Lose 5lbs + in February 2019

dawnbgethealthy

@tramaine_21 Seriously! The number on the scale matters. Try as we might to be OK without the positive reinforcement of a lower number as a reward for the effort, it is downright maddening when the numbers don't cooperate. I am up the last few days for no particular reason. I am old so no more TOM for me, but yeah I remember how frustrating that was. Now I can't even blame that LOL!

We are taking Friday and Monday off and going camping. I will probably eat a bit more than I should...but I log everything so I don't get too carried away!

Hang in there, girlie...We will get there! 😁

Jenn[/quote]

You will likely burn lots of calories camping!

ashleyeliza89

Original starting weight: 156 lbs (May 2018)
February starting weight: 126.3 lbs
February goal: 123.3 lbs
Ultimate goal: 116 lbs

1 Feb: 126.3 lbs
8 Feb: 126.5 lbs * I couldn't figure out why the scale wasn't budging all week -- then my period started this morning. Mystery solved!
14 Feb: 126 lbs * I've officially lost 30lbs from my start weight! I was 125.3lbs yesterday, annoyingly it had to go up today. So it goes. I'm weighing in a day early because my husband and I are spending our first married Valentine's Day together at our favourite steakhouse and I want to relax and enjoy my evening.
22 Feb: 126.3 *I knew these last 10lbs would be hard to lose, but they're really refusing to come off. I'm not discouraged though! I think this means it's time to get off my lazy butt and add some exercising into my weekly plan.
28 Feb: 124 * What a crazy week. I've stuck 100% to my calories and drank lots of water. And magically, the pounds started coming off! I'm so, so happy with this week's progress and happy to report I actually lost some weight this month. Only 8 lbs to go until I reach my goal weight, I can't believe it.

Total loss for February: 2.3lbs

lalabank

Original starting weight - 242
February starting weight - 178.9
February goal - 173.9
Ultimate goal - 130

1st - 178.9
8th - 176.6
14th - 175
21st - 173
28th -172.6

Loss for February- 6.3

I never know if anyone actually wants insight into what has been working for me or if I just sound like a smug kitten. We all have frustrating moments and months. I know I will have more. Being able to share them here is so valuable, sometimes just seeing we are not alone in this struggle can keep me going.
I want to share two lessons I learned here on MFP that when I started practicing I broke through the staled scale.
Number One. Adjust your calories for your current weight. I do it every 10lbs. I was at an incredibly frustrating plateau when someone pointed this out. So Simple, facepalm.
Number Two. Eat to fuel your workout don’t workout to eat more. In general this is what I practice now. My most consistent and steady loss has happened since I had this lightbulb go on. I am in the camp of eating back exercise calories is only necessary for those with a healthy BMI or in maintenance. Those of us in the struggle do not need to eat back. I do eat an extra 100 calories on days with 2 hours of intense intentional cardio.

The struggle is real, the frustration is painful! But everyone here is a success, we’re doing something for our health and well being.

jlbtnc

I am in, new to the group and challenge.

SW 2/11/19: 225.8
2/14/19: 222
February GW Challenge: 220 DONE
Goal 1 (March 22nd): 212 (every 5 weeks will be a different personal goal for me)
May 17th Goal: 199 (Wedding Anniversary is May22nd)
Birthday Goal (July 25th): 175
Overall Goal: 110-120

February 5lb Goal Challenge
2/11 – 225.8 (started)
2/14 – 222 (worked on challenge in another group for Valentine’s Day)
2/22 – 219.2 (hit my 5lbs plus - ↓6.6)
2/28 – 216.4 - hit goal last week plus some – lost 2.8 more
Total loss for February – 9.4lbs - YAY ME!

LadySaton

Original weight: 223lbs
February start weight: 164lbs
February goal: 159lbs
Ultimate goal: 130lbs

Feb 1: 164
Feb 3: 163.8
Feb 10: 161.6
Feb 17: 159.8
Feb 24: 157.4
Feb 28: 157.0

February loss: 7lbs, yay! Seems like I trade off between okay months and good months for the last several. Happy end of February to all and may we all start strong for March!

