Introductions
RangerRickL
Posts: 8,469 Member
Welcome to the February 2021 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!
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Replies
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Hello all, February will be my 5th month and it has helped me to keep my focus.
I'm 59 year old and I consider my husband and myself nomads. From May 1 to Oct 1, we are in Maine or Massachusetts at any given moment, then for the other half of the year we travel between Mass and the Florida Keys. Though I should not complain, it is disrupting one's life and is why I have concluded that I can only succeed in improving my health if I develop autonomy and not count on a trainers/instructors/leaders to encourage my actions.
With that said, the UAC is helping me to develop that autonomy. Being responsible daily for my tracking, planning, as well as finding a form of exercise that works for that particular day is new for me, and on good days it feels "empowering".
Today is Jan 24, at this point in time (a few days ago), I managed reach my goal weight (129) in roughly 4 months (24 lbs total). I am letting the month of January ride out with me focusing on weight loss, and I doubt it will be much more than a lb. For February, I will be switching over to practicing maintenance. That is scary and will require more accountability than ever. Maintaining is monotonous and much more likely to result in loss of focus.
Welcome all to new members and welcome back to the UAC family that I have gotten to know over these months.7 -
I will be returning for my 3rd month. This is helping with my exercise consistency more than with food at this point.7
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Hi everyone! Back for month #26 in a row. Looking forward to it!:)10
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Coming back for month 2.
I've lost 25 lbs so far and have 22 more lbs to go to get to a healthy BMI, but I'd say I probably need to lose an additional 15 lbs after that, given what I've weighed in the past. Since this whole pandemic, I've discovered that I love cycling and yoga. I've been doing pilates recently and started lifting weights. Besides losing weight, my goals this year are to get stronger and improve my endurance.
I've found the daily check in with the group to be really helpful and look forward to seeing everyone's journey in February!💕5 -
I will be back in February, and hoping for a better month than January.5
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Hello, UACers both new and notable (that covers everyone)!
I'm a bilingual Canadian living in Quebec who started using MFP back in JAN2020. I started joining this challenge group in OCT2020 just like @SModa61
My goal? Maintain my body fat in the low 20% range (or, gulp, high teens) since I've never been able to do that before. Along the way, getting stronger, more flexible, and working on mobility improvements are fun bonuses.
That means, I'm currently in a body recomp phase right now and will likely be in this phase until spring/summer 2021.
Ultimately, I'm here to stay with UAC because this part - the body fat and weight loss - is easier for me. Once the recomp is done, the plain 'ole maintaining may be a heavier mental struggle/commitment to self.
FEB Exercise: Bret Contreras' Strong Curves program (Month 3 of 3), 💃🏿, and kettlebell training to prep for March's round of "The 10,000 Swing Kettlebell Workout"
FEB Nutrition: Continue trying to hit my protein macro target (40%) a minimum of 4x weekly
As always, I'm eager for the month's challenge to start. LET'S GO!
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Hi all! Coming back for my second month. I just turned 57 (in January) and am committed to finally losing the 15 pounds that have plagued me for a long time now. I've been much heavier than I am at the moment, but I know from experience how easy it is to get complacent and let the scale creep slowly upward. I've been on a consistent downward trend since late December--my only real goal is to keep that going. This group has been such a great source of inspiration!6
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I’m back. Still chipping away at the last couple of kgs to get back to fighting weight and building my strength back after injuries and complications etc, but yet again the key to success in that is consistency. Not sure if we will get back to competitions this year, but coach is definitely planning a grading which is another way to test my progress.
A new challenge in my life is adjusting my schedule to ensure quality time with my man between both of our work schedules and our separate training routines (he’s a mountain biker and I coach kids and train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). Not a bad challenge to have, just something new to include in my planning.6 -
Hello,
I’ll be back in February for my second month. This group has been awesome at helping me stay on track with eating. And exercise. The scale is inching down which is good. I want to lose it slowly and sustainably - give myself time to build good habits which will be key in maintaining. (I’ve lost the weight before and gained it back.) Thank you all for the group and support. -Irina (rainy Pacific Northwest, US)5 -
Hi all, first month and looking forward to it. I need a group to keep me inspired and most importantly on track. I have a large amount of weight to lose (30kg/66lbs). I need to do this for my health which is getting worse with each passing month.6
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Hey guys this will be UAC #3 for me and i more motivated than ever to loose my last 1.5 kgs then tone up and learn how to maintain my weight. I hve found the last 5kgs the hardest to loose but not long to go now! I live in Australia and hve a beautiful baby boy! I am looking forward to another month with u all and welcome all the newcomers. Best of luck to u all. Xox4
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Hello all, February will be my 5th month and it has helped me to keep my focus.
