Valentines Day to Easter Challenge 2016

[saraj91]

Welcome to the next challenge! 

This one will run from Valentines day to Easter, so from February 14th to March 27th. Everyone and anyone can join this challenge in which we all set our own weight loss goals, this gives us 7 weeks in total to work towards them! 

This group of lovely people provides encouraging support and words of advice as we all share our experiences, good and bad. It has proved beyond helpful to myself and many others as we become healthier and achieve amazing things.

To be part of the challenge you start by posting your initial weight stats and what you would like to achieve by the end of the challenge. You can then check in as often as you'd like with a weight update, to share a story from your week or start a conversation about a topic you'd like some advice on.

 
So excited for us to keep working towards our goals with the fantastic friends from the last challenges and a big 'Hello!' to all the challenge newbies! 

Thank you @awood08 for kicking off 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

[Milehighkerri]

@Brujita  I most definitely do not get enough sleep.  Unfortunately I work two jobs so monday to friday are very very long days for me. I wish I could change that but unfortunately financially I cannot at the moment.  However, I weighed this morning and have lost what I gained and then some so that makes me happy.  🙂

[Bogdel]

Hi, @lusry! Welcome to Colorado! Colorado Springs is a beautiful place to live. I often contemplated on moving there. I live in Denver. Renting is very high these days. I hope you will be able to buy something instead. Paying mortgage is not nearly as high as paying rent. 

Best wishes on your new location as well as your health and fitness goals. 

Ellie

[lusry]

Thanks @Bogdel! We looked at places in Denver, but the areas we wanted to live in were too much money. My husband also wanted to move more towards the mountains and he loved Colorado Springs when we went down to see Garden of the Gods. That's why we decided to move there. It's really not as expensive as it is here in New Orleans. I've currently got a 2 bed, 1 bath half a shotgun (basically a duplex that is 5 rooms in a straight line) for $1K a month and we found a 3 bed/3 bath house with a huge backyard for $1395. We may have lucked out though. We want to buy, but our timetable to get out there just didn't allow it, so hopefully we will find something we like this year and buy. We might not even stay in the Springs and go more towards Denver, we'll just see how this year goes. I'm definitely looking forward to doing more outdoorsy things this spring/summer. Here, spring only lasts a couple of days and you about can't even walk to the end of the block without being soaked with sweat.

Leah

[Bogdel]

Great goals, @Sine! Go for it. You will find this challenge very realistic and helpful. I usually set a 10 lb goal per challenge. When I reach it, I celebrate, and set a new 10 lb goal. I joined Fitbit at the beginning of the year, and I lost 19 lbs (as of today). My ultimate goal is similar to yours. So, I still have a lot to burn, but by setting/reaching small goals at a time I stay encouraged and consistent. 

Best wishes to you!

Ellie

[Bogdel]

Hi, @Elle0904! That salad sounds delicious, and very healthy. I make a big bowl of similar salads every few days, keep it air tight in the fridge, and have a serving every day. I decided to skip the oil, though. Even though olive oil gives it great taste, it is very high in calories. I use a few nuts instead. I also put a bunch of parsley leaves in my salad. It adds great flavor, and it is rich in vitamin C. 

Keep it up, friend!

Ellie

[Bogdel]

Hi, @hannahbebrave! I just select the food from the list and enter the amount. I use a kitchen scale to measure some foods. That's just because I want to make sure I keep my portions size small enough for my calorie in-take goals. It has become a routine, and I am having fun with it. It is part of the challenge, and it allows me to stay on track. Once you get into it, you will love it. Hope you got your fitbit and are having as much fun with it as the rest of us. 

Best wishes!

[Bogdel]

Hi, @DJRMel! I would not worry whether it's water loss or fat. As long as the scale goes down, it's a good sign. I find that drinking a lot of water throughout the day keeps me full and I eat less. Walking 30 minute/day and logging my food has done it for me. I lost about 2 - 2.5 lbs/week. Keep it up!

[Bogdel]

Hi, @lusry! 1K is a good price for rent these days. I live in a townhouse community (I own a 4 BR townhouse) and I pay about $800 in mortgage + $180 in housing association fees. One of my neighbors owns three 3BR properties, and rents two of them. She gets $1800/month in rent from one, and 2K from the other. So, buying looks like the logical thing to do these days. Hope you can do it soon. My husband and I are thinking of, maybe, getting a single family home. We are not sure yet. Just playing with the thought. 

Best wishes to you!

[Bogdel]

Hi, @Elle0904! This is mouth watering! Did you figure how many calories one portion has? 