Connie7355

Original starting weight - 236
February starting weight - 200.2
February goal - 195
Ultimate goal - 170 for now

1st - 200.2
8th - 199
15th -197.4
22nd -198.4
28th - 196.2
Total loss for February -4 lbs.
Didn’t make my goal this month but I’m happy that I’m moving in the right direction no matter how slow it is! Hope everybody has a great March!!!

Cassandraw3

Original starting weight - 167 (April 2018)
February starting weight - 149 lbs
February goal - 144 lbs
Ultimate goal - 140 lbs

1st - 149 lbs
8th - 147.4 lbs
15th - 149.8 lbs
22nd - 149.4 lbs
28th - 148.4 lbs

Total loss for February: -0.6 lbs

Not what I wanted, but it could be worse. The last week or so I have finally been able to get some more control of my diet (meaning actually able to keep a moderate deficit). Now that I am back in a good groove, I should be able to keep at it until I hit my current goal, however long that may take. On to March!

tiabirdie56

•Lose 5 lbs in February 2019•

January 2019 - Gain/Loss of 1.8 lbs. 31 day average was 174.9

Original starting wgt: 253
February starting weight: 172.8
February goal: 170
❄Updating every day through February until completely back on track.

•Monday Updates•📌

2/01 - 172.8

2/02 - 174.4 - continuing my yoyo imitation😆
2/03 - 174.8
📌2/04 - 176.4
2/05 - 177
2/06 - 176.6
2/07 - 177.2
2/08 - 177
2/09 - 174.8
2/10 - 178.2
📌2/11 - 175.2
2/12 - 176
2/13 - 174.6
2/14 - 174.2
2/15 - 173.8
2/16 - 174.4
2/17 - 174.2
📌2/18 - 173.8
2/19 - 175 - some gut issues yesterday and continuing today😩
2/20 - 174.4
2/21 - 174.6
2/22 - 175.4
2/23 - 175
2/24 - 175.8 - Let's see what tomorrow brings

📌2/25 - 176.8 - Ate later than usual. New eating window starting today.
2/26 - 174.6
2/27 - 176.8

2/28 - 177 - Holding so much fluid that my joints are creaky this morning. I feel tired. I need to walk it out. Gain of 4.2 lbs. It's fluid, but still a gain.

February 2019 - Gain/Loss
of 4.2 lbs. 28 day average was 175.3

jackiepreston17

Original starting weight - 232 (Oct 2014)
February starting weight - 175.4 (Jan 31st)
February goal - 171.4
Ultimate goal - 157

Feb 1st - 174.4
Feb 7th - 173.6
Feb 14th - 173.6
Feb 21st - 173.4
Feb 28th - 172.8

Lbs lost in February- 2.6/4.0

LisaW57

Original starting weight - 158.5 (12/30/2018)
February starting weight - 155.0
February goal - 150.0
Ultimate goal - 135.0

1st - 155.0
8th - 154.8
15th - 154.9
22nd - 155.5
28th - 153.5

Total loss for February - 1.5
Total loss since 12/30 - 5.0

I am pretty competitive with myself, and I can be my own worse critic. I refuse to be disappointed at "not hitting goal." Yes. I want to drop off 20+ pesky pounds. I'd absolutely like to do that tomorrow. But I know that this is a long slow roll - and the weight drop is a single measure for a single goal towards my overall objective.

1.5 pounds is 1.5 pounds in the right direction. I'll take it. It's 2 pounds from last week alone, after drifting up for 2 weeks. And it's 5 pounds since I started this round on December 30. That's some serious, steady progress. I'm a data geek - and that's 3% of my total body weight gone so far! And I'm 21% of my way towards this one goal.

It has been humbling to watch the yo yo thing going on this month. My progress graph, seriously, looks like a flipping heart monitor over the course of a month. And I've done nothing different day to day, week to week. At least nothing that correlates directly to the data point moving one way or the other. So from that perspective, weight truly is just a number - and just a single measure of success or failure among many.

I have found it helpful to watch for trends (I've seen none, btw). I also find it helpful to be mindful of my overall goals and progress in other areas. It doesn't hurt to put that in the framework of my story.

