Introductions
RangerRickL
Posts: 8,469 Member
Welcome to the September 2020 Ultimate Accountability Challenge!
Some of you have been with this challenge for months and some are brand new. This is one of the hardest challenges to stay with throughout the entire month.
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!! Log every BLT (Bite, Lick, Taste). Stay strong and true to yourself....YOU WILL SUCCEED!!
Please feel free to share as much information as you feel comfortable sharing about yourself with the rest of the group. I look forward to getting to know all of you a little better.
GOOD LUCK!
Some of you have been with this challenge for months and some are brand new. This is one of the hardest challenges to stay with throughout the entire month.
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!! Log every BLT (Bite, Lick, Taste). Stay strong and true to yourself....YOU WILL SUCCEED!!
Please feel free to share as much information as you feel comfortable sharing about yourself with the rest of the group. I look forward to getting to know all of you a little better.
GOOD LUCK!
4
Replies
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Hello everyone! Since the New Year, I’ve gained back 20lbs after losing 52lbs in year putting me back in the overweight category so I need this challenge to hold myself accountable. I love exercising, especially outdoors (hiking, soccer, kayaking, swimming, walking, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc.). I also enjoy cooking (and eating haha) all kinds of foods. My biggest challenge will be sticking to my calorie goal throughout the month, particularly on busy week nights or weekends when I think I “deserve it.”
At 5’3” and mostly working at a desk, my calorie goal is 1200 to lose 1lb/week. I eat back some of my exercise calories. My macro breakdown is 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. Please feel free to “friend” me for some extra encouragement on your feed. I look forward to working through this with you all!8 -
Hi everybody. Wow, September will be my one-year anniversary with the UAC. I lost about 35 pounds last year, reached my goal weight in November 2019, and have been maintaining since then. The UAC is one reason I haven't gained the weight back. Happy to participate for another month.7
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hannahm120 wrote: »Hello everyone! Since the New Year, I’ve gained back 20lbs after losing 52lbs in year putting me back in the overweight category so I need this challenge to hold myself accountable. I love exercising, especially outdoors (hiking, soccer, kayaking, swimming, walking, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc.). I also enjoy cooking (and eating haha) all kinds of foods. My biggest challenge will be sticking to my calorie goal throughout the month, particularly on busy week nights or weekends when I think I “deserve it.”
At 5’3” and mostly working at a desk, my calorie goal is 1200 to lose 1lb/week. I eat back some of my exercise calories. My macro breakdown is 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. Please feel free to “friend” me for some extra encouragement on your feed. I look forward to working through this with you all!
Welcome @hannahm120 !
With your love of exercise, I think IAC is going to be fun for you!!
I’m not much of a cook myself, but I’ve often wished I was. Over time, I bet you can devise ways to make your favorite dishes with substitutions & because of your skill as a cook, they will taste even better!!
Have you considered a 2 lb per month rate of loss? I think it helps you retain muscle & gives you more time to ease into maintenance. Just a thought to take or leave!3 -
I'd love to join this group! I'm 5'3 and my starting weight was 230. I've lost 88lbs so far, and am currently 142lbs. My goal weight is 130 (although I might adjust it to 120 or 125 depending on how I feel when I hit 130). My nutrition has been on point, but my exercise has not! I plan on changing that now, and hope that this challenge will motivate me to exercise more often!!7
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nennie8888 wrote: »I'd love to join this group! I'm 5'3 and my starting weight was 230. I've lost 88lbs so far, and am currently 142lbs. My goal weight is 130 (although I might adjust it to 120 or 125 depending on how I feel when I hit 130). My nutrition has been on point, but my exercise has not! I plan on changing that now, and hope that this challenge will motivate me to exercise more often!!
You are like my "more accomplished twin" in that we are both 5'3 and I passed through 142 on my way to my own current maintenance zone (been steady week-to-week since April)
I will love to hear what "intentional activity" options you are going to aim at adding to your lifestyle! Feel free to Friend and then PM me about that if you would like additional cheering (I am not the best at support-via-wall ... but great via group threads and PMs).
