Labor Day to Halloween Challenge 2017

[_Lilac_]

Hello everyone and welcome to the Labor Day to Halloween Day challenge.

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!

[Gayle1018]

@_Lilac_   Proud of you on your new out look i.e. no buffet!!.  I'm a stress eater too and been not as good,  I had a gas leak last month that of course wasn't covered.  Didn't know - gas co just came out and shut it off and said my problem..  so after 2 days off work and over 2K - all better.    I'm trying to develop and keep the outlook you have of not doing that anymore!  (i wasn't as bad  as i use to be).

I did appreciate your experience- it makes me rethink priorities!

Heading out camping and kayaking for 3 days - very excited the weather is great here,  I can always clean the house when it rains or snows.... hee-hee.

OK now that you all have inspired me-- will go forth unto the day and weekend.  check with you all on Monday!  

welcome to all!!!  and boo

[Bobbinyc]

Lots of new and "old timers" here now.  Wonderful.

I've been missing in action here for a bit and am hoping to re-focus my efforts.  That always includes being in here with this wise supportive group.

My weight went back up from 181 to 182.  This time I can say I had been too sedentary.  Hopefully being active again will bring that down.

I havent really set goals, as my weight was so rigidly stuck for so long.  Whatever I lose is great (for now), until I figure out what else is going on with my body.  Giving up dairy has made a huge difference, but I'm not back to my old self yet.  This week I give up gluten and see what happens.

My goal: get back to drinking 8 glasses of water

               walk at least 4 miles most days

               strength train 2x week  (or strength and a pilates tape)

We can do this together!

[lynda604]

good for you, exercise out your stress not eat your way back into it. very insightful thinking! I'm going to join the challenge. Hang in there.

[LIFESGOALS]

Thank you... and thanks for the encouragement. 


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[LIFESGOALS]

 Good for you on wanting to get back on track.   I joined a Zumba class 2 nights a week.... looking to keep focused on my goal. 


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[LIFESGOALS]

 Yes,  just starting out with this.  I hope this helps me to keep motivated.   Do you post the weight just once a week?


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[m4ytb]

Hi,

I am new to fitbit and I really hope this Challenge become the start of motivation than the last -- I'll try to be more active & post regularly.

 as of today:

UGW- ultimate goal weightUSW - 195lb ()

fitbit start weight Sept 2016 - 195lb

PCSW (previous challenge start weight) -195.5lb

CW - 195lb

GW -175lb  (20lbs loss)

I basically work out 30 minutes a day for at least 4 days a week but I have been gaining more than losing.  I believe that I am dedicated to 5 days a week  applying at least 30 minutes but my eating habit and social life can get the best of me. I know I need to get my mindset back into at least eating right and working out at least 3 days a week  doing more than 30 minutes a day.  So not only will I try to commit to posting and decreasing some of my favorites like pizza, fries and wine, in which, I plan to remove pizza and fries out of  my diet by starting this month and try to not sub any other bad carbs in it's place.   I over did it a little & hurt my shoulders so am guessing that is what's kept me away.  I

With the motivation of sharing my process and hoping that my reporting each week, will allow me to stay on track and stick to seeing a difference. 

Thanks for the motivation and Good luck everyone!!!

[_Lilac_]

@LIFESGOALS People post their weight whenever they want. Usually weekly on the same day. I don't post because I have a weird 10 day loss cycle. I'm always outta whack. But you can post whenever you want. 

[m4ytb]

Thank you.

[_Lilac_]

Anniversary post:

I joined the Labor Day challenge last year for the first time. I was 355 lbs and practically immobile. I was averaging 2000 steps a day maximum. My husband had just died and was a big guy, so very difficult to care for in his illness. I was determined to fix this in myself because I didn't want anyone to have the same struggles if they have to take care of me as I age. I was ashamed I'd let my weight get so out of control. I could do very little physically. Walking my dog around the block was exhausting. I dug my ancient fitbit out of a box and hooked it on my waistband. 

I joined the challenge and did a lot of reading. I renewed my membership at the YMCA to access their pool and water aerobics classes. I'd used that class when I was 380lbs a few years before to drop to 300lbs (yes, I gained 55lbs back during his illness). Back I went to class. I began to have more energy, took the dogs for longer walks, and used my feet to get places rather than the bus. Over the winter my mother joined me in the journey and we took advantage of the mall walking club. My progress has been gradual. I am now up to 40 min walks every day, often reaching 10,000-14,000 steps/day, including taking the dogs out and other errands. Since I'm so heavy, I have had stress injuries so I have to be extremely careful. My goal is to be able to increase the intensity of my workouts without further injury.

MY LIFE HAS CHANGED COMPLETELY.  I no longer look at food as a reward, crutch, or escape. If I'm stressed I know I must exercise to make me feel better. If I'm hungry, I eat. If I'm thirsty, I drink but don't eat out of reflex. If I sit to watch tv, I don't eat out of habit. Instead, I've taken up multitasking habits, such as crochet or play solitaire on my tablet...but keep my hands and mind busy so I don't snack. I will put on a tv show I love and get on the treadmill or do a marching workout and light jog in my livingroom. By skipping commercials, I can get in a 40 min workout that way.

So, why am I telling you all this? Because no matter what your size, activity level, limits...you can make changes that will improve your life. The results don't have to be immediate. The methods don't have to be extreme. Over this last year I've lost 70 lbs. I've quadrupled (and more) my number of daily steps but my quality of life has grown X10. 

