New Years to Valentine's Day 2016 Challenge

[awood08]

Welcome to the New Year Everyone! This will start January 1, 2016 officially 🙂

If you have seen the posts before this is a challenge that everyone is invited to join to set your own personal weight loss goal for the next 6 weeks. This is all about having a great support system and most importantly feeling great and happy and healthy about yourself. Don't worry if you have bad weeks because we all go through it.

To join the challenge all you need to do is post your weight stats & check in as often as you'd like with an update or just to share a story from your week. This group has some huge inspiration in it and people that give wonderful advice.

Looking forward to catching up with all our friends from the other challenges and anyone who is new!

Thanks @saraj91 for starting up the last challenge!

 
A little rundown of terminology for anyone who is new 🙂

USW- Ultimate Starting Weight

CSW- Current Starting Weight

GW- Goal Weight

UGW- Ultimate Goal Weight

PW- Previous Weight

CW- Current Weight

MFP- My Fitness Pal

[dancefoxtrot]

Diane

Put the fitbit on your ankle with a string, or ribbon or a bit of elastic string. Then your steps will be counted because it measures swinging motion.

Best,

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

Hi all you wonderful active Fitbitters,

137. this AM and I understand why I'm not losing as much as I'd like. Last Friday, about 11 days ago, I over did the dancing and twisted my knee so it swelled and hurt. Since then I have elevated it and sat a lot and danced very little so it will heal. Also, I'm at home more, nearer the frig. and have grazed more. I haven't gone crazy in food consumption but the combo of sitting a lot and eating a little more is not good for weight loss.

So much of weight loss is the healthy light eating.  I watched 2 excellent PBS nutrition program by Dr. Robert Lustig  and then Dr. Mark Hyman. Both MDs both advocating eating lots of veggies, very low refined carbs and sugars, and healthy fats.  They both like avocados, coconut and olive oil, seeds, nuts, fish, eggs and even some butter for fats. Well yum. So the butter is for veggies NOT bread. They report helping many people reverse diabetes, and reduce bad cholestrol, lower BP, and lose lots of weight. 

Well, my knee seems to be getting better slowly and I'm determined to reach my 135 goal by Feb 14. 

Eat well, watch potion size and let's make our goals. 

We can do this.

Barbara G

[dancefoxtrot]

diane

I use magnesium for muscle cramps, and water and apple cider when they start and awaken me.  I try to remember to stretch before sleep since they are night cramps usually. 

Calcium, magnesium and potassium need to be in balance. 

Best,

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

Ballthree,

Those inner voices that say go eat that junk food, you deserve it,  LIE. They are not your friend and you can tell them to shut up or at least, ignore them. 

Glad that you are back on track. Stay strong and don't get conned by destructive thoughts.

Barbara 

[dancefoxtrot]

Ball three

Tie your fitbit to your shoe or ankle to get credit for movement

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

Kitten

You are not down and we are not counting. 🙂 You can do exactly what you would have done with the fitbit working. Log your food, take your step

Stay on board as you are still with us in the challenge in spite of the disappointment of the her breaking Wonder why so many cases of failing HR. I got mine from Best Buy 11 1/2 months ago and it still works. 

Best,

Barbara 

[dancefoxtrot]

Samalama,

Refined carbs and sugar are the worst.  We can eat piles of non starchy veggies in spite of some carbs since they are fiber filled and very healthy full of micronutrients. Leafy greens are super low in carbs,  broccoli, asparagus, etc are very low but 1 medium potato has 37 g and white corn 128 g. Avoid corn and white flour.

Processed food is loaded with carbs and sugars and sodium.

Lots of healthy real food to eat. Yeah for us.

Barbara G 

[Samalama217]

@Ballthree

I don't know if I am doing this correctly, but I have my FitBit Charge HR linked to myfitnesspal.  I never log anything thru the fitbit site. I log everything through MFP.  For the stationary bike, I will hit the button at the start and at the end of my workout.  Then on MFP, I will add "stationary bike" for exercise and make sure I use the exact start time when I pushed the button and the correct length of the workout.  MFP and Fitbit will talk to each other and it will adjust the calories based on your heart rate during that workout.  I've heard that you should do the same thing for the elliptical.  It adds in steps for me for both types of workouts, but I'm not really sure how it comes up with those numbers. 

[kmme]

 Good morning all ,

 Still here , sorry it has been busy for me , still plateaued ( kill me now..lol ) it's ok , just got back from vacation and managed to only be up .8 of a pound not great but it's ok here's the numbers , time to buckle down. I should be back in town for good so i will be better about checking in:)

USW - 175 - july 2015

CSW - 132.4 Jan 2

PW - 132 - Jan 10

CW - 133.1 Jan20

CGW - 125

UGW- 115?? might be too low havent decided yet ( lol )

[swimr12265]

@Ballthree,

I can't tell you how many times something similar has happened to me! How disheartening it is to be good (in my eyes I am resisting temptation and depriving myself of so MUCH that I love!) day after day only to fall off the wagon "just once" (yeah, I usually fall hard, too...lol) and see the weight on the scale back at or even higher than what it was when I first started! I don't know about the rest of you, but that feeling makes me want to say "To hell with this!" Even now, although I said I plan to weigh in only once a week (who am I kidding!?!), I've been so good (sticking to my 5 points) "I just want to see how I'm doing." My scale has barely budged in two days!! What's up with that?!? However, this is the new and improved me talking (I hope). I told myself yesterday, "Hey self, you know you feel better. You definitely aren't feeling guilty (again!) because you let yourself cheat on a day that isn't your cheat day, so just keep up the good work." Somewhere in my crazy head I know this is true, so I'm going to keep at it. I haven't been in the pool since Friday (!), so I'm not even working out like I normally do and still seeing small down ticks on the scale. Back to the pool now.... Keep the faith! I'm going to take my own advice. In just two days I get a bonus (a twofer!!): it's my birthday, so I will indulge, but it's also my cheat day (Friday), so there will be no guilt!! Yay!! Have a great day everyone!!

