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!!

[Linda17]

ok, I'm going to be 64 in 10 days, female, 5'0

USW (PW from lasr week) 132.6

CSW for this challenge is 131.8

GW is 120 (for June 3, for wearing a gown)

I did strength training yesterday. I will up that soon to 2-3 times a week. My doc is upping my thyroid medicine so I should soon be able to do more.

[Bobbinyc]

@Linda17 Hi and welcome.  What a wonderful birthday gift you are giving yourself.  I also struggle with my thyroid.  Great that you are getting that taken care of.  Good luck on your journey.

[_Lilac_]

Exhausted! After a horrible night of seizures and restlessness (probably anxiety over the dental surgeon appointment), I awoke with shakes and confusion. I ate then went walking with Mom. My reasoning was that I can't let these things stop my progress, AND I had Mom with me in a public place so if I had issues I'd have people to help. But after we got going, I felt fine. I think breakfast helped (I barely had 1200 calories yesterday and burned over 4000), and once you get your heart pumping with exercise, you feel better right away. Mom's leg hurt though, so we didn't do a really high pace. We actually thought we did 4 laps but found we only did 3. Oh well, probably best anyway. We went to my dental surgeon appointment then home. The dogs were nuts so I took them around the block, they went nuts again so I shoveled off the deck. Now, that doesn't sound so bad but when I opened the door, there was three feet of snow blocking our way. I had to clear that, do the steps, make a small path for them so they could get under the deck and out into the yard, where the drifts weren't so bad. After all that, I finally sat down to my coffee. I had a snack and vegged for a bit. Then I had lunch and took a nap. Even after the nap I'm tired! I'm working on my water intake and I should do some pre-cooking in preparation for this storm hitting tonight. Yes, another one. On top of the 40cm/16 inches we got yesterday. The woman next door is a plow driver so she's getting her equipment ready right now for another 24 hour shift. 

I need to up my calories today. I've had 1100 with supper still owing to my total. And I need another 4k steps. I guess my treadmill will get a workout tonight too.

I have no idea where the cord is for my husband's camera to allow me to transfer pics to the computer. There must be one, right? I might have to buy one because I took a few storm pics to show you and I'll also take another one after the dumping tonight. Oh, my tech savvy daughter is helping me figure it out..haha. The wonders of modern technology.

Ok, time to cook and walk and maybe take a headache pill. And drink more water. Sorry for the minute to minute recall of my day. I need to keep myself reminded and accountable for what I'm doing. If I tell you guys that I'm getting on the treadmill then I'd better get on that treadmill! If I say I'm going to meet my water goal, I'd better get it done! 

Ok, off to my tasks!

[_Lilac_]

[Bogdel]

Hello, everyone, and thanks, @BLLingg for picking up on setting this challenge! Here it goes! 

USW- 183.5 on 1/08/2016

CSW- 158.5 (2/14/2017

GW- Goal Weight - 145   (for 4/16/2017)

UGW- 140

PW- 155.5

CW- 158.5

I am going to follow  @BLLingg's and almost_where's example, and prepare a week-by-week goal below:

Monday 1 - (02/20)  - 156 Target
Monday 2 - (02/27) - 154  Target
Monday 3 - (03/06) - 152 Target
Monday 4 - (03/13) - 150 Target
Monday 5 - (03/20) - 149  Target
Monday 6 - (03/27) - 148 Target
Monday 7 - (04/03) - 147 Target
Monday 8 - (04/10) - 146 Target
Easter Day Goal - (4/16) - 145 Target

[A_Lurker]

Hey all, I won't be joining you in the challenge but I know you're all going to have a great time.  I'm still going to be around, just doing my weight loss posting in the weekly weigh-in thread.

@_Lilac_- best of luck with that snow heading your way.

[Florriel]

Hi all,

Well I totally enjoyed the Valentines challange and I managed to hit my target for that so feeling really pleased. So here goes with the numbers

USU 191
CSW 179
GW for April 18th 161
UGW for May 154
CW 179

This week I had some more good news. I have been on a 6 week training course based around learning about my diabetes and how to live a healthy lifestyle. At the start of the course we had our weight and waist measurements taken and then again at the end of the course. Over that period I know I have lost weight as I have been monitoring it myself but I was very pleased to have also lost 6cm around my waist. I have also been able to get into a  size down in jeans so I am in a good place at the moment.