The only BEST exercise choice is WHATEVER you are consistently enjoying doing.
One question for you - (and don't specify in type here if you don't wish to ... just consider the point)
I am going to be 62 in October, and my default life-style tendency is more "sedentary to light-active" end of the spectrum. Not a heavy-duty jogger / runner / hiker / gym type myself so I understand overcoming "inertia" and have had to do so myself. (If you think you might want to buddy-up within one of those exercise choices, UAC roster has plenty of them to tap too!)
I happen to know that 124 is dead-centre of Normal BMI range for females of our height. 133 is a comfortable bottom of personal-maintenance range for me.
If your age is towards the mid-age / senior, and you don't have a bird-bone frame ... keep me in mind.
on the other hand, if you are on the young side AND fine-boned ... discovering some enjoyable and sustainable active-element to carry through a long life might let you eventually settle lower than I chose to (with maybe ~130 as the absolute ceiling of your maintenance zone)
But 120 might still prove under-weight in the end.
Better to be functional-fit 130 with healthy body-fat % than skinny-fat 120 with no muscle-tone and higher body-fat %.
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Hello UAC September Team!
I am recommitting myself during the month of September. I reached goal and then shifted it down an additional five pounds. Since this adjustment I have gained four pounds! I am blaming a delayed new normal attitude adjustment, but must be truthful with myself. I have slipped a little bit with weighing/measuring food, getting in regular exercise, and eating more not so healthy food.
As August winds down I have been going through my journals and posts to cement in why I decided to get back to being healthy and feeling good about myself.
To save everyone having to read my full bio and tips and tricks I have placed a lot of stuff in the spoiler below. Feel free to skip it if you want - no hard feelings at all.I am SuziQ and I reside in sunny South Florida. I am 55 years old (now 56) and have decided I must do something now, if I want an active and happy retirement. I am a former WW and have found myself losing the same 40-50 pounds every 10 years or so.
I am a widow (almost 11 years now) (now 12 years). We had a beautiful relationship and I missed him every day. I was very fortunate to find the one and am thankful for the time we had together.
I have had one major relationship since my husband’s passing. My boyfriend died in January 2018 after we ended the relationship. He had many issues mostly being an alcoholic which he hid very well. I was there for him for the first two “falling off the wagon” situations and when the third happened realized I was not going to make him better, he needed to make himself better.
As for my current status I am single and live alone. I find this makes my get back to healthy changes much easier since I do not have to have temptation foods in the house.
I am in good health and although the body is starting to show its age I feel I am young at heart. I love to mix and mingle with people of all ages and backgrounds.
I am currently employed and work in a decent environment. The hours and demands can be quite stressful but since I am in a continuous learning environment and feel appreciated I am quite happy with my current situation. As with most I have some complaints, but also realize there is no perfect employer.
I have been finding we can lose weight like we did in our 20s, 30s, and 40s. Again, I am very fortunate to be healthy and do not take any medications or have any major health issues. TG! What I have found, for me, is it took me a lot longer to get motivated to do something. I basically sat on the couch for two years and just the thought of getting back in to shape was overwhelming.
I started to realize I was terribly out of shape and needed to do something now, if I wanted to remain in good health. The fates would not be kind to me, if I continued on the path I was on.
I do not like the word exercise. I love the word activity. My challenge in the beginning was getting active. Since I was out of shape I started walking in place doing mundane chores such as washing the dishes, during commercials, and folding and putting away laundry. I made a rule that I could only put away one type of clothing at a time (short-sleeved shirts, panties, dress pants, etc.). When I started tracking it was amazing I was actually getting between 1000-2000 steps in just stepping in place. I started to add a morning walk (I am a very early riser) every other day and incorporated some light weights.
I started right off the bat with my diet. As a former WW (Weight Watcher) I already knew the benefits of recording my intake and pre-planning my meals. I plan my breakfasts and lunches for a week with dinners I am a little flexible, but stay within my calorie goal. I do not eat my exercise calories, except for special events. My diet is mostly plant based, but I am not a vegetarian.
