Hi my name's Krystal, your captain for the month of July. A little about me, I’m 35 years old, A wife and mother to a 14-year old daughter. Florida native. I have an August 1st birthday and have a typical Leo personality(if you believe that sort of thing). I love to find a positive thing in a negative situation, I love to make people laugh and generally like to keep a “good time” going. My Hobbies? I am a movie lover and Netflix Hulu binge-er(new word?) I tend to gravitate to dramas/rom-coms/girlie reality shows mixed in with some mystery/suspense (Whatever holds a cliffhanger in the story line to keep me on my treadmill longer!) I am working on my skills in the kitchen but have to say I’m still not a huge fan of the kitchen.. lol

My WL journey: I am super excited to meet you all and if you don’t mind, please introduce yourselves and share your goals whether they are goals you set for the month, the week or even if it’s something you want to accomplish just for today. (Sometimes Baby steps are the way to go!) Also let me know if you are willing to co-captain which would give you access to edit the monthly weight loss spreadsheet and fill in if I ever miss anything. Here’s to an amazing July and wish you all the very best of luck with achieving your goals! Go Team Gutbusters!

Hi, my name is Ashley!

I'm 33 years old, a wife, and a mom to a 4 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. I'm joining this challenge to keep me motivated through my weight loss journey. I'm 2 months into my weight loss efforts (this time) and am down a little over 30 pounds with my last weigh in at 239.8. I weigh in on Saturdays. I've discovered a love for lifting weights so that's been fun. Looking forward to getting to know everybody!

Hey everyone! I am a 53 year old single mom to 2 teenagers and my oldest son who is 21. I am needing to lose 45 pounds after I had some heart issues a few months back. That scared me enough to do this! I’m at 190 right now but need to be a healthy 145. I’m extremely competitive so I’m hoping this group will be the edge I need!!

Hello team Gutbusters!
Within the main weight loss challenge we have another optional, but highly recommended, challenge. It is called the Mini Ultimate Accountability Challenge, or the Mini Challenge. It is based on another MFP challenge group by the same name, or UAC.

The way it works is simple:

1. Log everything you eat that has calories in MFP.
2. Stay inside your allotted daily calorie budget.
3. Do at least 20 minutes of activity daily. This could be anything that gets you off the couch and being active: run, walk, cycle, swim, gardening, housework, yoga, gym, etc.
4. Report each day on this thread (something to the effect of logged food: yes, under calories: yes, exercise: yes, and a brief description is nice)

****When you post your accountability, please put the date, or the day of the week to which you are referring. We are all in different time zones, and some people post in the evening for that day, and others post the next morning, so it gets confusing trying to decipher without a day or date. Thanks!!!*****

You get one free pass day a week (went over calories, could not log food, rest day, etc.) At the end of the week, if you have managed to be "accountable" (three yes's) for at least 6 of 7 days, you will be recognized on this thread as being in the Winner's Circle!

This strategy works for weight loss because it is based on CI<CO. When calories in are less than calories out, you stay inside your allotted daily calorie budget, and you will lose weight! And exercise is just good for you, plus it will burn calories and help with the calories out portion of the equation!

What's great about this challenge is that it works for everyone, as long as you are honest with yourself. There are no dietary restrictions, so you can eat whatever you like, and follow whatever plan you like. Your own daily calorie budget is set by you and MFP and you choose your own exercise and intensity of exercise! Plus it is a practice that can be carried beyond weight loss into maintenance! If you are having a bad week, a new week and a fresh start is just around the corner!

Consistency and new habits have been shown to be the keys to long term successful weight loss. Why not make the Mini Ultimate Accountability Challenge your new habit, that you do consistently!!

Week #1 for the Mini Challenge starts today Sunday, June28th!!

Welcome back Cat! We all need a little R&R sometimes! Good to see you!

Cat0703a wrote: »

Hello! Took a much needed break in June but am ready to start again. Looking forward to getting to know you all. ~Cat

June 29
Exercised? Yes. 4 km walk. 50 minutes. 12,127 steps so far. Off to bed soon
Calories? Yes. In budget
Tracked? Yes

*Every week I use a different emoji to keep track in my Notes*

Date: Sun, June28th
~~~ Week 1; Day1 ~~~
MiniAccountabilityChallenge:
🥀🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘 ~ No
••Under Cals(1200, minus Fitbit cals)••
🥀🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘 ~ No,+440; 1DayNet: 1640
••Tracking••
🌹🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘 ~ Yes
••Exercise(20min)••
🥀🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘 ~ No
End of Day: MFP 5week Prediction: 148.8
~~~ Personal Goals ~~~
Water Intake(64oz/daily):
🥀🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘 ~ 45oz today
StepGoal(9500/Daily):
🥀🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘 ~ 2789 steps today
20 min Yoga(2days):
🔜🔘🔜🔜🔜🔘🔚
Intermittent Fasting(16:8):
🥀🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘🔘; No, this is where my day probably started out wrong. Started snacking too early in the day and then I never let myself get hungry, My brain was always two steps ahead of my stomach!
Weight Training(3days):
🔜🔘🔘🔛🔘🔛🔘
Thoughts/Goals/Triggers ~ 😣 I overrate yesterday and need to remember this feeling!! Went to bed feeling bloated, restless and uncomfortable. Eck!

I love that you have stayed in TBL challenge even though you are maintaining... you are exactly where I want to be in 2-3 months! How did you lose your original weight may I ask?

Keepingtrack1234 wrote: »

Hi team! So nice to step into a non-captain role!

40 years old, 5'8"; I have been maintaining a 50+ pound weight loss for 20 years.
Maintenance is a lifestyle; it's all about mindset. I don't overexercise or stringently count calories anymore; it's too exhausting and ultimately ineffective. I have found a balance of what works over the last two decades.
I lift 4-5 days a week and take lots of walks for my mental health; I don't really "eat back" any exercise calories and I try to not eat much sugar. I generally eat between 1500-1700 calories a day and that works great for me.

Quarantine/general stress has put me a pound above my happy weight (140) as I have found myself doing some emotional eating. Working on re-gaining balance and finding a happy place in this stressful time.

If anyone ever wants to talk about maintenance or lifting happy to chat!

Hi Team,
I have given myself a six month challenge to lose weight, lower my cholesterol (I’ve just been prescribed statins 😩), and improve my overall health. I am 44, married, mom of three teens & three dogs 🐶, working full time (currently from home) in Ontario, Canada. The gym has been closed since mid-March due to COVID, so this challenge will be done from home. This is month two, and I am excited to see what I can do this month!