This week has been a challenge food wise as I have had my kitchen ripped out and the new one is being built so I currently have no means of cooking as oven and hob are still in their packaging awating some units and worktops. I will do my best with the micorwave and will have to find where my helpful hubby packed the slow cooker away to 🙂

The sound of drilling and sawing coming from the kitchen is enough to drive me out for a long walk around the village 🙂

[BLLingg]

We're OK, @A_Lurker, if you don't post.  We can always sneak into "Weekly Weigh in" to see how well you're doing.  But no Comments?  No Replies??    Or can we still count on you to share your knowledge and experience with us???

[bugsy1114]

Count me in!

It's been a while since I've a challenge but I do miss the accountability and the support from these groups so I'm excited to be back at it.

USW - 186

CSW - 141

GW for April 18 - 128

UGW - 120

Let the challenge begin!

[Gayle1018]

Morning all!! Love this group- it keeps me inspired!   been cold and grey around here so with working has kinda got me back in to being a couch tatter.    BUT it's warming up!  I have a new Challenge!  and need to make decisions on achieving my goals...  SO- I had put my calorie range to very hard,   going to move back to Hard - what was working very well for me, tried to bump it up to get to goa faster but backfired. 

I see many a close to goals Congrats as well as all who continue on their journey.

Got a good night sleep- (been only able to get 4 hrs for the last 2 weeks - got about 8 last night so feeling much better!)  

I did make my last goal 

so starting this one 153.8

challenge goal: 147

goal weight  142

to day is a new beginning!! sun is shining and all is right in my little world.  BEST to all.

[RachelShrinks]

Yay! So many of us here!

I'm trying to deal with my frustration right now. I'm two-tenths of a pound from being in the 170s. I haven't been in the 170s since my almost six-year-old twins were babies! And I can't break through that last two-tenths of a pound! Grrr. It's like the scale is mocking me with its 180.1. 

And they turned off the water in my kitchen for the entire day—including dinner prep time—so I have to go out to eat for lunch, then the kids were promised pizza for dinner by my wife (thanks, honey! Thank goodness the vegan pizza we order is relatively low-cal). Sigh. Today will be about not overdoing just because I have to eat out. I'm notoriously bad about choosing healthy when I'm away from my kitchen.

Just had to vent. It's only chilly here in Chicago instead of freezing and I have a ton of work and a ton of housework to do today, but I'm still going to go for a long walk and hope I can break into the 170s tomorrow. And stay there. 

I hope everyone else is doing well! :waves: Hi to all the people who've joined in the last few days!

[Gayle1018]

@RachelShrinks  Hang in there!!!  the long spells stink! But you will get into the 170's... and then it will be a nice loss.  I was stuck in the mid 160 for 6 weeks!  then all of a sudden lost, and didn't do anything different.   Our bodies need a chance to get use to our new shape and way of life.   

You've been doing great!  congrats on your accomplisments. 

[Ava_]

Those photos of the snow look amazing!  We haven't had snow here all winter, but I don't think I would want that much!

I am really struggling with getting my steps in this week.  Busy week at the office and haven't wanted to get on the treadmill when I get home in the evening.  I have been eating far too little as well (around the 800-900 mark) but as I have hardly burned any calories, my weight hasn't changed at all this week.

Looking forward to the weekend as I have no problem getting 12,0000 + steps in when I am not chained to my desk 

[_Lilac_]

Well, we got dumped on again with snow. I took a nap this afternoon and when I awoke, the snow had stopped. But the plows haven't done our street yet for the last few hours and that's really unusual. Around 9am I'd gone out to shovel a place for the dogs to do their thing and it was 1.5 feet in my driveway at that time. I have 4 feet of drift against my back door, where I had spent a lot of time shoveling out yesterday. 

I've done NOTHING today except the little bit of shoveling in the front. It doesn't count much steps. If the plow goes by soon, I'll take the boys for a walk, but it's not the safest since the cars can't see much around corners and it's harder to stop. I have no excuse for not exercising. I have a treadmill. I have youtube to do Leslie Sansone videos. I can always go out on my own and trudge through the snow. I could get the bus to the mall and do laps. I'm being extremely lazy. I reason with myself, "You could use a rest day." But I know that's that darned monster talking to me again, after soooo long of being silent. He's snuck himself back in somehow. And I know that just minutes after I start exercise I'll feel so much better and want to go on. Ok, I talked myself into it. Leslie Sansone gets me sweating pretty well. We'll do that! 

I'll post another snow pic after I get out there and take one. So you can see the difference from the last storm. 

