Britt's 30th Birthday Challenge! (September 22 - January 21)

brittdee88
brittdee88 Posts: 1,874 Member
My 30th birthday is on January 22, which is 122 days from today!

Over the next 4 months, I will be challenging myself to meet various monthly goals to reach my goal weight (125) with OMAD and to make some positive lifestyle changes. I want to enter my 30s having finally gotten over this weight loss barrier and beginning the process of truly crafting the balanced and vibrant life I have always wanted.

SW for this challenge: 154.4
UGW: 125
Maintenance range: 125-129
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Replies

  • brittdee88
    brittdee88 Posts: 1,874 Member
    edited September 2017
    September 22 - October 21 Goals:
    My focus for this month is on reducing stress post-Irma. Stress is one of the major roots of many of my daily challenges including high resting heart rates, insomnia, weight gain, and binging. It also exacerbates my anxiety and depression. Without addressing my stress levels, anything else I do will just be a band-aid. So I'm starting with a few small changes upon which I will build each month.

    Lifestyle:
    Stick to my bedtime routine to relieve stress, quiet my mind, and signal to my body that it is time to rest and recharge.
    My newish routine:
    • All electronic devices off at 10:30 PM
    • Brush teeth, wash and moisturize face, and moisturize hair
    • Quick body and scalp massage
    • Light an incense stick and journal
    • Follow a 12-minute restorative yoga sequence
    • Head to bed
    This routine takes about an hour, so I know there may be a few days I can't get to it in its entirety. My goal is to follow it at least 25 days out of the next month. I had a similar routine in the past, and it truly helped.

    Diet:
    Stick to one meal a day -- raw vegan on weekdays and cooked vegan on weekends and special occasions as needed
    Stick to 100% gluten-free. I have a wheat allergy and should have been doing this all along, but I had been letting things slide here and there. No more. I've had enough of the welts and gastro issues that come with it. I want to get back to healing.

    Accountability:
    I will post checks or minuses for meeting these goals here everyday.
    I will post my weight here everyday unless I become obsessive and find daily weighing is no longer good for my mental health. If that happens, I will post my weight at least weekly.

    October 21 weight goal: 147
    October 21 average RBPM goal: <79
  • jvcinv
    jvcinv Posts: 504 Member
    All laudable goals, good luck with this.
    I wish when I was still young like you that I had been one tenth as organized, proactive and determined to make positive changes.
  • brittdee88
    brittdee88 Posts: 1,874 Member
    edited September 2017
    Thanks so much, @jvcinv! Unfortunately, the planning and organizing part is a strength of mine while the follow-through tends to be a struggle once the initial novelty wears off. I am hoping that making smaller changes over time and holding myself accountable everyday here will really help.
  • tlblanksfit
    tlblanksfit Posts: 1,573 Member
    edited September 2017
    I am rooting for you Britt. I think I will join you in your October 21st weight goal. I weighed in this morning at 154.9 so we are right there together. 147 pounds by October 21st, we can do it.
  • brittdee88
    brittdee88 Posts: 1,874 Member
    Yay, @tlblanksfit! We got this!!!! Feel free to post your weights in here as well if you want :)
  • Brendalea69
    Brendalea69 Posts: 3,863 Member
    I love this <3 You can do it!!! :)
  • mistymeadows2005
    mistymeadows2005 Posts: 3,737 Member
    Britt, you are so much more organized than me! I'm lucky if I remember to brush my teeth before bed! :D:D:D I'm joining you on this (with a different weight goal of course)! Exciting stuff!
  • brittdee88
    brittdee88 Posts: 1,874 Member
    Thanks, @Brendalea69!
    And yay, @mistymeadows2005! The more the merrier! I didn't grow up brushing my teeth before bed. I have actively been trying to build that habit, and I hope it becomes second nature at the end of all of this. Feel free to post your weights just like Tracey if you want!
  • mistymeadows2005
    mistymeadows2005 Posts: 3,737 Member
    brittdee88 wrote: »
    Thanks, @Brendalea69!
    And yay, @mistymeadows2005! The more the merrier! I didn't grow up brushing my teeth before bed. I have actively been trying to build that habit, and I hope it becomes second nature at the end of all of this. Feel free to post your weights just like Tracey if you want!

    WILL DO! I usually don't weigh on the weekends and then just weigh day-to-day through my fasts...I'm always a solid 5-10 pounds higher going into my fasts but those fall away the first day and the second (and sometimes third) day is the loss :) Ergo, a little pointless to post anything but those 2 days, but I'll update you on those! :)
  • brittdee88
    brittdee88 Posts: 1,874 Member
    WILL DO! I usually don't weigh on the weekends and then just weigh day-to-day through my fasts...I'm always a solid 5-10 pounds higher going into my fasts but those fall away the first day and the second (and sometimes third) day is the loss :) Ergo, a little pointless to post anything but those 2 days, but I'll update you on those! :)

    Sounds good! We actually might have similar trends, as I suspect I might gain after my cooked food days. I hope that will fall off as quickly as yours does!
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    jvcinv wrote: »
    All laudable goals, good luck with this.
    I wish when I was still young like you that I had been one tenth as organized, proactive and determined to make positive changes.