Here's the back story. I am 5'2" and in high school started edging up from the 150's to 180 at graduation (1975). six months later I topped 198 and quit getting on the scale. I have no doubt that I topped 200. In 1977 I decided to do something. I knew it was going to be a lot of hard work. I had watched my mother and my aunt struggle with their weight most of my youth. They'd diet and lose, then they'd put it right back on. (That would end up being a lifelong struggle for them.) I was determined that I was not going to put myself through that. I would lose and keep it off, or I'd make peace with being fat. My goal was to get to 150 and maintain for a year before I headed toward the 100-110 goal that was on all the healthy weight charts. I hit that 150 in (roughly) 18 months. And I maintained that for many years. While my "diet plan" was not exactly "healthy" (and caused my doctor to mutter profanities), I came out the other end with some healthier habits - well rounded meals, plenty of fruits & vegetables, portion control, and exercise. I gradually dropped, year to year, until I was down to 125 before the birth of my youngest in 1989. I look back at those pictures and I looked anorexic. Obviously not a good weight for me.

I took the "baby weight" off fairly quickly and was left with that little pouch as a souvenir. I did not start edging up again until the kids were in late elementary school - they were active, I was not. School, Scouts, and a 100 mile/day commute to a desk job took a toll on meal planning. And it showed. By the mid-1990's I was back up to 165. I joined Weight Watchers and took of 20 pounds. That "stint" helped me re-establish healthy eating and exercise habits. And I continued to drop into the 135 range. That's a really good weight for my body. I feel healthiest at 135-145.

Enter peri-menopause and menopause. By March 2010, I was back up to 163. Refocus, reset, and get back on track. I joined MFP and took off 20 pounds in 4 months. In between the focused weight loss, I've noticed that I regularly gain 10-15 pounds over the winter, that comes off pretty easily in the spring as I get back outdoors to walk and garden.

I admit it. My spirit animal is a bear. If I could hibernate and sleep through winter, I would. The reality is that I can't. So meals start leaning towards comfort food. I telework now, and if I hit 2500 steps a day I've worked at it and done it pacing purposefully around the house. As the weather warms up in March, I make a concerted effort to get the winter weight off and shift into a healthier lifestyle. I have, literally, been in the same summer & winter clothes sizes (they are distinctly different) for 15+ years. I can live with that. I am who I am. When I think about my back story - that is a true measure of success.

Last spring, my husband had an extended health crisis, and I had entered my 60's. I did not get that winter weight off. He's recovering nicely. In December, I realized I was mid-way through another winter and was already past my top-end winter weight of 155. I could blow it off, accept another 5-10 pounds and double down in the spring. I knew it would be harder, but I was fine with it. Then my daughter-in-law became distressed with some weight related health issues, and she truly has no support. The choice was clear. I weighed 158.5 on 12/30 and began to refocus. Almost 3 pounds down in January, and February's loss puts me at 5 down.

That's not insignificant. But more than the weight, I've had other successes. I lowered my sodium goal from MFP's default of 2300mg to 2000mg on 2/11 - and I'm averaging under that the course of a week. I adjusted my macros from the default 50% carbs, 30% fat, 20% protein to what I know works better for me (30% carbs, 25% fat, 45% protein). I'm not hitting it yet, but I'm mindful of it. I added some low-level strength training. I joined the Mission Fitness Challenge late. Squats, Push-ups, and Lunges. Start at 10 each, add one per day, until you get to 40. The Challenge ended, but I've kept at it. I will hit 39 today. I had a huge results boost about 10 days ago - I noticed that my back & underarm fat (what IS that?!) is no longer spilling over the top of my bra! I'm drinking more water. Not enough. But I'd rather have coffee and cocoa in the winter, so that's a good baby step. I've skinny-ed up some of my comfort foods, and I'm forcing non-comfort meals into the week. I started throwing blueberries in my oatmeal. Go ahead - laugh. Berries don't grow in the winter - that's why bears hibernate. And I've eaten 2 containers of spring greens and cottage cheese (spring and summer staples for me) in 2 months. Who does that?! Seriously? Where's the cream of broccoli soup and mac & cheese?

