Women 200lb+, Let's Double Down This December!!!

Week 1 Update:
Height: 5' 9''
SW: 286.5 (June 3, 2019)
11/30/19: 221.6 lbs
12/7/19: 220.5
12/14/19:
12/21/19:
12/28/19:
12/31/19:
GW: 180

Goals for December:
Strength train 3 x week: 3/3
5K training 3 x week: 3/3
Get 10000 steps a day: 5/6
Eat no more than 100 grams of net carbs (Carbs - fiber): 5/6
Eat more than 100 grams of protein a day: 4/6
Drink 150 oz of water a day: 6/6
Log accurately every day: 6/6
Lose 8 pounds: 1.1/8

Proud of myself for keeping to my workout schedule and drinking my water. I wished I had more progress on the scale this week, but I think it will all catch up in the end. 66 pounds lost since June 3rd!

My Nov/Dec challenge log:
Challenge Starting Weight: 310.0 (11-1-2019)
Challenge End Goal Weight: 300.0 290.0

Week 0 - 11/01/2019 - 310.0 lbs (SW)
Week 1 - 11/08/2019 - 306.0 lbs (-4.0)
Week 2 - 11/15/2019 - 301.4 lbs (-8.6)
Week 3 - 11/22/2019 - 299.8 lbs (-10.2)
Week 4 - 11/29/2019 - 298.5 lbs (-11.5) Happy Thanksgiving and Birthday
Week 5 - 12/06/2019 - 296.5 lbs (-13.5)
Week 6 - 12/13/2019 -
Week 7 - 12/20/2019 -
Week 8 - 12/27/2019 - Merry Christmas

I so do not want to do my scheduled workout today. I really don't. Sigh. BUT...I made ciabatta bread today, which was super yummy, but pushed me to the top of my allowable calories for the day. I've been comfortably sitting under that level consistently, so a high calorie day for me today. Hurley - go do your workout. Yes, me.

I need to step it up if I want to hit 290 by the end of the month...still doable, but gotta stay on it.

Ok, ok, ok. Going to the gym. (Did I mention I don't want to?)

Yep, my portion sizes creep right up if I don't measure them every so often!

I use a food scale and find it very helpful. I am horrible at judging serving sizes.

@torihudson6 You look great and that's a really pretty dress. I hope you get to go to some awesome parties!!

All this talk about food scales made me remember that my battery died over a week ago and I need to put it on my shopping list. Sometimes I'm surprised at how much more of something I can have based on the scale rather than just eyeballing a food. I always underestimate meats weights.

@pamiede Wow! You are having a great week. Yay!!!

@speyerj I am inspired by your commitment and weight loss since June.

@orangequilt I love your profile pic!

@HurleyHurley Great weight loss! I like your tracking format. I might try that to help keep me focused and for accountability.

@gelatinouscube Your name and profile pic made me laugh out loud! Very cute! I have a digital scale that is so much better than the mechanical one I used to have. Definitely a step up in the world.

There are so many others I'd like to reply to but have limited time. I'm reading all the posts and enjoying this group very much.

I have to echo everyone else’s comment of how this thread has grown! I wish I’d been able to participate more this week but work got in the way.

For those new to MFP or those who are figuring things out, one of my favorite posts ever is the first post in this thread: community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1. The initial post is followed by 55 pages of “Bump” posts to keep it at the top of the message board. It’s an old post so the links in the post don’t work, but it has enough information to stand on its own. I still go back to it periodically to read it for inspiration or a reality check.

I’m glad so many enjoyed the post about self-care. I tend to have been a caregiver for most of my life, if not having been explicitly asked to put aside my needs, I’ve been guilted into putting aside living my life to the fullest in order help care for other people. Things really came to a head for me in this respect in the last year or so, and once a crisis had been averted earlier this year I vowed not to neglect myself any longer.

@Christine4695 – take care of yourself to the best of your ability. I speak from experience. Earlier this year I took a bit over a month’s leave from work to help get my dad through a catastrophic illness. I had to leave my home and live in a different area, splitting my time between the hospital and my dad’s place. I always wished I’d started back to walking during that month, as stress relief and to take time for myself. I began walking again within the week of getting home, and thankfully my dad is mostly intact. I’m sorry your father is doing poorly and I hope if he cannot get better he is at least comfortable.

@torihudson6 – You look beautiful and happy! So glad you were able to relax and have a good time!

@Terytha – I’m sorry you’ve been having a stressful time at work. A friend of mine once recommended reading about impostor syndrome and it helped a bit. On another note, I was reading the NSV thread and I came across one of your posts about a 500-squat challenge – and how when you were half-way through you got a second wind and were able to finish. Are you kidding me? That is AMAZING! I wish I could do a set of eight. You’ve come too far now to go back!

@aliciap0116 – “You can’t outrun your fork.” I’ve heard similar along the way as well: “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet” and “Abs are made in the kitchen” are a couple of others that stand out for me. Changing eating habits is hard work but it will sustain when you can’t work out. I do think I learned something from when I lost so much a few years back, because it took a while to gain the amount that I did, and I did not go all the way back up to my highest starting point.

