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!

[SunsetRunner]

Week 2 Complete...

+1.2 lbs for the week. still down -4.1 lbs from the start.

USW 154.7

SW 153.2

CW 149.1

GW 137.2

UGW 130.0

SBF: 23.4%

CBF: 22.5%

5'5", M, 40y

I had six workouts, 3 easy 3 mile runs, and 3 stronglifts 5x5 workouts (squat, bench, overhead press, row, and deadlift.) 

Total calories burned were 17,185 (literally only 4 more calories than week 1) and total calories eaten was 13,111 (1,873 per day) for a total deficit of 4,074 which in theory should have created a loss of 1.16 lbs but instead I gained 1.2 lbs instead which is a bummer. I think to be fair that I ate a bit too much yesterday, and very very late at night and so I had some water weight this morning at my weigh in, I bet I'm considerably lower at my weigh in tommorow.

The real story here is I am still on track for my goal but I will fail if I don't get my eating in order. I far too many times justifed eating over my goal this week because I lost so much weight week 1. Well now I've squandered my early results but I'm still on track, IF I still go for a 2 lb per week loss. To do that the math is simple... keep working out and eat 1400 calories a day, period. Eating 1900 calories a day like I did this week isn't going to do it. The irony is I feel better when I eat the lower calories and much of what I did this week was snacking and getting an extra 100-200 calories here and there and that adds up.

Enough, the workouts are on point and I know what I need to do. Next week the results will be significantly better and the numbers will match my goals because the only one making good or bad choices is me.

Good luck everyone!

[_Lilac_]

Week 3 Day 1: 

Sorry about the self-pitying, 'woe is the scale' post yesterday. Alas, it was premature. The scale has decided to function again and surrendered in its battle against me. It knows it had better behave because it is simply made of glass and electrodes and those can be broken so much easier than my spirit. I glared at it menacingly this morning and threatened to remove its batteries if it didn't shape up! And it bowed under the pressure. I did have to make one concession though...I agreed to stop using it so often and to use it only as an infrequent guide. The scale is happier and that will ultimately make me happier. I even had a brilliant idea. I'm going to put it in a room in the far reaches of my house that would require me to go up a flight of stairs to get at it. Extra steps!

I went to my aquafit class today. I had a good breakfast. The dogs and I had a nap. If the rain quits, we'll take a walk then I have plans to do a 15-20 min video workout later. My average daily steps has been 6-7k, so this week as one of my weekly happiness goals, I'm going to budge it up to 7-8k daily.

Good luck and happy stepping everyone! 

[RhondaSmith99]

USW - 219 May?

SW -    212.6 (9-4-16)

CW -    206.5 (9-12-16)  -6.1 - I'm guessing this was water weight

CW -    208.2 (9-19-16)  +1.6 - A backlash, no biggie

CW -    206.3 (9.26.16)  - 1.8 - Not bad, still could have done better with my food

CW -    205.4 (10.3.16)  - .9 - Almost a pound gone, wish it could have been more but it was a rough week

GW -    200

UGW - 145

I'm actually surprised that there was a loss this week, I expected to have a gain. We spent a good bit of the week riding in the car so I didn't get my exercise in and most of my meals were eaten out. But I have to kick it higher if I want to meet my goal weight for this challenge!

Have a great week everybody! 

[Bobbinyc]

@nmroadrunner  That's great!  It's great to lose the weight, but to me the best part is the health and energy to live a better life.  Good for you!

[Bobbinyc]

@_Lilac_  You are so funny!  I am glad the scale finally moved for you.  Good idea about moving it - we give the number on it so much power.  And you are right - your spirit is incredibly strong.

[klan7044]

@Bobbinyc and @almost_where Thanks! No date yet. 🙂 Too busy to really sit
down and discuss together

[TT_is_me]

USW - 315

SW -    274

CW -    269.5  -4.5 lbs

GW -    260

UGW - 160

Finally, a move in the right direction! I swear the scale just likes to give ya a crappy week or two and then surprise ya with a big one. Feels good to be out of the 70's. It's the lowest I have been in about 3.5-4 yrs. THAT'S HUGE FOR ME 🙂

I've started talking with more of my friends about my weight loss journey. Before, I was trying to white knuckle it alone, only relying on myself and maybe one other person for support. Now as I share, I have had many more friends who want to join in exercise with me, continue to offer support and share their own goals. It makes things so much better than doing it alone. Really appreciative for those people in my life.

