW Jan 1 - 283.4 lbs (size 22/24)

CSW July 4  - 241.6 (size 18)

CW - 238.0
GW - 228.0

+++++++
Halloween GW 218
Christmas GW 210
Valentine's day GW 200
Easter GW 190
Ultimate GW 180 by Victoria Day 2016 (May 23)