Height: 5'6"
SW (09/08/2019): 239.2 lbs
December SW (12/1): 210.0 lbs
12/8/19: 206.8
December GW: 202.0 lbs
GW: 150 lbs (then reconsider)

My goals for December are:

- 100 consecutive days logging in MFP - Woot, woot! Done!
- Cardio for 45-60 min, 5-6 times a week, 3 of the sessions Couch-to-5K workouts – Check. Actually worked out 7 days this past week, I explain why in detail below.
- Advance in the Couch-to-5K plan to week 2 workouts – This coming week will be the last week I stick with the week 1 workout.
- Core exercises at least 3 times a week – Check.
- Pants are still hanging in there!
- Take better care of my skin in hopes it will start to regain its shape. – did better this week, at least I was able to moisturize every day.

Happy with the progress I made this week, though I expect a bit of an uptick tomorrow at least. I was not expecting to see the number I saw on the scale this morning. Believe it or not, nearly every day this week my weight was higher than my weigh-in last week. I did not reflect a loss until yesterday, and because of how my day went yesterday I was expecting to be down this morning – but not this much.

This week was, and this whole month will be, a challenge for me because I am working off-site every other week this month to cover for someone else while they are out on leave. It’s mostly a commute problem – trading a 40 minute train commute into town for a 50-minute car commute to a place closer to me. The car commute is stressful, and frankly the work environment at the off-site location is far from ideal. My solution which addresses most of my issues is to work out in the morning, at the gym. I pack my gym stuff, along with all of my work stuff (four bags to carry out to my car), and get to the gym between 6 AM – 6:30 AM. I don’t really beat traffic, but my drive is 20 minutes shorter. The commitment to the AM workouts is why I worked out 7 days this past week. I did not want to fall out of the AM workout habit. Normally I skip Fridays, and this past Friday I just did a relatively light workout instead. I think the AM workouts are still definitely the better way to go this week and next week.

I am grateful I have the gym option, for this situation and as a plan to deal with bad weather. I don’t feel like I get a great workout on the treadmill compared to my workouts on the trails. However I do think that my outdoor workouts improve as a result of the treadmill work. There is something about walking/running on the treadmill to keep up with a prescribed pace which ultimately seems to serve me when it comes to the outdoor workouts.

My big challenge this week, other than the AM workout schedule, will be my work Christmas party on Thursday night.

I hope everyone has a great week this week!

@aliciap0116, regarding water: Being well hydrated prevents water retention which increases your weight temporarily and makes you look and feel bloated. Muscle is 70% water - being well hydrated is essential for building and retaining muscle. Water is also needed to help your body burn fat. Finally, when you are well hydrated, cravings decrease. Sometimes our brains mistake thirst for hunger. Here's a article from a reliable journal which addresses these things: https://medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322296.php#six-reasons-why-drinking-water-may-help-you-lose-weight

@lindaporter2018 go you! That is amazing, I hit 20 minutes on the elliptical and I am ready to get off, I can't imagine doing 90.

@Christine4695, I hope you are doing well, I know how hard it is to have a loved one be sick, make sure to take care of yourself, too.

@mmdeveau, congrats on 100 days! That is awesome. I also admire your commitment to AM workouts, I always tell myself to get up early and do it, but I just have not been able to make that happen yet. I also hope your Christmas Party goes well and you are able to enjoy yourself, I was also pretty stressed about mine this last Thursday but I really enjoyed myself. Thank you for the compliment as well

@HurleyHurley, I hope you were able to enjoy your workout when you got there! I find one the days that I really do not want to workout, I feel the best afterwards, so kudos to you for getting it done.

@speyerj, wow, you killed your goals this week! I am going to use that as motivation for me this upcoming week. I have finals approaching (finishing up my first semester of Grad school), so I am trying not to let myself get derailed.

Thank you for everyone's advice on the food scale, it seems to be something I definitely need to invest in if I don't get it for Christmas. Portion sizes is something I need to work on, I have always been someone who takes more than I need and since it is on the plate, I end up eating it. I am trying to take a smaller first portion, eat slower, and then wait at least 5-10 minutes before getting seconds to make sure I am really still hungry.

Also, thank you to everyone who has said something kind about my photo, it's made me smile.

I logged a weight gain today. Usually I just skip it until it's a lower number, so any brief plateaus look like what they are, but this doesn't feel like a brief plateau anymore. I'm exactly where I was a month ago, and it sucks. I briefly caught sight of a '304' here and there last month and did log it when it happened, but the consistent trend over the last 4 weeks has been '308'. So that's what I logged this morning.

I started November with 8 weeks to lose the last 13 pounds to my 100-pound goal for the year and thought there was no way I wouldn't achieve it. Now I have 11 pounds to lose in 3 weeks and there's no way I CAN achieve it. I never felt like I was getting very far off track, and so not seeing results week after week after week has been so frustrating. Now in a childish tantrum with my own body, I HAVE been overeating for the past several days. "If my body isn't going to be doing what it's supposed to while I AM, why should I keep restricting myself?"

*sigh* I wake up every morning hoping it's the day I feel re-inspired to stick to my calorie goals, and by 2pm every day I have no calories left and just get upset all over again. I'm not giving up, just going through a rough patch. I do also know that in the grand scheme, having 1 'off' month when I had 7 good ones before it and will have many more good ones after, really isn't that much time. But when you're in a daily struggle with yourself, every hour trying to fight off having snacks you don't need, it really freaking drags on.