Thanksgiving to Christmas 2016

[dancefoxtrot]

Our Challenge this time has 31 days so we can set realistic goals for 4 weeks of weight loss or maintenance. Come and share your stories, successes, struggles and what you are learning on your journey to a healthier life.

OSW= 153 Feb 2015

CSW= 149.3 Today

GW =  145 12/25

UGW= 135 and maintain it

OSW= Original starting weight when began with Fitbit

CSW= Current starting weight

GW= Goal weight for this challenge ending on 12/25

UGW=Ultimate goal weight.

Okay we going together toward healthier bodies and minds. Sadly holidays have been commercialized to focus on consumption including lots of sugar, empty carbs and calories.  We can make much healthier choices since we are not mindless puppets of the greedy manufacturers. 

Let's give ourselves and others the gift of healthier food and attitudes.

All the very best on this Thanksgiving Day.

Anyone want to share a few things that they are thankful for to inspire us?

I'm thankful for my home to keep me sheltered from the storms.

I'm grateful for my work teaching exercise and health to older adults and it

helps me, too.

I'm grateful for still being able to dance.

I'm thankful for my son and his kids just 1 hour away.

I'm grateful for my sister and brother across the country that I can call.

I'm grateful for my garden with some organic veggies and fruit.

I'm thankful for the good nutrition that my late momma taught me to eat.

I'm thankful for my Fitbit friends that are so kind and supportive.

We are doing this one day at a time and we can reach our healthy goals!

Hugs to all our fierce challengers,

Barbara G

[Glenda]

                                    Lilac, You are amazing.  I can't imagine your daughter asking that of you when you must walk everywhere.    And you carried food!!  An angel.   

     I add salt to everything.  I have lost my sense of smell and don't taste a normal amount probably so I use lots of salt.    I'm tempted  to salt bacon.  (so making soup to avoid salt would be out of the question)  I never buy the cans of food that say less salt.  I check the sodium content and only buy nuts with the highest sodium count   And just to complete your horror I eat lots of artificial sweeteners too.  But I don't have any health problems  like high blood pressure , diabetes, too much LDL, etc.

[_Lilac_]

Weigh in day: Nov 27 - 328.2

                      Dec. 4 - 326.2   = -2lb 

Keepin' on keepin' on.

[alegria16]

I've gained a bit this week. My sleep has been a wreck; the migraines have been bad for productivity; and work has been a nightmare and will be through the middle of the month.

But on the upside, I signed up for an online dating service. (Haven't been on a date in over a decade.) No nibbles yet, other than from a guy who, in a first message, wrote a dissertation about how tremendous a lover he would be. I'd be cool with just a cup of coffee and a wee chat, thanks. A good thing happened on Friday. I had heard about a piercing that has helped some migraineurs -- the daith. Its effectiveness is anecdotal. A friend said it has helped her a good bit. After research and thought, I got one pierced a couple of weeks ago and noticed that one of the nerves that gets angry during my migraines was noticeably less angry and had not been involved at all in any migrainous stirrings since the piercing. I got the other daith pierced Friday night and have not had an inkling of a migraine since. This is highly unusual for me. Maybe it's in my head. Don't know. Don't care. Feeling normal for any amount of time for whatever reason is good.

USW (6/19/16) = 204 lbs

SW (11/28/16) = 191

CW (12/5/16) = 193

GW (12/25/16) = 191

UGW = 155

Height: 5' 6"

Age: 43

[alegria16]

@_Lilac_Your post about homemade soup made me smile. We always ate Cambells from a can growing up. (Everything came out of a box growing up.) But I make almost everything from scratch now as an adult. I was telling my mom recently about how to make broth. She crinkled up her nose and said "Eeewwww!" when I told her about starting with roasted bones and veggie scraps and letting them simmer for hours and how wonderful the smell is. She said she'd stick to her cans. But if only she would try my soup! LOL

[Cele21]

USW = 215

SW =215 (Thanksgiving 2016)

LW = 215.0

CW = 214.0

GW = 211.0

UGW = 140

One pound down this week. On track to Christmas goal!

