Valentines Day to April 18th

[BLLingg]

@Bobbinyc, I hope it's ok for me to plagerize your Christmas to Valentine's Day Topic Starter but it was absolutely perfect!!!

Welcome all Challengers!  What an amazing group we have!

Let's all continue together to take off the excess pounds and keep getting healthier.

This challenge will begin on Valentine's Day and finish on (American) Tax Day - 18 April 2017.   (Really!  It's the 18th this Year, not the 15th!)

All you need to join this challenge is to post your stats regarding your weight, and check in weekly or as often as you'd like. We are a great support group and enjoy keeping up with each other and being there for our ups and downs.  Generally we have found that the more we check in and offer support, tips, info,  and ideas to others, the more we get for ourselves.

We list our weight, as well as any other goals we might have related to being healthy (such as increase water, more active minutes, etc).  Developing good health habits is primary.

A little rundown of terminology for anyone who is new.

USW- Ultimate Starting Weight

CSW- Current Starting Weight (for this challenge)

GW- Goal Weight   (for Feb 14)

UGW- Ultimate Goal Weight   (what your healthy target weight is)

PW- Previous Weight

CW- Current Weight

MFP- My Fitness Pal

List as much info as you like.  Some people include age, gender, height....whatever seems relevant to you.

We keep it as serious or light as we feel, but we always keep it focused on being as healthy as possible, while we support each other kindly.  We can do this together!!

[DJC_63]

@Bobbinyc  Wow, Bobbi!! That is some horrible luck!  I can't believe you gained weight, too! Maybe it's stress related. I'm glad that you were able to put it all in context and still enjoy your company, although I do believe you deserved that cry. 

[DJC_63]

My week was good and bad. The neck and shoulder pain that I wrote about is unchanged. The muscles in my neck cramp so badly that I have to take muscle relaxers and pain pills. Those meds make me very mentally unfocused and it's easy to end up doing nothing. But I seem to have gotten in such a routine with exercise that I'm doing it every day regardless.  Part of the time I think I should spend a day resting it but I just can't.  I actually won a Weekend Warrior challenge! That never happens.  I'm meeting my daily goals and most days have exceeded it. Of course it's not showing in weight loss, but that's probably because I've snacked too much.  The meds seem to lower my self discipline.  Hopefully I'll get better soon and won't need them.  Here's my check-in for last week:

USW - 207.5
SW - 196.3 (2/13/17)
PW - 197.3
PW - 196.9
PW - 196.7
PW - 196.4
PW - 195.7
PW - 195.8 (3/25/17)
PW - 196.7
PW - 195.7
CW - 195.1
GW - 189.9

[dancefoxtrot]

@Ava_

Thanks for being so honest about your process. We humans are funny - thinking in black or white, all or nothing, when between black and white are all the beautiful colors of the rainbow.  So we don't have to believe all our negative thoughts. We need to find a way to motivate ourselves that we can manage to do for life. Despair is for loss of a loved one, not getting off track with your weight loss. You are strong and can get back on track. It's important to understand why we sabotage ourselves. 

Lots of us didn't lose as much as we meant to this time. Some others did great.

We can keep on truckin' together.

Best,

Barbara G

[dancefoxtrot]

@_Lilac_

What a milestone. You broke through to the 200's and I bet you are going to continue losing at your steady rate.  Congrats!!!!  Lot's of determination and hard work got you here.

See you in the new challenge. 

Best,

Barbara G

[Ava_]

@dancefoxtrot - I like that thought!  All the colours of the rainbow are far nicer than simple black and white!

Well - I did my final weigh in and didn't meet my goal for this challenge.  In fact, since Valentines Day I have only lost 2.5 pounds.  But - looking on the positive side, I have lost 18.5 pounds since the start of the year.  I would never have done this without my trusty little fitbit and the support of this forum.

USW - 154 (12/30/16)

CSW - 138 (02/14/17)

PW - 138.4 (02/19)

PW - 136.5 (02/22)

PW - 138.4 (02/28)

PW - 137.3 (03/11)

PW - 136.9 (03/16)

PW - 137.1(03/28) 

PW - 136.0 (04/05)

PW - 136.0 (04/11)

CW – 135.5 (04/18) - (GW for this challenge was 130)

GW for next challenge - 129

UGW - 125 (summer?)

