nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

MyFitnessPal Community

2 week challenge

amysj303

I wanted to recreate the 2-week challenge in the "group" section. This is where we set our own challenge and try to stick with it for two weeks. Check in here with your progress, challenges, strategies, etc.

Replies

abigail1977

Yes, thank you Beeps for this challenge. It has really helped me make some good changes with my eating habits and I like looking at the week as a whole. I used to eat all my calories every day and then when I overindulged I was going way over. Now I plan ahead for those moments by eating below on days when I know I can - usually weekdays - very helpful.

ramalem

Yes, thank you Beeps for this challenge. It has really helped me make some good changes with my eating habits and I like looking at the week as a whole. I used to eat all my calories every day and then when I overindulged I was going way over. Now I plan ahead for those moments by eating below on days when I know I can - usually weekdays - very helpful.

Couldn't agree more with this statement. Thanks Beeps!

Beeps2011

...challenges can be fun. But, if they become "counter-productive", it's time for a rest from challenges!

I'm kind of at that point....by end of June, 2013, I will have been in constant challenges for 18 MONTHS. Challenges of one sort or another.

I'm taking summer "off" from "challenges" and gonna learn about "maintenance" and how my body works in "that" (permanent) phase.

TODAY I LIFT!

ChLoE1130

I am liking this challenge too, even though I end up over every week. But, it helps me to not go WAY over when I am thinking about having something else bad for me.

I am excited I received all the dresses I ordered for vacation in the mail yesterday and they all fit and should fit through most the summer I am hoping. I did just cotton comfy dresses and I actually feel cute in them and not like the blimp I have been feeling like. Even though everyone keeps telling me how cute my bump is....I feel like they are just saying that to make me feel better.

I have been pretty good this week so far, the warm weather is helping keep my appetite under control. Although I did cheat with some desserts at a conference I had yesterday. And I also pigged out on watermelon last night (almost to the point of making myself sick). Watermelon has been my biggest pregnancy craving so far, so I guess it could be worse.

I want to do my DVD as much as possible this week and next to tighten up my butt, it is feeling jiggly since I have toned down my exercising. Plus get in my walk everyday...at least 2 miles.

jenomaha

Amy - you are so right about it not necessarily being about the talent and effort. Sometimes it's that "who ya know" thing

Beeps - Yes, thank you! I needed something to push me along and I think it's the fact that I have the "bank" of calories for the weekend. And I am with you, I'd like to someday get to the "maintenance" phase and STAY there!

Chloe- that's great about the dresses!! I need some new ones myself. Maybe that can be my reward for hitting my goal!! I am sure your "bump" is adorable

I am so sore from the *kitten* kicking I gave myself Monday...I'm contemplating waiting until tomorrow to lift again. We will see!!

Non MFP related, we bought tickets to the Bulls vs Heat playoff game for Friday night in Chicago!! I don't know who is more excited, my husband and I or my boys lol! I am just looking forward to this time away with just my family. I can't wait!! Happy Hump Day ya'll!

RisOnTheRun

Dinah--Welcome!

Abigail--Great job last week!

ramalem--Great goals!

Amy--Glad to hear things are going well with your dad! And yeah LA Complex was about a bunch of people trying to make it in LA--actors, writers, dancers, and two comedians. It only lasted for a few episodes though and I think it got taken off the air. That's really cool that he's worked with the people on Last Comic Standing. It sounds like a tough business but a fun one to be in!

Jen--Great job last week, especially working in the planned cheats! It's nice to be able to enjoy a few treats without the guilt. And sounds like a fun trip to Chicago coming up!

Ashley--Excellent goals! FL sounds like fun!

Beeps--That's a long time to be in challenges! You've definitely earned a break.

Chloe--That's great that you were able to get dresses you like! And I don’t think that there is any amount of watermelon you could eat that would constitute "pigging out."

That's definitely a good craving to have! I've been craving fruit too actually--first it was peaches, and now apricots.

