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

[awood08]

Welcome to all our new members! So glad you have decided to work on your journey with us 🙂

My birthday week was enjoyed a little too much so I'm playing serious catch up from that. I'm so scared to hit that dreaded "plateau". I had 3 goals when I started out: 1) Lose 60 pounds by my birthday in January 2016, 2) Work on being a happier person, mom & wife, and 3) Reach my ideal clothing size within a year (which I didn't know what I wanted at first).

#1 I achieved (for a short time but this is a process lol)

#2 I am currently working on, this has turned out to be a lot harder than loosing the weight.

#3 I have decided my ideal clothing size I want is a medium shirt and US size 8 pants 🙂

USW      6/16/15 235
PW        1/11/16 177.2

CW        1/16/16 176
CGW      2/14/16 170
UGW        160

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and that Monday takes forever to get here! lol

[JacquelineP]

@dianenyc and @HelenKr

You two are the best!  There are several people who have participated in these challenges who really stand out for helpfulness, and you two are right up at the top of that list.  Not to diminish anyone else's offerings, Diane, I have felt the exact same way (from your last post), and I am also working on a lifestyle shift.  Just reading this back and forth between you and Helen has given me a nice bump back into the business end of being healthier.

Soooo, I will use the lowest number on the scale (lol!).  I will EAT MORE. More dark greens, more colorful non-starchy veggies, and more lean protein.  I'll aim towards fresh fruit for my sweet tooth, and whatever else I eat is fine if I can stay within my calorie limits and log EVERY bite.  Finally, I will aim to walk 10K steps every day, and if the weather is bad, I'll march in place while I do the dishes, watch tv, fold laundry, etc., and even dance around the house, until I reach my goal or get to my minimum of 7K (thanks to @Debbie K. from earlier weight and step challenges for ideas).  I have been monkeying around here in the wild west, but it's time to get back to work.  Thanks, guys for the help and motivation!

We really CAN do this!

[JacquelineP]

@awood08  You are at the top of the helpful list, too.  And great for inspiration!

and @DJC_63  I'm right with you, fighting to get below and STAY below that 200 marker.  We can challenge each other.  You are much more fit (and much younger), but the goal is similar and it would be great to make that a little sub-goal of this challenge.  Good luck!

[CorgiLove2016]

Woot woot! Go team go

--
Liz Akel

[anewyear]

This week I have had a tooth ache so not so many steps or exercise but I am pleased to say less food. This week I have lost 1.3 kilos. So 3 kilo's more and I have reached my target of lossing 6 kilos in this challenge. Good lucj everyone and thanks for your support

[livelovemove23]

hey, 

So, I'm new as you can see and I really needed a challenge to motivate me, since I am very new, like not even a day that I have had this fitbit and I'm already doing challenges. Anyway, I am a freshman in college so I might take more time so have patience with me. I haven't been very healthy my whole entire life, but now that I am more independent I now fully understand that I gotta get healthy whether I like it or not! I need to push myself because I hate seeing my mom suffer because I'm suffering. I want to prove to her that I can do it. Thanks for making this challenge I think it will really help 🙂

USW- 270

CSW-270

GW-260

UGW- 140

[DJC_63]

That sounds good to me, Jacqueline P! This month and next will be the hardest for me due to bad weather. In addition to being afraid to drive if it's icy, I just don't feel as motivated when it's bitter cold. And the heater in my car died Thursday night so I have to get that fixed. The h30 minute drove yo my gym is COLD! So I need help with motivation!

[anewyear]

Ah I forget you are on the other side of the world. Today in Melbourne
Australia it was 36 degrees

Have a good week

[dianenyc]

Hey JacquelineP -- Thanks for the kind words and the awesome advice about increasing step counts in doors. I also needed the bump on increasing dark, leafy green vegetables -- my tum has been so cranky these past couple of weeks that leafy greens (usually among my favs) just seem so unappealing -- I WANT TOAST AND JAM AND JELLO!!!  But I need to wean myself off the sick bed stuff and get back to normal.

Anyway, welcome back from the wild west -- and thanks again for the dancing around the living room tip (that's something I used to do in my younger days -- come to think of it, I was much thinner then too.)

[HelenKr]

Thanks @JacquelineP for some very nice words!  Yes we CAN!  The encouragement is very helpful to me today.  I think I may have sprained my toe.  I have been trying to get my 10k steps and walk through it, but it just seems to be getting worse instead of better, so I have been taking some time off from walking since Thursday.  Hope to get back into it next week.  And trying to do my best with other everything else.

