Labor Day to Halloween Challenge 2016

[Bobbinyc]

Welcome to the next Challenge!

This one will start on Labor Day and continue to Halloween, 2016.  That gives us 8 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, 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'm very excited about continuing with this wonderful group of people and meeting some new folks too.

Thanks to dancefoxtrot for starting the last challenge.

See you here on Labor Day!

[jadedkisses]

Totally normal @NikkiT333 and the best way. Slow and steady wins the race they say.  1.5 lbs this week is a great accomplishment and you should be so proud! You are doing so well! Congrats! 

[TT_is_me]

@NikkiT333 - Celebrate that loss! That means you cut out over 5,000 cals. GOOD FOR YOU!! That's a lot of food cut out or a lot of extra exercise. Don't deminish it just because it will take a while to get to your end goal. Just imagine in 6 wks when you will be about 10 lbs down at this rate! That will be great.

[Chlz1997]

Slow & Steady!  Making progress.  As I mentioned earlier - no gain during my county fair! I'm stoked!!! I found an old picture from Christmas 2007 when I had gotten down to 185# doing the Biggest Loser Challenge my local Y hosted... I actually don't look half bad....my goal is to be back to 185 (or less) before Christmas this year.  Best present I can give myself is a healthier, more energetic me!! #StayingFocused #KeepMovingForward

USW - Jan 1, 2016 - 220

CSW - Sept 1 - 208

W1 - Sept 22 - 206.2

Halloween Goal -199

[Bogdel]

" I told hubby I'm never brushing my teeth again cause it seems that brushing my teeth makes me gain weight. lol "

@SunsetRunner, I love your sense of humor! I needed a good laugh today. Thank you for it!

[Bogdel]

Congratulations on your 1st 10,000 steps and healthy grocery shopping, @_Lilac_. It's so encouraging when I read about someone's success and excitement in this challenge. Keep it up, friend!

[Bogdel]

@Nora58, Thanks again for mentioning Joel Fuhrman's book, "The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss". I just ordered both the cook book and the one that offers his teaching on healthy leaving. I can't wait to get them. 

[cadamsf · Accepted solution]

Excited to join this Challenge! I'm battling posterior tendonitis and trying to stay motivated. So I'm looking forward to working with everyone 🙂

[lkingston82]

I'm in! My problem is I work in a cubicle all day and work at a corporate building where they are always bringing in birthday cake, doughnuts and always having corporate meetings here where we can eat the leftovers. temptation overload. also, temptation of getting bored and eating. I had a fitibit last year but it died so i just recently bought the fitbit charge HR and i love it! I'm wanting to loose a total of 27 lbs because i am going to try to take my daughter and i on a vacation next year and want to look good in my swimwear but i also want to feel better. this is the heaviest i have been since i was pregnant. I dont like it. my pants are too tight, my shirts are too tight. Someone added me to a challenge of who can get the most steps and i LOVE IT! it has helped me get up and move around and every day this week i have gotten at least 10K steps! wheras if i just sit here....1 day last week i only made it to 2k steps. so i'm loving these challenges and these groups like this where we can get motivation to stay on track. Thank you for this group! i have been reading everyone's post and it is keeping me motivated!!!!!!

SW: 166

GW: 150

[Bobbinyc]

@cadamsf @lkingston82  Welcome!  people here generally post their weight each week, along with a reasonable goal to meet by Halloween.  We also post when we need tips, feel stuck, or to offer support and encouragement or suggestions.  We focus on becoming as healthy as possible for life, not just losing a certain no. of pounds by a date.  

Good luck to you on your journeys.  @cadamsf  Several of us have had tendonitis problems and can certainly relate.  Hope  you find relief and healing soon.

[_Lilac_]

Week 2 Day 5: 

I didn't post yesterday but I'll fill ya in. I went for a walk in a forested park worth 4000 steps. I wanted to continue but my Mom has a set trail she takes. I did some other things to hit my average daily step count. I had a fantastic dinner of fresh veggies and a lean chicken breast. mmmmm. It was a beautiful day and I met my weekly happiness goals. Mom and I are going to go walking 2-3 times per week.

