March 1st to May 31st challenge

zenobia9777
zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
I need to lose about 15 pounds and am finally getting back to accountability.

If you are over 60 and petite like me, you know it is hard to cut back. I can only eat 1200 calories per day unless I up the exercise.

Currently I am trying to stay around 100 carbs and eat most of those for dinner. Fewer carbs and I get very irritable ..low blood sugar. I am also doing Ashtanga yoga...a very good workout.

Please share your ideas. I want to feel great by May 1! I will be ecstatic if I lose ten pounds by then. Current weight 131, height 5'3". I want my clothes to fit again and not move up a size
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Replies

  • mandycat_florida
    mandycat_florida Posts: 60 Member
    I've been experimenting with the "Primal" way of eating: moderate carbs (and those all of non-processed produce), the appropriate amount of protein for someone my age and more fat in a day than normally I'd consume in a week. I've lost five pounds so far, which is as much as I wanted, my chronic digestive condition is markedly improved and I'm never hungry. Those fats are healthy: avocados, avocado oil, ghee, MCT oil. But I'm still having to force myself not to revert to 20 years of fat-phobia. My only concern so far is that the creator of this system, Mark Sisson, has a hugely profitable business selling food products under the brand name of Primal Kitchen and a lot of books. We'll see but so far I'm pretty happy.

  • SonFlowerTC
    SonFlowerTC Posts: 42 Member
    Hi I’m SonFlower 😀 I want to lose 5 pounds. If I’m really careful and stick to 1200 calories and exercise I can lose .5 pounds in a week! Very slow going but I’m also prediabetic. I’ve been at this weight before (130) and when I lost to 127 I returned to normal. That’s my goal - avoid Diabetes 👍
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    Thanks for the comments!!!!

    I have been reading the MFP recommended motivation posts and they are so good!

    I do not show any more weight loss this week despite being on my feet almost nonstop with a 4 year old and a two year old for two days.. I did have one bad choice day this week.

    I like the primal diet idea . I have been eating more carbs than I planned, but now that I am a little adjusted I can try cutting further. And I may have not counted calories very accurately all week

    At least I did get in two awesome yoga workouts..

    Onward!
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    Monday! How was your weekend? I took care of grandsons and probably did not lose any weight due to spending all that extra energy and then eating food that is not normally in the plan. However, I made progress with staying active and it was a tonic for my mood.

    Yesterday I enrolled in the yoga studio and will be going three times a week.
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    Tuesday reflection
    I was very tired yesterday, probably because in recovery from all the babysitting. Then I just wanted to eat all day but I did resist. It was probably a maintenance day.

    Today I had lots of energy going into yoga.
    I'm going to research the primal diet idea.
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    How I feel every day seems to be a mystery.
    I think that I was so tired on Monday that it affected my appetite.

    Yesterday I started with a plain homemade waffle , had a protein bar after yoga, had two small oranges for a snack, and had homemade spaghetti for dinner. I tried very hard to estimate the calories in this spaghetti.

    I also walked the dogs after dinner for about 40 minutes.

    What is interesting is that I did not have much trouble with trying to snack yesterday, unlike Monday

    Sometimes I have kept an index card and written down my activities for the day. I have seen immediately the trigger that caused me to head for something sweet or ice cream. Definitely a stress eater.

    What are your triggers and what seems to help with controlling the appetite?

    I eat celery and sometimes I drink broth when it gets too bad.
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    Today I had a lot of vegetables and very few carbs. I think I may have overdone it because I feel too full!!!
  • SonFlowerTC
    SonFlowerTC Posts: 42 Member
    Hi everyone! I’m very motivated right now to lose 2 pounds! For me this will probably take 4 weeks which can be frustrating because I want everything FAST! But I’m exercising 5 days week and enjoying the warmer weather so we can bike 😃 I’m intrigued with the Mediterranean diet as it is recognized by the Mayo Clinic as a “heart healthy” diet. Basically encouraging fresh versus processed food.
  • SonFlowerTC
    SonFlowerTC Posts: 42 Member
    The primal diet sounds interesting and perhaps similar to the Mediterranean diet. I don’t know 🤷🏻‍♀️ but both focus on healthy fats, low carb and fresh fruits and vegetables 👏🏼
  • SonFlowerTC
    SonFlowerTC Posts: 42 Member
    I like “walking with Leslie” on youtube! It’s a very easy exercise but I’m moving. My apple watch says I tend to burn 139 calories which seems so little but better than sitting all day!
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    I like learning about walking with Leslie. I walk my dogs but unfortunately they are not very good for this particular type of exercise since we are fighting leash training! I guess I'm getting an arm workout.
    I would like to ride my bike more often.
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    Today I successfully ate less dinner because I had an extra snack. I got through the craving for sweets by eating two oranges. Very unusual for me!
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    I went back to the yoga studio and I'm trying to practice some of the core exercises at home. https://youtu.be/CSgTIgnJbVU
    I can't even do the last one for one second but even the instructor is having trouble!!!

    I think this would be a good thing to practice on non yoga days because it's fairly short and I can burn some calories doing it. I don't want to do weights and I don't want to do HIIT right now. This is because of my sciatica issues.
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    I tried to sign up for walk with Leslie but I did not want to give my email again. From watching the videos it looks like it is more about indoor exercising. It looks great!
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    edited March 2022
    132.6 February 22nd

    127.2 March 12th

    I am ecstatic! I think for some of this I sweated off water weight in hot yoga

    Age 64
    Height 5'3"
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    I'm trying to post something every day to keep myself on track.

    I know I should not reward myself with extra food but I am in the habit of drinking a glass or two of wine on Sundays to celebrate the past week.

    It's a little something to look forward to and I seem to be staying within the calorie limit, probably because I'm burning more calories with yoga than my fitness pal thinks I am.
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    Happy Monday! Do you have jet lag from daylight saving time?

    NSVs: I felt very light on my feet after leaving yoga yesterday.

    I have an easier time getting up from the floor and people are not
    asking, do you need some help?

    Starting another week and I'm going to try to keep with the program but add more variety into what I eat. I may need to add a few calories but I'm going to experiment with my snack food so that I will feel full and not too carb deprived. My carb limit is somewhere around 150.

  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    I have been told to eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. However, this does not fit my lifestyle because the major meal is usually in the evening.

    I was very happy that I managed to order only a grilled chicken salad for lunch. I did not even order salad dressing. My grandsons assisted by eating some of my croutons and cheese.
  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    edited March 2022
    This is the kind of day when things go south. I did not sleep well thanks to one of my dogs being restless. He really needed a walk yesterday and didn't get one.

    But more importantly it's the anniversary of the loss of one of my sisters to cancer.

    The exercise and the feeling of being more in control of my life helps me feel much better physically and mentally.

    I should be able to accomplish more of my goals. It's a little something to hang on to.

    To all of you who have suffered a family loss, may you have a day of comfort.

  • zenobia9777
    zenobia9777 Posts: 277 Member
    I was carb-starved today. I am not sure if it was a build up effect. I will try to add 100 calories on yoga days.