Active April 2023 Challenge
baconslave
Posts: 7,018 Member
It's Active April folks.
The word "active" is a loaded word.
Not only can it apply to exercise, but it can also mean "characterized by action rather than by contemplation or speculation."
Time to get fit or act on your goals whatever they may be.
Increase your NEAT, do one of the bazillion YouTube vids and workout streaming services, hit the gym, enjoy the weather and walk or hike (whenever it's actually nice in the Spring, easier said than done!) And for non-exercise goals, start actively pursuing them as best you can with what you have to work with. Don't let "perfect" be the enemy of "better". Improvements, even if they're slight or baby steps, are still progress.
We can do this!
No need to make your "heart gargle in your throat." Unless that's what you're into.
Or to win all the life trophies.
Active April is about making your goal an improvement in your fitness or life. As Elizabeth Benton always says, "Whatever constitutes an improvement for YOU. Do that."
So whether you want to train for a 5k or 10k, sleep better, get more serious about logging, start HIITing your head off, or just start exercising, period, it's all good.
If your exercise is already on-point, but you'd like to increase your daily NEAT burn, that's a great target as well. (What is NEAT, consult this thread from which I have been inspired: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1)
Go ahead and post your goals.
Update us daily and receive encouragement, workout suggestions, and support from your compatriots in the challenge.
Go get it! Make change!
The word "active" is a loaded word.
Not only can it apply to exercise, but it can also mean "characterized by action rather than by contemplation or speculation."
Time to get fit or act on your goals whatever they may be.
Increase your NEAT, do one of the bazillion YouTube vids and workout streaming services, hit the gym, enjoy the weather and walk or hike (whenever it's actually nice in the Spring, easier said than done!) And for non-exercise goals, start actively pursuing them as best you can with what you have to work with. Don't let "perfect" be the enemy of "better". Improvements, even if they're slight or baby steps, are still progress.
We can do this!
No need to make your "heart gargle in your throat." Unless that's what you're into.
Or to win all the life trophies.Active April is about making your goal an improvement in your fitness or life. As Elizabeth Benton always says, "Whatever constitutes an improvement for YOU. Do that."
So whether you want to train for a 5k or 10k, sleep better, get more serious about logging, start HIITing your head off, or just start exercising, period, it's all good.
If your exercise is already on-point, but you'd like to increase your daily NEAT burn, that's a great target as well. (What is NEAT, consult this thread from which I have been inspired: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1)
Go ahead and post your goals.
Update us daily and receive encouragement, workout suggestions, and support from your compatriots in the challenge.
Go get it! Make change!
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Replies
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Stick with keto ( 5% carbs, 75% fat and 20% protein) ....try to meal prep on Sunday's (having 4th foot/leg surgery on 3/31...sleep at least 6 hours (having a hard time sleeping due to foot/leg) drink 140 ounces of water daily and stick with IF 16:8 daily
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My goals for April:
- stick with Keto (my focus is staying under 10% and under 50g)
- drink minimum 2L water per day
- no alcohol (I went no alcohol after dry Jan and I just find my energy levels and control of my weight is so much easier without drinking, miss my wine though so a glass on my birthday mid-April is still def going yo happen )
- walk walk walk (the dog approves this goal)1 -
CW 169.5 Happy dance I got back under 170
GW 165 For April I'd like to see if intermittent fasting 16:8 and increased activity can get me there
I just bought a gel seat cover for my indoor bike to remove my excuse for not using it. Increasing my daily steps is also on my 'to do' list.
Tentative plan-
Sunday group fitness class
Monday strength and indoor bike
Tuesday walking
Wed strength
Thursday spin class at the gym
Friday strength
Sat rest (chores and grocery shopping, who are we kidding with 'rest')2 -
My name is Mary, 65 from Pennsylvania. I'm a RN and work long days. Logging in everyday since I started MFP 5/14/21.
Unfortunately lost my mojo and gained a lot back but not all Thank God! Need to get back on track and focused.
Heaviest weight 255 lbs, twice. :-(
9/14/20-255 lbs
5/14/21-232.2 lbs MFP start date.
4/6/22- 147.6 lbs (107.4 lbs lost) I did NOT have a surgery. Did Keto.
8/1/22- 167.2 lbs
12/1/22-198 lbs
1/1/23- 213.4 lbs
2/1/23- 207.4 lbs
3/1/23- 201 lbs4 -
Looking good!
mine remains - eat enough, stop at enough, eat less as stable & able
-- 2ndary -- stay within macro carb limits/track & include 20m+ intentional movement.
funny ideers for 2morrow as we get started
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LifeChangz wrote: »Looking good!
mine remains - eat enough, stop at enough, eat less as stable & able
-- 2ndary -- stay within macro carb limits/track & include 20m+ intentional movement.
funny ideers for 2morrow as we get started
I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!!!
