Determined December Challenge 2019
Options
Replies
-
Dec 18 check in.
1. Lose 5 lbs before 12/31/19 [the scale has been very good to me this week]
2. Stay under carb goal (< 35) and under calorie goal (<1,500) every day [12 carbs and 851 calories, not hungry]
3. Exercise every day at least 30 minutes, walking on treadmill or outside if weather permits [I have been able to turn up the speed so did 2 miles in 38 minutes]
4. Plan ahead every day which is challenging with so many potluck opportunities and I love to socialize. [Good planning and was able to stay on track]
I'm doing really good, the scale has been looking good too. I do think that having an "off" day is good training so I am looking forward to Christmas.
@chickencereal thanks for letting me know what you put in the tex mex bowl, it's a really good idea to add stuff in based from what you need during the day.
I am also up for the January jump start type of group. I'll be looking for it on New Year's eve.
Vicki1 -
Determined day 19 is all done for us! 😺 It was an ok day, but tooo cooold out to do anything outside! We don't much like winter. 😾❄️
1) Carbs < 30g - ✅
2) 1000 < Calories < 1500 - ✅
3) Log Everything! - ✅
4) Hit our activity goal every day - ✅
5) At least 5 workouts/week - ◼️◼️◼️◼️◻️
We hope everyone else is having a good day! 😸4 -
i will start in january 2020 exercise more intense, plan meals and snack so they are healthy low carb cut back on wine2
-
@baconslave Thx! You're right. It takes time. I'm in for the long haul, 4sure.
I never looked into dry brushing. I've read it in the past but never did it on myself.
This surface bumpy, lumpy is what I want to smooth out. No matter how much I workout, I can't seem to even it out.4 -
Dec 19th
on plan cals: Actually I was quite a bit under.
on-plan carbs: Under
I usually cycle up (cals and carbs) on strength days (gives me a better workout with more in the tank), but I cleaned so much yesterday there was no time for a workout. The Fitbit said I burned over 2400 cals though just doing that. Plus my appetite just wasn't there so I didn't eat it all. So I'll do strength and cal up today. It turns out my stupid wrist was ouchie yesterday and it's feeling much better this morning so the pause was good.
So sweeping, mopping, cleaning frenzy yesterday. TODAY strength.
I have a plague in the house. So I'll be popping C and maybe make some elderberry tea so the little Petri-dishes don't share.. Even though they complain that it smells like dysentery. *extreme-eye-roll*5 -
weatherking2019 wrote: »@baconslave Thx! You're right. It takes time. I'm in for the long haul, 4sure.
I never looked into dry brushing. I've read it in the past but never did it on myself.
This surface bumpy, lumpy is what I want to smooth out. No matter how much I workout, I can't seem to even it out.
Not bad. Time may help the bumpies.
I'll never wear a bikini. My midsection has so many stretch marks, it looks like a road map. But I rock a one-piece and tankini.cestabrook wrote: »i will start in january 2020 exercise more intense, plan meals and snack so they are healthy low carb cut back on wine
You're welcome to join. I'll put a challenge thread up after Christmas so people can see it and start thinking about it.6 -
I totally rock a bikini, and my belly is way lumpier than that!!!
Not that it's a contest, but I'm of the opinion if you have a body and you take it to the beach, then you automatically have a beach body and you should where whatever you are comfortable with no matter what anyone else thinks!!!
The week was ok...no working out at all, though I did do some yoga and stretching that I simply didn't record, it definitely helped with the achey, stiff, back not moving, kind of feelings from having a cold...I am feeling much better, and if it weren't for traveling to the beach this weekend I think I would be able to workout again. As it is there will be lots of driving and lots of pretty intense yard work, so I will get a good amount of non-formal exercise.
Food was mostly good this week, and yesterdays shift to macro thinking about nutrition is going mostly good. I'm excited for the last week or so of the year!!!
5 -
@tcunbeliever - As a 47yo I get self conscious wearing bikinis. I wear them only when kids are not around (teenage son and his boys are over to use the pool) lol! Which beach are you going? I'm headed to AZ, the mountains. Enjoy your vacation!
Trying to get the body fat lower to see if that makes a difference. Got it under 20% but haven't been moving past 19.7%. Would like to see 19-18%. Maybe my hormones are starting to play...I'll take any advice!!
0 -
I will be on Chincoteague Island...famous for the wild ponies, particularly the one named Misty!!! It's my happy place, very small town, very walk everywhere, and full of great fresh seafood!!!4
-
Sounds like everyone is doing well this week. My NEAT has been up all week but I’ll have to make it a focus for the remainder of the year as I’m off work and won’t be as busy. Water intake could be better over the last few days. I’ve done well on staying low carb this week except for a hiccup last night but IF’d a bit longer today and will continue through the weekend. Now to stay away from the goodies and overeating!3
-
As of 5pm, Hubby will be off straight until the day after Christmas.