Good luck to all of us on this weight loss journey.

Helen

[JacquelineP]

SO sorry about your toe.  I HATE it when that happens (injuries while your trying to be very active).  As you just said in an earlier post, we are about lifestyle and these things just keep happening, eh?  That's what I need to learn most of all, I think--to not get de-railed when "life happens."  You are such a consistent soul, I know you will do well, whatever you do.  Just don't start up again until you know you are REALLY healed.  

Sounds like it was time for you to take a break anyway, so maybe you can use it as a meditation and savoring time.  I love what Diane says about just eating less but picking wisely and enjoying it to the nthh degree. Bon appetit!  And I'm sure you are aware that if you want to get some "alternate steps" in, you can just do arm lifts and punches.  The FitBit actually gives you some steps for arm work!  Just don't overdo it.  HA!

[Samalama217]

@dianenyc Thanks, lady!  The problem with me the last few months is that I keep losing and regaining the same couple of pounds.  I'm beyond frustrated!  Trying to not lose my patience.  My body does what it wants and I just have to learn to deal with it lol.  Are you feeling any better?  Has that bug worked its way out yet?

[MegCH]

Check in from yesterday - still excited!

USW:175

SW: 174

CW: 170

GW: 168

UGW: 150

[dianenyc]

Good for you, JodiSoonToBeFit. What a great loss to post!  Would you mind sharing what you did this week?

[dianenyc]

Hey awood, 

When you say you're working on being happier -- ah, I just want to sit you in a big chair with lots of cushions and a comfy ottoman and bring you a cuppa (as the Brits say).  We all work so hard at being happy.  After decades of working on it myself I've come to the conclusion that happiness is like a friendly kitten -- it'll climb in your lap and lie there purring if you let it -- but you gotta sit still.  I know you're a working wife and mom, so still time is hard to come by (I remember) but see if you can find some. I remember moments with my daughter when she was a little girl that still light my sky and make me smile.

For what it's worth I think you're amazing.  You're the backbone of this group and a serious source of motivation for so many of us -- including me.  I don't have a doubt in the world you'll achieve and maintain your weight-loss/clothing size goals -- and all the happiness you deserve.

Have a good one this week,

DianeNYC 

[dianenyc]

Hope you're tooth's better anewyear -- and congrats on reaching your goal! That's awesome.

[Gubbi]

Hi All...Happy Monday!! For all those who have lost some weight-congratulations and keep going!..for those still working on shifting the pounds- be kind to yourself...and keep going!

[saraj91]

Hi to all the newbies & the regulars ! Hope you all had great weekends & this week is a good one for you.

@HelenKr I hope your toe gets better soon! 

@awood08 I can really relate to your goals, I too am aiming to make some positive life changes that are not just focused on being happier with my weight but being mentally happier overall. This has involved making some tough but exciting decisions!

One of my biggest issues when it comes to my happiness has always been that I have lacked self confidence, this has been something that has slowly improved over last year or so. For example I am feeling more & more confident that I can complete certain things, one of the more recent things has been taking part in my local parkrun, completing that 5k in under 30mins was a big deal for me!

This lead me to my next challenge, taking part in a 10k race. This is on the 7th of Feb in my town & I am running for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. My Mum was diagnosed with MS 4 years ago so I aim to do a fundraising event of sorts every year, so far I've done a 5k race, skydived & done a cake sale raising about £1200 to date ! It's one of those situations where I wish I could do so much more but by doing these fundraisers it's a start. If anyone is interested or would like to sponsor me there is a link below to my Just Giving page. I sincerely hope I don't come across as presumptuous & I don't have any expectations but as I'm sure you can understand this is a charity close to my heart so I'm trying to raise as much as I can! I have sponsorship forms at work & dotted around with all my family lol!

Thank you to everyone who takes a look & for all the positive comments & encouragement this group provides!

www.justgiving.com/sara-wareham2

[Maerad_Moore]

Late to the party but wanted to join anyway as this seems like a great and fun initiative. 
That plus I'm pretty new to the whole fitbit thing and want to get a bit more involved to motivate myself.

Normally I work in kg, but I'll convert to lbs for here.

USW- 165

CSW- 163

GW- 158

UGW- 143

[anewyear]

Thanks diane

You are going well 

What is particularly important is all of the awareness you are developing. Without awareness you can change nothing

Have a great day

I look forward to reading how you are going