Step it up for September - Accountability thread

k8richly
k8richly Posts: 268 Member
48 yrs
5' 3"
CW 128
GW 125
GW for Sept: 127 lbs

Fall is a great time for a new plan, people, so let's do this!

I have one pound to lose and muscle to build. I commit to:
- move more. Get up from my desk. Fall weather is great for long walks / runs.
- stretch. Don't hurt my back!!!
- coach soccer and run the conditioning for my teen's hockey team. Even if the workouts aren't for me, it keeps me fit and sharp to plan and lead the sessions.
- strength training. I don't have a weight room but bootcamp, power classes, and HIIT with bodyweight and free weights seems to be enough for me. I want sculpted shoulders/arms!
- big breakfast, light dinner, snacks and treats in moderation. I've learned that this is the best formula for me and my goals. No fancy diets. Just don't overeat in the evening.

Step it up!
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Replies

  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    44 yrs
    5' 5"
    CW 132.4
    GW ??? (nothing under 125 though - might actually be 130)
    GW for Sept: 130

    September and October are crazy for me, with agility trials almost every weekend, a random disc competition thrown in - and agility class once a week and disc league once a week. On one hand - yay, activity. On the other it's a lot of travel and I'm concerned about balancing convenience (necessary) and calories. We'll see how it goes. I'm always pretty laid back in tracking and am not too fussed.
  • k8richly
    k8richly Posts: 268 Member

    September and October are crazy for me, with agility trials almost every weekend, a random disc competition thrown in - and agility class once a week and disc league once a week. On one hand - yay, activity. On the other it's a lot of travel and I'm concerned about balancing convenience (necessary) and calories. We'll see how it goes. I'm always pretty laid back in tracking and am not too fussed.

    @wunderkindking, I take it this isn't your own agility trials but maybe your dog's? :smile: Such a great activity! Your dog must be amazing! Is it a workout for humans too??
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    k8richer wrote: »

    September and October are crazy for me, with agility trials almost every weekend, a random disc competition thrown in - and agility class once a week and disc league once a week. On one hand - yay, activity. On the other it's a lot of travel and I'm concerned about balancing convenience (necessary) and calories. We'll see how it goes. I'm always pretty laid back in tracking and am not too fussed.

    @wunderkindking, I take it this isn't your own agility trials but maybe your dog's? :smile: Such a great activity! Your dog must be amazing! Is it a workout for humans too??

    LOL, yeah, the dogs are the ones doing agility.

    How much of a work out it is varies a lot, to be honest. Depends on how much distance a given dog uses. For me 3 dogs it's short, fast, all out sprints with lots of turns of various sorts for 45-60 seconds every course (so, 12-24). Dog 4 if I just kind of wander around and point at things. ALL the trials involve moving heavy things for setting and changing courses and near constant wandering around for several hours though.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,075 Member
    CW 153
    GW (eventually) 132

    Until I get more telecommute ability, however, my "workouts" are pretty much limited to my side-gig (mucking horse stalls for 90-120 minutes 5x/week) and whatever I might do on a weekend. Eating, however, there is no excuse as eating out is not an option in my budget right now (although I'm making darn good use of the snack room and occasional catered lunches at work to help stretch my budget right now)...still no excuses in that department though!
  • Cora0477
    Cora0477 Posts: 326 Member
    5’4” 44

    8/09: 128.4

    Last month was hard to keep track or be consistent due to some family emergencies. But school is back in session and the routine really works for me. I’m dragging my teens to the gym with me 5 days a week and have started back to tracking. My plan for Sept is lose 2lbs. I know that seems aggressive, but some of this is water weight that I’m confident will make 2lbs a good goal this first month.
  • k8richly
    k8richly Posts: 268 Member
    @Cora0477 welcome back!. Hope your family is well. Getting teens to the gym with you is impressive!
    @HoneyBadger302 your sidegig sounds like a serious workout! That definitely counts! Maybe keep busy at work so you don't have time to snack? Lame idea, I know.... you got this!
    @wunderkindking - agility dogs are unbelievable to watch so I can just imagine the rush of sprinting back and forth with one. What fun fitness!
  • f1tafter40
    f1tafter40 Posts: 19 Member
    44yo, 6'0"
    CW 147
    BMI 19.9

    It was a glorious, gluttonous summer considering all things raging across the globe. Lazy days were indulged with plenty of gluten and dairy, not to mention a potpourri of fats and carbs. This rebound weight is the one and only reason why I would consider it a good thing that summer vacation is so short. Back to work...