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Thanks Baconslave and hello to everyone participating in the challenge. I am Lucy from Minnesota and work as a school nurse. Most of my job is sedentary and I am hoping to find ways to get myself motivated to remain on Keto (restarted yesterday). I weigh 180 and am 5'3" My goal for April is to get comfortably back into my size 18 clothes. My 18's still fit but some things are snug so I wear a lot of loose tunics. I did well on keto about a year ago and was surprised at the inches it took off. However, once fall came around and then the holidays brought too many enticing treats I gave up and have gained 15 pounds. I do have 2 cheat day coming up, the first is actually tomorrow since I am invited to a friends house for dinner and she is a fabulous cook and baker. I still have enough motivation to get back on track on the 2nd. My second cheat day is Easter with family in WI I haven't seen in a few years. If I prepare for those days and don't go overboard and maintain keto the rest of the month I think I will still reach my goal for the month. Hope to hear from the rest of you soon!2
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@lucydarrah Welcome. This is a good group and we all have our struggles at times. I, myself, am struggling to get back on my keto regime that I was on before that I did extraordinarily well on. It's tough.1
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Thanks. I just stocked up on my keto foods. I never purchase the additional Keto powders or solutions as I have found that I can still lose weight without them. I plan to do even 5 minutes of exercise this evening even if it is just walking up and down my steps to get a little "work out"3
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My plan for April is to consistently be active in planning meals so I don’t resort to bad decision making. I’ll keep logging (even the days I’m not feeling it) and prioritize protein to keep snacking at bay. I started cycle syncing mid March so plan to keep this up as well. I haven’t dropped any weight since January so this is the month ( in March I gained and lost the same 3 stupid pounds).2
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hi @lucydarrah ~ welcome
the holidays are some of my 'special occasions' days too - the feast, then back to regular foods/regular days.
i also prefer to just use real foods - but i do use protein bars, protein & peanut powders and other convenience packages/foods as part of my regular eating right now while we are in a motel with a tiny fridge, microwave & crockpot. we have to shop more frequently - and small sizes - like the little 5.3 oz plain greek yogurt instead of a quart size... i do bagged salads instead of the fresh heads of lettuce and all the fixings... and i use some pre-cooked meats like rotisserie chicken and lunch meats, cheeses for go to proteins...
for the holidays - i tend to take something I can eat... mostly no one eats it, so i end up with leftovers.... taking deviled eggs for Easter.
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My name is Mary, 65 from Pennsylvania. I'm a RN and work long days. Logging in everyday since I started MFP 5/14/21.
Unfortunately lost my mojo and gained a lot back but not all Thank God! Need to get back on track and focused.
Heaviest weight 255 lbs, twice. :-(
9/14/20-255 lbs
5/14/21-232.2 lbs MFP start date.
4/6/22- 147.6 lbs (107.4 lbs lost) I did NOT have a surgery. Did Keto.
8/1/22- 167.2 lbs
12/1/22-198 lbs
1/1/23- 213.4 lbs
2/1/23- 207.4 lbs
3/1/23- 201 lbs
4/1/23- 207.6 lbs. :-( Struggling lately.
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@swimmom_1 ~ hang in - i always struggle going into the candy holidays - the tv ads really trigger the habit urges - combine that with any stress - i swear i struggle every 3 to 6 weeks - hope you find a way to push through and get back on a roll again!!! (hugs)0
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My name is Mary, 65 from Pennsylvania. I'm a RN and work long days. Logging in everyday since I started MFP 5/14/21.
Unfortunately lost my mojo and gained a lot back but not all Thank God! Need to get back on track and focused.
Heaviest weight 255 lbs, twice. :-(
9/14/20-255 lbs
5/14/21-232.2 lbs MFP start date.
4/6/22- 147.6 lbs (107.4 lbs lost) I did NOT have a surgery. Did Keto.
8/1/22- 167.2 lbs
12/1/22-198 lbs
1/1/23- 213.4 lbs
2/1/23- 207.4 lbs
3/1/23- 201 lbs
4/1/23- 207.6 lbs. :-( Struggling lately.
4/2/23- 209 lbs. I need to get my head right and be more accountable to myself in this. I need to get back in control and off the carbs again. Back to my lower level of daily carbs(15g net +/- 3) and FOCUSED on what is best for me! Not short term enjoyment. Elliptical HIIT setting 150 minutes for 10.11 miles today (I do my elliptical like this 3x per week, on my off work days pretty religiously. Thursday, Friday & Sunday this week).
@LifeChangz Thank you I needed that!2 -
Mary - I hear ya about the motivation and good for you doing the elliptical!
Lifechangz - wow, sounds like you are being very resourceful with food choices while staying at the motel.
taylok23 - yep, I agree, keep logging no matter how the day went! Sometimes I cringe when entering my food!