Get out there and have fun. Eat healthy food. Drink water. Sweat. I repeat, have fun. Celebrate the little successes (no extra cake today? woohoo!!)  You can bet that everyone here will celebrate with you. 

What a year it's been! Thank you, fitbit, for being there when I needed you so badly. And thanks to all YOU GUYS for helping me along the way.

[Bobbinyc]

To the newcomers:

@_Lilac_  just described her amazing journey, but in my opinion, she understated it.  This woman has the determination of, well, the Little Engine That Could.  She walks all over in all weather and nothing, absolutely nothing, stops her.  She turns down temptation and she keeps her eye on the goals of losing weight and being healthy.  She is her own excuse free zone.  We are lucky she is here and sharing so much.  There are times I've thought of walking and then thought I'm too tired (or hungry or it's hot, it's cold, it's snowing, etc) and then I think of her and I go.  

There are a number of wise people in here, and people with all kinds of determination and developing new skills for coping in a healthy way.  Many of us have our struggles, and don't do it perfectly, but we can all keep our eyes on the target and stay on track as much as possible.  Or get back on track quickly.

Thanks to all for being here in such a supportive, smart way.

[amethystonfire]

We can do this together. Good luck to all of us.

[Nora58]

@m4ytbI don't often get in the conversation as I am busy with my injured dog at the moment and dealing with therapy for planter fasciitis on my right foot so have not kept up as much as I would have liked.My weight gain began with a drug for my liver, which took me by surprise and then the foot happened as a result of the drug as well . I could not walk my 5 miles any miles for the past few months so I put on 30 lbs . I am only 4'9" and weighed 104 so it has really changed my life for the worst. The dog seems recovered and I am allowed to walk while I promise not to over do it.  Yesterday the dog and I went out for 4.5 miles and played in the fields of tall wildflowers and trails in the woods for over 2 hours. You need to do something fun and something exciting every now and then. Nora the dog and I do this all the time along the river when we are healthy so now the fun begins and the weight comes off. What kind of workout are you doing for 30 minutes that will help you lose weight  ? You really need to start walking or find a sport, a buddy to lose with and make sure you eat clean and stay away from that fast food. I am 60 and I can go 10 miles so I think that you really can pick up the pace a little (tough love). You can do this if you take it one day at a time and one change to your lifestyle at a time. Don't get overwhelmed just make better choices. Glad to see you here.

Lucinda

[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

LCSW - 209.8 (7/4/17) Last Challenge Starting Weight

CSW - 209.0 (9/04/17)

LW- 209.0

CW- 208.6

GW- 205.0 (October 31st)

UGW- 150

Only a little bit but still heading in the right direction, down!

[Dominique]

This challenge seems perfect for me date-wise, thanks @_Lilac_ for organizing it!

My current weight is rather low (60.5 kg) and I don’t really want to get it much lower. My main goal now is body composition, so I’ll replace "W" with "BF" (for body fat %). I’m using TrendWeight values (link in my signature), so there won’t be much variation week-to-week as it’s a kind of moving average. 

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

SBF 4-Sep-17: 14.6%

GBF: 13.5%

UGBF: 11%

I’m switching things over – both diet- and training-wise – starting on Monday (11-Sep), so it will be interesting to see if it has any impact on body composition.

I’ll be travelling to the US (Washington DC) on the last week of  October. It’s for a conference, which means jetlag, a lot of sitting, a lot of food and no opportunity to train or step, so I’ll try to do my best one week before the challenge ends.

[IdahoSandy]

Well, I gained a little.  Hope it melts off this busy week:

HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE
USW 207.9 (May 22, 2016)
CW 159.3 (9/1)
CW 159.7 (9/8)
GW 149.9
UGW just trying to get to a 24.9 BMI
Plan: mfp food tracker and exercise 5 days per week

[lynda604]

Look forward to the challenge and this helping to keep me accountable. I weigh myself once a week on Sundays. I am doing this to keep healthy and improve the quality of my life. When I eat garbage, I feel like crap...I'm trying to increase my consumption of fresh veggies, lean protein, healthy meals (I like some of Dr. Furhman's meals, going to make a batch of his anti cancer fighting soup today, it's really good). I'm also going to try not to have the all or nothing mentality. Slow and steady. 

Here's wishing everyone success in their weight loss and health goals.

SW: 198.5

CW: 192.5

GW: 164 (for now, I may like to go lower)

[_Lilac_]

This is what my livingroom looks like today. They found extensive water damage under the window that is being replaced, along with asbestos siding. They are rebuilding it all. So, no stress eating. I need to get in some big exercise later to deal with my anxiety!

[Dominique]

In this challenge, I’m reporting body fat %, not weight:

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

SBF 4-Sep-17: 14.6%

CBF 11-Sep-17: 14.5%

GBF: 13.5%

UGBF: 11%

Moved just a tad down and reached the same level (which is my absolute lowest in 4.5 years of monitoring it) as in late July:

I hope it won’t rebound as in August. New diet starting today, very bro’ish (lots of lean protein, healthy carbs and healthy fats), we’ll see if it’s going to make a difference.

[oceanlover127]

im in..need to lose weight and get my cholesterol under control

sw- 189

cw-189

goal - 170