[Glenda]

Alegria16, Just to cheer and encourage you, My daughter was married for the first time last May at age 47. She had plenty of opportunities when younger but finally chose someone matched to her by Match.com (I think). I'm very happy for her. She didn't need to be married for any reason but it is nice to have someone to share life with and comforting to have a partner rather than knowing you have to do absolutely everything for yourself, like I do, whether you have talent for it or not. She is really happy but she said it was "a lot of work". Anyway, worth the effort I think.

So do you think we need a forum called "a place to chat? This isn't exactly diet challenge talk. I apologize. Glenda

[Glenda]

Lilac, I'm going to the store to get necessary stuff to make something from scratch. I already tried it once and didn't do very well but I'm going to do it better this time. I didn't have the recipe with me and wasn't well prepared. I got a piece of ginger about as big as my hand and only needed 1/2 " for heavens sakes, and since I had so much I put in extra (not being a cook it was a dumb thing to do I have learned now). Also turned out I only needed 2 chunks of the big hand full of garlic....and needed a "LITTLE" shallot. I had to get someone to show me what a shallot was. I thought I had some light Mayo but it was years out of date and I was afraid of it since I have lost my sense of smell. My daughter came over and said it was ok that I threw that out. etc, etc....But I still ate 3 pounds of carrots and they were great! This time I'm going to follow the recipe. I'm still going to use lime in a bottle, and be very careful of the red chillies. Dull soup is fine in a can. These carrots are a different matter.

[Glenda]

                                    Alegria16,  Woops,  I made a mistake and addressed the comments about making something from scratch to Lilac  Instead of you.  Sorry.  I'm a mess

[DJC_63]

@dancefoxtrot  When I read the part of your post about dancing to warm up I thought of tonight, when I randomly started dancing to a song and one of our cats got scared and ran from me.  Poor thing! He was a feral for a long time and is still getting used to what happens inside.  I guess I'd never danced in front of him before.  

Last night he was sitting on the table and was able to see into the microwave. He was fascinated by it - just stared at it the whole time the food went around in circles. I wondered what he was thinking. Here's a pic of him sleeping. He's a big tuxedo kitty with long fur.

Zeus sleeping in his chair

[DJC_63]

@Glenda  If you think 2 am is bad you won't like my bed times. It's normally between 5 - 5:30 am, sometimes later.  It's a LONG story of how I got to this point (the short version is no job and living with a mother who I don't get along well with). 

Also, have any of you ever had a heart attack? If so, what were your symptoms?  I've had 2 episodes recently that fit the signs of a heart attack in women, namely the chest pain along with pain in my jaw. The pain is unlike any I've experienced before, it felt like someone squeezing my chest on the left side. Only lasted a few minutes.  I rationalized the first one as maybe acid reflux (similar symptoms), but after the 2nd one I'm a bit worried. Yes, I am going to call my Dr. for an appointment/referral, but I wondered if anyone here had first hand experience. The only person I knew who did was my Dad and he died 3 years ago, so I can't ask him. 

[Glenda]

DJC_63, I know nothing about heart attacks but my guess is that you may have blood vessels nearly blocked. You probably need to get that fixed right away. I had foot cramps in the day time when awake doing things (instead of the common bed time cramps) a good sign of blood vessel problems I had a stent put in. You can lose a leg at the least if you ignore things like that. My father-in-law was slim and very healthy and the heart of a young man except one vessel blocked and he had a massive heart attack that killed him. Don't delay. He thought of indigestion too.

[HeartBiller]

Well today is the official weigh day of the week for me.. I am happy to be back to Pre-Thanksgiving weight.. Even it I didn't beat it by much. I guess it took a week to gain it, so a week to lose it wasn't too bad.. Anyhow... It has been a crazy busy week both work and home. Seems like the holidays are all so rush rush rush anymore. Lord knows with the holidays we need each others support more than ever. I was just thinking this morning about this week and weekend.. what all is happening and all the food that will be every where.. I have to get it together and be strong enough to avoid temptations..

I so want to see the 6 as my second number on the scale... I can see the light at the end of the tunnel heading to the 6 but can't see the 6 yet...lol.

