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!!

[A_Lurker]

@_Lilac_ - your heart rate not going as high could be a sign that your fitness level is improving.  I noticed that when I first walked back and forth to our warehouse I'd be in the peak zone no matter what speed I was walking.  Now, even if I do it quickly I definitely don't hit the peak zone.

[SunsetRunner]

@_Lilac_ My Blaze doesn't always count my HR. It blanks out if I am moving my arm a lot or am sweating (when I'm exercising I'm sweating!). I also wear a chest strap when I spin or do the elliptical or treadmill so I know about how many calories I burn doing those activities. You could get a HR monitor just to compare. I find the Blaze doesn't capture my HR accurately during any exercising activity.

[_Lilac_]

@SunsetRunner It's been working ok, I think, until just recently. By putting it in my sock, it might have more trouble catching the heart rate on the ankle. And I think the water of the pool might be affecting it since it wasn't designed for that purpose (but it was waterproofed, thanks Anne). My treadmill has a heart rate monitor in the handles. I'll be pumping out 144 on that but when I look at my fitbit later (in my sock), it will give a workout average of a lot lower. So, I'll move it around, compare it with the charge2, the treadmill, and see what happens. 

@A_Lurker I can't imagine such a sudden improvement in fitness could happen. Haha..I didn't lose 100lbs overnight or take up marathon running. It was just so fast to change. 

Well, the dogs drove me bonkers, expecting their second walk, so I limped out of the house and took them up the street and over a few blocks. It was icy, I stepped in poop, and I had just had enough, ya know? So we came home. They are flaked out now and I'm resting. 18,000 steps in two big workouts is no joke. At 310 lbs. Ugh. I might take it easy tomorrow so I don't hurt myself. Can't risk it.

[HeartBiller]

@_Lilac_ I definitely take you words as great words of wisdom. I greatly appreciate you. I don't always think outside the box...lol. Sometimes when I get off work I am so whooped all I want to do is rest... So it's like I have to force myself do anything....but you will be happy to know after I replied back to you... I was felling guilty for just sitting there so I did ask the coach if I could walk outside a few minutes and I did an 18 minute walk getting a little over 1600 steps, so I was pretty excited about that. Thanks so much for the push I needed! Maybe next week I can walk more of the hour that the last 18 minutes... Lol. My boy wasn't happy about me being gone, but that is a constant issue with him... So hopefully that will get easier too... But after a day of work, the ball practice and then home to get him bathed and myself showered and dinner ate... I am just slightly over my 10,000 steps... So super excited I did make one day out of the 7 I am challenging myself to do... Lol

[_Lilac_]

@HeartBiller  "(insert kid's name here), when you get exercise sometimes I need to get mine because you are so strong and getting bigger. I need to be able to keep up to you so we can have fun! I'll always watch your games, maybe not all of your practices."

My son had been diagnosed with a mild Asperger's when he was young. I had to learn pretty quickly how he thought and how to motivate him to do things he didn't necessarily want to do. Your guy sounds like he wants to be the center of your universe..haha. If you switch it up from being about you and your desires, to how it will affect him in the best way, he might understand it better. We all know you need to stay healthy to take care of him, it's one of our great motivations...to be around for our children and grandchildren. He won't really understand that, because to him you are just always going to be around, ya know? Making him feel good about himself, that he's getting big and strong and you need to keep up with him, will put him in a better mindset to accept you slipping out to walk. Good luck with it! Kids are tricky little beasts!

[GettingfitinSC]

@HeartBiller I know what you mean about lazy weekends- they can be so busy, yet so inactive at the same time. Weekends are the hardest time for me to get my steps in as well, or any days that I don't go to work. I have started doing more active play with my toddler to help get steps in. It's a wonderful time spent one on one with him, plus I get my steps without having to have 'me' time to do it. Maybe you can do something with your grandkids. I don't know their ages, but just kicking and chasing a ball outside or play tag, or even ask them to go for a walk with you. If you do an individual walk with each one, they'll each get one on one time with you plus you get extra walking time. My son loves it when I do a walking video; he calls any exercise video the "Happy Walk" because Leslie Sansone's 1 Mile Happy Walk was the first one I did, and I told him that was the name of it. Your mother and mother-in-law may enjoy a walk outside as Spring approaches if they're able. 🙂

[GettingfitinSC]

