🏖AUGUST 2020 WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE🏖

msapplek wrote: »

mtaratoot wrote: »

Heaviest weight: 175.4 in early 2013.
Original MFP starting weight (January 2018) - 168.2
June 30 starting weight - 148.0 (ten-day rolling average weight 148.8)
August goal - 145
Ultimate goal - Range between 142 - 148

I report scale weight and (ten day average weight), and I post on Saturdays.


July 31: 146.2 (10-day average 145.3)
August 8: 145.8 (10-day average 144.8)
August 15: 144.6 (10-day average 145.3)
2August 22: 145.0 (10-day average 145.1)
August 29: 145.8 (10-day average 145.3)
August 31: 145.8 (10-day average 145.5)

Total loss for August: I ended the month with my weight up two tenths of a pound from the end of July. I've been pretty steady, and I am near the midpoint of what I say is my maintenance range. In my mind, I'm trying to stay closer to the lower end of the range, and not being able to knock those last three pounds off is always frustrating. Will September bring success? We shall see! But the truth is, I should just be fine if I stay exactly where I am.

@msapplek --

Maintenance is definitely still work. The main difference is you get a few more calories than when losing (not many if you were trying to lose slowly at the end). You don't get the rush that comes with seeing that number change week after week, hopefully in the right direction. You will inevitably gain and lose and gain and lose, and you have to learn that this is how it's supposed to work. You'll succeed!

@mtaratoot --
Thanks for sharing! Definitely experienced everything you wrote in August: the rush of seeing 152 on my scale this month, but the UGH of seeing 157 this morning. I guess I can't be all boo-hoo because I did get "crazy" on vacation and a few other days here and there, but really thought if I was disciplined all the other days, I would still see a net loss.

How long have you been in maintenance? Do you not get discouraged weighing every week (or daily) to see all those fluctuations?

I have been maintaining since July 2018, so about two years. I try not to get discouraged at the number on the scale, but I'm human. I weigh every day. It's only been the last few months that I really can step back and NOT get discouraged because I've been watching that number fluctuate up and down so long. The worst was probably when we started the response to the pandemic, and I gained several pounds over two months, then leveled off for a month, then slowly lost over two months and now am back to being pretty steady.

I do weigh every day because it gives me lots of data. I try to ignore the number and instead look at the TREND. For the best data over the long term, I weigh under similar conditions every time. For me that's each morning when I get up after I pee and before I eat anything. This is about as similar condition as I can expect; however, there's still a LOT of daily fluctuation. I've seen two and three pound jumps up and down in a day rather regularly.

That's a lot of noise in the data. If you only weigh yourself once a week, you might assume you gained or lost a few pounds depending where you are the day you weigh. So some people who weigh weekly also pick a day that can be as similar to other weeks as possible. It's still probably ideal to weigh first thing in the morning.

Another thing I do is use a weight TREND to help eliminate some of the noise. I actually use several. One is a ten-day rolling average that automatically calculates in the spreadsheet where I keep my daily weights. Another is TrendWeight. It uses a different algorithm and gives some graphics I like. You can zoom in or out to one week, two weeks, four weeks, three months.... It also gives you an estimate of your loss/gain rate. If you look at a graph up to three months, your prediction is also displayed.

Here's an example of the output from a couple months ago when I was dealing with the COVID related gain (and eventual loss):

You can't enter your data there directly. If you have a Fitbit account that syncs to a device or scale, it will update automatically. I have to log in to a Fitbit account and enter my weight manually. It also gives some graphics, but I don't like them as well. I also use WeightGrapher. It uses a slightly different algorithm than TrendWeight, but it also has the option to show what your weight trend was a month ago.

For a good look into why using weight trends is important, see The Hacker's Diet, especially the section on Signal to Noise.

Many people also use body measurements in addition to weight scale. Sometimes you can see differences over time with a tape measure that the scale masks. Those measurements can change more slowly, but it's just another way you can assess your progress or maintenance.

Here's what it looked like the last few months of my loss and the two years that followed:


Something I wrote a while ago from my observations:

The last 20 pounds is tough
The last ten pounds is difficult
The last five pounds is HARD
The last two or three pounds sometimes feels IMPOSSIBLE.

And then there's maintenance where you have to get used to gaining and losing that same two or three pounds over and over and over. It can get in your head! Look at the crazy roller coaster ride I've been on for two years!

Initial Start Weight (March 2020): 134.4
August Start Weight: 117.0 pounds
August Goal Weight: 112 pounds
Ultimate Goal Weight: Between 107-110 pounds


Friday Weigh-ins

Aug 1st: 117.0
Aug 7th: 115.2
Aug 14th: 114.8
Aug 21st: 115.4 (up .6 pounds)
Aug 28th: 114.4
Aug 31st: 113.8

Total amount lost for August: 3.2 pounds

Didn’t meet my initial August goal, but happy about the progress I made. I’m so close to my goal weight, so I’m mainly focusing on being as healthy as possible and working out consistently. Can’t wait for September, ready to keep it moving!

August Start Weight: 217.6
August Goal Weight: 210-212
Ultimate Goal Weight: Depends on how lean I look at 205. Maybe 190-200.

Aug 1: 217.6
Aug 8: 217
Aug 15: 216.0
Aug 22: 212.4
Aug 25: 211.4
Aug 29: 209.4

Next month I want to be more consistent with logging my weekly results on this app! Regardless I didn't have any diet mistakes during this month and I walked every single day. I'll say this has been a good challenge for me!

Initial Start Weight: 261
August Start Weight: 238
August Goal Weight: 233
Ultimate Goal Weight:

Aug 1 : 238
Aug 8: 237.8
Aug 15: 238
Aug 22: 236.9 (evacuation and birthday happened)
Aug 29: 237.9
Aug 31: 238.7

My name is Donna and I am 60 years old. I am from the Midwest USA. 5’ 5
I will also be weighing on the 1st and last day of each month for a full tally.
GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

August start Weight: 209.4 (Weight on July 31, 2020)
August Goal Weight: 203.4 (6 lb loss)
Ultimate Goal Weight: 145-155 (I’ll know when I get there).


Aug 01 : 209.4
Aug 08: 209.8 Going the wrong direction with the help of Thai food with rice. Sodium……
Aug 15: 209.6
Aug 22: 209.3 A little bit better.
Aug 29: 211.4 Some after travel weight. Getting a grip today.
Aug 31: 211.1
Total Weight Loss for August: 1.7 pound GAIN. Not good!

Final Challenge Thoughts: Off the rails with wrong foods and quantities.

August Start Weight: 124.4
August Goal Weight: 123.0
Ultimate Goal Weight: 120

Aug 01: 124.4
Aug 08: 124.0
Aug 15: 125.2 Vacation!
Aug 22: 124.6
Aug 31: 125

Ok, I'm trying not to freak out, I've started working on building muscle (toning up my abs), which weighs more than fat (I'm trying to chant in my head). My clothes are fitting well, I wore my new size 4 jeans all day without them being tight and my workout pants feel a bit loose, so hopefully, even though I feel betrayed by the scale, I'm making progress.