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

[Bogdel]

Congratulatiins, @IamRBrown! Keep it up!

[Barrymomof6]

Thank you for the warm welcome and i am looking forward to the great encouragement!

Sent from my iPhone

[Barrymomof6]

You can do it!!!

Sent from my iPhone

[Samalama217]

Good morning, everyone!  I'm finally at a weight BELOW my starting weight for this challenge.  Woohoo!  Other than a weird binge session on Saturday where I stuffed my face with cookies and wine (yes, wine...not milk lol), I've been pretty good with the hunger monster.  I've been pretty religious with a 16:8 eating window and I think that's been doing the trick. I've also been trying my hardest to reach my step goal daily.  I have changed my MFP goals to lose 1 lb/week for the rest of this month in hopes that I can meet my goal.  We'll see if I can keep at or below 1200 calories daily.  It's only 2 weeks, right? Yesterday I started some Spring cleaning by trying to go through my closet and toss clothes that don't fit anymore.  It was a pretty good feeling that a lot of the clothes didn't fit because they were TOO BIG and not the other way around 🙂  Plus, now I have an excuse to go shopping!

Starting weight (2-10-16): 137.8 lbs
2-17-16: 137.4 lbs
2-25-16: 138 lbs

3-2-16: 139.4 lbs (this is a weight gain challenge, right? 😛 )

3-9-16: 138.4 lbs

3-16-16: 137 lbs
Goal weight by Easter: 135 lbs

UGW: 130 lbs

We are in the home stretch now!  Continued luck to everyone.  Now is the time to really give it all we've got! Let's do this!

[Samalama217]

 P.S.  Hey, @swimr12265!  Where ya at, girl?  You've been M.I.A. 

[swimr12265]

Hi Sam! 

Lol, yes, it's been a whirlwind of a time these last couple weeks.  I have not had a minute's opportunity to check out this site.  I am going to read all the posts I've missed and then post my stats.  Even though I was bad in Las Vegas (one night we ate at an upscale buffet that cost almost $50...I was NOT going to leave tht place without getting my money's worth!), I have managed to get my weight back down to where it was before I left.  In fact, I was at 132 this morning...not where I had hoped to be but not too bad.  Fortunately, I was able to get some running and a lot of walking in while I was away.  I'm taking my family to Mexico next week for 10 days, so I am not sure what will happen to my weight, but we will be there over Easter.  Hopefully, I can post my final weight from there.  I have 7 pounds to go to meet my goal weight for this challenge.  I am not at all sure it will happen. 

[swimr12265]

Hey Rob,

I wondered about your walking!  I've missed you in the challenges.  I have always done all sorts of cross training: swimming, running, biking, walking, and sometimes yoga and group exercises.  Of course, I cannot wear my fitbit in the pool.  I get bored fairly easily and love to mix things up, so I agree that not walking a ton doesn't seem to affect me one way or another.  Eating too much does, alas.  I also agree with those who have commented about getting proper sleep.  I don't, and I know it is not helping me shed any pounds. I am not dieter, so what I usually do (and I know I am the very opposite of traditional) is eat what I want one day but fast or eat very little the next if I over do it.  This works faily well unless I have more than a day or two in a row of eating what I want...then it snowballs, and I gain weight.  Not good.

[swimr12265]

Yay Ruth!!

[swimr12265]

Have I seriously NOT posted since February 23??? I am a baaaaad girl!  It has been a hectic, crazy, and odd time for me.  29 February-4 March was midterm week at school, which meant lots of review work and grading a bunch of papers.  I started my spring break on March 4 (yay!). I have been traveling a lot: my daughter had a dance convention in Lombard (Chicago area) on the 4-6 of March.  I left from there on the 6th to swim in a meet in Bloomington.  I was supposed to leave for Las Vegas on the 7th but ended up leaving on the 8th as I had many loose ends to tie up and had to do a lot in preparation for leaving my 9-year-old, 13-year-old, and 17-year-old home alone (their dad chose the same time to go to Europe...imagine that!).  I feared that I would have some major binges in Vegas (it IS Sin City, isn't it?) and derail my weak effort this challenge, but I actually didn't do too badly.  Here are my numbers:

