Memorial Day Challenge

[Bobbinyc]

Welcome to the next Challenge!

This one will start on April 18 and continue to Memorial Day (May 29th) 2017.   That gives us 6 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.

[dancefoxtrot]

@Ava_

Sounds like you need a few more recipes for healthy meals.  Lots to eat that is healthy and low carb. 

Best,

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

Hi all

Struggling with myself to do my blasted taxes. Hours have passed and I'm resting at the computer. 

Weigh in today at 144.2 so if I move enough I may actually lose something doing this challenge.  

Okay get up and carry the laundry down stairs and water garden now.

Barbara G

[SunsetRunner]

Hi everyone!

Ok, I know I posted last week but I can't find the post anywhere so I'm just going to assume it's forever lost in cyberspace! 🙂

This past week has been absolutely horrible and my emotions have been all over the place.  A very long story short ...  the youngest of our two dogs ended up having a very large tumor on his liver that was bleeding into his belly.  The only option was surgery. Given his age, diabetes, the fact that he was already totally blind from the diabetes, we elected not to do the surgery and to take him home to make him comfortable in his last days.  I'm glad we did that .... both our daughters and grandson were able to come by and see him one last time.  By Wednesday morning he had deteriorated to the point that we knew what we had to do.  It ripped out hearts out but we know that he is not suffering any more.  We brought him home and have him buried at the back of our lot so he is always with us.  Our other dog (his older brother -- same parents - different litter) is so lost.....he keeps looking for his little buddy. 😞  Needless to say it's been a very emotional week -- our four-legged buddies become such a huge part of our lives and it is so hard to let them go. 

Sorry for rambling..... back to business....I weigh in on Fridays so here's my Friday weight: 

USW: 224.5 lbs (7/6/16)

CSW:  151.0 (04/18/17)  (Starting weight for this challenge)

 CW: 151.0 (04/21/17)

CW: 148.0 (04/28/17) -3.0

CW: 149.0 (05/05/17) +1.0

CW: 149.5 (05/12/17) +0.5

New Goal Range:   148.0 - 152.0

I am up 1.5 lbs in the last two weeks but I'm ok with that given everything that has gone on.  Last week I adjusted my goal range down from 150-155 to the 148-152 and I have stayed within that range. I did pretty good keeping up with exercising -- only missed one day but didn't get a lot of steps in on some of the other days. Trying to make up for it this weekend with the beautiful weather we are having. 

My daughter is due in 3 weeks with her second baby but the ultrasound showed that the baby is breech. On Monday I am taking her to the doctor where they will do a procedure to try to turn the baby and if it doesn't work they will schedule a C-section for the following week.  Always something 🙂 

Thanks for listening to all my rambling and keep up the good work everyone. 

Have a great weekend!

[SunsetRunner]

@dancefoxtrot   It does get tedious sitting at the computer all day. Good luck with your taxes 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

@em.kz Don't get discouraged with little to no loss.  Sometimes it just happens that way.  I had many weeks were there was very little or no movement for several weeks then all of a sudden a large drop. Hang in there! Good luck on your finals!

[A_Lurker]

@ThatGreen - Doing, or not doing, food prep is probably one of the most important things for me. Last week I got out of whack on meals and ended up with eating out of the machine at work (we call it the wheel of death), take-out and a frozen lasagna. Not horribly bad, but when I combined that with a catered lunch at work Friday and sitting out in the sun drinking and eating today, well, I don't think it will be a stellar week this week. For me it starts with bad sleep patterns, but I'm going to work on that the next few weeks as well. Oddly enough I'm okay with individual bags of chips (bought a mixed box of 50 from Costco that are <160 cals each), but couldn't stop eating a single portion out of a large bag. There's probably some reasons behind it, but since I recognize it I deal with it that way.

@Bogdel - I find resting heart rate a very good indicator of current health. I've been on a rest period for a couple of weeks due to overtraining. It's amazing, but my resting rate had gone up almost 20 beats as I was getting too little sleep and way too many steps. After two weeks of slightly more normal routines it's back to semi-normal (still working on the sleep). I hope your trip is going well.

@BLLingg - another person going off on a trip, hope you have a great one as well.

@_Lilac_ - I hope that doctor recognizes how much effort you've put in to get to that point. I do think she's not necessarily giving the best service to her clients, and you deserved just as much recognition partway through your weight loss. Like you, I've struggled a little with knee pain as I've lost weight. The only good thing I could add is that as I continued to lose it did mostly go away. I still have to watch it on super busy days.

[Bogdel]

@A_Lurker, Thank you for your feedback on the heart rate. I was just checking mine as I was reading your note. It's 61 bpm. I am very happy to see it back to normal. 

My trip was very pleasant, with a very short layover in Munich. The best thing was the fact that, apart from a little scratch on my throat that caused me to cough at times, the rest of the cold was gone over the weekend, and I was back to my normal self as I traveled. Many thanks to all those who prayed and sent good thoughts my way. 