Tips- Record everything. Every taste, every sip, every slip. In your notes write your mood and/or the situations you met throughout your day. Remember (this is my favorite WW coaches saying) nothing tastes as good as thin feels.
- Start slow. Baby steps work. When we set too high of a goal we overwhelm ourselves. We think OMG I will never hit that mark. Celebrate every pound, it’s OK to pat ourselves on the back.
- Step in place as often as you can. Conference calls, brushing your teeth, folding laundry, etc.
- This process is about loving yourself. As women we want to nurture everyone around us, but we almost never nurture ourselves. We must wrap our arms around ourselves and love us at the level we want to be loved.
- If you live with your family have “me” shelves in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. Put your food in those areas. If you know where your food lives and only concentrate on those areas it’s easier to avoid culling through those areas when you find you are hungry.
- Prep your food. Wash and prep the fruits and vegetables so they are ready when you find you want to graze.
- Keep those measuring cups and spoons on the counter and use them. Our eyes seem to underestimate how much we are actually putting on our plates.
- Keep a list of non-food related rewards for when you hit some of your goals. Some ideas include a new top, going to a concert, meeting a friend at a new park, or taking a painting class. EDIT: Yes, we are now under corona-19 watch restrictions. My new non-food related rewards are mostly home-based. I have been rewarding myself with ordering a new pair of sneakers, hitting one of my to-do list items, calling a friend, doing a facial, and a host of other “me” things.
As I am sharing this it is a reminder to me of the things I have incorporated and must continue to practice as I move in to a healthier life. I have been slipping in some areas which I think is due to the holiday blues. EDIT: This was written around Thanksgiving 2019. I have gone through the “fire” and am in a much better state of mind. EDIT: Went through a new fire (covid-19) and need to get back on track!!.
Looking forward to going through this journey with the team!
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MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »Welcome @hannahm120 !
With your love of exercise, I think IAC is going to be fun for you!!
I’m not much of a cook myself, but I’ve often wished I was. Over time, I bet you can devise ways to make your favorite dishes with substitutions & because of your skill as a cook, they will taste even better!!
Have you considered a 2 lb per month rate of loss? I think it helps you retain muscle & gives you more time to ease into maintenance. Just a thought to take or leave!
Thank you for the words of encouragement and suggetion! I eat mostly home cooked meals, prepared with fresh, whole ingredients. My issue is portion control and a once a week binge on takeout. But, no more excuses! A healthy adult can plan the occasional take out dinner into their lifestyle. 2lbs loss/month maybe realistic for me as my appetite through a tantrum when I reached a healthy weight last time.1 -
nennie8888 wrote: »I'd love to join this group! I'm 5'3 and my starting weight was 230. I've lost 88lbs so far, and am currently 142lbs. My goal weight is 130 (although I might adjust it to 120 or 125 depending on how I feel when I hit 130). My nutrition has been on point, but my exercise has not! I plan on changing that now, and hope that this challenge will motivate me to exercise more often!!
We're the same height, have the same goal weights and possible adjustments in mind! Best of luck to you.3 -
Hi everyone, my name is Heidi, I am so excited to have found this challenge. I really need something like this. I am an athlete, but with covid lock downs, and cancellations of my sports I spent months eating junk food and got a little fluffy. Not gonna lie, I enjoyed the down time at first, but now I am trying to get back in shape, and I could really use some support. I am a vegan who usually eats a WFPB diet. I have lost 8 lbs so far and have about 16 lbs to go. I do running, martial arts, yoga, and archery. Feel free to friend me (however that works on here), we can support each other.6
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This is a great idea, as I really need the support. My name is Tim and am 57. I started at 5'9'', 270, lost 30 pounds about a year ago BUT slowly gained it back. Now, I'm down to 254 and still 5'9'' and am posting my food intake religiously. I have used this app off and on for eight years but have never done it as faithfully as I am right now. My goal is to get down to 170 by losing an average of one to two pounds a week. I walk at least 1.5 miles a day and am involved in a weight lifting routine. I have settled into a high fat, moderate protein, low carb routine; however, I'm OK with eating more carbs on days I feel the need to up my fruit intake. My only consistent cheat is a 1/3 to 2/3 cup of Edy's Double Fudge Brownie ice cream. No regrets.7
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I wish you the best, as it seems you have almost hit your goal.1
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How do I comment one another person's post?