There have been some great successes this challenge for a lot of people.  It has been very inspiring!

[dancefoxtrot]

@BLLingg

Congrats on your loss. Your BMI and therefore your body has gotten so much healthier. 

My Momma wasn't very on top of the cleaning thing either so I don't have her cleanliness to live up to.  I'm casual about neatness and my house looks very lived in. I do scurry around every other week to straighten up before someone visits. 

It does feel good when it is cleaned up more. Now to motivate myself to do just that. 

Hmm. Wonder how many of us struggle with weight also aren't model cleaners?

Best,

Barbara 

[BLLingg]

I am so very very happy for you, @_Lilac_!!!  I can just hear those Pipes & Drums playing a Victory March!!!  One Battle won (even if some yardage is lost temporarily)!  Time for the next one!  One Battle at a time until the War is won for good!!!

[BLLingg]

Didn't make my Goal.  So tired when I got done with my Part Time Job yesterday that I ate all Deli for Lunch.  Lots of Cals, Fat, and Sodium.

28 July 2010 - PW - 280.8  BMI 51.4  (My highest known.)
06 June 2016 - USW (in FitBit) - 216  BMI 39.5

14 Feb - CSW 173.0  BMI 31.6
17 Apr - GW 157.0 - CW 156.4  (-0.2)   BMI 28.6
18 Apr - GW 156.7 - CW 156.8  (+0.4)   BMI 28.7

13 May - 1st UGW - (but still not a "Healthy" BMI) - 150

Is the next one ready yet???  I'm gonna need it 'cause I still want to try for 150 by 13 May!!!

[SunsetRunner]

Happy Tax Day to all my fellow American Fitbit friends! As a tax accountant you have no idea how happy I am to see this day on the calendar! 😀🎉  lol. Anyway, down to business....

Here's the final update for this challenge:

USW: 224.5 lbs (7/6/16)

CSW: 177.0 (12/23/16)

CW: 176.5 (12/30/16) -0.5 lbs

CW: 173.5 (01/06/17) -3.0

CW: 171.0 (01/13/17) -2.5

CW: 169.5 (01/20/17) -1.5

CW: 169.0 (01/27/17) -0.5

CW: 168.0 (02/03/17) -1.0

CW: 168.0 (02/10/17) -0.0

CW: 165.5 (02/17/17) -2.5  First weigh-in for this challenge.

CW: 163.0 (02/24/17) -2.5

CW:  159.0 (03/03/17) -4.0 

CW:  156.5 (03/10/17) -2.5

CW:  154.5 (03/17/17) -2.0

CW:  152.5 (03/24/17) -2.0

CW:  153.0 (03/31/17) +0.5

CW:  151.5 (04/07/17)  -1.5

CW:  150.5 (04/14/17)  -1.0

CW:  151.0 (04/18/17)  +0.5

Challenge goal: 155.0

Goal Range:   150.0 - 155.0

I'm not surprised by the slight increase after the holiday weekend.  I reached my goal weight for this challenge and have stayed within my goal range so all is good. Looking forward to the next challenge ! 

[_Lilac_]

Has anyone started the new challenge yet? I'm eager to put in my new challenge start weight! haha.

I'm not feeling so great. I'll never again take a Tylenol 3 on an empty stomach (well, it had coffee in it but that doesn't really count). I'm so dopey, dizzy, shakey, and need to go back to bed. The dogs are not liking my lethargy at all. I'll check in later for the new challenge. 

USW  380 (2013)

Fitbit SW 355 (Aug 2016)

PW 321 (Dec 25 2016)

CSW 311 (Feb 14 2017)

GW 295  (April 18 2017)

My official weigh in for the end of this challenge is 298.2 lb...VICTORY in so many ways.

[HeartBiller]

Well I may not have made my actual goal, but I am still happy because I see it in sight. If I had skipped a few things at the birthday party and Easter Dinner...lol, I may have made it, but I am ok with it.

I got really close to all my steps on all days since last week except yesterday. I only got a little over 5000 yesterday. I was just exhausted. However they called school off here today, so I was able to get a good walk in before I came to work this morning and had that many before work today. So I felt good about that.