My week has been so-so. I was so tired from the weekend that I couldn't stay up long enough on Monday to get a workout in, and I was over my calories (mostly because I had budgeted in some exercise calories that didn't happen). But I did pretty well yesterday, and I've already gotten my run in this morning. But this morning I was still up about 3 pounds from where I was before I went to NYC, so I'm a little nervous that that's "real" gain and not just bloat.

Beeps2011

Hi ladies!

You're all doing so well!

Gawd, I just got back from my lifting session and it was >90 MINUTES LONG.

Ummmmmmmmmmm, NO. Just "no". That is just WAY too friggin' long!! Yes, it was my last fibonacci pyramid session (for awhile...maybe 3 or 4 months??!!??) and yes, there was LOTS of "single-leg" and "single-arm" work, today, which obviously DOUBLES the time to get through those sets since you have to do one leg and then the other.

But, still.

90 minutes????

No.

It is spring. Summer is coming. 60 minutes in the gym, MAX. That is all.

tiffany484

HI all just joining the thread... I've been at this (again) for 2 weeks and have seen nothing. nada. zip. zero. zilch results.
Here's a bit about me. I'm 29, 5'4" 142 lbs. I have a larger build so I tend to weigh a bit more than your average lady- I have a large bust and muscular thighs that don't help in the equation.
For exercise, I ride 40+ miles per week on my bike (outside, with hills) and do 2+ hours of mountain biking every weekend. Add to that the strength training 2x's per week and daily calisthenics (pushups, sit-ups, squats)... AND calories under 1400 daily except once a week on cheat days. I try to focus on keeping my carbohydrates under 40% of my daily caloric intake . In two weeks I expected to see SOMETHING happen on the scale or on my body, but nope. UGH so FRUSTRATING. I'd like to lose 10 lbs but more importantly, I'm trying to lose body fat. I don't care if I don't lose a pound if I can just lose this pooch! I used to have an athletic body but 6 years in a desk job has made it virtually impossible to get back!

SO now that I'm done ranting a bit, does anyone have any helpful tips, training plans, meal plans, etc. that I can use (even short term for a jump start) to help me out??

THANKS!!

RisOnTheRun

Beeps--90 minutes??? What do you do for all that time? The longest I've been able to do a lifting session is like 45 minutes, and that's when I'm at the gym for like 2 hours waiting for my husband to finish up so I have no incentive to leave anything out. After that I run out of muscles to work! Though I guess I don't do many singles.

Tiffany--welcome! It sounds like with everything you're doing you should be seeing some results, maybe you just need more than two weeks. Are you taking measurements? I don't know what your strength training plan is, but that seems to be the key to changing your body composition. I know a lot of ladies swear by NROLFW.

Beeps2011

tiffany - the ONLY way that dumping body fat, for me, that worked, was to LOSE all that cardio you are doing and focus on the strength-training. Strange, but true. (Cardio, unknowingly, was making me hungry, so it was difficult to keep my calories in check. Getting rid of the cardio, I was able to lower my calories, and the scale weight came down, down, down.)

Ris - I'm in the midst of fibonacci pyramids. So, the sets are reps of 21 - 13 - 8 - 5 - 8 - 13 - 21 (that's 7 sets!) and there are 6 different exercises in each day. So, 7 sets x 6 exercises = 42 sets total. Exhausting. And, yes, Phase 1 was mostly 9 exercises x 3 sets each, so only 27 sets. Fibonacci's are a bi-atch!

tiffany484

Thanks... I'll try dumping some of the cardio - the biking I do mainly because I really enjoy it and I get to spend some time outdoors with my husband. I also run occasionally for the stress relief.

Along with increasing my strength training is there a diet plan you follow? I'll probably go back to my M/Upper T/Lower W/Off Th/Upper F/Lower S/Cardio Su/Off routine - it seemed to work for me in the past - I started my Upper today. I just hate the gym (and 4:30am alarms) but one must make sacrifices if one wants results!