I'm 59 year old and I consider my husband and myself nomads. From May 1 to Oct 1, we are in Maine or Massachusetts at any given moment, then for the other half of the year we travel between Mass and the Florida Keys. Though I should not complain, it is disrupting one's life and is why I have concluded that I can only succeed in improving my health if I develop autonomy and not count on a trainers/instructors/leaders to encourage my actions.
With that said, the UAC is helping me to develop that autonomy. Being responsible daily for my tracking, planning, as well as finding a form of exercise that works for that particular day is new for me, and on good days it feels "empowering".
Today is Jan 24, at this point in time (a few days ago), I managed reach my goal weight (129) in roughly 4 months (24 lbs total). I am letting the month of January ride out with me focusing on weight loss, and I doubt it will be much more than a lb. For February, I will be switching over to practicing maintenance. That is scary and will require more accountability than ever. Maintaining is monotonous and much more likely to result in loss of focus.
Welcome all to new members and welcome back to the UAC family that I have gotten to know over these months.
@SModa61 Congrats on reaching ur goal!!!3 -
@Donna25Trinity Thank you! It feels good, but now I have to figure out the rest.
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Hi everyone, I'm 30 years old and I weight today 86.5 kilo/190.6 lb . I have managed to shave down 10.5 kilo /23.1 lb since November 20 .
Recently, I started to slack off , I guess I'm getting bored with the repetitive days. And today I saw your post, and thought, this for sure will help me get active again.
My goal is to reach 68 kilo / 149.9 lb by July 21, I gave my self a long time so I won't feel pressured and gave up.
So, it's highly possible that I will stick around and get know you guys 6 -
Greetings from the cool crisp winter here in Canada 🇨🇦. Happy to be back for my 2nd UAC month. The accountability and motivation boost is much appreciated. So many inspiring stories and great positive energy in this group have helped to keep me focused on my health & fitness goals. Best to all of you.3
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Hi everyone, I’m new and my first month will be February. MFP worked first me years ago with a crew of people. But live changes and moves have disconnected me from logging and working out. I’m hoping this group keeps me accountable to help be get healthy and lose 25lbs.7
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Hi all!
This will be my second month doing this challenge. It will be interesting as I went crazy in January and used no pass days (knock on wood three days left) but I realize that is not sustainable so I’m hoping to ease in to a more realistic mindset in February without crashing completely.
It took me 14 long months (took a turn the other way at the beginning of the pandemic and had to lose 15lbs I gained back agai 🤦🏻♀️) to lose 50lbs, which the January UAC helped me get to. I have 30lbs left to go to goal and I’m hoping these challenges will help me get there faster than I would have gotten there alone. 20lbs of that is what I need to lose for the BMI chart to be happy with me. I hate that chart. 😑
A new goal I have for February is to be more social on these daily check ins by responding to what other say and not just focusing on my posts. January helped me get the “me” part down, hopefully February can help me get the “community” part down.
Cheers! Let’s kick some booty!8 -
Hey folks - I'm Donna/from Texas in the USA and I'm turning 50 in February. I've done...I think...this will actually be my 12th month with UAC. What a blessing to find this group before covid hit. Welcome to all newbies. I find this daily check in to be very good for me. When time permits...I really love chatting on here - supporting others. I'm always in need of pals on MFP - so friend me if you are interested in staying in this fight for the long haul. I'm a slow and steady person...have over a hundred lbs to lose...and need to lose it slowly for health purposes. I've lost 22 +/- in the past year. Goals...just the basics...and try to move more...sit less... I do alot of walking, zumba via online classes and am trying to convince myself to do the yoga classes. I am adding in some daily toning goals. I am getting creative with weights and such like so many others have done...6
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@Donna25Trinity Thank you! It feels good, but now I have to figure out the rest.
U will be fine! I just know it!!1 -
Hi, I'm Nance. Looking forward to participating in this UAC group for February! I've been on MFP for years now, lost my weight in 2015 (80lbs in 10 months). Maintenance is hard. I've had a lot of ups and downs, injuries, etc. I managed to get in my best shape ever last winter...and then Covid hit.
Covid has presented a new host of issues for me (like a lot of us). I'm stuck at home now and that has been very hard on my diet mostly--losing my routine that I built up--not going to the gym and not leaving the house. I had a clockwork-type routine each day and have lost it and my diet is now very inconsistent. I do workout at home each day, but it's my eating that needs curbing. I keep yo-yoing up and down the same 10 pounds +.