It is good to read everyone's updates here. Best wishes to you, all. 

[Bogdel]

@SunsetRunner, So sorry about the loss of your dog! I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you all. I pray that your daughter and her baby will be well. Great job on your weight and exercise.

With my travel and jet lag, I have not done much in the area of physical activity. Thankfully, I was able to stay on a healthy diet, as all of my hosts have been aware and respectful of my healthy lifestyle and cooked perfect meals. 

Blessings and strength to you and yours!

[Bogdel]

@HeartBiller, Congratulations on your size 10 jeans! I remember the sense of achievement I had when I reached that size last year. I still wear 12 on my dresses and tops, though. Even though I'd like to loose another 10-13 lbs. (mostly belly fat), this is probably the lowest size I will get on my clothes, since I have large bones (I am 5'5", 153 lbs now). 

Hope you will have a great week ahead!

[Bogdel]

@_Lilac_, Congrats on reaching size 2X! What an achievement! Changing the type of workout is a great idea. I may need to do that, as well. I am just still on my way to my final destination. Right now I am visiting some people in Timisoara (Romania), and trying to get over the jet lag. Hopefully, by the end of next week I will reach my final destination and get into some kind of routine again. 

Have a great week!

[_Lilac_]

The Adventures of a Fat Lady doing Yard Work: 

Yesterday was so nice out that I decided to get the rest of the autumn leaves out of my front yard or I'd never have grass this summer. I went out with my rake and bags and began to toil. From across the street and down a house or two I heard young men in their garage joking around. And the first thought that went through my mind was that they were laughing at ME. Now, they couldn't see me, but that was my first thought. And it brought me back to a time when two male friends of mine saw a fat woman on a bike and they both went, "Oh my gosh!!", looked at me (who was always overweight) and realized they'd been blatantly 'fatist' in my presence. Some people just don't want to see the jiggling or the obese out in public doing things. While I raked it just kept going through my mind. When I bent over, my ample rear end could be seen by everyone and they just don't want to see it. If anyone was going to anything, I had comebacks ready...actually, my brain seemed to obsess over creating dialogue to meet any situation. Of course, I've NEVER had anyone say or do something that would make me fear this. I guess it was just my insecurity. 

There was a time in my early 20's when my best friend was a tall (6'2"), blonde, good-looking young man, and he said to me once, "Do you realize how people talk to you? How rude they are to you?" (We were in a store and I asked an employee a question). And I didn't know what he meant. He was used to being treated in a completely different manner than I was. He received respect and assistance and I was kinda overlooked and ignored or even sneered at a bit. 

That feeling came over me again as I was doing my yard work. I was very exposed. I kept reminding myself..'How am I supposed to lose this flab if I just sit in the house hiding from people who are probably not even caring and who don't even recognize that you exist in the first place?'  We need to move to lose this stuff. So I carried on and got my leaves up.

Today I'm working in the backyard. No one to witness, no one to care. The only people around are my neighbours who are also on this journey. She's lost 75 lb and he's lost a lot too. 

I realized I have some strawberry plants coming up from the disaster that is my 'garden'. I also have a transplanted rhubarb plant that has half it's root ball out of the soil but seems to be producing some leaves. I am NOT a gardener. I grow weeds really well. @A_Lurker  spends most her time in the spring and summer in her yard I think! I wish I'd inherited that interest from my grandmother but it's WORK and I'm extremely lazy. 

My plan for today is the yard. I'm going to have to mow soon, but after all the raking yesterday and the doggy poop patrol today, I'm just not going to physically be able to do it. Oh well, this week sometime. 

Sorry to ramble. Just wanted to share since I know all of us has our insecurities and it helps to air these thoughts so we don't bury them by eating. It's not gonna happen here!

[almost_where]

 Easter Day Weight - 249

  Sunday1 - 247 - (4/23) 248 Target

  Sunday2 - 245 - (4/30) 247 Target 
  Sunday3 - 245 -  (5/07) 246 Target 
  Sunday4 - 244 -  (5/14) 245 Target 
  Sunday5 - (5/21) 244 Target 
  Sunday6 - (5/28) 243 Target  

Memorial Day Goal - 242

- 1 lb

Really trying to control intake today (cheat day) to a reasonable level. Happy mothers day to all the mothers out there.

[Esya]

So today was Mother's Day and I was already high in my weight. Visiting my family means I eat loads of high calories stuff. Luckily I can get it off quite easily, but seeing Tuesday is already my next weekly weigh in, I doubt it will come off that quickly!

[Esya]

@_Lilac_

Good thing to recognise those thoughts and emotions and to not bury them with food! I would like to suggest a follow-up "action" next time, when you realise you are having these thoughts and notice them (which is really good that you actually notice them and are able to label them). Try to come up with positive thoughts that you could be thinking instead. This way you train your brain and change your thought pattern to a more positive one and you will overcome those insecurities 🙂 . It worked wonders for my anxiety.