One more thing... my husband has suggested that perhaps my calories are too low... does 1400 intake, working at a desk job, plus 500 calories (on average) of cardio or other exercise daily sound too low?

amysj303

Tiffany, welcome! I think 1400 seems low, is that net? after 500-calorie burn for exercise? Do you have any idea what you were at when you were "maintaining"? I would find a site that calculates TDEE and try that less 20% to start.
You look very fit. Have you had your body fat measured?
I don't like working out in the morning either, but if I get in early I can leave early and that makes it easier, I can get in my workout before I've missed anything!
As far as diet, everyone is different so you have to find what works for you. More protein, fewer carbs? whatever works is whatever you can stick with for the most part!
I haven't been doing great, and last night was another maintenance night of eating. I tried but I am weak. It's been raining, so I just wanted cocoa, and I thought it would be ok but it was more cals than I thought, and then we started watching Game of Thrones and the husband made popcorn...
On the positive side I haven't drank (booze) at all this week! but I think I tend to reward myself or something...

tiffany484

1400 is total calories, not net. And I changed the picture... that wasn't me it was just my motivation.... the one up now is me from a gig my band played in... A bit less "fit" I'd say (though you can't see my (fl)abs)... it seemed to be confusing a few people... ANYWAY... I guess I'll try a week increasing my calories and see how that goes. I'm just a bit uncomfortable with it because I'm afraid it will set me back further. Fingers Crossed!!
And we all deserve a treat now and then. I have trouble keeping the booze off the table (love a glass of red wine with dinner - or for dinner, whatever) but I remind myself I have my cheat meal every Sunday and I can have TWO glasses then!

Better_Balance_2011

Welcome Tiffany! You sound like a similar build to me; I'm just a bit shorter: 5'2" and this morning I was 130 (More on that later..... ). Large chest, muscular legs.....desk job. I used to be a cardio junkie but have tapered down to about 2 runs (around 3 miles each) a week and I lift 3x a week. I do 4 moves and aim for total body stuff. For example, yesterday I did Bulgarian split squats, bent barbell rows, 1 arm rows, and skullcrusheers. Another day I do squats, deadlifts, overhead press, and upright rows. My third day is bench press, pushups, dips, and barbell pullovers. I do 4 sets: 15, 8, 8, and a 6 and lift heavy. I strive for 40/30/30 on diet, but I like salty crunchy things and wine quite a bit. My goals right now are 1350 a day with a 2000 calorie cheat day. This was resulting in 0.5 pound loss a week untill that last 2 weeks.....

Which brings me to....*kitten* the scale. I have been doing my "challenge" for about 6 weeks, losing pretty consistenlty 1/2 pound a week and gained 1.5 last week, and another pound this week. OK OK, so Derby was in there, and a really high calorie day on the day of my mini, but REALLY? I don't think so. Thank God I've been taking measurements. While they don't show amazing results, they show my body is changing. I lost/gained:
Waist: +0.25
Chest: -0.75
Hips: -0.25
Legs: Up 0.75" and 1"
Arms pretty much stayed the same; I think I had a faulty measurement before
But what has made it all worth it is that I lost ONE INCH off my belly!
My biggest problem area! I'm back to lifting heavy and I can see that my body IS changing and that is what I am happy about. To prove my point, I am going to weigh and record each day for at least a week, maybe 10 days after vacation to see/show the effects of water retention from booze and food, what clean eating can do, strength training (possible retention), etc. So that's that. I admit, these last 2 weeks have not been stellar with Derby, dinner out this week, inlaws over last night, drinks...but really? Again, thank God for measurements.

I go to FL Saturday morning and am off tomorrow so probably no checking in from me. When I get back, I'm in for the star continuation. My sister and I are going to start a new challenge too. Mine are going to be more measurements driven: I'm aiming for 31" belly and 28" waist. I suked it in to how I'd like it to look this morning and that is what I got.

