Mother's Day Challenge. Lose 20 by Mother's Day! Who is with me?

[Shelley]

Being involved in a challenge helps keep me motivated and it seems like it works for others too.  It also helps to have a goal and a deadline to get there.  Let's all get healthier for ourselves and for our families.  Let's do this for our kids, or our grandkids, or for our own mothers as well as for ourselves.  Come join me and let's do this!

[Elansc]

Hi CaliGirl11,
Where did you buy the "bicycle thing for under your desk"? I have a treadmill desk at home but would like something at work too. Considering a standing desk but this might be even better

[Elansc]

Hi Shelley,
There is NO way I could give up chocolate so I have just factored it in -- a piece of dark chocolate a day (40-60 cals) is now enough for me to feel like I have hard a treat..... Most days! It took a bit to really cut down on sweets but like you I noticed that my sweet tooth wasn't as bad if I didn't eat a lot of sweets.... I hope that at the end of this weight loss journey (31 pounds to go) I will have changed my habits enough to help me maintain my new weight. I do think it is working but it is really slow (also developing my patience 🙂

[Elansc]

DanaC. WOW 14 lbs since January! Good for you! You are an inspiration!

[CaliGirl11]

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@Elansc wrote:
Hi CaliGirl11,
Where did you buy the "bicycle thing for under your desk"? I have a treadmill desk at home but would like something at work too. Considering a standing desk but this might be even better

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I got it on Amazon, here is the link: Amazon DeskCycle

If that link doesn't work, you can search "deskcycle" and it's the first one that comes up.  It's a little pricey, but I have found that it's necessary to get a good one.  I started off buying a cheap one (because I wasn't sure if I would actually be able to pedal while working), and it had a manual tension knob that I couldn't get to tighten and the display screen stopped working after 1 day.  This one has been going strong for 6 months of pedaling 1-3 hours per day, and it's also dead quiet.

[sassils]

Well it has been 4 weeks since I first took up the challenge and bought the Fitbit. I have read with great interest your posts and have been so impressed by your motivation and support for each other. First 2 weeks went really well and met the steps most days as well as doing other exercise. Last week we had visitors so things weren't as easy to factor in like meals and keeping up the same level of exercise. Still I was surprised that I have already achieved a 20% reduction in my weight goal of 15KG( 32lbs approx I think). Portion size has been the most revealing to me and the empty calories in alcohol. Still, this is a lifetime change now, so will just keep on moving along and making better choices in food. Cheers everyone.

[Shelley]

Hi Everyone!  We are getting close to being halfway to the deadline.  I am about 3 pounds behind where I wanted to be by now but, never-the-less, I am happy with the fact that I am sticking to my plan for the most part and I am losing.  Last week was a really good week.  I lost 2.9 pounds.  Yesterday I was not on target, ate too much and ate carbs so I undid some of that loss but seeing the scale this morning has knocked some sense back into me.  I keep thinking I can make up those three extra pounds to get where I need to be on the goal but not if I keep cheating.  Time to remember all those tips I have learned on what to do when feeling impulsive to eat foods that do not support the goal.  Attention on Intention!!  Think about what else you I am hungry for in your life besides food!  Hungry to fit into smaller size pants!!  Keep trying on those smaller pants every week or when I think I am going to break down and eat that high carb food or extra portions - go try on those pants and get back into thinking about the goal.  I will try that tonight when my husband pulls out the tortilla chips again!  LOL

[rubbyrose3]

Morning Shelley i dont remember when i join this challenge but i lost 7lgs yes i found the lbs on my scales starting was 153lbs now 146 .6 i'm not walking to-day had a biopsy on my leg doctor said to give it a day rest.Hope your feeling lots better, i am new to the fitbits but it dose make you try to do more i do 10,000 steps in 1hr&15mins ,i live on very flat no hill or stair just on flat ground . Enough for know  Helen

[Elansc]

Shelley,
What a super idea! I will be trying on my goal pants a few times a week but what a wonderful way to remind me that I have not reached my goal! In fact, I am going to go and try them on right now 😉

[Shelley]

Helen, if you click on your profile, it will show your postings and show when you joined.  You are doing great on your goals!  Hope your biopsy heals quickly and everything is okay.

[rubbyrose3]

Hay Shelley I started 22 Januray 2014 just a little over a month 7lb not bad Helen

[TICKET]

I'm here! I'm here...haven't checked in for awhile. 

Scale is slow to move, but my body fat % is heading in the right directions. When I lost 100 lbs. some years back I did it while doing a lot of strength training--I learned that even when that scale isn't moving fast when you're doing this--great things are happening! Muscle burns fat. 