I'm hopeful that having this group to commit to each day will keep me on target the entire week.
Thank you much! -N4 -
I am new here but have had most of my success in the past when I am accountible to others. I used a different site in the past and had daily check ins like this and it was so so so helpful. I want to be 20 pounds down by my birthday in late June....Covid feels like it has shrink-wrapped by clothes (as in: effort to get them on my body!!!) and the impact of late night eating and stress eating has taken its toll. For the most part, I eat and exercise and am right on track...until evening....I am thinking I am going to use this at that time of day to check in and remain accountible into evening hours, where I downfall. Anyone relate? Glad to be here.6
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Hi. I was a non starter last month but will pick up the challenge this month.
I started my fitness journey on March 8, 2020. Since then I have lost 68.4 lbs with 20 pounds left to reach ideal weight for my height.
I am a 57 y.o., 5'7" female kidney/ pancreas recipient. I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 26 and told that I was a type 2 diabetic. No test was run to confirm that I was. During the 15 years after, I developed nerve damage in my hands, legs, and stomach and intestines. I had 11 prp in one eye and 13 prp in the other eye along with 2 detached retina surgeries in both eyes. I lost my right eye when the optic nerve died and was told that I would be blind by 2006. I have had 3 low blood sugar episodes below 23 with one resulting in a 3 day coma where my family was told to plan my funeral. I lost my kidney function in 2005 but was working so couldn't get on disability until I was terminated with 6 months of cobra. Went on dialysis for 3 years in 2006 until received my transplants in 2009. Developed a MRSA infection in the incision which resulted in 7 procedures to remove the infected tissue. In 2010, developed adhesions(scar tissue) which strangled my small intestine. Had surgery to remove 15 inches of intestine, my appendix, an ovary and the scar tissue. Was told by a doctor that I was probably a type 2 diabetic and would burn out the transplants. When checked, was found to be a type 1 diabetic!
After the transplants, I lost 93 pounds by eating a 1300-1400 calorie diet, walking and weight training 6 days a week. Kept it off until I met my long time boyfriend in 2011, who weighed over 300 pounds. He developed covid in November 2020 and died of covid related complications in December 2020.
I am still here and grateful for each day. Am looking forward to the future and getting to know all of you better.9 -
@Beautyofdreams 🥺 Oh my to all of this! Your life has been a lot. What resilience you have. It'll be great getting to know you as a UACer.
Welcome aboard to you and everyone else who has made an introduction for February 🤗2 -
February is going to be my second month doing UAC. The accountability aspect of this where I need to log my foods and at the end of the day (literally), say that I did and stayed under a certain amount of calories did it for me. I live in Pennsylvania and hate to do anything outside in the cold let alone exercise. I have be doing a lot of walking around my house and recently got an elliptical. I lost 10 lbs in January and need to lose another 15. I know this is not a sprint, but hoping that I can be down to my goal wait before summer. Regardless, I am really happy with my start! Thanks for putting this challenge together!4
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Hello!
I'm Kathy and start new in February with UAC.
I'm curious how it will be and how this group is. It sure does seem like a lot of fun and gets probably lots of support.
Anyways, I'm 22 years old and need to loose about 30 to 40kg to be at a healthy weight.
My only consistent way to get in my step goal on fitbit (which is connected to mfp) is going to work. As I'm currently on vacation and still have a week to go I rarely hit anything near 3k or 4k of steps.
I try to cook more fresh instead of having take out and the sorts.
I hope I can use this group as motivation and to stay consistent.4 -
Hi folks. Back in for February. Welcome to our returnees and newcomers,
and a thousand thanks to our leader, @RangerRickL for helping us stay accountable.
I’m Terri from Northern Ireland. Back for my 28th month. Still working on improving my fitness and health. Made the Winners Circle 27 times so far.
UAC is a good place for anyone to start the practicing of new habits, in a supportive and encouraging atmosphere. Through being a member, I have achieved my lowest weight in 4 decades, and have maintained it since late 2019.
Just a few details on my personal journey to health and fitness.
Aim for 2021 ~ maintain around 145 (I may even manage to drop a little more! 😂 ✅WHAT I HAVE DISCOVERED
I am FOCUSED on heathy food choices and
DETERMINED to achieve my goals!
Age: 74; Height 5’2”; Female
SW: 227lbs (Mar 2014)
LW: 143.2: (Jan 2021)
UGW: 140 (this may change when I get there 😂 )
CW: 144.6- Initially, dropped down to around 165, and stayed about there until late 2018.
- Set new goal in 2019 to drop to 155.