[RachelShrinks]

@_Lilac_ Go you! Leslie's Walk Away the Pounds is how I started losing weight ten years ago—the first time I lost 60+ pounds (which I then gained back, sigh). She's just... strangely motiviating, you know? Congratulations for talking yourself into the activity. Sometimes that's the hardest part, huh? (I totally envy you the snow, by the way. We've had ONE snowstorm this year. ONE.)

I had the same motivation problem this morning, but then talked myself into taking the bus to the kids' school for my volunteering (it works out to be a half-mile when you combine the walks to the bus stops on either end). And then, I thought, "Well heck, I could just walk all the way home, couldn't I? And maybe pick up a Napa Cabbage Chicken Teriyaki bowl at Wow Bao on the way." So, a total of three miles of walking later, I'm sitting down to a 230-calorie lunch and feeling better about myself.

@Gayle1018: Thanks for the support! I just hate hanging on the edge, you know? I'm hoping all the running around I still have to do today will help burn some more calories.

Go, go, go, everyone!!

[A_Lurker]

@BLLingg- oh, I'll be here.  Just not going to aim for short term goals.  I'm actually moving back to non-measuring loss for a while.  I did okay with this before Christmas.  I take a fairly regular breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and not sweat the individual calories.  Having said all that I'm also wanting to work on changing up my recipes/cooking a fair bit.  The family doctor actually suggested I aim for roughly 30-odd pounds a year for the next years.  This is based a lot on my past history of overdoing it and making myself ill.  So, as yet another experiment I'm going to see about just living my life, getting into an exercise routine, and see how it goes.

That doesn't necessarily lead itself to lose X pounds by a certain date.  I'll still be here, and posting, just going back to the other thread for week to week progress.

[_Lilac_]

Wow, what a workout evening! After my last post I turned on the 2 mile Leslie Sansone video on youtube. That's 33 min. Then later I did a 42 min walk on the treadmill. And immediately after that I took the dogs out into the snow for a walk. That was another 15 min. The only reference I can find for the amount of snow we've received today is 28cm/11 inches but that was reported at 4pm and it's still snowing at 9pm. When I said earlier it had stopped, it had for about 45 min but resumed full force. When we were walking I saw an interesting scene I want to take a picture of tomorrow. The snow bank was almost as high as the bottom of the stop sign and the orange stick they put next to our fire hydrants to tell the city works dept where the hydrants are was almost completely buried. They might have it shoveled out by morning but I'll try to grab a photo of it before they do. If not I'll still take a pic so you can see how much accumulation we have. So ya...big workout evening. 

I still haven't had supper but I'll make it light. I feel much better after getting my exercise. I can't feel guilty about being lazy this morning. Mom told me today she needs to take a break from walking the mall for the next few days because the pain in her leg is worse. I will probably go to water aerobics then. And I'll wander around taking pictures. 

Ok, time to have supper and find something interesting to watch on tv besides the news. It's just getting outta control. I think everyone should just turn it off for a week or so and reboot. That usually fixes most issues...at least with tech devices. 

Have a great night everyone. Sweat hard, eat good food and have fun and laugh every day!

[Linda17]

CW 129.8

USW 132.6

That's my first mini-goal, getting back under 130. My new exercise goal is 15,000 steps a day. I should be getting my new thyroid medicine on Saturday. Next week, I should be able to do more strength training, finallly! I find that having protein powder for lunch helps!

[Gayle1018]

have a great weekend everyone!!  suppose to be nice around here so planning on hitting the trails!  fresh air and walking.

Say does anyone know anything about the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar -- i've been getting info on it and it sounds like it does several health benefits.  Just wonder if anyone has tried it along with their plans.

Decided for Lent this year is to stick with Fish from Ash Wed to Good Friday.. and to only do 1 hr of TV @ night.  

take care all!!

[_Lilac_]

Snow: 23 inches yesterday. 

I have pictures but I don't want to inundate the forum. I'll share one..ok two.

I have a very low tolerance today for irritation. My dogs are driving me nuts and I've already hidden away from them once. I've taken them for walks and now they are having their morning naps. But I have NO patience. I'm annoyed with the news talking about Trump being annoyed with the news. My grandmother would never put her underwear out on the laundry line for a reason. And Mom always said, "Don't say/write anything you don't want published on the front page of a newspaper." Good life lessons. 

It's not safe to walk downtown. There are no sidewalks. Otherwise I'd go to the library and do some writing. If I can keep the dogs occupied I can do some at home. I had a good omelette breakfast. I plan to have fish today. I'm not a big fish eater but I got some fillets that are really good baked in a foil packet in the oven with a little seasoning. SO healthy. Squash is a go-to side. 

Ok, here's some snow...