If you are getting a clear picture of me, good. Because the point of my rambling is that there are more measures of success than the devil-spawn scale. While it's easy to get discouraged and give up, sitting back and asking yourself what you are really trying to accomplish - and measuring progress against THAT is what sustains motivation.

I wanted to stop the winter weight gain in it's tracks and I have. For me, any weight loss mid-winter is a bonus.

I look forward to joining you guys in March! Thanks for the occasional note of encouragement (@dawnbgethealthy) - and all of the "likes" and "hugs" - you keep me accountable. I don't interact here much, but I read all of your posts (@lalabank) and am cheering you on! Just sticking with it is an accomplishment! If you made it to today, CONGRATULATIONS! And if you didn't? March is a new month, and a clean slate!

Onward!

dawnbgethealthy

MFP starting weight October 27.18 - 191
5'3", 58 years old
February starting weight - 176.3
February goal - 171.3

February 1 - 176.3
February 2 - 176.8
February 3 - 176.9 - I am seeing that the only time that I drop weight is after skating. There are 3 public skating sessions per week including today until the end of March. I did more than an hour of workouts yesterday (non-skating) but am still up slightly. It really frustrated me in January. Perhaps skating is more than exercise and is stress relief which helps me to lose weight?
February 4 - 176.0 after skating yesterday.
February 5 - 178.0 - 2 pound gain after a very "good" day. I learned from January about how this happens without reason. Staying on track. There wasn't any skating to go to yesterday, going today.
February 6 - 175.9 - Skating yesterday : - )
February 7 - 174.9 - Skating yesterday. I was afraid this morning because I was only at 400 calories by the time I got home last night from a busy day so ate dinner at 10:30! I thought that I would show a gain from eating so very late. I did burn a lot of calories though.
February 8 - 175.0 - could have been worse, I ate a whopping 2300 calories yesterday!
February 9 - 174.8
February 10 - 175.0 - Up slightly. Skating on the docket today, but also a dinner out. Going to be quite moderate with my consumption during the day to make up for the dinner.
February 11- 175.1 - Kind of expected that after going out.
February 12 - 177.8 - Hopefully just an anomaly. Skating today and tomorrow.
February 13 - 175.8 - Expecting a woosh soon, burned 1500 calories yesterday between skating, walking, snow shovelling! Skating today.
February 14 - 176.0 - another high calorie burn day yesterday with skating and shovelling, but I consumed lots of calories too. I was still in a deficit however. Geez it is so hard to lose weight!! Half way through the month already.
February 15 - 176.6 - No idea why, lack of sleep maybe.
February 16 - 174.7 - Glad to see this since I am hosting mulled wine at my house amidst all of the events of a Winter carnival today. Buffer : - )
February 17 - 175.4 - Okay, still 11 days left in the month. Skating today to hopefully undo some of yesterday lol.
February 18 - 177.4 - Sad about that, it seems that I can't be like a normal person and keep my weight loss up. I had 1700 cal yesterday (but with a 600 cal deficit) and 1900 the day before (with a 500 cal deficit). I have been very active and didn't really eat anything bad. It is a struggle, but I will keep on trying.
February 19 - 177.0
February 20 - 175.8 - skated yesterday and will again today. This has been a really tough month for weight loss!
February 21 - 174.4 - only a week left of the month. This has been a tough one for weight loss. 4 times in the 174s since the 7th, but not able to keep it there.
February 22 - 173.0 - planned night out including wine. I will try to keep consumables light during the day and do lots of calorie burning dance aerobics to make up for it (it being butter chicken, pakora, wine at the ballet etc.) 6 days left in the month in order to lose 1.7 to make the 5lb loss goal. Like January, I wasn't sure halfway through the month, I was gaining weight instead of losing. Staying the course. Today's weigh in is super motivating for me.
February 23 - 174.7 - Gained 1.7 pounds for going out. Best to not go out, but I did expect to gain. If I have dinner out once per month I will need to have a 2 pound cushion. It was really great to touch that 173. Hoping to get into the 160s in March and for a couple of months. 150s in May, 140s in August? Haha, getting ahead of myself. It takes so long to get off, and is so quick to come back on. Better to be in the 170s than the 180s or 190s like previous months I guess : - ) Ready for the next decade and to stay there for awhile.
February 24 - 175.0 - argh - hopefully just water. Skating today which might be my diuretic. 2 more skating days before the end of the month too, so need this weight to go down already.
February 25 - 176.0 - argh
February 26 - 175.2
February 27 - 174.4 - Burned off a little over 1,000 calories yesterday, (including skating) happy to see the scale today. Skating today again. When I can gain 2 pounds easily in 1 day it is so discouraging for it to take a whole month to lose it. But we soldier on.
February 28 - 174.8 - burned off mega calories yesterday too, but still up in weight this morning. Low on sleep.