Today, well, what an *expletive* day. I was awakened early in the morning with multiple mild seizures and a stronger one just before my alarm was to go off. I decided not to go to the pool and scare the lifeguards so I stayed home. I'm super tired and I feel like everything is tilted to the side when I walk around. Movement today has been limited but I'm staying under my calorie intake totals. It's just going to get worse over the next day or two. It comes in patterns. Hopefully all the work I've done this week will help me be successful on the scale. I'm stronger and my stamina has improved tremendously so that's more of a success I think.

Many of us have illnesses or limitations in some form or another. We can't let it stop us from working on making ourselves healthy. When I'm better I'll carry on with my walking and swimming. I have to. There is no getting around it now. I'm 47. This body fat isn't going to just melt off me without effort. I am not employed as a result of my disability, but that just gives me more time to dedicate to my health and happiness. I can exercise, paint, write fantasy and sci-fi stories, plan weekly happiness goals and meet them.

I know someone very close to me who is in the stage of making excuses for not helping herself. I've been there. I know how low we can get when at such a significant weight that it hurts to move. And that pain is real physically and mentally. I've been trying (without pushing) to suggest things to her for people who are chair/couch bound and I'm met with the reasons it wouldn't work. Something has to trigger the change in her thinking. I hope she finds it soon. I'd like to share successes and eventually walks with her but right now she can barely do that. 

I promised my husband before he died that I was going to take care of myself. I would be as healthy as I could be. He was a very big guy too. Physically taking care of him was difficult. Moving him was difficult. I can't put anyone else through that if something happens to me. So, here I am on this journey. Moving and eating well, tracking it all and encouraged by everyone here. I'm enjoying myself. I am thankful to my old workplace for providing all its employees with fitbits! What an amazing gift to all its sedentary people. 

Blah blah. I always go on too much. Stay healthy everyone. And if you have limitations or illnesses, we just have to work around them! No excuses!

[Bobbinyc]

@_Lilac_ I hope you feel better very soon.  I am glad you are taking such good care of yourself.  As always, I love your outlook.  You do NOT go on too much.  I find you very inspiring and I love your perspective.  We may not like our situation, it may be a struggle, but, the time is passing anyway.  We have a choice about how we use that time and what our lives will be like because of our efforts.  I had gained a lot of weight when sick and at first thought "it is just going to take too long to get this weight off".  Well, that time will go by and either the weight will be here or I will have gotten it off.  My choice.  Maybe I don't have total control, but I certainly can influence how my life goes and how my health goes.  At the very least I can feel good about myself for trying my best, and maybe I'll have success.  Please let us know how you feel.

[dancefoxtrot]

What a sweet little calf. Sad to imagine him as hamburger. Hope that he has a great life.

B

[dancefoxtrot]

@Bobbinyc

Hooray. That French pastry shop still has the skull and cross bones on the front door. Glad you are making such awesome changes. 

Barbara G

[TatiG]

Checking in this morning - yesterday I was down 10 lbs since I signed up (a few days before Labor Day). I might completely blast through my Halloween goal at this rate. (I HOPE I HOPE)

Fitbit has been really helpful in keeping track of my exercise, even when I can't completely track my calorie intake 100% perfectly. I'm meeting and beating my goals - it's great because I can use Saturday to "catch up" on where I need to be. I'll be starting week 3 in a few days - 10 lbs in 3 weeks, so excited. (I know it won't be this fast all the time, but it's a great start for me.)

[Bobbinyc]

@dancefoxtrot I can't thank you enough for your skull and cross bones image.  I see that on every temptation.  How are you doing?

[bluenose1962]

USW - 190 - 25/1/16

PW - 148 - 8/6/16

SW - 12/9/16 - 180.0

CW - 18/9/16 - 172.7

GW - 160

UGW - 145 (20/12/16)

Well thats week one for me over, and pleased with the result, as I can go into my week 2 prepared and optimistic.

Decided that for the first week, it would just start with concentrating on diet, a trip to the gym for a discussion and a 1.5 mile run yesterday, which I was quite pleased to complete, although 4 mins down on my time from June.