@HeartBiller Congrats on getting 10,000 steps! It's a great feeling to meet your goal. You said one thing that I want to respond to- that the kids might think you're crazy for walking if you walk inside. I teach 3rd grade and every day at recess, the teachers sit or stand near the 'teacher' bench to chat while we watch all of the kids. After Christmas when I got my Fitbit, I started walking at recess instead of staying with the other teachers. Let me tell you, I felt nuts starting it because I was just walking back and forth along a short section of sidewalk. I don't really like to walk on the playground and get sand in my shoes, so I stay in a small section. Groups of students kept coming up to me at first asking what I was doing. They looked at me as if I was crazy. "How dare I leave the 'teacher' area!" However, once I told them I was just getting a walk in, some wanted to walk with me. Now when a student needs a private conversation or just wants to tell me about something special, they come to walk with me. Other teachers have occasionally joined me, and others regularly mention my daily dedication to walking. Once I did sit on the bench to talk with another teacher about something, and some students came and asked if everything was okay. 🙂

  All that to say that kids are very understanding and accepting. They like it when adults do things that are active. If you can walk inside the gym very close to where they're playing, you can call out encouragements as you walk. I guarantee you, they'll love it! Pretty soon, you may be the parent running up and down the gym following the kids with the ball! 🙂

[GettingfitinSC]

@A_Lurker You're exactly right about the time spent getting steps in. I'm finding that to get 12,000 steps, I have to have about 70+ active minutes. I'm trying to walk faster to get more steps in less time. I've been jogging a little in the school gym in the mornings. Yesterday, I lasted 5 min! That's an incredibly long time for me. I'm trying to add a lap each week to jog. I jogged 6 laps last week nonstop, 7 laps this week, etc. The rest of the laps I walk. Unless I get steps in faster, it will be hard to add more steps regularly because of the time involved. I'm hoping to move up to 15,000 in a few weeks, but I'm not sure about more than that on a regular basis. That may be a once or twice a week thing to get 20,000+ steps in. 🙂 

[GettingfitinSC]

Ok, something just hit me. I was just entering my dinner in my food log and was feeling guilty because I went over my calorie limit. (It was because of a 150 calorie hot cocoa today and a fun size chocolate bar.) I was thinking, "If only I hadn't eaten/drunk that, if only I had checked calories BEFORE supper, I could have cut back a little more." And both of those are true. I need to be more careful with food. However, my 169 calories overlimit, is not over my burn. I'm in the -1000 calorie plan, so I'm still at -750 today, even if I went over my normal limit. Now, I'm not going to take advantage of that; I need -1000 calories in order to lose weight. However, that helps me not feel overly guilty for going over. 

I'm still learning... 🙂 

[dancefoxtrot]

Hi all,

Second day of tracking my food and it does slow my down.  I've eaten my allotment of cals so now I need to burn more.  So far I've only made 2500 steps as I worked at the computer for several hours so up I go for some room pacing. Need to drink more water also.

Glad folks are doing well. 

Keep on truckin'

Barbara G

[BLLingg]

@HeartBiller, why not explain your situation (FitBit, Steps, getting HEALTHY, etc) to the Coach then ask him if he has any good ideas to get you moving while you're there.  Maybe he'll have a need that you could satisfy?  Volunteer Helpers are OFTEN a Blessing!!!  It might not be a lot of Steps.  But maybe a few and maybe other forms of Calorie Burning.

[BLLingg]

I tried one of Leslie Sansone's but I couldn't do it.  Partly because I couldn't follow her Beat and partly because I'm challenged when it comes to following a Leader.  Awhile back, I tried Tai Chi in the Pool and couldn't do that either.  I know it sounds weird, but I'm not Left Handed, I'm not Right Handed, and I'm not Ambidextrous.  For some things, I'm Left, for others, I'm Right, and for a few I'm Ambi.  And I get mixed up trying to convert their Left to my Left. 

Recently, though, I got smart.  I have rediscovered something I CAN do.  I CAN Dance to the Golden Oldies!    And I found where it is on my Comcast TV.  Monday, I "lasted" 11 Minutes.  Yesterday, 16 then 11 a little bit later.  I'm bound and determined to get that up to a Full Half-Hour "Set" like I used to do when I went out Dancing!  The Steps aren't as much as with Leslie Sansone, but I'm already getting enough Steps in.  (Usually!)  Instead, I'll be getting more Active Calories Burned!  And I need that!!!

[cheri.h]

Congrats on your loss!  Could you tell me what these mean?  

USW= 

CSW= 

UGW=

[_Lilac_]

@cheri.h 

USW = Ultimate start weight (your heaviest beginning weight)

CSW= Challenge start weight (what you were when you joined the challenge)

UGW= Ultimate Goal Weight.

I think on the very first post there should be a description of all the acronyms. Welcome to the challenge!             