I did do a cheat day yesterday when I was invited to a friends house for dinner but now I am trying to maintain some sense of compliance until at least Easter Sunday. I seriously need those days to look forward to or I would not make it. My goal after that is to make it until Mother's day.
I should know the answer to this question but how much protein can I have in a day? I know about limiting the carbs to only 20% ( pretty simple to figure that out) and eating more healthy fats but I always struggle with perhaps getting too much protein. The low carb foods such as eggs, fish and cheese always have a lot of protein as well. What are you all doing? I am 5'3" and weight 180. Thanks1 -
lucydarrah wrote: »
I should know the answer to this question but how much protein can I have in a day? I know about limiting the carbs to only 20% ( pretty simple to figure that out) and eating more healthy fats but I always struggle with perhaps getting too much protein. The low carb foods such as eggs, fish and cheese always have a lot of protein as well. What are you all doing? I am 5'3" and weight 180. Thanks
Correct me someone if I'm wrong but I think they used to say 0.8-1 gram for each lb of your goal weight. So 120 lbs would be 96-120 grams of Protein/day.
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Staying low-carb except for a relapse of rice cakes and pnut butter yesterday; but even I'd pulled out the honey but managed to leave it out, so a small win.
Increasing my metabolism is a big goal right now. Today we had a break in the rain but I had to choose between gardening and walking, not having the strength for both. Gardening won and my back is declaring a hard fought battle won.- Low carb / healthy fat & protein
- Reduced calories
- Mindfullness
- Activity
- Water to offset coffee
- No alcohol at home
- Lose weight
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Thanks Swimmom. I am happy with a weight goal of 150 pounds at this point but I am going to go slow and be sensible so even to get out of the 170's would be a win for me. I am at 179 this evening.
PaulaKro - good for you with the gardening. I hope your back is feeling better.
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Weather is improving, time to start planning my veggie garden as well.
4/1-4/7
Saturday - 40 min walk with a friend ✔
Sunday - Chores ✔
Monday - strength and indoor bike on deck
Tuesday - walking planned
Wednesday - strength planned (volunteering at the food bank so that should work)
Thursday - spin class at the gym planned
Friday - strength planned
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I had in laws over for lunch Saturday so did did eat some carbs and have found that dairy just really isn’t agreeing with me these days. Yesterday I mindlessly ate graham crackers and my knees and hips are paying for it this morning so I have to remember these repercussions the next time I think about going off plan. Back at it today!!2
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Good Morning everyone
@lucydarrah ~ that's a good question - what to do for protein when carbs are 20%.
not sure there is a correct answer other than to tailor for your goals/eating approach reasons.
So, keto @ 10% or less has fats at 70, protein at 20%. some keto plans have carbs at 5% even.
If you shift the carbs higher to a low carb plan, then they need to be made up elsewhere (either fat or protein, right?) But wait - for heart health reasons, 70% fat is already super high/double and not generally recommended except when doing keto - so docs would recommend also shifting some of the fat% for the extra carbs....
so, when i am shifting macros, i set the carb 1st, fat 2nd, rest is protein. So, keto is 1 approach
low carb is different - here's a look at low carb, standard diet and keto - % all macros in comparison...
for me personally, i tend to do 20% carbs, 25-30% healthy fats and rest protein after my heart doc suggested low carb, low fat, so rest to protein (and watch kidneys because of higher protein load.) [and, i didn't find a chart for mine, lol
]
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tishsmith101 - smart to plan your week of activities, nice variety. I should do something like that. Does it help you stay compliant?
Taylok - Geez, sounds like it doesn't take much for your body to react to certain carbs. Sorry to hear about the hip and knee pain.
I am making a declaration right now to myself to do one activity today that really pushes me. It may not be much compared to what some of you do but I am pretty sedentary and I need to be more accountable.1 -
Going to remain actively aware of my four pillars of health, focusing the most on IF, protein intake and increasing physical movement. As the weather improves, hopefully I can get out more. Paddling season is fast approaching plus I bought an ebike for transportation when I use the motorhome, I need to rediscover my bike legs!
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LifeChangz - thanks for taking the time to help me figure this out. I am leaning in the direction of low carb rather than keto. I know I can lose faster on Keto but it seems too restrictive.
Kinberwolf71 - wow you are so organized with your four pillars! Thanks for sharing.
I just did a little workout. Holy molly am I out of shape. At least it is a start and that's what counts!3 -
@lucydarrah yes, making a weekly activity plan helps keep me accountable. I may end up switching things around as life throws changes at me but I'll make do. Last night I intended to ride my indoor bike but a friend said they might stop by so I did a Leslie Sansone waling video instead (easier to stop for company LOL). I also plan out a weekly dinner menu as well (helps with grocery shopping).0
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My name is Mary, 65 from Pennsylvania. I'm a RN and work long days. Logging in everyday since I started MFP 5/14/21.