🌻 Swimr

[JacquelineP]

Checking in for the week.  The scale actually stayed consistent (must be broken lol!)  Looks like I'm down just under half a pound since last time.  It's the right direction. I'll take it!

USW  (May) - 221 

CSW (Jan 1) - 203.5

PCW (Jan 7) - 202.4

PCW (Jan 13) - 203.2

CW (Jan 20) - 202.8

GW (Feb 14) -197.5

UGW 150-160

Thanks to everyone for all the help.  These conversations have been primo!  Lots of support.  Lots of good advice.  Just seeing how many people are going through similar struggles!  Good luck to everyone.  In the past, I would reach that point a few months (weeks? days?) after I got serious about caloric restraint and exercise, where the pounds quit dropping off fairly easily and consistently, and I would think something was wrong with me, or with my body, and I'd quit.  Then back came the pounds PLUS SOME!  Now, I figure as long as I do NOT quit, no matter how discouraged I get sometimes, with myself or the process, I can reach my goal if I just keep turning back to the "light," so to speak. Like meditation, it doesn't matter how many times you get side-tracked as long as you start again one more time than you stop. (if that makes sense)

[Kitten87]

Thanks so much!!

[Kitten87]

Kmme,

Just keep up the good work, I too have plateaued at 183 and cant seem to break it. I have increased my work out and am keeping to a strict calorie intake, only time can really tell if I'll ever see the 170s. Have a great week!

[missmyboyzz]

USW 241
CSW 227
CGW 200
UGW 175

Thought I would jump in!  I have been fat for way tooooo many years and feel stuck!  Since my boyzz started college, I have been indulging more than I should!  I like exercise but food and adult beverages are my down fall, lol.  My food and drink have been on point for the last several weeks but only lost .8 lbs last week...frustrating.  Looking forward to reading everyone's posts and getting some helpful tips. 

[maglu]

Hello, 

I'm so pleased to find a group who set out on the same personal challenge. I started at the first of the year and would love to join in. I've been working out at the gym with my husband and using the food diary religioulsy. 

USW- Ultimate Starting Weight : 150
CSW- Current Starting Weight: 147
GW- Goal Weight at Valentines Day: 143, cant wait!!!! 
UGW- Ultimate Goal Weight: 137, cant wait!!!!
PW- Previous Weight
CW- Current Weight
MFP- My Fitness Pal: My husband works out with me!!!! 

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!! 

Maggie 

[Samalama217]

Good afternoon, everyone!  Today is my weigh-in day, so here we go:

CSW: 144 lbs

1/6/16: 143.4

1/13/16: 142.8

1/20/16: 141.8

My weight has been yo-yo'ing by 1-3 pounds daily, but looking at things weekly, it seems I am dropping 1 pound a week, which is fine by me!  I have like 6 cycling classes scheduled from tomorrow through sunday so I hope these couple of pounds stay off.  I followed Liesl's advice and last night I stopped eating at 8pm and drank even more water than I already drink and boom.  I was down a pound this morning.  Evening snacking has always been a problem for me.  Once I get home from work and get on that couch, all I want to do is eat!  My idea is to bring a protein bar to work and eat it on the way home along with some water so I'm not starving when I get there.  Hoping that helps. 

[KimShea]

Weigh-in Wednesday.

USW 235
CSW 178
CW 179.3
CGW 174
UGW 145

I am so frustrated.  I lose a fraction of a pound, gain two fractions.  Lose a pound gain a pound.  Back and forth.  I feel like I'm doing really well, tracking food and getting in steps.  Main thing I need to do better with is upping protein and lowering carbs.  But dang!  Come on! Stupid scale. 

Taking a little solace in that since getting my Aria scale the weekly average has gone down each week, albeit by a teensy weensy bit.  Week 1 was 179.3, week 2 179.0, week 3 178.6 and so far this week the average is 178.5.  I guess I can take that as a positive, even if the official weigh in day was up a ton. 

:0(

[OCDOC]

@KimShea

If everything is good about what you are doing, then don't sweat the scale. Fluctuations in body fluids and digestion make scales liars sometimes 🙂

If you are feeling better then you must be doing something right; don't get po'd at the scale!  Rob

[awood08]

@KimShea

Don't get down on yourself, you are moving in the right direction, even though it seems like it's not moving as fast as you want. When I have these weeks of little movement or I go up a bit, I like to reset. I will go back to what I did in the very beginning of loosing weight, push myself the hardest I have ever. Double my water intake, eat very low carb, pack it full of protein and fiber. And it's almost like my body will kick itself back into gear.

Not sure if that would be helpful for you but just a thought! 🙂

[SamP93]

A little late to the party but hoping to jump in on this challenge too! Just got my fitbit this morning! 

USW: 224
CSW: 190

GW: 182

UGW (hopefully by May): 166

After shedding my first 2.5 stone and starting a new job up in Edinburgh. I'm really looking into getting back into shape after quitting competitive swimming when starting university and piling weight on the 4 years I was there! Looking forward to some encouraging chats on here and good luck to everyone else on their weight loss journey - I'm off to the gym to see what this fitbit charge HR can do!