Plan disruption eminent! 
Workout done.
NEAT was on-point. So I just need to make sure I carry that through until bed.
4 -
Dec 19 check in.
1. Lose 5 lbs before 12/31/19 [the scale has been very good to me this week]
2. Stay under carb goal (< 35) and under calorie goal (<1,500) every day [26 carbs and 1002 calories]
3. Exercise every day at least 30 minutes, walking on treadmill or outside if weather permits [Able to do 2 miles in 41 minutes]
4. Plan ahead every day which is challenging with so many potluck opportunities and I love to socialize. [A friend of mine has gifted us with a big Tupperware of fudge and I'm trying to keep my fingers out of it]
I also think whatever body you take to the beach is beach body worthy. I am 54 so don't plan to be taking mine to the beach any time soon, but in the future that's what I'm gonna do!
Vicki3 -
Day 20 is done for us! 😸 Got a good workout this morning, met our activity goal, but probably not enough NEAT - too much sitting around today. 😾
1) Carbs < 30g - ✅
2) 1000 < Calories < 1500 - ✅
3) Log Everything! - ✅
4) Hit our activity goal every day - ✅
5) At least 5 workouts/week - ◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️
We're gonna try to get a workout in tomorrow morning which will also take care of the activity goal, but the other three goals will be out the window. Plan is to be right back at it on Sunday tho.
Have a good weekend everyone! 😸4 -
Sorry I’ve not checked in for a few days. Things have been crazy busy! Thursday I had the Star Wars movie right after work. Yesterday I had to Christmas shop with my family. Today I had to work. I’ve stuck to my goals though so all good.
Tomorrow is a Christmas dinner with the in-laws.4 -
Our Dec. 21 went kinda like we thot - did a workout, hit our activity goal, then they went a little nuts with the food & stuff. 😿
1) Carbs < 30g - ❌
2) 1000 < Calories < 1500 - ❌
3) Log Everything! - ❌
4) Hit our activity goal every day - ✅
5) At least 5 workouts/week - ◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️+◼️
We're back on for today tho. Dunno yet if we'll fast today or just do normal keto stuff. Depends if we get hungry I guess. 😸 Hope everyone is having a good day! 😺3 -
Sunday is my official weigh-in so checking in with my goals:
1) Mini binge on Sunday, but stuck to planned foods easily for the rest of the week
2) Tracked every bite every day
3) Completed 18.25 out of 25 hours of exercise
4) Tried 3 new lunches and 1 new dinner this week
5) I found a pair of goal jeans in my closet!
*bonus goal, I am far more balanced
Introducing more carbs into my diet was so helpful and I wished I had tried it sooner. The heavy restrictions served their purpose for a period of time but now I would like to get off the rollercoaster of eating *perfectly* and ruining my progress with junk foods. It's not the most enjoyable way to maintain. I'm not even eating significantly more carbs than I was before, it's just the idea that I am allowed certain foods now that makes it easier to make a plan and stick to it.2 -
Been on a bit of a roller coaster myself. Got on the scale today and gained back the two pounds I thought I had lost. I did have some unexpected carbs last night and started a new exercise program so I could be retaining water (fingers crossed). This could also be due to not listening to my hunger cues. NEAT is still good and water intake could be higher but I’m getting there. I’m determined to keep focused this week!3
-
My Determined December plan is split into two portions:
A) The next roughly 2.5 weeks (prior to me spending time with my extended family).
Goal: Lose 1kg /2.2 lbs
Plan: Just to keep doing everything I am already doing: I am in a great habit of eating, exercising, sleeping, and fasting well, and am consistently losing weight as a result.
B ) The two weeks over the Christmas period (which I will spend with extended family).
Goal: End the month weight-neutral, at no more than 71.4 kgs (157.4 lbs). (I.e. I might gain a little over Xmas, but have this balanced by the weight loss in the preceding weeks). This would keep me in the "healthy" BMI range - something I worked hard this year to reach after previously being category 3 obese.
Plan:- Stick to liberal LCHF wholefood diet, with the only exception being a small serve of Christmas pudding on Xmas day. Work with family members to schedule a meal plan to ensure suitable meals. Fill up with a large healthy lunch (when I have most control over my food), and eat a small serve of dinner with family. Always have a plan B in case something unexpected is served - a fall back meal I can quickly pull out (boiled eggs, leftovers, etc).
- Fast at least 4 days during the fortnight. Remember "when in doubt; fast" rather than caving into eating whatever is served.
- Moderate drinking: no more than 2 glasses of red wine on any given day.
- 30 mins exercise daily, even if it is just going for a walk around the block. Do early morning yoga in the lounge room before anyone else is up.