Unfortunately lost my mojo and gained a lot back but not all Thank God! Need to get back on track and focused.
Heaviest weight 255 lbs, twice. :-(
9/14/20-255 lbs
5/14/21-232.2 lbs MFP start date.
4/6/22- 147.6 lbs (107.4 lbs lost) I did NOT have a surgery. Did Keto.
8/1/22- 167.2 lbs
12/1/22-198 lbs
1/1/23- 213.4 lbs
2/1/23- 207.4 lbs
3/1/23- 201 lbs
4/1/23- 207.6 lbs. :-( Struggling lately.
4/2/23- 209 lbs. I need to get my head right and be more accountable to myself in this. I need to get back in control and off the carbs again. Back to my lower level of daily carbs(15g net +/- 3) and FOCUSED on what is best for me! Not short term enjoyment. Elliptical HIIT setting 150 minutes for 10.11 miles today (I do my elliptical like this 3x per week, on my off work days pretty religiously. Thursday, Friday & Sunday this week).
4/4/23- 204.8 lbs Not my usual check in day but hopefully getting myself back on track, FINALLY!!! Was on track Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with my low carbs and it shows! Today I'm on track too!
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Struggling a bit tonight with having the urge to mindlessly eat and know I’m totally not hungry. I ended the day with 150g of protein but still feel that habit trying to pull me back in. Fortunately I didn’t succumb but it helps when my husband is being good himself. Isn’t it crazy how influenced we can be by other’s actions? I guess the mental struggle is half the battle. Hope everyone else is conquering your challenges too!2
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Swimmom - what do you eat to keep your carbs so low at 15 net? I over do the protein when I try for such low carbs. Good for you for staying on track for these past few days. So easy to slip.
Taloc23 - I get the mindlessly eating. And I so agree about how we can be influenced by others actions. Yep, mental struggle is half the battle
I weighed myself at work today (am a school nurse) and I was 176, down from 180, but I know some of that has to be water. I keep saying I can make it until Easter Sunday and then jump right back on the wagon the day after! I haven't been sleeping well so tiredness is my excuse for not exercising when I get home from work. I am also an avid reader (in 3 book clubs) so that is what I do to relax. I wish I was one of those people who loved to exercise and that it was as important to me as brushing my teeth or keeping my house neat. Going to bed now and see if I can make tomorrow a better day for activity.
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4/1-4/7 continued
Saturday - 40 min walk with a friend ✔
Sunday - Chores ✔
Monday - strength and walking video ✔
Tuesday - 25 min indoor bike ride ✔
Wednesday - 90 min food bank sorting ✔
Thursday - spin class at the gym planned
Friday - strength planned
Food is on point, will weigh in Sat for the new week.0 -
@lucydarrahlucydarrah wrote: »Swimmom - what do you eat to keep your carbs so low at 15 net? I over do the protein when I try for such low carbs. Good for you for staying on track for these past few days. So easy to slip
I don't follow a true keto. I limit my carbs and get a decent amount of protein and the fat falls where it falls.
My 4 work days are the easiest. I start my morning with a protein shake, right now it's Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides 2 scoops of Unflavored & 2 scoops of chocolate and about 15-20 mL of a skinny syrup (Hazelnut right now) 2g net carbs, Fat 0.5g, 36 g Protein
I used to do only half of the Collagen powder but a Endocrine CRNP told me I should get at least 30 grams of Protein for breakfast to lose better. So I doubled up. I can't say it made a difference though till I got my carbs back down like before. So I'm not convinced it helped at all.
Lunch is a salad I make (make the 4 of them on Sunday for my week) with Romaine, around 30-40 g of a bell pepper, 1 oz of Jarlsberg cheese, 1 oz of Boars Head sweet slice ham, 1 large hard boiled egg, 1 slice of bacon and 4 Tbsp of G Hughes sugar free dressing 2.8 net carbs, 32.6 g Fat, 26.1 g Protein
Dinner last night was 5 oz chicken thigh with the skin on and 4 oz of green beans 4.8 net carbs, 24g Fat, 24.6 g Protein
Total was Net Carbs 9 grams, Fat 57 grams, Protein 86 grams. So I was below yesterday my usual 1000-1200 calorie goal @ 921.
Sometimes I have some sugar free chocolate. Most recently I've tried the No Sugar Company Keto Krax. Which adds minimal carbs and more calories.
My off work days I make a 2 egg omelette with spinach, peppers and cheese for a brunch with 3-4 strips of bacon, then eat meat and a low carb veggie (usually broccoli or green beans) for dinner. On those days I do my elliptical for 150 minutes(since I only get to do it on my 3 non work days) first thing when I get up. But I do usually go over 1200 calories and sometimes over the 12 +/- 3 net carbs that day.
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