[A_Lurker]

@_Lilac_- it does feel like the overweight/obese seem to be the last group that most think it's okay to be extremely nasty to.  It's especially sad that   I was only 20 pounds lighter than you are now last fall when I made a point to go out and plant bulbs in the front garden.  My phone is on the charger at the moment (ie. I may have a more recent photo), but this is from a little over 2 weeks ago.

This summer I plan to spend time getting the garden back into shape. I didn't work much on it last summer, so it needs some care this year.

[_Lilac_]

@A_Lurker  After raking up the backyard today I mentioned to my neighbour that I might have to get some grass seed but, as she pointed out, the dogs running around (and pooping and digging) will destroy any hope of a nice lawn. I might put in some potatoes (they grow under any conditions) and consider putting lettuces/spinach/chard in a planter box on the deck so the dogs don't dig it up and the weeds won't get at it. Growing my own meals would be cool and I think planters would be easier for me to take care of. I get a ton of wild roses along the back of my property, which seem to be spreading more every year. Prickly buggers. But as stated many times, I'm lazy. Hopefully, this summer, since I'm more active and often search for things to do, I'll be taking care of the yard more. My dogs love being out there but only if I'm with them. 

My bike....I have to get on this thing. As per my post earlier, each time I think about getting on my bike I think back to my two friends who had laughed at a fat woman on a bike. Will people be gawking at me? I have to remind myself that I'm the sort of person who wears sleeveless shirts in summer, I go to the beach with the whitest legs and wear my shorts when many people just wouldn't. I normally DON'T care about it, so why the delay? Is it just the old monster in my mind trying to force me into my sedentary lifestyle again? Is it looking for excuses? I just have to take a deep breath, put on that helmet and get on the thing. A pedal up the street and back will be good enough to shake off the nervousness. 

Pool in the morning, walk the dogs, grocery shop, call places about replacing kitchen counters and flooring! Big day. Have a great Mother's Day all and stay moving!

[Cele21]

USW- 215.0 (2/4/14)

LCSW- 211.4 (2/14/17) Last Challenge Starting Weight

CSW - 210.8 (4/18/17)

LW- 207.6

CW- 209.0

GW- 205.0 (Memorial Day)

UGW- 150

I knew last week's weight was a fluke but I didn't go back as high as I was the previous week so as others have said - maybe it was just a peek of things to come. Hope everyone had a wonderful mother's day!

[_Lilac_]

Well, Winter is returning. It is sooo flippin' cold today! 37F or 3C, raining, etc. I went to the pool for water aerobics and now I'm sitting shivering because I'd turned my furnace off and came into a chilly house. This must be the system that gave New Hampshire some snow yesterday.

As stated, I went to the pool. I've taken all my meds, eaten, visited with my daughter (who came over after work last night and ordered pizza then spent the night) and now I'm sitting down for computer time. I had no pizza. Didn't even think about it. I was more concerned that the 60 yr old delivery driver smelled horribly of marijuana and he shouldn't be driving. That smell makes me ill to my stomach, as I've almost wretched on the street walking the dogs by a house around the corner. I have a super-nose, and you can't get that odor by me. I should work in customs alongside the sniffer dogs. LOL.

My fitbit has stopped syncing via bluetooth on my tablet or my phone, so I manually force it to sync it to my computer via an app, which I often forget to do. When looking back at my activities, I find a heavy day of about 15,000 steps followed by two days of low numbers, because I'm physically just bushed from that whopper day. I have to make sure I do things moderately and not overdo it because I wear myself out. 

Ok, off to figure out what to eat out of an empty fridge and what to do for activity on a freezing, rainy day!

Have a good Monday and keep up the water drinkage!!

[HeartBiller]

Well I survived the weekend.... YAY! Probably not the best but it came and it went. My monthly visitor is back AGAIN... The second time this month. She appears to visit a lot lately... Maybe it is leading up to menopause...lol. One could hope..lol. Anyhow, I have been exhausted. I do not know what is wrong with me, but ut seems I have lost all my energy and I don't want to do anything. I have to get out of this funk. I do not know what to do to get out of it, but I know the scale is not going to move in my favor until I do. I keep hoping it wont last much longer, but it keeps lasting on..

Well I am taking off work on Friday and about 20 of us are going to Dollywood for the day. YAY!!! That is at least a lot of walking. I may not make it back since the most of us are children.. Yes we are crazy.. about 15 kids ages 6 to 16..lol. Well for some of them it will be the first time they have ever gotten to do this. So I am excited for them. I am excited to be outside walking.. Maybe this will help my funk I am in..lol.

I think I may have something going on with me on the inside that has me in this dreary funk... I go back to the Dr. the end of June, so hopefully if it hasn't passed by then, she will figure it out. I am trying not to let it bother me too much, because when I think to much on it, it makes my nerves go crazy.. So whether right or wrong, I keep telling myself, it is okay to be this way right now. I guess time will tell.

I hope you all have a great day

[DJC_63]

@dancefoxtrot I just now saw your reply, and it seems we like the same late night shows! :^) We've got to have something to ease the pain.