You all have a fantastic week and I'll be back and ready to tone up my midsection for Bonnaroo!!!

ChLoE1130

Where is everybody today? Very quiet on this thread!

Welcome Tiffany! I think the one thing that all of us hear have learned that its all a trial and error game, we have all played with our cals and our workouts until you find that "sweet spot" that gets you going towards your goals. Once you find that just stick with it and tweak it as necessary :happy:

Beeps- 90 minutes at the gym is just too much, especially in the summer! I agree with you!

Ashley- Have a blast in FL and drink some extra cocktails for me! :drinker: I'm hoping when I am in key west I can get some virgin fruity drinks just so I can feel like I am having something fun!

I have been doing pretty good this week. Have stayed within cals everyday so far. Even after a little binge last night on some pita chips and chocolate. I have worked out everyday. Yesterday I was feeling like I needed a little bit more of a burn, so I pulled out an old Jillian Michaels DVD No More Trouble Zones....its basically low impact circuit training with light weights. I am sore today from it and it feels good. I think I might incorporate that into my workouts at least once a week throughout the pregnancy just to mix it up a bit!

Beeps2011

Tiffany - good luck with your "new" calories....give it a couple of weeks before changing it up (again!)

Better - YAY ON 1" DOWN ON BELLY! That would be *HUGE* for me - am aiming for that prior to May 25 boudoir photo shoot.

Chloe - in fairness, the 90 minutes in the gym is entirely my making....my cardio is so sh*tty that I need to take WAY longer rest breaks than are called for in the work-out itself! 60s-75s between sets. and, if the sets are "each leg", I have to take a rest period between "each leg" set. Ugh!!

Beeps2011

I confess that this riDONKulous boudoir photo shoot that is coming up has me, well, NOT COMFORTABLE with what the hell is going on!

What do you "do" with boudoir photographs once you have them???? I mean, so hubby looks at them, says, "VA-VA-VA-VOOM", tosses them aside to "get with me"....and THEN WHAT/???

I *have* to do the photographs....it's a SURPRISE birthday party for my bff from law school. 4 of us "know" about the photo shoot (so, we can PREPARE - i.e. tan, fast, buy lingerie, etc.), but the birthday girl, herself, has NO IDEA!

Huh????

What if it's a "bloat" day for her?? I mean, even though we're springing to have her hair/make-up done, who CARES??

I think this is the WORST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!

Anyway, I'm a part of it, got roped in, have to figure out what "underwear" to wear (I mean, my corsets COVER my nice abs....I don't want that! But, with just bra and panties, there's still "flab" that spills over the top of a bra strap on the sides...)

UGH.

I think I'd rather do nude shots that show off my musculature, because then, at least, after the fact, I can show the shots around (there would be STRATEGICALLY placed sheets, people - not full-on nudes!) and say, "I took these to show off my musculature..."

otherwise, what's the point of boudoir photographs??? So I have some nice "smoke-and-mirror" shots??? I don't know.....I'm not convinced!!

amysj303

am with you, Beeps, that is a horrible surprise for the birthday girl, she should have the pleasure of enjoying the anticipation and preparing as much as all of you!
And it's true, hubby looks at them, vavavoom, and then they are in a box in the closet, and I realize it was a bit of a waste but really, they were for me, now I have a record of how good I looked when I was 30-something, that I will want to see when I am 70-something. I did some nude ones too, but if you can't then get a bra and panties that fit better, or with the least spillage;)
Jealous of the FL gals.
My week has not been good at all, I am hungry, haven't worked out in favor of hanging out with friends or just being lazy! I got in one workout this week and I will run tomorrow but this week is a wash, no star for me likely, what with a party tomorrow and Mother's Day Sunday, I will just try to stick to maintenance. Next week will try some carb cycling and workouts.