- Reset it to 150 in March 2020
- reset it to 145 in September 2020
- My ideal situation is to maintain < 150
- I use CI/CO and a variety exercise for extra calories.
- Logic would suggest that I have found a natural comfortable weight, and, according to Smart BMI calculation, I am in the upper range of normal for my age and height. However, logic doesn't always dictate our desires and feelings. 😂
THERE ARE NO QUICK FIXES OR SHORTCUTS to achieving permanent change.- Getting and staying healthy and fit requires the development of a permanent lifestyle reset.
- Replacing unhelpful habits with more useful ones is key to to the process.
- Losing weight is only one of the elements.
- Eating healthy and staying actively is not OPTIONAL, but an ABSOLUTE ESSENTIAL.
REMINDERS One or two thoughts on weight which might give heart to some of you.Stick with the process. It DOES work! But it does take time, effort, and most of all, patience!- Daily weight fluctuations are normal, and can be several lbs a day for no apparent reason.
- A general downward trend is what we are looking for.
- Eating out can cause apparent weight gain because of high sodium levels, but usually goes quickly. Drinking extra water helps with this.
- The human body does not react instantly to what we do to it. Sometimes it can take several days to see results.
- Plateaus are a normal part of the process. The body is consolidating and adapting to your new way of eating/exercising.
- The closer you get to your goal weight, the more difficult it becomes to lose weight, as your body becomes more efficient at using what you feed it.
- When you exercise you build muscle, which takes up less space than fat, so use measurements as well as weight to assess your progress.
- Getting/Staying fit and healthy requires a permanent lifestyle change for most people.
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4th month here/ Welcome back everyone and welcome to new folks!
I am from Austin Tx US and a runner. In maintenance since Oct 2017 and really this is a nice daily place to keep myself accountable. I am not looking to lose weight but just continue to gain fitness and energy and be as healthy as a lady in her 60's (HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!!!!) can be.
For 2021 I hope to actually at some point get back in to the office without masks as I have been remote since mid March 2020 and altho it's got a lot of benefits I really do miss seeing my co workers face to face and walking the halls with my best bud on breaks. I also joined the Run the Edge challenge for 2021 for the first time and I think that is also going to be a lot of fun with the teams and other challenges. I am not really able to run that many miles but I do think I can run/walk them. And I am SURE my team(s) will hit the goals. Jan 31 update all of a sudden my team has enough miles to probably finish in FEB!!! And me? I have decided that I actually probably CAN run all the miles needed. LOL. So one thing to keep in mind during losing or maintenance or life - goals change - and that is normal. It's why we have pass days here! Because man plans and God laughs.
The best thing about this group is it accepts that NO ONE is perfect and the path to success does NOT require it. Over my many yo yo years I did actually learn that trying to be perfect and strict always led to failure. (hard to believe this hard headed Texan learned something!)
If you read my posts you will see that I have a horse who has been my best friend for almost 27 years. He turns 29 next year and is truly an amazing Grand Prix dressage partner. But now we both are a little bit less competitive and altho he still can be a kite, he is really the sweetest and most talented and athletic partner I have ever been blessed with.
Hope to see everyone on the Jan thread.
SummerinTx3 -
@RangerRickL Thank you for hosting the group!
This will be my second month of the UAC.
Going for a vegan diet, no added sugar and 7.5 h of sleep per night this month.
Good luck to everyone!4 -
Hi everyone, I lost my mojo last month (first attempt at UAC) but I’m back to try again!
I know I can do it... I just find *everything* harder to do right now with lockdowns, working in a hospital, short days, winter cold... ugh. So grateful for the motivation and support of a group like UAC to help keep me accountable and moving forward! Thanks again to @RangerRickL for hosting the most helpful group on MFP 4 -
Hi, I’m Lesley, living in Somerset UK.
This is my second month in UAC – found the group very supportive and inspiring.
I’m a little old lady (155 cm. 70 years old) and retired.
I started logging in MFP in July 2019 and lost 22.5 kg (about 50 lbs) over 9 months, have been maintaining since April 2019.
Even now that I’m maintaining I still have to be very careful with food, as a little old lady my BMR is under 1000, and even ticking “moderately active” only earns me about 1400 calories a day. I do a lot of exercise to keep fit and earn a little more food and treats. I still log my food every day as it is still a struggle to keep to the limits. So the three rules keep me on the straight and narrow!
Being retired means I have plenty of time for a variety of exercise - cycling, walking, YouTube workouts. I haven't been back to the gym or the swimming pool since they closed last April.
Thanks to @RangerRickL for the group.3