- Get up at 6am as usual, allowing for two sleep-ins per week max. If others are consistently staying up too late, just go to bed early anyway.
- Walk away from stressful conversations, use a mindfulness app & gratitude journal to manage stress.
The first two-thirds of December I have been pretty good at staying on track with my eating, fasting, exercise, and sleep. Have lost 2.9kgs (6.4 lbs) in 3 weeks, which exceeded my goal.
However, the second part of my plan (for the period staying with family for the festive season) has been mixed. I have consistently kept 4 of the daily goals (eating LCHF wholefood, exercise, getting up early, not drinking much alcohol) but haven't worked out my fasting schedule yet (there is still time; is not a daily goal) and failed completely on the "walk away from stressful conversations" goal - less than two days in and have already had a big argument and am finding my family dynamics very stressful. Today I am isolating myself in the bedroom to keep away from it. I have done my gratitude journal and am working to interrupt negative mind loops and distract myself from the stress.
What I didn't predict: sleep is much harder here. Unfamiliar bed, lots more people in the house so more noise, plus stress. Also, here in Australia we have an unprecedented level of bushfires, are now living with bushfire smoke on a daily basis, frequently at "hazardous" air pollution levels - this means I can't go jogging as often and I can feel the smoke affecting my body.
At this point I am really not worried about being able to stay on track with my way of eating and exercise (while I might put on a little weight in the final week due to Christmas celebrations, my goal for the month is simply weight-neutrality: to stay in the healthy weight range, to not increase my weight from the beginning of the month, and I think that is fairly safe)...
But I am worried about the stress and tension of this period. Every year I wonder why we do this. And the answer is always the same: we do it for our child, who loves Christmas with the extended family. So I endure this for her, but I find it really stressful and unpleasant. I am going to have to work hard to meet that last goal, of avoiding stress with my family.2 -
Its the 1st day of week 4 of determined december, and the day is done for us! 😸 We're back on track again. Had a shorter workout today cos tired & not feeling too great after yesterday, but it was enuf.
1) Carbs < 30g - ✅
2) 1000 < Calories < 1500 - ✅
3) Log Everything! - ✅
4) Hit our activity goal every day - ✅
5) At least 5 workouts/week - ◼️◻️◻️◻️◻️
We hope everyone's had a good weekend & hope its a good week ahead! 😺3 -
weatherking2019 wrote: »I've lost the fat I wanted to rid of. But now I am stuck with a flabby, uneven skin that is not flattering. I plan on finding a way to smoothing, tightening up!
Maybe try those collagen stuff?? Let me know if any of you take it with good results.
I agree that it takes time. I had one of those "ahah" epiphany moments when putting on a jumper that used to be too small and is now baggy on me, when I thought: if our skin wasn't tightening up, then it would be as saggy and baggy as the oversized clothing we no longer wear. It's actually pretty amazing how much our skin has shrunk and tightened up during our weight loss!
I still have a bit more fat to lose, so ideas I am passing are what I have heard rather than know 100% from experience (i.e. I do both these things, but until I have lost all the excess fat and maintained and seen what happens with my skin, I don't really know):- Bone broth is a great natural source of collagen. It has high bioavailability as it is a whole food, and also includes a bunch of other vitamins and minerals. I make it in my pressure cooker (speeds up the process) and it is pretty easy once you get the swing of it. Where I used to use stock cubes to add flavour to sauces and soups (which added nothing nutritionally) I now use bone broth and know I am beefing up the nutrition significantly. N.B. Bone broth is different from ordinary stock or broth - it involves cooking bones for long enough (or under high pressure) for the cartilege, marrow, bone, etc to break down and release vitamins, minerals, proteins etc into the liquid.
- Fasting for autophagy benefits. This is still fairly new science and there's a lot we don't fully know, but our body has a process called 'autophagy' where the body breaks down cells that aren't needed any more or don't work properly, and recycles the components of those cells to make new healthy cells. It seems to be the case that our body ramps up autophagy when it isn't busy doing other things like digesting food, so fasting increases autophagy. In theory this can speed up how fast it takes for the body to break down excess skin cells.
3 - Bone broth is a great natural source of collagen. It has high bioavailability as it is a whole food, and also includes a bunch of other vitamins and minerals. I make it in my pressure cooker (speeds up the process) and it is pretty easy once you get the swing of it. Where I used to use stock cubes to add flavour to sauces and soups (which added nothing nutritionally) I now use bone broth and know I am beefing up the nutrition significantly. N.B. Bone broth is different from ordinary stock or broth - it involves cooking bones for long enough (or under high pressure) for the cartilege, marrow, bone, etc to break down and release vitamins, minerals, proteins etc into the liquid.