[Milehighkerri]

Hi @Bogdel and @lusry!  I actually live in the Denver metro area.  I was lucky to buy a place 11 years ago when the housing market was hot, then it crashed and now its back and my house is worth way more than it was when I bought it and definitely could rent it for quite a bit but then would have to find another place to live lol!  Weather has been outstanding all week so planning on getting out this week to do some extra walks!

[Samalama217]

@OCDOC  Oh, yum.  I looooove cookies and milk.  Shoveling is a great workout!  I'm sure you'll burn those cookies off in no time 😉

[Samalama217]

@rissadoodlebop  Thanks for the pep talk 🙂  My goal is totally do-able.  I just need to get control of myself.  I don't really have horrible things in the house.  Lately, I've been snacking too much on crackers and cheese.  I do have a pack of Oreos in the house but I'm surprisingly good at limiting myself to only 3 cookies in a day.  I've really been slacking in the veggie department, but I plan on making some this week.

Don't worry.  I stand on my feet all day for week and I still can never get the 10K in.  I tend to only reach it when I'm off and have things to do around the house and work out.  Are you able to take breaks at work and just walk around the office for a few minutes at a time?  Or if you have your own office, just stand up and march in place for a few minutes at a time.  It all adds up.  Welcome to the group, by the way.  You'll get plenty of support here 🙂

[Bogdel]

@Elle0904, you are an inspiration to me. Although I try to walk daily and to watch my calorie in-take, I have rarely reached the 10,000 steps. I am going to try to do the same, and set a daily goal of 10K steps. 

Thanks for sharing! Keep it up, friend!

[BigB225]

Lost 2 lbs. At last weight in. Super excited

[Bogdel]

Hi, @Milehighkerri & @lusry. I agree. This is a seller's market. The prices went high during the last couple of years. I bought mine in 1999. The value of my house has more than doubled since then. Yet, I still believe that buying is better than renting. Interest rates are still low. 

It was windy today, but I still took a long walk, and it felt good. 

Best wishes!

[Bogdel]

Good for you, @BigB225!  This is just the beginning. Keep it up! 

[Bogdel]

Hi @OCDOC! This is my second challenge (second month) on fitbit, as well. I was on the Val Day challenge last month. I did not do the 10,000 steps daily, although I reached that number a few times. I did try to walk 20-30 minutes/day and to watch my calorie in-take, as well as the quality of my food. I lost about 2-2.5 lbs/week (a total of 19 lbs in the last two months). I don't want to lose too much too quick, because I want to develop a realistic life style that I know I could comfortably keep for the rest of my life: eat healthy, eat smaller portions, and walk daily. 

I am thinking about going to the Rec Center, though, and work on some other muscle groups. It will be interesting to see how that is going to affect my weight loss goals. 

Thanks for sharing, and keep up the good work!

Ellie

[kmme]

 Good Morning All ,

 Weekly check in for me , back to a new low i must say , it's been a long time , the usual for my body!  i ended up fasting for 5 days , went well and felt terrific , i am starting another fast today , as i felt so good doing it. The goal is a 7 day liquid this time so we will see how that goes. My goal this week is to increase my weight work , i have done relatively well with cardio but definately lack in resistance training right now:) Soumds like everyone is doing well.

SW- 175- July 2015

CSW - 130- Feb 15th

PW - 130 - Feb 25th

CW - 128.6 Mar 3rd

CGW - 120

UGW - 120?? Undecided

[Chlz1997]

I LOST!!!! planning ahead - tracking EVERYTHING and making better choices paid off - down 3.2# this week.  This is a great incentive to stay the course this weekend. And I am on target to make my challenge goal - woohoo!!! 

USW - 220 (Jan 1, 2016)
CSW - 217.6 (Feb 11)
W1 - 216.4 (Feb 18 {-1.2#})
W2 - 216.2 (Feb 25 {-0.2#})
W3 - 213.0 (Mar 3 {-3.2#})
CGW - 209 (5% loss)

This week's NSV - tightening my belt a notch! Also, have a lunch date today at Olive Garden for my cousin's birthday. I have already researched and logged what I will eat.  Don't want to sabotage my hard work this week!

Congrats to all you beautiful losers  stay focused and keep moving forward - no matter how small - it ALL adds up!!

[sgbaumann]

So happy that something is finally working!!  Down 4 pounds since last week!!!  Dr. Oz Day-Off Diet and no wine during the week!

USW: 190

CSW: 189 (2/16/16)

CW: 180 (3/3/16)

GW: 150

UGW: 140