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TimFit2013 wrote: »How do I comment one another person's post?
Hi, @TimFit2013 By putting an @ in front of the MFP-name, it's like "waving at a specific individual
Also, if you look along the bottom edge of each entry, you will see:
Date & time it was posted; Flag ; Quote ; Insightful ; Inspiring ; Like ; Hug ; Disagree
To do what I did, referencing your post just above mine, I clicked on the "Quote" in your comment's bottom line.
Try the same thing on this one, or on a post from someone else farther up the chain.1 -
Back for Month #21! Looking forward to another great month!4
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First timer...
I weighed 289 a little over a year ago. I was hospitalized (ICU) due to blood clots going into my lungs, and in both legs after getting pneumonia. I was told by 3 Doctors that I shouldn’t have survived! It was a wake up scare.
I was told due to my weight, I had to take 2 injections of blood thinners a day into my stomach. But.. If I lost 10 lbs, I could move to the pill form. The shots were horrendous!!! It took a little over 30 days and I lost that 10 lbs and have very slowly kept going.
By trying several programs, (Weight Watchers, Nooms, Lose it), I got down to 246. June, I had Covid-19. I became very inactive and my lung damage due to the clots, also seemed to escalate and my weight has gone up to 256.
Now I am here!!! I do well when I make a project and commit! So here I go..
The 20 min a day is going to be hard. I know I convince myself that I just can’t... but I will..
I am a total “cliche” with a little plus added!6 -
hannahm120 wrote: »Hello everyone! Since the New Year, I’ve gained back 20lbs after losing 52lbs in year putting me back in the overweight category so I need this challenge to hold myself accountable. I love exercising, especially outdoors (hiking, soccer, kayaking, swimming, walking, snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc.). I also enjoy cooking (and eating haha) all kinds of foods. My biggest challenge will be sticking to my calorie goal throughout the month, particularly on busy week nights or weekends when I think I “deserve it.”
At 5’3” and mostly working at a desk, my calorie goal is 1200 to lose 1lb/week. I eat back some of my exercise calories. My macro breakdown is 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. Please feel free to “friend” me for some extra encouragement on your feed. I look forward to working through this with you all!
I am looking for friends too, so I am sending you a request. I could really use some encouragement and accountability as well.3 -
I’m back. Birthday in July celebrations dragged on to my housemate’s birthday in mid August and she got COVID for her birthday so then I was stuck in isolation for a couple of weeks. No symptoms side and I’m all clear now so it’s time to get back into routine. Spring starts next week here in South Africa and lockdown is easing all the time so I need to be ready when Jiu Jitsu competition season finally opens again! I’m about 5-7kgs above maintenance but still working back to my peak fitness after 2019 which included broken arm and donating my kidney plus a couple of complications. 2020 has been slow recovery due to lockdown but I’m getting there. When I’m not on the mat I enjoy yoga, running, ocean swims, hiking, coffee, reading, playing with my friends kids and generally any fun or adventure I can find. Work includes wrestling with pythons, swimming with seals and getting bitten by penguins so I’m pretty active there as well!
Looking forward to an amazing month with you all!6 -
cdflood2153 wrote: »First timer...
I weighed 289 a little over a year ago. I was hospitalized (ICU) due to blood clots going into my lungs, and in both legs after getting pneumonia. I was told by 3 Doctors that I shouldn’t have survived! It was a wake up scare.
I was told due to my weight, I had to take 2 injections of blood thinners a day into my stomach. But.. If I lost 10 lbs, I could move to the pill form. The shots were horrendous!!! It took a little over 30 days and I lost that 10 lbs and have very slowly kept going.
By trying several programs, (Weight Watchers, Nooms, Lose it), I got down to 246. June, I had Covid-19. I became very inactive and my lung damage due to the clots, also seemed to escalate and my weight has gone up to 256.