Increasing and controlling the steps this week, increasing calories to circa 1500 per day, with 2 fast days of 600 cals. It is not what any PT would recommend, but it works for me, and I know my body well enough after living in it for 54 years.

I was foolish putting weight back on, after getting more or less where I wanted to be, but after surgery I knew that I couldn't do much, so did nothing.

I had to be ready and motivated to bounce back, and unfortunately moderation is something that I have never been familiar with.

I know that this Fitbit will be a massive help, as I can measure progress against where I was before, adjusting gym work, steps and diet accordingly, to stay on track and hopefuly make some gains here and there.

As soon as I see a nice xmas jumper, I'm buying one 2 sizes smaller than last year, not keeping the receipt, and yes it will fit !

I'm keeping both chins up.

Happy days !

[NikkiT333]

NikkiT333

Jogger

17th sept 2016

USW -  221

SW -  196

CW -  193

GW - 185

UGW -  140.  

Another 1.5 pounds this week taking me to 2 stone down. Only another 3 stone to go in total but I am taking it slow.

I am off to turkey for 10 days next week so will try and do lots of walking and swimmimg and see if I can not gain too much.

Also thanks to everyone who replied to my last post. I am feeling much better about the 1.5 lb loss this week.

[NikkiT333]

USW -  221

SW -  196

CW -  193

GW - 185

UGW -  140.  

Another 1.5 pounds this week taking me to 2 stone down. Only another 3 stone to go in total but I am taking it slow.

I am off to turkey for 10 days next week so will try and do lots of walking and swimmimg and see if I can not gain too much.

Also thanks to everyone who replied to my last post. I am feeling much better about the 1.5 lb loss this week.

[almost_where]

Labor Day - 290

Week 1 - 290

Week 2 - 287 - CW

Halloween Goal -275

-3 lbs

[debb21]

USW 190 1-15

SW 142.2

CW 141

[A_Lurker]

---

A_Lurker wrote

USW: 407.0

CSW: 288.6 (Labour Day)

PW: 288.6 (9/4/16)

CW: 286.0 (-2.6)

GW: 275.8

UGW: Who knows

---

So, as expected, my weight is up.  The one thing I notice about eating out is how salty things are.  I rarely add salt to things I cook.  I had dinner on Friday night sitting outside (near a river) and the meal was fantastic, and relatively simple.  Steak with mushrooms and onions, broccolini, and roasted potatoes.  Not really far off from what I might have made myself.  I could definitely taste the salt though in the meal, yet I don't think it was necessarily over-salted (if that makes sense).  So, lots of guessing Wed-Sat when I got home, and....

USW: 407.0

CSW: 288.6 (Labour Day)

PW: 286.0 (9/11/16)

CW: 291.8 (+5.8)

GW: 275.8

UGW: Who knows

And I was almost down a pound Wed morning before I left, so the jump is higher.  Honestly, I don't care because we all know you can't gain over 6 pounds in 4 days.  Well, not unless you're eating huge amounts of food, which I didn't do.

I had a good time though, which included dinner with a friend I don't see as much since I stopped going to the US monthly.  We ended up at a place called the Deadwood Bar & Grill (Northville, MI) and had a fantastic evening... although I did drink more than I usually do.  On Friday I actually hit a personal best (over 15,000 steps) and it made me realize that I have to work on my stamina a bit more.  Saturday I couldn't repeat it, and for the first time had issues with the two trackers syncing.  I think it was partly because there were both in immediate range.  I came back showing over 9000 steps (glanced at the tracker in the elevator) and then was down to just over 6000 in the room when it synced.  I manually added it, but it was odd.  I also have one evening where it took my sleep readings from the Blaze I wasn't wearing.

Friday night I sat in the semi-dark to dark outdoor patio enjoying my meal (and a decent bourbon or two) and woke up to a horrible rainy day to drive home through.  I need to do some weeding and bulb planting but it's pretty wet outside at the moment.  I may wait and try later in the afternoon (although it does look like it's going to be a hot day).  Definitely not complaining as it will be fall/winter here soon enough.

@_Lilac_ - just wanted to add that I enjoy reading your posts, so ramble away.  I actually like reading all of the posts, but I'm trying to limit my time sitting in front of the computer, so I don't always answer them.