I have been giving thought to the next challenge goal, but haven't came up with one yet.. Hopefully by tomorrow when it starts I will have it in my mind..lol.

Major congrats to all who set a goal and was able to make it. I still feel congrats are in order to the rest of us for the effort we put forth and the lessons we learned. We will walk in to the next challenge with our heads held high and ready to conquer the next round. Some of us hit what we as an individual think of as huge milestones... whether it be a 10, 20, 25, 30, 50, 75, 100, what ever pound loss and that in itself is a huge accomplishment. I know for me personally hitting that 50 pound loss mark was a huge goal for me. I am ecstatic to be able to say I made it. I am so excited to see the next 25 come off, but I will count each 5 pounds as a major victory.

MY stats
USW - 210.0 lbs April 25th 2016
02/14/17 - 167.2 lbs -  Starting this challenge weight

02/21/17 - 168.2 lbs - Gained 1 pound 

02/28/17 - 164.8 lbs - Lost 3.4 Pounds 

03/08/17 - 164.0 lbs - Lost 0.8 pound 

03/15/17 - 164.0 lbs - Stayed the same

03/21/17 - 164.0 lbs - Stayed the same

03/28/17 - 163.0 lbs - Lost 1 pound

04/04/17 - 159.6 lbs - Lost 3.4 pounds 

04/11/17 - 163.0 lbs - Gained 3.4 pounds 

04/18/17 - 158.8 lbs - Lost 4.2 pounds

Challenge Goal Weight 158.0

[Nora58]

I have learned since Nora arrived that I have to really stay on top of the dusting and the floors or my allergies go crazy. So I do these 2 things every 2 days and laundry and the bathroom on another day. The kitchen gets done several times a day as I cook a lot and freeze some things to mix with something later in the week for a different meal. Gets messy in a tiny apartment. If I don't make it to the dumpster down the block with the trash before dark then often that's the start of our day. The laundry is the room next to my apt so I can just put it in and leave it and set my timer. It is so easy to have a Dr. apt or test throw off the schedule and have to work even harder to catch up but that's life I guess. Sometimes it just isn't fun or easy. Sort of like losing weight I think. Easy to get thrown off track and then you have to do the work even harder.

[HeartBiller]

@_Lilac_I haven't seen a new one yet.. Feel free to start it ...lol. I think we are all ready to get it going.

[RachelShrinks]

@_Lilac_ Yes please! I'm raring to go!

[Nora58]

Busy day at the hospital yesterday so no walking/running and Nora is asleep right now but she is going for a run soon she just doesn't know it. If I don't get moving that life saving drug is going to knock me out for a couple hours. Be glad when the 26th gets here so I am done with the meds although it will take much longer for the meds t leave my system I'm sure it will be easier to stay awake .Here are my final weights for this challenge.

USW  3///27/17   130

CSW  4/06/17     127

CW    4/13/17      121

CW    4/18/17      119

UGW 105-107    Missed my goal but worked much harder just to show this pill who's boss and it is a big help knowing I have to weigh in. Good to see a lot of the old group here and a lot of new names.

Me, well I've been around fitbit since 2014 and the first year I used I used the forums to learn everything I could from the "pros" about all types of training,food, shoes, I read all the post's in every category and never asked a question. I took notes and did research from the links offered in theses forums. I still read the more experienced trainers post and learn everything possible and of course I check it out before I use it. Work your way around the entire fitbit site a little at a time and find someone who has good reviews and solutions to your problems and questions. There are great resources on this site.

[em.kz]

FINAL WEIGH-IN!

USW - 161.6 (12/25/16)

CSW - 153.6 (2/14/17)

PW - 154.8 (2/17/17)

PW - 152.2 (2/24/17)

PW - 153.2 (3/3/17)

PW - 153.0 (3/10/17)

PW - 151.0 (3/16/17)

PW - 151.8 (3/24/17)

PW - 149.6 (3/31/17)

PW - 150.7 (4/7/17)

PW - 150.2 (4/14/17)

FW - 149.2 (4/18/17)

GW - 146.0 (4/18/17)

UGW #1 - 140     UGW #2 - 135

As I anticipated, I did not reach my goal; however, I am still feeling good. With all that's been going on in my life lately, my weight the last couple weeks has been going crazy. Yesterday the scale read 152.4 but today it's 149.2 so I'm not sure how accurate this number is. Nevertheless, I am happy with my 4.4lb loss.