    SEPTEMBER GOALS:
    1. Love the part of myself that does not love her body until she learns to love the body again.
    2. Report back to this group in October.
  • Are there any seniors in this group? I am a very active senior who wishes to drop about 30 lbs and I'm seeking friends and accountability. Heading for the stationary bike and pulleys!

    Many thanks!

    CW 152.9
    GW 130
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    44 yrs
    5' 5"
    CW 132.4
    GW ??? (nothing under 125 though - might actually be 130)
    GW for Sept: 130

    9-11: 131.5
  • k8richly
    k8richly Posts: 268 Member
    5' 3"
    CW 128
    GW 125
    GW for Sept: 127 lbs

    Sept 4 - 128
    Sept 12 - 129.5

    Currently going in the wrong direction weight-wise. I've been pretty physically active but made a couple of poor choices this week when I overate or snacked mindlessly. Yesterday I worked out and hauled plants and dirt around the garden all day. But I went waaaay too long without fueling up. So when my husband put a plate of cheesy pasta in front of me, I inhaled it. And maybe his too. Sigh. At least my muscles are tired and I feel strong!
  • Antiopelle
    Antiopelle Posts: 1,184 Member
    Age: 51
    BMI: 24,7
    Jan trend: -0.6
    Feb trend: +0.2
    Mar trend: +0.5
    April trend: -0.7
    May trend: -0.3
    June trend: -
    July trend: -0.3
    Aug trend: +0.8
    CW: 74.8
    Sept GW: 73
    Final GW: 71.0

    Jups, I took a break as I was just tired of logging and checking and weighing every morsel. I went on holiday for two weeks and had a lot less activity than I usually would because of the weather. When I went back to work last week it was brutal, and I decided to let go of my obsessive logging for a week more. Then I go the news I had to drive 4 hours go to a meeting on Thursday and Friday where I didn't feel comfortable covid-wise. :disappointed:
    Anyways, long story short. I gained 2 kilo in three weeks. Sure, there will be some sodium and bloating but still. I back at logging and weighing.

    I still can get to my goal weight before Christmas, so that will be my new goal !
  • Cora0477
    Cora0477 Posts: 326 Member
    5’4” 44

    8/09: 128.4
    8/13: 129.8

    The nice thing about tracking is knowing I didn’t actually gain a pound and a half since last week :)

    Tracking is going well, though I ate dessert over my calories at dinner last night. May have wiped out the deficit of last week, but it was a night out at a fancy restaurant with my husband, so I was good with the choice.

    I liked that I had to go to the gym today because I’m making two of my teens go with me! But my cycle is supposed to start soon so I don’t think I’ll see much in the way of results until at least the end of this week.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,075 Member
    Today's WI was 153.4....basically just maintaining so far this month, but if I'm being honest, I am unlikely to lose unless I crack down and start tracking/weighing/measuring all my food - which I've been a bit too stressed to deal with the past few months.

    The finances should be improving (found a roommate - not moved in yet, but deposit paid and agreement signed), which will help with the stress, which will hopefully free some mental capacity to take care of myself a bit more :)
  • 5"3
    CW: 147 lbs
    GW: 130 lbs
    GW for this month: 143 lbs

    I've been maintaining for months now and letting my belly just be there lmao even if I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and not exercise much... I just don't go up or down that weight but now I have decided I want to get rid of that belly that I hate so much and start tracking my food and exercising, I know I am overweight so I'm also doing this for my health but this belly is really pissing me off lol.
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
    edited September 2021
    5'4" 35

    9/15: 150.0

    Highest I've ever been in my life ... talk about a wake up call

    Upside is that I know exactly what I'm doing wrong and how to fix it ... hard part is actually committing to fixing it

    Last couple days have been very good but I need to work more on consistency
  • taralynn236
    taralynn236 Posts: 2 Member
    5'6''

    CW: 152.6
    GW: 127.5

    I was at 149.2 earlier this month but my birthday plus a lot of my bf's family events have led to the scale going the wrong way. I really need to get better at making healthy choices when in groups of people and no control of the food (any tips would be helpful), and we are going to a Ren fair next week. I have been trying to get more movement in during the day on top of daily excersie. My goal weight for this month is 149.9.
  • Orsolla
    Orsolla Posts: 9 Member
    Hi, I am also new to MFP and this group.