KellyBgetsfit

Hey, hey! Busy, busy. LIFE is crazy right now. I haven't logged or worked out in over a week!!!! I'm maintaining though, which is kind of depressing. I put in a lot of effort, and maintain. I slack and I maintain. How do I lose????? I'll try to catch up more next week. You all have a wonderful weekend!!!!!

RisOnTheRun

Beeps--That's a lot of sets, I can see why fibonacci pyramids take so long. I don't think I have the attention span to try those! And I agree with you on the boudoir shots for your friend, if I was getting them I'd definitely want to prepare!!!

Tiffany--I agree that 1400 may be too low, although I know a lot of ladies here have pretty low calorie intakes so its hard to say. Though I have found that when I eat at maintenance for a few weeks and then reduce my calories, I've been able to break through plateaus and start losing again. Pre-pregnancy I was able to maintain my weight by netting about 1700 calories a day, and I was able to lose at 1600 after that (I'm 5'6 and that got me from about 126-130 down to 123, which seems to be as low as my body wants to go). And I agree with Amy, more protein and fewer carbs seems to work for most people. I generally focus on the protein part and try to get at least 100 grams a day.

Amy--Nice job on not having booze last week, even if you didn't do as well as you hoped on eating/exercise!

Ashley--Hope you're having a great trip!

Chloe--Great job last week!

Kelly--There's nothing wrong with maintaining when life is crazy, especially if you haven't logged or worked out! As long as you're not gaining I think that counts as a win. You'll start losing again when you have the time to log and exercise more.

I had a fun weekend. Yesterday I did a marathon with a friend (I signed up before I got pregnant and got the okay from my doctor to go through with it as long as I took it easy), though I walked about half of it so I wouldn't exert myself too much. It was actually a lot of fun since I was trying to take it easy rather than trying to make a certain time, but even at my slow pace my legs are pretty sore today. So Saturday involved a lot of pre-race carbing up, and yesterday involved a lot of post-race refueling, and I'm guessing that at the end of the day I probably ate more than I burned, but I'm okay with that--better safe than sorry. So this two-week period I'm focusing on recovery and eating lots of fruit and veggies to make up for the fact that I didn't eat much of either over the weekend. So here are my goals:

1. Walk every day
2. Do yoga 2-3 times per week
3. Eat fruit and/or veggies with every meal, and try to make veggies the focus of most of my meals

How was everyone else's weekend?

Beeps2011

Wow - a marathon while pregnant! Hats off to you, RisontheRun!

Please report in for STAR CHALLENGE!

I get a PLAT * this week - was 185 calories UNDER my total - even with a BLOW-OUT Mother's Day! Yay!

ramalem

Morning gals - I clocked in (somehow) at 185 calories under goal. Seeing my calories burned for gardening and walking the dog just don't seem equal to sweating in the gym for me, so my goal this week is to get back into the gym/running and to do Jillian Michael's shred a few days before work. I feel like I keep making excuses and it's time to get back in there. My weekend was way too heavy on the drinking, but was really fun. I got out and did a lot of yard work this weekend (wanted to get it done before it started raining again) and tried to wear the dog out on a zillion walks.

Quick question for all of you ladies who weight lift in this group, did you up your calories when you started lifting? I find that I am STARVING when I get done, and 1,260 calories a day (which MFP says I should be on to lose 1lb/wk) is not going to cut it.

RisontheRun - that is amazing that you did a Marathon pregnant!

Beeps - super horrible surprise. I don't know what I would do if my friends "surprised" me with that. Good luck to you though, I'm sure you'll do great. It's my goal to try and do something like that in the next few years

Hope everyone else had a great weekend. Monday came way too quick.

Goals:
Finally take measurements (didn't do it last week)
Develop and stick to a lifting schedule
Cut down on the booze

amysj303

wow, I feel pretty bad with my 11,632, no star for me but I have to shake it off and try again this week. I, again, only had two days of exercise, which is pretty unacceptable considering I was eating so much. I understand if I was eating super-low-cal not having the energy for working out but clearly, that was not the case.
on the positive side, I did a great job logging everything.