    Me too. I'm at my lightest right now in probably 21-yrs or so. Really wished could have gotten it together a lot sooner (I tried the exercise route about a million times but I just couldn't get it done). OMAD has worked for me!
  • minigrrll
    minigrrll Posts: 1,590 Member
    I love your nightly routine. I'm like Steph, can hardly remember to brush my teeth before bed, let alone deal with cleaning my face and moisturizer etc! I did have a habit app that I was using for a while to remind me to do stuff, but deleted it once I fell off the wagon. Maybe it is time to re-download and start again...
  • tlblanksfit
    tlblanksfit Posts: 1,573 Member
    This morning's weight 153.7
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    This morning's weight 153.7

    congrats!
  • katjustkat
    katjustkat Posts: 754 Member
    Great goal Britt and I wish you great success. I think you shutting off all electronic devices is a fantastic way to gain time.
  • brittdee88
    brittdee88 Posts: 1,874 Member
    edited September 2017
    Thanks for the support, everyone! And congrats, Tracey!

    Unfortunately,
    worst
    first
    day
    EVER!

    I failed on all fronts yesterday.
    I did NOT eat enough at my meal time and was starving a few hours later, which turned into shoveling down anything I could find last night was quick (ie. cereal, Starbursts, and the cauliflower tacos I had prepared for today). That binge left me sick all night, and I didn't get to do my bedtime routine or go to bed at a reasonable time.

    Lessons learned:
    Always be prepared. I'm 100% sure that if my avocado had been ripe and I ate that with my meal, I wouldn't have been hungry later. I didn't plan yesterday's meal thoroughly because I was supposed to be going to an event that ended up falling through. As a result, I put things together that were very tasty but not filling enough. I need to make sure I have a back up plan in the wings at all times. I'm in the process of preparing an emergency meal right now for times like yesterday.
    Don't fill calories with fruit. Clearly, this does NOT work for me. Without the avocado, I tried to fill in the gap with apricots and pineapples. I know fruit isn't satiating for me, but I was unprepared and tried to make do. This was a good reminder.

    I'm trying to leave it at that and not beat myself up. Today is a new day.

    Somehow, I weigh the same today. Still 154.4.
  • mistymeadows2005
    mistymeadows2005 Posts: 3,737 Member
    It's alright babe! You're right back at it... You'd not BELIEVE the amount of food I ate last night breaking my fast.... Ill post pictures Monday but the picture I took doesn't include the equal amount of calories I took in after that... Only in about a 4 hour window lol...its all good #balance
  • katjustkat
    katjustkat Posts: 754 Member
    Britt...yeah the first thing I thought of when I saw your meal was....that's not nearly enough calories. I know guacamole is a lil pricey but it could be a good idea to always have some in the frig. You're saving tons of money by not eating two other meals. Fruit makes me crazy hungry! I could eat two huge bananas and be like...what's next???...with wild eyes. Does oil help keep hunger at bay? Are you not eating wheat? I use raw bulgar in my Armenian cooking by soaking it over night in water, totally gets soft. Nut butters? Oh well, you're the expert and you def don't need help in that dept...just the mama in me <3
  • brittdee88
    brittdee88 Posts: 1,874 Member
    @mistymeadows2005 yes, balance! Love that. Currently baking a vegan flourless cake for myself for today's meal. Usually I would try to starve myself for a slip-up, but I am breaking that mindset in the best way!

    @katjustkat yeah.... Definitely not a good idea. Keeping guac in the fridge is a good idea. I will whip some more up when this avo is finally ripe! I'm making raw nutballs because they freeze well and are super easy to just add to sauce and veggie noodles in a bind. I don't eat a whole bunch of fruit anyway, but I definitely don't plan to eat it in this way ever again! I have a wheat allergy, so no wheat. I also had plans to make chocolate sunbutter this weekend anyway to go with flax crackers, so I will have nut butter ready to go next week, too! Thanks, Mama Bear! :blush: I definitely don't mind - I always appreciate caring people!
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    If i'm close to the end of a fast and still at work and eat something, it is all over with like you experienced. I will eat about 1200 calories from the snack bar before I stop! It is dangerous for me to start. That is why a noon meal doesn't work very well for me either. I did mitigate it a bit a few times by just eating peanuts which doesn't see to hurt me as much as the sweets. Just get back on the horse!