Cardio circuits are what is really working well for me--there a great little app--Interval Timer, I believe that is great for this. I choose 4-6 exercises, and usually do a 30/30--30 seconds doing the exercise, 30 sec. rest (I do keep my feet moving on my rests to get those steps.) 
I really like this because I can really mix up what I'm doing and I don't get bored. 

Snow day from school today--so I'm going to do 30/30 for 60 min., with six exercises: 

Sprints on the bike trainer
Kettle bell swings

TRX quick pulls

Abs

stairs

Jumprope

Make it a great day everyone! 

[Bhadra]

Im in - Mothers Day is my birthday this yearand what better gift can i give to myself and my family than good health!

[Mickeydee]

I just started with the fitbit today. I have fibromyalgia so some days it's hard to get going. I'm hoping that with someone to chat with & keep me motivated I can keep up with the weight loss.  Good luck everyone!!

[stacey444]

14 down and 6 to go!!!

[Mfelter]

Ok--I am in, I JUST got. Y fitbit today and I am determined to work off 20 pounds by Mother's Day. Thanks for the challenge.n I have never tried an online forum like this but I do think a community of support is a good thing. At 61 this weight-loss thing only gets harder. Right now I am starting by logging food into the website and beginning again to get serious about walking. I will shoot for 10,000 steps a day--I have a sedentary job and a real predilection for sitting and reading. Time to move. Count do n fort his challenge.

[NinjaTwisty]

Been a while since I have checked in. Recently started hitting the weights as I was getting a bit bored of doing 2 hours of cardio a day. But now that I'm doing weights I have heaps more motivation. I lost 1.3kgs in 3 days, so thats about 3 pounds. Not a bad effort 🙂

It's been a pretty average week for me this week. Been trying to fix my motorbike and motivation levels aren't that high. But today is a new day and i'm feeling the buzz.

I will make the 20 pound by mothers day, and I know all of you will too. Just believe in yourself, and make healthy choices. It's 80% diet, 20% excersice.

Feel free to personal message me if you wanna chat at all 🙂

[MellowCrunch]

Checking in too. It's been a while for me as well. 2 hours of cardio a day?! You put me to shame. Good for you!

Overall things have been pretty good I'd say. I still really struggle getting 10,000 steps in on the 3 days of the week I work. I try to make up for it on my days off but some days I just don't have time to get on the treadmill (yeah yeah, or the energy to do it by the time the kids are in bed....which is now....finally). I admit that the winter blues are starting to be factor. It's got to warm up soon, right?! Last week I kicked ass and ran 6 days a week. This week has been tougher. But over all I can see my body changing and, more importantly, I FEEL healthy and strong. I know if I just keep at it I'll get to my goal.

I stopped weighing myself. I'll get on the scale again eventually, but for now it's not helpful. Going by how my clothes fit is a much better way to do it for me. I really ought to take pictures but, well, no thanks. 😉 

Oh, and I'm still loving the salads in the mason jars!

[Linda50]

I have to say the salads in the mason jars are absolutely great. They are so convient for people that need to pack a lunch in a hurry. Winter blues are a definite here too. Can't seem to get it together. Lacking something. Was working out every night now I'm lucky to get my steps in. Not giving up. Need WARM weather!

[LosGatosLaura]

Just checking in with progress... I've been "lurking" and reading everyone else's posts every day. Really a pleasure to see that I'm not the only one making this journey!

Me:

49, I'm 5'10" and medically obese

I'm on a 6 week doctor supervised HCG weight loss protocol

Start weight Jan. 1 = 236#

Current weight Feb. 27 = 216#

Lost so far = 20#

Left to goal weight of 150 = 66#

[Mfelter]

Nice to hear from you.
I myself am doing the scale thing in the AM (it has been TOO TOO ing for
me and since I know my "real" clothes don't fit I wear slouchy stretches
and so I don't feel the horror as much). This is really day 1 for me this
time round. I have yo yo dieted all my life but since my place of
employment starts it annual fitness push today, I got my fitbit yesterday
afternoon and decided to be serious (much better than the cheap-o
pedometers I have been using in the past).
As a weight-watchers drop-out I like the ability to log the food (keeps me
honest); but I also simply don't have time to get to meetings. Here in the
wilds of upstate New York I just can't get myself back out into the -2
degrees after I get home from work and get warmed up again.
Anyhow, here I go. I have logged my breakfast and am on my second cup of
coffee. Resolutions for today:
1. log all food
2. get up and walk as often as possible
3. do a 45 minute walk mid-day at lunch
4. drink more water.
Good start. And good morning to you MellowCrunch.
Mfelter