Ramalem, I am hungry when I lift! I don't have any great advice though, I thought I should over-eat and build some muscle and then let that muscle burn some extra calories but I am not sure it worked... I would say try hitting your protein goals, that helps with the hunger for me!

Well, I think I am going to make my calories 9100, a nice round 1300 per day. I am hopeful and keeping my eye on the prize-Vegas in 12 days...

ChLoE1130

So I ended last week 43 calories under my goal. You would think I would be very proud of this, but I am up another 2 pounds according to my scale this morning. I got in all my workouts last week and overall I felt pretty good about my eating, this really bugs me. So I am up about 15 pounds at 15 weeks WTF!

Ok rant over. I am just going to keep trucking along and watching my food and keeping up with workouts. There really is nothing I can do about this. I am hoping the couple of pounds from this morning is just from all the sodium from eating out over the weekend. I saw a lot of family yesterday and they all were saying how good I look. (they could have just been saying all tat to make me feel better). But, my mom did say the only thing that looks bigger is my boobs and by belly and she would not lie to me. So I am hoping that this is just how my body reacts to pregnancy and maybe I will level off for awhile. I really don't feel like I have gained 15 pounds.

amysj303

Chloe, I think being pregnant probably does all kinds of things to hormones and water retention and fluid, I really hope you don't get too concerned about the scale and just focus on having a healthy pregnancy, exercise and good nutrition. enjoy this time and the amazing things your body is doing!
I can imagine it would be a little scary to think you gained 15 pounds but it's not fat! things will probably even out for you. I think people who are on in the healthy weight range tend to gain more weight early on, you can look into it, it was just what a thin friend of mine said.

ChLoE1130

Thanks for the support Amy :happy: I really do feel like it is some water retention. I am downing my water like crazy today, which maybe I don't focus as much on during the weekends. And no I am not stressing, I do just want this to be as healthy of a pregnancy as possible. I just get worried about gaining too much weight and being more uncomfortable than necessary towards the end.

ramalem

Chloe, it sounds like you are doing really great being healthy and active during the pregnancy which many people can't always say. My best friend just found out she was pregnant, so we looked up where all the weight gain comes from. It will certainly give you some perspective:

Eating for Two: Where does all the extra weight go?

Here is an approximate breakdown of your weight gain:

Baby: 7-8 pounds
Placenta: 1-2 pounds
Amniotic fluid: 2 pounds
Uterus: 2 pounds
Maternal breast tissue: 2 pounds
Maternal blood : 4 pounds
Fluids in maternal tissue: 4 pounds
Maternal fat and nutrient stores: 7 pounds

Kind of amazed me to see this all listed out, I had NO idea!

Keep up the good work

ChLoE1130

Wow that is pretty interesting!

I definitely feel like I have already gained more than 2 pounds in my boobs though!! Ha Ha, which normally wouldn't be a bad thing....especially since I am pretty flat chested. My husband is liking them, but too bad he cant touch them because they hurt too bad :laugh: TMI??

ramalem

HAHAHA not at all. I'm terrified of what my boobs will look like when I get pregnant, sigh. How far along are you?

Beeps2011

Amy - sometimes doing the "daily calorie count" just forces you into a (good) routine - NO BINGE-ING! I do it sometimes (like this week and next week), even still. I've recorded your tally for the STAR CHALLENGE!

Chloe - everyone is right that this is NOT the time to "focus" on weight-gain as some sort of FAT-thing....it isn't! By the end of my third pregnancy, I wouldn't even LET the dr. tell me what my weight was!! Those weekly weight-gains were messing with my mind....but all 3 of my babies were super-healthy and I attribute that, frankly, to me staying "active" all through my pregnancies!

ramalem - what an interesting post about what "baby weight" is all made up of! I had *no* idea!