Exercise and Weight Loss Challenges

pattyebricker

Start--212
Sept 5--214
Sept 12- 213
Good going everyone

dasher602014

Start--212
Sept 5--214
Sept 12- 213
Good going everyone

Good stuff! We all did it this week. On to 20 by the end of the year! Sunny but cold here but off for my walk.

gaylebodine

Start--207
Sept. 5--205.6
Sept 12--203

We are all right where we need to be, trending down on this bumpy path.

Never did my senior yoga (it's complicated) but walked twice last week. This week I was so tired from my trip (that's my excuse) that I did not walk. Next week I intend to walk at least twice. Have been keeping myself pretty high protein and low carb. Loving my morning smoothie.

Good going everyone!

gaylebodine

Hi Guys, well I've bounced up again. 203 on Friday and 205.3 today. Know I ate a lot of salt yesterday and ran out of prunes so that could be it right there but have the goal this week of getting to 204 or better by Friday.

gaylebodine

Guys, I posted this in the other group but wanted to put this in the challenge group as well. Have a challenge for us all.

Mary, Marney and Patty, you are so right about temptations just down the road and glad we are talking about it now. It is all about knowing the calorie value/serving size of seductive foods, planning ahead for successful choices, moderation, and for me, finding lower calorie/fat/sugar alternatives to my favorites. Let's share such information with each other.

Goals are reached by continuing to make choices that are consistent with your goals, then letting time do it's magic. It is really not denying yourself but rather nurturing yourself with tasty and sensible food selections. I guess I'm try to say--let's make it less about what we can not have (or have a lot of) and more about what we CAN have. Let's come up with doable portions of our favorites as well as healthful alternatives to all our favorites.

gaylebodine

Here is my list of favorite holiday and seasonal foods

October: zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, chocolate!

November: pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, turkey (turkey sandwich, turkey casseroles)

December: Christmas cookies, fruitcake

I'm giving myself the task to find calorie counts related to portions of traditions foods as well as alternatives to favorites including recipes. I'm starting with October.

dasher602014

Good challenge and, yes, it will help a lot.

Suggestion for chocolate. Diabetic chocolate. It tastes good at least our store made stuff does and although still to be chosen as a treat, the sugars are way down so it helps.

gaylebodine

Good challenge and, yes, it will help a lot.

Suggestion for chocolate. Diabetic chocolate. It tastes good at least our store made stuff does and although still to be chosen as a treat, the sugars are way down so it helps.

I'll try it! Especially if it is cheaper than the weight watchers candy. I also really like the fiber one brownies. High in fiber, tastes good, 90 calories. Filling and a good size. I like that they are individually wrapped so I am not tempted to eat a whole pan, if you know what I mean. Oh, and I LOVE Vitalicious Vita Tops double chocolate muffin tops (in freezer case). They are 100 calories but the size of a large muffin top and taste great. I'm going to try to make my own as well, there are recipes online. I have also learned to buy Halloween candy (for the kids) that I don't really like.

dasher602014

Hi all,

I am hoping you are all doing well and the weigh is bouncing down. I have some challenges this week.

Came home from visiting friends and although we golfed, dinner was BBQ pork ribs and roast potatoes with salad. Roasted fruit for dessert. Being lactose intolerant, I avoided the ice cream part! But so salty that both my husband and I were up during the night for water. I suspect that will show on the scales.

At our age, there are so many diet restrictions and preferences, it is hard to be a guest or have guests. I figure that most diets require low sugar, low fat, low salt and lots of veggies. With enough variety presented, no one is going to starve but it is difficult and living rural, if I want to see friends and family, I have to feed them or stay over night myself.. BBQ pork ribs and salty roast potatoes are difficult though.

Today, we start with our own guests. Another lactose avoider and a sugar/carbs avoider. With me (lactose intolerant) and my husband being diabetic, these guests work well with our regular diet. I hadn't counted on the request for a roast dinner though! Golfing again so I had better walk and let the cart carry my clubs. Then more guest on the weekend. Fussier eaters. Everything must be very well cooked and that doesn't always sit well with my husband. So I think one meal will be chicken not sure about the other. Maybe the crockpot with a good stew. Oh, and more golf. My husband the golfer. But with our short season, I never say no. I would like to fit in more kayaking and walking but, without a club in his hand, no interest.

How do you balance your needs as a guest or a host?

This will stop after the second weekend in October (Canadian thanksgiving) and then nobody until may. Only the intrepid visit rural in the winter. And I will be complaining about the lack of guests. I do find it difficult to balance my needs when the visits are so closely spaced. But I want to see them and they want to see us and our fall colours. I am going to go for my walk each day and see if my guests will come too.

dasher602014

Good challenge and, yes, it will help a lot.

Suggestion for chocolate. Diabetic chocolate. It tastes good at least our store made stuff does and although still to be chosen as a treat, the sugars are way down so it helps.

I'll try it! Especially if it is cheaper than the weight watchers candy. I also really like the fiber one brownies. High in fiber, tastes good, 90 calories. Filling and a good size. I like that they are individually wrapped so I am not tempted to eat a whole pan, if you know what I mean. Oh, and I LOVE Vitalicious Vita Tops double chocolate muffin tops (in freezer case). They are 100 calories but the size of a large muffin top and taste great. I'm going to try to make my own as well, there are recipes online. I have also learned to buy Halloween candy (for the kids) that I don't really like.

I'll have a look a the fibre one brownie, more fibre, tastes good, a winner with me. Have to admit that we don't have many sweets in the house. My husband is in his second year dealing with Diabetes and it just seems unfair to have temptations around a lot. Our chocolatier makes the diabetic chocolate so it is a special treat. In a blind taste test with 4 others, everyone preferred the diabetic to non diabetic, but it is from a chocolate shop.