Now I am here!!! I do well when I make a project and commit! So here I go..
The 20 min a day is going to be hard. I know I convince myself that I just can’t... but I will..
I am a total “cliche” with a little plus added!
Cut&Paste from the UAC FAQs
3. What counts as exercise?
Nearly all physical activity counts as exercise. That includes walking, cleaning your house, playing tag with the kids, walking your dog, etc. This doesn't mean you should do the bare minimum every day if you're capable of much more. If you want results, you have to challenge yourself, but for the purpose of the Ultimate Accountability Challenge, 20 minutes of any kind of exercise will suffice.
====================
For UAC puposes, ANY kind of Intentional Activity counts. At a level that slightly challenges YOU (and nobody else) And the 20 minutes a day doesn't have to be consecutive if you physically aren't there yet. Break it into 4 5-minute sections spread throughout the day if you have to. A potential personal goal might be to gradually over the month increase capacity to dividing the 20 minutes into only 3 or 2 sections. Or increase the four to 6-7 minutes each which will almost be 30 minutes total across the day ....2 -
nennie8888 wrote: »I'd love to join this group! I'm 5'3 and my starting weight was 230. I've lost 88lbs so far, and am currently 142lbs. My goal weight is 130 (although I might adjust it to 120 or 125 depending on how I feel when I hit 130). My nutrition has been on point, but my exercise has not! I plan on changing that now, and hope that this challenge will motivate me to exercise more often!!
You are like my "more accomplished twin" in that we are both 5'3 and I passed through 142 on my way to my own current maintenance zone (been steady week-to-week since April)
I will love to hear what "intentional activity" options you are going to aim at adding to your lifestyle! Feel free to Friend and then PM me about that if you would like additional cheering (I am not the best at support-via-wall ... but great via group threads and PMs).
The only BEST exercise choice is WHATEVER you are consistently enjoying doing.
One question for you - (and don't specify in type here if you don't wish to ... just consider the point)
I am going to be 62 in October, and my default life-style tendency is more "sedentary to light-active" end of the spectrum. Not a heavy-duty jogger / runner / hiker / gym type myself so I understand overcoming "inertia" and have had to do so myself. (If you think you might want to buddy-up within one of those exercise choices, UAC roster has plenty of them to tap too!)
I happen to know that 124 is dead-centre of Normal BMI range for females of our height. 133 is a comfortable bottom of personal-maintenance range for me.
If your age is towards the mid-age / senior, and you don't have a bird-bone frame ... keep me in mind.
on the other hand, if you are on the young side AND fine-boned ... discovering some enjoyable and sustainable active-element to carry through a long life might let you eventually settle lower than I chose to (with maybe ~130 as the absolute ceiling of your maintenance zone)
But 120 might still prove under-weight in the end.
Better to be functional-fit 130 with healthy body-fat % than skinny-fat 120 with no muscle-tone and higher body-fat %.
Thanks so much!! I'm 46, so not quite a senior, but definitely not young! LOL!! When I was younger (20s), I weighed between 116-120 but was pretty muscular. Now I'm pretty flabby, hence the need for more exercise! I plan on cycling, and doing workout videos on YouTube, but mostly cycling. I usually do triathlons, but they've all been cancelled due to Covid, so yet another reason I've been slacking on exercise...nothing to train for. When I say "train" please don't think I'm competitive. I've never come in dead last, but I'm definitely in the back of the pack, which is fine with me!! Hoping I'll get a little faster as I get this weight off!!5 -
hannahm120 wrote: »nennie8888 wrote: »I'd love to join this group! I'm 5'3 and my starting weight was 230. I've lost 88lbs so far, and am currently 142lbs. My goal weight is 130 (although I might adjust it to 120 or 125 depending on how I feel when I hit 130). My nutrition has been on point, but my exercise has not! I plan on changing that now, and hope that this challenge will motivate me to exercise more often!!
We're the same height, have the same goal weights and possible adjustments in mind! Best of luck to you.
Thanks so much!!! Best of luck to you as well!!! We can do this!!!1