USW- 144 (July 2015)                           GW3 - 131 (February 29)  
CSW- 137 (February 14, 2016)             GW4 - 129 (March 7)  
GW1- 135 (February 19)                       GW5 - 127 (March 14)  
GW2 - 133 (February 22)                      GW6 - 126 (March 21)...if I remember correctly.  [I will modify this to 129 since 126 is not likely to happen, but I might be able to swing 129.]

CGW - 125 (March 27)

UGW- 115 (by Memorial Day, I hope!)
CW - 132.8

So, I am not even at my February 29 GW, but at least I didn't gain any major weight since I posted last...well, actually I did (I got back up to 137), but I have been much more dedicated since my return from Vegas.   I don't know that I will reach my CGW, but I will keep trying.  I am leaving for Mexico on the 26th and won't return home until the 4th of April.  My two youngest have THEIR spring break the week after Easter, and I just do not want them spending a bunch of time at home doing nothing since I would be working much of that time.  In any event, I think I can muddle through another 11 days off work for "the cause"...lol.  I will try to post once before I leave and from Mexico on Easter or the day after.  Has anyone started an Easter to Memorial Day challenge?  If no one has stepped up to the plate to do so, I will get one started when I return from Mexico.

[swimr12265]

BTW, it turns out I, too, am injured (it's plaguing many of us, huh?): I noticed a couple weeks before my swim meet that my wrist was hurting. I thought I had slept on it the wrong way, but it turns out I have De Quervain's Tenosynovitis (tendonitis in my wrist).  It didn't make for a good swim meet or for swimming now (butterfly, especially, is quite painful), but I am on the mend.  The days in Vegas helped...I didn't swim at all...just ran and walked, and I am sure the 10 in Mexico will be "just what the doctor ordered" as I plan to relax by the water, get plenty of beach massages, and do workouts other than swimming.  I hope everyone is mending nicely, as well.  It is good to be back on this site.  I have missed the daily discussions, but I spent several hours reading what I missed and am now caught up.  I'll try to not go MIA again...

[awood08]

@swimr12265 oh no! I hope you heal soon! It's crazy how many of us are having medical setbacks??!!

Glad to see you back again, everytime someone goes MIA that has been a staple in these groups I get a little worried....

Speaking of which where is our fearless challenge leader @saraj91???

[sharoncraft37]

I'm not going to make my goal before Easter. But I am consistant with losing a pound a week.  I wish it was more. I just keep pushing! 

I hope everyone else is doing well!

[awood08]

I finally started back in the gym on Wednesday which felt amazing, I was 170 on Monday and by this morning I dropped 2 of the 3 pounds I gained back from being on my butt for the past week. Now I'm going to push hard this week before my next surgery on the 23rd.

I was lucky enough to test out the new Fit 3D body scan machine they have in our gym now. It gives you a 3D image, complete with full body measurements, bodyfat percentage, and lean vs fat index. I'm so glad I did because it turns out I still have about 60 pounds of fat on my body. That's giving me an average of 36% body fat....my goal is to be around 24-25%. So I'm calculating I need to lose around 25 more pounds. So I'm going to set my goal lower again and dig my heels in. I'm kinda sad that I thought I was close to being done and at maintenance level. Goes to show you how innacurate alot of these online calculators are 😞

USW  6/16/15 235

CSW  2/12/16 169

PW     3/8/16  165

CW    3/18/16  168

UGW  6/16/16 145

[lusry]

Time to check in! I'm up a couple pounds but considering I've eaten like crap and been stressed the past 2 weeks since I moved across the country I don't think it's that bad. I've also read on here that moving the aria scale isn't a good thing, but I weighed myself on it 3 times and twice got the same result, so maybe it's accurate? It's just a push I need to get myself back on track. Have any of you tried Orange Theory fitness? A friend of mine did and she loves it, she lost 4.7lbs in 1 week and she said if you register online your first class is free..and then the 2nd one is free too but it's $159 a month for 6 months. She also has gone 4 times in the past week.