    50 years
    170 cm
    CW: 66 kg (BMI 22.8)
    GW: 55 kg (BMI 19)

    Not looking to rush the weight loss and experience tells me that I feel a lot better when I hit 60 kg. As it does, weight has just crept on over time!


  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    44 yrs
    5' 5"
    CW 132.4
    GW ??? (nothing under 125 though - might actually be 130)
    GW for Sept: 130

    9-11: 131.5

    9-11: 131.5
    9-18: 130.1

    Headed off on a long weekend at the lake. Let's see where i am when I get home after 3 days of not tracking, eating crap and also doing more than usual movement. EXPERIMENT TIME.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    I'm honestly not overly concerned. It's a few days and I'm at a bmi of like... 21. I have some room to experiment without anything bad happening.

    But I've cultivated and carefully created a REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLY laid back attitude about this whole thing.
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,075 Member
    GW (eventually) 132

    9/7: 153
    9/15: 153.6
    9/20: 152.2 (low day though, been higher 152's the past several days)
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
    5'4" 35

    9/15: 150.0 (late afternoon before dinner weigh in)
    9/19: 145.0 (morning weigh in)
  • k8richly
    k8richly Posts: 268 Member
    5' 3"
    CW 128
    GW 125
    GW for Sept: 127 lbs

    Sept 4 - 128
    Sept 12 - 129.5
    Sept 20 - 129

    Why is it so hard to stop snacking? Argh. I can't seem to get control on how much I've been eating. Grr. But i went for 2 great runs and did 2 bootcamps this past week plus some walks. Not my usual active week however. I've been pretty bad with my logging too.

    In happier news, it is lovely to see new (and old) faces here in the thread! Keep up the chatter everyone, I need the motivation!
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,075 Member
    k8richer wrote: »
    5' 3"
    Why is it so hard to stop snacking? Argh. I can't seem to get control on how much I've been eating. Grr. But i went for 2 great runs and did 2 bootcamps this past week plus some walks. Not my usual active week however. I've been pretty bad with my logging too.

    I know what my issue(s) primarily is - mostly, most of my life (into my mid 30's), I could eat whatever I wanted, in large quantities, and hardly gain a pound unless I was really eating like poo - cut back on the bad foods (cut back, not cut out) and I'd go back to my weight.

    THEN I got the dreaded desk job, and it's been a problem ever since....my appetite simply refuses to adjust to the fact that I'm in an office all day rather than running around a horse barn or other very physical job PLUS the activities I still do.

    It was normal for me to eat 3-5K kcal/day - now I need less than 2K. That's literally like half the food, and that's to maintain a higher weight than I was then....a couple hours of gym or manual labor just doesn't make up for the desk job when I was already doing those things too!
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    Yeah, eating habits tend to form around lifestyle and when the lifestyle changes for whatever reason things get ... uncomfortable.
  • k8richly
    k8richly Posts: 268 Member
    @HoneyBadger302 and @wunderkindking it is so true!! The move to the desk job was a huge shift in lifestyle. But i started my desk job over 20 years ago, so that can't totally be my excuse. Even then i was super active and my metabolism used to let me eat pretty much whatever I wanted well into my late 30s. And yes, whenever I gained a pound I'd lose it easily.

    I think middle age is more whats slowing down my metabolism and why I can't eat like I used to. To counter old age and the natural slowing of metabolism, I know one of the fixes is strength training. Grow your muscles and they will do the metabolic work for you! Strength training is awesome but it's just not something I've totally embraced yet (I'm more an outdoor cardio / team sports kinda person). I do pilates / HIIT workouts with bands and weights which definitely are keeping me strong but I haven't dived into actual lifting. The pandemic and closed gyms didn't help I guess.

    Does anyone have recommendations for embracing strength training in middle age? 😀
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 2,075 Member
    k8richer wrote: »
    @HoneyBadger302 and @wunderkindking it is so true!! The move to the desk job was a huge shift in lifestyle. But i started my desk job over 20 years ago, so that can't totally be my excuse. Even then i was super active and my metabolism used to let me eat pretty much whatever I wanted well into my late 30s. And yes, whenever I gained a pound I'd lose it easily.