[TT_is_me]

@_Lilac_ - your post totally cracked me up! I probably would have also been threatening the scale this week if it still didn't move in the right way. Too funny....

[_Lilac_]

@TT_is_me congrats on your record low!! It's so exciting. It confirms what you are doing is working. And support is tremendously important. The women in my family have always struggled with their weight so I have plenty of people around me who work at this off and on. My mom is being extremely encouraging because she is renewing her efforts toward a healthy lifestyle. My daughter is doing the same, though to me she's little (in size) so the struggles are different. She'll have a harder time to lose but it's easier for her to do the physical work that it will take. (My kids are half Kenyan so YAY their father's genes have interfered with the obesity genes from my family). 

For the first week or so of my journey with my fitbit (just before this challenge) I was going it alone. I didn't really want to share with anyone because it can be such a personal struggle. And what if you fail? Or what if you have weak moments and have two hotdogs at a cookout with your friends/family and they are watching you and judging you? But I think maybe it's easier to say, "I'm really having a hard time today," while stuffing in that dog with fixin's and let them tell you it's ok and they'll hike with you tomorrow or tell you to take some of that awesome salad home with you to make up for it when you get hungry later. So in that week when I was silent with friends/family I relied on the support of the people HERE, who were signing up for this challenge. And I read every post and see how people are doing each day. I write how I'm doing every day as a way to feel part of something, ya know? I'm glad you are getting support too. 

Again, congrats on your milestone!!

[jadedkisses]

USW - 235.4 

SW - 225.0 

CW - 225.0

Week 1-ish- 223.6 (-1.4) Sept 14

Week 2- 220.8 (-2.80 & - 4.2 "Total") Sept 19

GW - 215.0 

UGW - 180.0 

A much better week for me this week with dropping weight. Taking my first spin class tonight so if I don't check in next week then the class officially killed me 

Love reading everyone's posts! So encouraging, we are all doing phenominal. 

[AndyDandyPandy]

Update: Week 1: 4 lb loss

              Week 2: 3.4 lb loss

USW: 292 lb

SW: 236 lb

CW: 232 lb (9-12-16)

CW: 228.6 lb (Today)

GW: 210 lb

UGW: 170 lb

(Life)GW: 150 lb

Haven't seen the 220's in 7 year. 2nd personal goal met! I am now below 230. Hard work and consistency pays off. All those days of drowning in my own sweat, and feeling the burn is paying off.

I make each day count so I have tomorrow to look forward to. To me, workout/exercise is the most important, even more than what I'm eating. Anybody can just go on a diet, but it takes a lot of will power to stick with a exercise routine and fufil it day after day. Besides, when you are stronger physically, it improves mentality and willpower to keep on pushing for success and not binge. Exercising is what keeps me from binging and it stopped my cravings. I'm sure any adult can spare atleast 1 hour a day to exercise. 

I didn't start out great either. Being over 300 lb before, intense exercising was tedious and hard to do and I'll tire myself out in 10 minutes. But what I do know is that I can walk. Don't let people fool you that if you're not doing something intense than you're not working hard. For heavier people walking is as good as jogging/running and you won't injure yourself from walking. I slowly pushed myself from slowly walking to higher inclines and now I am a runner. I want to lose weight but I also want to be healthy, fit, strong, and handsome as I lose weight.

One of my inspiration is a youtuber called coolduder. He was over 400 lb and he got under 200 lb by simply walking and eating healthy/counting calories.

Even after all I said, the main thing is consistency and lifestyle changes. Yes, do something that works for you and then do it for life or else your old habits will come back to haunt you until you get put back in your place. 

[A_Lurker]

@Bobbinyc - my last two week long vacations I actually came back lighter than I left. Oddly enough I think some of that was having lots of self-serve choices.  Put me in front of a buffett and I can make great choices.  In the Dominican this year I think it was only a pound less when I came back, but I drank a fair bit, and had desserts with every dinner and some lunches.  However, they were tiny, almost bite-sized - which was easy to control.

This morning I'm actually down more than 3 pounds from yesterday, which I expected.  I know better, that I didn't gain 6 pounds in three days.  Even with underestimating fat and sugar in meals there's just no way I was that far off.  I do think that the huge jumps when you change your eating patterns can trip some people up.  One of the guys I was in with the weight loss challenge at work would lose 3, 4, and 5 pounds a week doing low carb.  They he'd do a fairly low-cal, but higher carb weekend and weigh in 10 pounds heavier.  I tried many times to talk about water, glycogen stores, etc. but I don't think he ever got it.  Oddly enough, of the 6 of us who continued to try and lose weight and/or maintain for the last 3 months - he's the only one who went back up.