running loss/gain: - 1.5 loss - very disappointing month.

SFJULES66

Original starting weight - 162.8
February starting weight -156 (as of Jan 29th)
February goal - 151
Ultimate goal - 146

29th- 156
5th -157.5 (+1.5)
12th - 154.2 (-1.8)
15th - 155.2
19th - 155.8
26th - 155.6

Total for February: - .4 lbs

Congrats to those who lost!

stella7x7

2/1-24+.4
2/7-241.8
2/14-239.6
2/21-238.8
2/28-237.2
I didnt quite hit my goal but I came close.

CowgirlConnieMay

2/19 161.9
2/21 160.9
2/22 160.4
2/23 159.5
2/24 159
2/25 158.2
2/26 157.7
2/27 157.6
2/28 157.2

4.3 pounds... I think that's great 😊😊 Thanks for the motivation!!

mtaratoot

Original MFP starting weight (January 2018) - 168.2
January 31 starting weight - 147.4 (ten-day rolling average weight 146.8)
February goal - 145
Ultimate goal - Range between 142 - 148

I report scale weight and (ten day average weight).

January 31 - 147.4 (146.8)
February 7 - 147.0 (147.1)
February 14 - 149.0 (147.3)
February 21 - 144.8 (147.2)
February 28 - 144.8 (145.2)


Total loss for February: Scale says 2.6 pounds; ten-day average says only 1.6 Still on that roller coaster, but the ups and down are getting a little smaller. For now at least. Just a couple more pounds to go to my ultimate goal, if I ever get there. At one point this week, I was less than half a pound away.

I'll get there!

angmarie28

MFP Original starting weight - 172
February starting weight -153.2
February goal -149
Ultimate goal -135

1st-153.2
6th -152.8
14th -152.8
20th -153
28th -152.2


Total loss for February - 1lb

cpanus

Original weight: 192.2
Current weight: 144.8
Goal weight for Feb: 142.0

Feb 01: 144.8
Feb 04: 146.8 Superbowl nonsense
Feb 11: 147.2 I don't know why.
Feb 18: 149.6
Feb 25: 146.2
Feb 28: 145.2

Chris

jlbtnc

@Cassandraw3 Awesome job, any loss is a good loss. Even though it small amounts can be disappointing. I have started to except any loss, because it wasn't a gain.
Great job everyone who met their goals, who were close, and anyone who did not meet goals but you still logged it (you still did an awesome job, because you did not give up!)

171lake

MFP starting weight - 172.6 (12/1/18)
February goal -155
Ultimate goal -120

2/1- 160.4
2/6- 159.7
2/13- 158
2/20- 156.6
2/27- 156.2
2/28- 156


Total loss for February - 4.4
Not 5 lbs but close. Hopefully can get to 5 lbs in March

ebonyroche

Original starting weight - 354.4 lbs
February starting weight - 354.4 lbs
February goal - 350 lbs
Ultimate goal - 250 lbs

1st -
8th -
15th - 349.2 lbs yay!
22nd - 347.1 lbs alright! I believe that my lack of sleep and possible dehydration has changed my outcome since I weighed myself on Wed and I was 346.1 lbs. I am going to start slowing working out on the weekends because I don't move around as much like I do during the week. Starting off slow I am still happy about this week
28th 345.2 lbs

February loss - 9.2 lbs Yaaayyy!