I have to make it through two thanksgiving dinners, I am making both of them, before Halloween! I do appreciate your problem. In the city, 400 kids was normal. I never opened the bags before the first kid, then I loaded up the last kids and turned off my light. Tried really hard not to buy during the sales afterwards! Here, it is easy. No kids come, no candy in the house. No need. If feeling deprived, aforementioned diabetic chocolate!

gaylebodine

More complicated cooking for others for sure! I love those old fashioned meat and potatoes meals. Quit cooking like that when my first husband got fat and I realized it was my cooking. But that was the way I learned to cook so has taken years to change my thinking. Still working on it. Since I started with mfp I've been cooking differently for myself and my son. He gets pasta, I get spaghetti squash or french cut green beans or tofu shirataki instead. My appetite is changing so that helps. And I just can't eat as much. I do not entertain much but my craft group gets less calorie dense treats than in the past.

merrygrannie

Started this challenge at 171.5
Sept 5th-168. 3.5lb loss
Sept 12th-167. 1 lb loss
Sept 18-166. 1 lb loss

dasher602014

Started this challenge at 172
Sept 5th 171 - 1 lb lost
Sept 12th 169.5 - 1½ lb lost
Sept 19th 168.5 - 1 lb lost

Despite visits and visiting!

gaylebodine

Start--207
Sept. 5--205.6
Sept 12--203
Sept 19--202.8

Slow but sure. I've added one fast day (approx. 500 calories) per week, on Thursdays. Related to the 5:2 diet or also called the fast diet apparently very popular in England where it started. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms#.UOOjXKz47XS

Not recommending in particular. Just wanted you to know what I am up to. Want this habit to be in place when I move to maintenance (way down the road). People on the 5:2 die eat "normally" (healthy 2000 calories) 5 days a week and restrict their food to 500 calories two days of the week (Monday and Thursday usual).

gaylebodine

Anyone heard from Patty?

dasher602014

Anyone heard from Patty?

No I haven't. I hope she is doing Ok.

gaylebodine

Anyone heard from Patty?

No I haven't. I hope she is doing Ok.

I wrote to her saying that her diary looked great but missed her in community. Haven't heard anything. Well, look forward to having her back when she wants to come but in the meantime guess it's just us three. Still psyched about 20 pounds by January 1. I've been bouncing around at 202 something for a while. Guess that's just the way it goes.

gaylebodine

Oh man, just did the math. 15 more pounds to go before January 1st. I'm beginning to wonder if I need to remake my agreement for 15 pounds instead of 20 between when we started our challenge and January 1st. That would be my start of 207 and an end of 192. Hmmm, solid in Onederland, getting through the holidays.

How are you all doing? Does resetting goals sound more realistic to you or is it a cop-out? What do you think? Can I lose 5 pounds in each month to come: October, November, December?

dasher602014

Oh man, just did the math. 15 more pounds to go before January 1st. I'm beginning to wonder if I need to remake my agreement for 15 pounds instead of 20 between when we started our challenge and January 1st. That would be my start of 207 and an end of 192. Hmmm, solid in Onederland, getting through the holidays.

How are you all doing? Does resetting goals sound more realistic to you or is it a cop-out? What do you think? Can I lose 5 pounds in each month to come: October, November, December?

Hi Gayle,

It does seem really tough to do 5 lbs a month at this point and through the holidays, particularly when I have been going up not down! I think we should keep striving though. I think a lb a week is entirely doable and from what I remember, most of us have been achieving close to that so far. So you are right, 15 sounds more reasonable. There are no losers if we keep losing!

I am good with a reset. I just really need your encouragement to keep me accountable. This past week was worse than the holidays will be but I had fun and it is over so I am back on track.

Mary, what do you think about a reset?

gaylebodine

Oh man, just did the math. 15 more pounds to go before January 1st. I'm beginning to wonder if I need to remake my agreement for 15 pounds instead of 20 between when we started our challenge and January 1st. That would be my start of 207 and an end of 192. Hmmm, solid in Onederland, getting through the holidays.

How are you all doing? Does resetting goals sound more realistic to you or is it a cop-out? What do you think? Can I lose 5 pounds in each month to come: October, November, December?

Hi Gayle,

It does seem really tough to do 5 lbs a month at this point and through the holidays, particularly when I have been going up not down! I think we should keep striving though. I think a lb a week is entirely doable and from what I remember, most of us have been achieving close to that so far. So you are right, 15 sounds more reasonable. There are no losers if we keep losing!

I am good with a reset. I just really need your encouragement to keep me accountable. This past week was worse than the holidays will be but I had fun and it is over so I am back on track.

Mary, what do you think about a reset?

Dasher, Patty, Mary,
Because of my track record so far, and since there are 15 weeks left until the New Year, Dasher and I are going to re-make our goal to that of 15 pounds lost (from the point we started) between our first week and January 1. Mary and Patty, if you want to keep on the 20 that is great or even re-make the agreement to a lesser amount that is fine. Setting goals is all about keeping them realistic and re-making them to support success, when necessary. What do you think? Dasher and I are set at 15.
Go Team!! :drinker:
Also: tell me specifically what supports you. A daily email? A diary based comment? A discussion of challenges? I know the big things we have going for us already are faithfully recording our food choices and exercise, being clear about our goals, being held accountable by the group, talking about what's up and what lies ahead in the path. Even one pound lost in the next 15 weeks is a win. But most of us are going for the bigger win. Takes effort and self discipline but TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!