[A_Lurker]

@_Lilac_- I have a Charge HR that's been waterproofed (third party, not an official vendor).  I do it because I want to capture my heart rate when I swim.  When I bought my Blaze recently I did the same thing, although I don't usually wear it in the pool.  Does your Ultra capture steps in the pool?  They're not really meant to (and my Charge HR is inconsistent, sometimes it will catch steps and sometimes not).  I wouldn't worry that much about it and just stick with what you have.

[_Lilac_]

@A_Lurker My Ultra does catch steps in the pool since I bounce up and down a lot with water jogging and crunches and jumping jacks and skiing, etc. I would think some of it isn't caught, like stretching and some of the larger, full body movements. I don't swim lanes or laps, it's water aerobics. It catches 3500-4500 steps, depending on the workout/instructor. My ziplock bag trick is working fine. I was considering the flex 2 because it will record my heart rate during the work out and tracks swimming. Not sure how it would measure the water aerobics class. 

Aaanndd I just checked the specs again on the Flex 2 and it does NOT record heart rate, sooo I'm back to the start of searching for a replacement device in case this one dies. 

[Bobbinyc]

I got way off track yesterday.  Sat. night I heard the news about the bomb in NYC.  My son lives there, and it was one of the rare times I actually knew what he was doing that night - he was in that neighborhood.  I didn't hear from him Sat night or Sunday morning.  I did well at first and took the stress out in activity - I went up and down the stairs 35 times, double my record.  When a 'friend' who was also upset about the bombings brought over pastry, I caved.  By the time I heard from my son, it was 1 French pastry and 3 pizza slices later. It wasn't even good pizza!  I don't know if I'm more angry at terrorism, my son, or me for eating that stuff.  I think I saw _Lilac_'s monster sitting on my scale this morning, smirking.  I threatened to remove the scale's batteries.  I'll will conquer this weight thing yet.

[_Lilac_]

@Bobbinyc That monster has nothing on us! Pastry and pizza is your excuse to check out what your body can do. 35 times on the stairs!!! I haul up one load of laundry from the basement and I'm out of breath! 35 times!!! What else do you have planned to fight that monster (besides removing the scale's power source)? I'd make a mini goal and when I dance across the finish line I'd cheer and point at the monster and bat that smirk off his face. My mom and I are going walking at a natural park tomorrow. I'm going to ask her to do an extra lap around the lake and dedicate it to you. We'll both laugh at the monster!!

[Bobbinyc]

@_Lilac_ You are a sweetie.  You usually make me laugh, but saying you'd ask your mom to walk around the lake and dedicate it to me....ok, now I'm teary. You really are one fierce kind soul.  I like your idea about a mini goal tomorrow.  I have a yoga/pilates class, so I'll focus on planning the food for tomorrow - stir fry, salad, salmon; and lots of water.  By the way, the 35 flights weren't all at once.  I'd go up, walk around, go down, walk around, text my rotten offspring, go up, etc. with breaks.  Still more than I've ever done.

Thanks so much for your support.  I really really appreciate it.

You seem to live in a wonderful place - a lake, a river, a natural park, woods...nice.

[WriterSue]

Sorry I'm so late to the party, just found it, and really want to join in.

USW -264
SW - 229
CW - 229
GW - 215
UGW - 175

I was 264 in 2007, the 3rd of 5 years of being a caregiver to 2 different family members back-to-back. Got down to 199 by 1/12/2011 when I broke my ankle. Zipped back up to 240 in about 5 sedentary months. 😞

@_Lilac_  Enojy your comments about the scale monster!  Good luck!

[Bobbinyc]

@A_Lurker  Sounds like you do a really nice job on your vacations.  

I agree with you about the jumps.  I know some people also experience a scale freeze.  I sometimes forget it is a biological process, not mechanical.  The body needs its time to sort out fat, salt, sugar, water...etc.  The best we can do is be fairly consistent with healthy food and activity, and our bodies will eventually be where they need to be.

You seem to be very well informed.

[_Lilac_]

@Bobbinyc I live in a smallish city (140,000 people) on the east coast of Canada. I'm 20 min from the beach, have a tidal river that flows through the city. There are forests surrounding us with Christmas tree farms and family run maple syrup productions. We also have blueberry and strawberry fields, lobsters and lots of potato crops. So my city alone has three natural parks within the town limits! I guess we are lucky to have the convenience of city living but within reach of nature.