USW: April 2015 - 185lbs

CSW: 2/12/16 - 177.8lbs

PW: 2/21/16 - 177.1lbs

PW: 2/26/16 - 175.8lbs

PW: 3/4/2016 - 173.7lbs

CW: 3/18/2016 - 175.9lbs

GW: 3/27/16 - 170lbs

UGW: 120-125lbs

[sgbaumann]

Crappy week - ate (and drank) stuff I shouldn't have - and the scale is showing it...need to refocus!!

USW: 190

CSW: 189 (2/16/16)

CSW: 179.5 (3/10/16)

CW:  180.5 (3/18/16)

GW: 150

UGW: 140

[scottie0714]

Hi everyone! Checking in for the week.  I'm down another lb (yay me!).  I had hoped for more, but I only worked out 4 (out of 5 days). I'm looking forward to "one"derland...hopefully next week. Here are my stats:

USW - 213 (1/14/16)
CSW - 207 (2/12)
PW - 201.2 (3/11)
CW 200 (3/18) - was hoping for 195 by Easter, but not looking like it
GW - 190 - my 1st 20 lbs
UGW - 160

Also, are we doing another challenge for Memorial day or 4th of July??? I need one desperately!

[swimr12265]

@awood08,

Thanks.  You are always so kind.  Sara was (is?) in Australia, remember?  I got a message from her a while back, and she is having a wonderful time.  She has been staying active in the challenges, so I know she is doing quite fine.  No doubt we will be hearing from her soon...

That machine you mentioned at the gym sounds great!  I wish one were available around here.  The best I can do here are calipers.  I will look into it.

Yay @scottie0714 and others who are seeing those down ticks on the scale---and you, too, @lusry! Being off one's normal routine is an easy way to get distracted by a poor diet (I'm a seasoned veteran of this; I know).  The fact that you gained so little is a testament to how well you are actually doing.  Keep up the good work, everyone, and stay committed, those of us who are floundering a bit...lol.

[OCDOC]

Week 5 check-in:

USW 246

CSW 223

LastWk 215.4

Today 217

CGW 215

UGW 200?

Conclusion: Eating Doritos, Tostitos, Coke Classic, Cookies and gallons of milk with your kids during March Break will hamper progress.

Who knew??  😉

Good luck etc to everybody. There's still time!

PS...anybody mention what the next challenge cycle will be yet? Rob K

[OCDOC]

@swimr12265 Hey! All is okay 🙂

Re walking..I did 10K/d for Jan, 20K/d for most of Feb, HIIT for the first 2weeks March and dropped 30# total. Right now am being lazy/having a mental health break until the end of the Easter Challenge...will re-launch the aggressive exercise stuff for the next challenge after Easter.

Hope all is generally ok w you 🙂  Rob

[OCDOC]

@awood08

Re your earlier post about being shouted down about food types esp lo-carb affecting metabolism.

Ignore the 'colories-in calories-out' people. Anybody who thinks that a 100 calories of Coke is the 'same' as 100 calories of low-carb veg is severely under-informed. In addition to the thermogenic effect of digestion plus the nutrient composition of good LC food, junky carbs just WRECK one's hormonal metabolism, in particular Insulin homeostasis..

People can nit-pick re how 'low carb is low carb?' (under 100g per day is reasonable and easy; getting under 50 or 20 is harder!).

The medical data suggesting that excessive/crappy carbs is THE leading cause of morbid obesity, T2DM, and Metabolic Syndrome is overwhelmingly convincing.

Keep on doing the right thing; don't let the deniers ruin your day 🙂  Rob