    I think middle age is more whats slowing down my metabolism and why I can't eat like I used to. To counter old age and the natural slowing of metabolism, I know one of the fixes is strength training. Grow your muscles and they will do the metabolic work for you! Strength training is awesome but it's just not something I've totally embraced yet (I'm more an outdoor cardio / team sports kinda person). I do pilates / HIIT workouts with bands and weights which definitely are keeping me strong but I haven't dived into actual lifting. The pandemic and closed gyms didn't help I guess.

    Does anyone have recommendations for embracing strength training in middle age? 😀

    Well, I've actually come to LOVE lifting the past few years. For me what kicked it off was my (motorcycle) racing - I was starting to get faster, but my upper body strength was becoming a problem at the quicker pace.

    I started out a bit easier - mostly machines, 3x/week, for like 30 minutes with a mostly full body workout.

    I've always known free weights are better to use (less isolating, which means a lot of the smaller, supporting and core muscles get worked a lot more than they do on a machine), so when I was ready to workout more frequently, worked with a personal trainer familiar with my sport to help me develop a progressive workout plan. Upgraded/changed those plans as the one I was on got old and/or I was pretty much maxing it out with relative ease.

    After that, I had started my own PT training, so felt confident enough to start creating my own plans with some help from the googles LOL. Now I've got several plans I can use based on the equipment I have access to, my schedule, etc.

    Once I got into lifting though and got over that initial "hump" I learned to love it.

    Part of that was getting over my trepidation of being in the weight room with all the "bros." I'll admit, kind of had to force myself into that one, and realize I had as much right to the equipment as they did. Took a bit, but after awhile my mind adjusted and now I have no issue going to the weight room, but it really was not that way at all at first. But I had my plan from my trainer and I needed to follow it LOL!

    Now I've got a small rack/cable weight set at home so no more gym (after covid started and my gyms all closed needed to find something).

    I still love hiking and of course riding (motorcycles and horses both), but in a "workout" session, lifting has become my go-to favorite and I actually thoroughly love it.

    Progress pictures are great, too. Also track your weights and reps so you can see your progression - makes it a bit more motivating for me anyways.
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
    5'4" 35

    9/15: 150.0 (late afternoon before dinner weigh in)
    9/19: 145.0 (morning weigh in)
    9/23: 144.8 (late night after dinner weigh in)
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    I hate the 'bro environment' in the weight room. It makes me uncomfortable.

    I do however really get a kick out of feeling competent and getting stronger/more able to do things and carry things and move things, and that's enough to get me out to do the thing.

    Still wish I had space and money for a weight room in my house though. It definitely makes it harder to like it.
  • k8richly
    k8richly Posts: 268 Member
    @HoneyBadger302 this is so inspiring! Thats so cool that you ride motorbikes! I was a gym rat through my 20s so weight rooms and bros don't intimidate me, but I let my membership go when life got busy (ie had kids) and I had to choose between the gym or team sports (soccer, hockey), as I didn't have time for both. Since my sports are also my social /friend outlet, I stuck with that, plus running, hiking etc which I can squeeze in. But I know weights are definitely something I could get into. I too wish I had more space for more weights at home.

    I've never done progress photos but I can see how they'd be motivating. Especially as you see the muscle definition developing. Actually I wish now I'd taken photos over the past 1.5 years as I've lost a good chunk of weight and regained definition. Since I'm pretty much as my goal weights, it sonetimes feels like it's too late to take a pic now. But maybe not.
  • wunderkindking
    wunderkindking Posts: 1,615 Member
    edited September 2021
    44 yrs
    5' 5"
    CW 132.4
    GW ??? (nothing under 125 though - might actually be 130)
    GW for Sept: 130

    9-11: 131.5

    9-11: 131.5
    9-18: 130.1

    Headed off on a long weekend at the lake. Let's see where i am when I get home after 3 days of not tracking, eating crap and also doing more than usual movement. EXPERIMENT TIME.

    9-25: 129.2

    Yeah, I'd call that experiment a resounding success, no matter what the results, but yay.