USW - 210.0

Thanksgiving weight - 171.6

11/29/16 - 175.2  😞  Gained 3.6 pounds

12/06/16 - 171.4 Lost the 3.6 I had gained plus lost 2 more ounces.... I'll take that.

Christmas Goal - 167.5

[_Lilac_]

@HeartBiller  and all.  I completely understand wanting to see that second number change. I want to see the 1st number change to a 2!! It will happen. And it won't be long. I did my weigh in yesterday but dropped another pound overnight. Ha! 

I have errands to do today so I'll bundle up (it's -16C / 3F with the windchill) so I'll trudge off to do those. Even though it's cold, I still sweat when I move at a good clip. Gotta burn off those pounds. 

I hope everyone has a fun and active day! 

[Bobbinyc]

Ooops, forgot to check in yesterday.

I spent the last 5 days walking fast, doing up to 80 active minutes daily, walking on all errands,

been to the gym 3 times,  - all of this a big increase in activity.  Eating is good.

June  - November - 186

SW (Thanksgiving) 186

CW ....       186

On the other hand, I asked the trainer I work with if I am close to being as strong as I was before I was laid up last winter and felt like a frail old woman.  He told me I am the strongest I've been in years, including before all my health problems!  I have worked really hard on getting back to "normal" the last 6 months - nice to know I passed it by so much.  

[Bobbinyc]

@DJC_63  Call your doctor and describe the pain you had and ask them what to do.  Don't just make an appointment.  They will probably tell you either ER or an urgent care center, or to get in right away.  I don't know how long ago you had that pain or I would say just get to an ER.  Do NOT ignore this or wait.  Let's hope it is nothing but why not find out?  Women's symptoms of heart attack and heart problems are not the same as men's.  Do not try to figure this out yourself.  Just get help right now.  I know there are 100 reasons not to, but do it anyway.

Don't make me nag you.  This is too critical.

I don't know if you had the symptoms today or a week ago so call doc or go to ER now.  And some time today let us know what happened.

You have to listen to me (I'm older and bossy)  Your health matters.  You matter.  And, in the words of a wise woman, "putting your head in the sand only makes for a bad hair day".

[Bobbinyc]

@_Lilac_  Just want to let you know how inspiring you have been.  I did a lot the last few days and when I got tired, or thought -eh, that's enough, I thought of you zipping all over the place, black ice and all, and I did more.  

I hope you have a fun active day too.

[_Lilac_]

@Bobbinyc  Thanks for the vote of confidence! haha. I am currently at the public library (horribly slow internet!!). I walked the dogs around the block, dropped them off home then did my two errands and walked all the way downtown to the library. 6500 steps so far. It's quiet here so I'm going to try to get some writing done. I had suffered writer's block for a few weeks but I think I'm going to progress better now. The bad thing about everything I love to do is that it all requires me to be on my butt! I need to invent a recumbent bike that allows me to type while it's in use. When I used to play a lot of online games like World of Warcraft, my friend and I complained often about how sedentary we were. I told her they needed to make games like that for treadmills. Your character can't move unless you are moving. They run when you do, etc. OR...your treadmill/bike/elliptical is a generator for your computer...if you stop, so does the computer. 

Still on topic...I'm sitting at a table at the top of the stairs in the library. People are required to come to the second level for computer use, reference books, etc. There is an elevator but it's hidden. You cannot imagine how many people get up to the top of the steps and are gasping and out of breath! A girl about 20yrs old and thin just made it, thought she might drop. We are so terribly unfit in our society. 

Having said that...move move move!!!

[HeartBiller]

@DJC_63Please do not wait.. I work for a Cardiologist and we would tell you to come straight in or go to the nearest ER. Your health is too important to wait.

[HeartBiller]

@Bobbinycyou sure are right. @_Lilac_ is such an inspriation! She is a go go goer!!! We all need to be more like that!

[Renaudturner]

OSW - 181.1 October 22

CSW - 177.5 November 21

CW - 176.6

GW - 174

UGW - 149

I am grateful for my kids.

I am grateful for being 3 years cancer free.

I am grateful for the love and support of my friends.

I am grateful for being able to continue in life.