w8goal4life wrote: »

Just an alert to those who are new to this challenge. Posting weight is not a criteria for success with UAC. Some do post weight as progress is made. Others never post weight. I am in the latter group who never posts weight. You need share only as much as you are comfortable with in the daily thread. There is no shame on the UAC forum. Every team member's intent should be to encourage others to develop healthy habits including exercise, calorie consumption and tracking or logging everything consumed. Any weight loss is a by-product of those healthy habits. Weight loss is not a matter of luck. Diligence and perseverance always wins!

Well said!!

@KCJen, maintenance is what I have always struggled with as well. I've never gained back all the weight I lost, but I've gained back more than I should have and then needed to lose a considerable chunk again, despite the fact that while I'm losing and getting down to my goal, it feels like I'm building sustainable habits. I guess part of it for me is the fact that it is literally easier to not exercise and not plan meals than it is to exercise and plan. So if I lose motivation, get busy at work, get tired after months of being healthy, it takes no effort at all to slip into those bad habits. Plus, the damage from those bad habits doesn't happen instantly; it's not like I wake up one day later and weigh 30 more pounds. Since it creeps on, it's easy to delude myself into thinking I'm not doing so bad after all....

I'm determined to get to maintenance and stick to maintenance this year, and I'm doing my best to incorporate even more sustainable habits. I'm trying to be extra good about having rest days, about still eating foods that I love that maybe aren't the healthiest but can be incorporated in smaller portions with more nutritionally dense foods for other meals, etc. I'm reminding myself about how much I enjoy being fitter and healthier--and I have a trip to Hollywood for a conference and a good friend's wedding this summer to give me a concrete goal to work towards. We'll see what happens!

As far as starting with maintenance, in theory, you can indeed eat/exercise at maintenance calories for your goal weight. Since you weigh more than your goal weight, that would create a deficit, and you would lose until you were eventually maintaining at that goal weight. Depending on how far away you are from goal weight, however, it might not be a large deficit, and for a lot of us, we want more demonstrable results more quickly. (We all know this is meant to be long-term rather than short-term, but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't prefer it to take six months to two years, for example.) Plus, it often takes some experimentation to find what maintenance calories actually are, since all of this is estimation. How much are you actually burning while exercising, how many calories are actually in that food, and how does your body react, etc. But you could certainly experiment with losing weight a little slower and upping your calories to something closer to your maintenance goals if you think that will help you come up with habits that stick better. Good luck! (Just realised this got really long--sorry!)

@jan110144, thanks for the tips!

Welcome @PaisleyFlower. I was so hoping to visit Christchurch Cathedral in New Zealand. Unfortunately, the earthquake destroyed it in 2011 two years before our 2013 visit. It was devastating to see pictures of the Cathedral after the catastrophic event. I understand the cathedral is to be rebuilt and strengthened over the coming years. Unfortunately, the likelihood of a return visit is minimal. Right about now, though, I would appreciate the New Zealand summer. It has been very cold in western New York State with subzero temps...but today, for the first time in a couple of weeks our temps actually soared above freezing. Heat wave!

Looking forward to your participation in the challenge.

teriseaton wrote: »

Good morning, I made a step of progress, I exercised on a weekend!!! TWICE Well ok, second time was only a one-trip, 10 minute walk around the track, but my mindset IS improving.

Alright, Teri. Let’s do this thing. How are you tracking your food and exrcise? Do you have apps?

teriseaton wrote: »

Good morning, I made a step of progress, I exercised on a weekend!!! TWICE Well ok, second time was only a one-trip, 10 minute walk around the track, but my mindset IS improving.

Hey, @teriseaton I send you a Friend Invitation. Please let me know if you received it.

Hello Everyone! This is my first time joining a group here. I've just started back with MFP and need to lose around 15 lbs. that have creeped up over the last couple of years after my husband passed away. Lots of emotional eating. I'm 66 years young and only 5'1" so every pound shows. I just want to feel comfortable in my clothes again and feel more energetic. I really like the accountability of this group.

I’ve lost 63 lbs over the last year and a bit but have started getting sloppy and still would like to lose 10 more pounds so I’m hoping this challenge will help me.

Hello All
I'm a Mom of three teenagers and went back to work full-time and just started packing on the wight. I have always been a yo-yo dieter. I know what to do, calories in vs calories out. But instead of 4oz of chicken I eat the whole chicken! I'm hoping this will make me accountable.

Hi Everyone. I've fluctuated in my weight for years and have been successful loosing with MFP in the past. Tracking and making choices is key. My goal is the process for lifestyle change. Daily exercise, appropriate portions. I'm also watching sodium levels. I feel like I'm doing well, but the temptations are still hard to avoid... like the tray of desert squares in the break room at work. I hope this group will help me to stay focused and avoid the temptations.

Hello - I love the format of this challenge and am looking forward to committing to daily exercise. I officially restarted my diet and exercise plan less than a week ago, and I already feel better.