[cheri.h]

I agree!  Thank you so much. 🙂

[_Lilac_]

@BLLingg  Gosh, I never follow left and right and grapevine and all those things. I'm much too uncoordinated. And I'm probably never as fast as the beat on the Leslie Sansone videos, but everyone has to go at their own pace.  As long as you are moving, sweating, feeling like you are getting a good workout, then you are doing fine with those. I hated water tai chi...it wasn't aerobic at all and I couldn't move in the water like others because of my size. It is a lot of resistance to move this big body! The moves were too complicated to get any aerobic benefit. The older ladies who go for social chatting and a morning float liked it but I'm there to work hard. The instructor fell on the pool deck and tore something in her hip so that was it for pool tai chi. I used to do a great Richard Simmons video called '80's Blast Off'. It was 20 min. I bought it on vhs but who has a vhs player anymore?? Actually, I have one, it's just not hooked up. It is on youtube though!! I find he has more of the 'left, right, do this do that' than Leslie Sansone though. Good luck with finding something that will work for you! Sweat!

[_Lilac_]

Ok, here I am going into anxiety and planning mode. Dog irritation, check. Shower, check. Breakfast, oops. Will get on that. Today my plan is to pack up all the stuff I need for several hours of being out. I want to go to Walmart, pick up a healthy lunch, meet Mom for lunch at the library, do some writing. Sounds simple, but I have to lay out my route and method of travel. Do I walk the entire way to the mall?? That's 50 min. or 4km. Not outrageous but will it allow me to have enough energy for the rest of my day. I have the option of taking the bus halfway, walking the rest, then I have to get back to the downtown area, while carrying a lunch. Walk? Bus? Do I walk home? Oh man, you see my issues. LOL. Ok, I think I'll do the half and half thing. I'm thinking so much about it I'm wasting my time!

Talk to ya later! Get your steps on!

[Florriel]

OK - so this week I have stayed the same at 179 but I am OK with that as it has been a bit hectic to say t he least.

The kitchen is still out of action - units are on the walls and tiles are going on but I still have no oven, hob or sink. The new hob arrives on Sunday and hubby will hopefully also be plumbing in the sink by then. Hopefully the electrician will have put the oven back in its new home by then too. So this has meant a few meals out as well as stuff we can do in the microwave. Today I have managed to dig the slow cooker out form the pile of boxes of kitchen contents which are currently living in my dining room and we are having a beef stew with some veggies for dinner tonight.

This past week has also been a challenge as I have been acting as hospital taxi for my sister who was having a procedure done so could not drive herself. So I drove 2 hours to her house to collect her and then the next morning at 4am drove the 2 hours into London to the hospital. I managed to pass a lot of the 12 hour waiting time for the op to get my steps up by using the stairs all day ( 7 flights down and then back up again) and I went for a long walk around the surrounding area while she was in surgery. Strangely the hospital canteen has some very odd opening hours so I managed to miss those for lunch but did  manage some soup from a store nearby.

Last night the family went out for dinner but we chose a bar we could walk to and I had some steak  without the chips that were to accompany it. The kitchen were very good and gave me salad instead.

Today it is lunch time and I have microwaved some soup. Went to the gym this morning and then walked to the village centre to get provisions so my steps are almost at 10,000. Tonight I have a body conditioning class so should be well able to achieve 15k today.

Keep all the posts coming - I do love reading them. It's nice to know the rest of you have the same or similar issues to me. Yay I am not alone!!

[HeartBiller]

OK, thanks to so great advise and a nudge to get my rear moving...lol. I am happy to report I did make my 10K steps yesterday... Day 1 10,767. I'll take that..lol. Keep pushing me...lol

@_Lilac_Timmy is my grandson I am raising. He is a character. It is so different raising a grand child then it was a child. (Why do we not discipline the same??)  Any how, he is what most would call, SPOILED, so I won't disagree. however he has such an anxiety of being away from me if their are strangers around. We only went out for 20 minutes. When I came back in the coach says he was worried to death as to why you weren't back yet... lol. So when he came to me and said where were you and why was you gone so long... I just said Timmy I told you I was going outside to walk and I would be back before the practice was over... So here comes the guilt trip... Well I couldn't play at all with you gone, because I kept looking over here for you... and did you see when you came back I made a shot...lol. So here I am letting an 8 year old guilt me. So I guess I will try to explain things a little better before next Tuesday to see if I can walk with out him trying to guilt me..lol. He knows I have the fitbit and I try to get my steps in, so maybe I will try to find him a cheaper tracker and see if it will interest him to get some in to. He needs it as much as I do..lol.

[HeartBiller]

@GettingfitinSCI am really going to have to push myself for the weekends... I may have to force myself to walk inside on the treadmill or glider either really early or really late... lol. I am really going to try to keep my focus from now til the end of this challenge to prove to myself I can regain the focus and keep moving forward.

You know over the summer last year when my husband and I first started this journey, we used to go to several different elementary schools around us and use their grounds to walk on. I could take another kid or two with me and let them play on the play ground and my husband and I would walk their track. We really need to get back to that. We were up to walking 4 to 5 miles a day and then boom, first one thing then another then no walking... It is so easy to get off track.

I am going to get back in gear and get this done. !!!