I'm looking forward to starting up a new challenge with a fresh slate so I can finish up losing (not gaining) that Freshman Fifteen! Congrats to everyone for sticking it out this challenge. No matter what happened whether you lost, gained, or maintained, if you persevered and didn't give up that counts for something!

[Bobbinyc]

@_Lilac_ I'm sorry you aren't feeling well.  Sometimes the pain killers seem worse than the pain.  I'm sure you'll be out and moving in no time.

[Bobbinyc]

I saw that we hadn't started our next challenge yet, so I opened up Memorial Day Challenge.  I know, very creative title!

So many of us have had great success with weight this past challenge, with some amazing milestones achieved.  Others of us had some setbacks or distractions or other difficulties to deal with, but we learned a lot and that is an important accomplishment too.  

Most important is that we have been here for each other, and shared this journey together in a warm, supportive, encouraging way.  This is truly an amazing group of people.

I hope we all stick together for the next one.  Whether losing weight or maintaining or trying to be healthier, we can do this together!

[Florriel]

Hello all,

well here we are at the end of the challenge and I missed my target by quite a bit.

The last couple of weeks have been hectic with a trip to Italy, visiting the in laws and about to head off to the rest of my family for another visit. To top it off my trainer had a couple of weeks off too so there were no classes at the village gym. My gym buddy and I did go out for a couple of bike rides as the weather had improved but it was not really the same. Top that off with way too much time spent waiting in airports for planes that never came, travelling in cars for hours and stuck in work meetings and the steps just weren't  there. Right that is enough of the excuses.

Now for the good stuff. On the trip to Italy we climbed The Dormo all the way to the top in Florence along with the Bell Tower next door. Then climbed to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and walked our feet off round Florence visiting Palazzo's and museums. We also enjoyed the wine and the fab food without going too mad. Personally I managed to visit Italy and not eat pasta! Lots of fish for me. Oh and cheese 🙂

For me this last challenge has been all about the small stuff. When visiting family members I have not seen for a while they all commented on how well I was looking. And I went out to but a dress for my friends wedding in Mexico next month and I was able to buy a dress two sizes smaller than I was wearing when they sent the invite just before Christmas. So I will look a heck of a lot better in those beach side photos.

So it is not all wasted effort. I still have a couple of weeks to go to the wedding so I can get back those few pounds I gained over Easter.

The softball season also starts for me this weekend and I will be making my Fastpitch debut. So the activity levels should be going even further up. By the time I get to new year in Florida I will be looking and feeling like I did back in my twenties - well maybe not quite so young looking but in my heart maybe. I once thought if I could just keep playing softball until I was 50 I would be happy. Now I think I could keep playing until who knows when.

Well done to all those who hit their targets and well done to those who didn't but are still pushing forward to that new fitter lifestyle.

Good luck in the new challenge  - I will join up too.

[TT_is_me]

USW (1/1/16) = 315 lbs
SW (2/14/17) = 240 lbs

(2/20/17) = 238 lbs -2 lbs

(2/27/17) = 234.2  -3.8 lbs

(3/06/17) = 232.4  -1.8 lbs

(03/13/17) = 234.6 +2.2 lbs

(03/20/17) = 226.6 -8 lbs

(3/27/2017) = 224 lbs -2.6 lbs

(4/2/2017) = 224.5 lbs +.5 lb

(4/9/2017) = 219.8 lbs -4.7 lbs

FINAL WEEK - (4/18/2017) = 215.8 -4 lbs (-24.2 lbs total)

GW (4/18/17) = 229 lbs (-11lbs)
UGW = 160 lbs

Well I reached my goal and then some. I am shocked by the amount that I lost because it so much more than what I have typically lost per week over the last year. I feel really excited that this challenge went so well. I really hope to hold on to this motivation over the next few months as life starts to looks a little busy and hectic. 

I'll be looking for the next challenge to keep up with all of the encouraging stories and motivation that you all share! Have a great week!