Good morning Team! Looks to have been a great week for many of us...a few gains, but all fairly small...when you have a smidgen of a gain and can't really put your finger on it...the body is usually trying to find balance. Do something unexpected, outside of your normal pattern...an extra walk, some extra exercise, perhaps break or pause an unhealthy habit...something to shake your tiny rut loose so you can start losing again...I hope everyone is enjoying a little cooler weather this weekend like we are in Virginia...it's so nice to be able to go outside, breathe and enjoy a nice breeze! Enjoy your weekend!

If anyone has an idea or request for next week's Group Challenge, let me know...I'm thinking about it to get ready to start tomorrow. Might just do a "shake things up" week...let me know your thoughts!
Jessica

@izzyred9400 - I’ve had times when the scale didn’t move for two months or more. It was an especially long plateau after entering the normal BMI range for my height, which is about 140 at 5’3” (I’m just under 5’4”). Hitting the normal range for my BMI was my most satisfying milestone!

My goal is to stay at the mid-range of the BMI for my height, which is a little over 121 pounds, but 125 seems more realistic (slightly over the mid-range).

I lost the final 10 pounds to reach the high end of my maintenance range (120-130), but it took at least five months. Since the overall trajectory was still going down, and I knew progress would get slower as I got closer to my goal, I tried to remind myself that it was a good sign. Each pound left to lose was a higher percentage of my overall body weight, so the slower rate of loss was something to celebrate!? Reframing my self talk helped sometimes but it was still difficult not to feel discouraged.

I also thought I might be at my lowest weight. So, I reminded myself that I still needed to figure out maintenance. Most people regain all the weight they lost within a year so I decided to focus on not gaining weight instead of losing weight. It’s only a subtle shift in thinking but it helped me. The biggest mindshift was recognizing that I need to sustain these nutrition and exercise changes for a lifetime. It’s not a short-term adjustment in the end, so I’m currently trying to figure out how to incorporate positive habits I can live with forever.

In July 2021, I weighed 127 pounds, and I gave myself five months to achieve my ultimate goal of 125 by the beginning of 2022. In the end, my lowest weight was 121 last September (2021). I lost the final pounds during the summer when I’m more active. It also helps me to substitute natural sugars like fruit or apple sauce instead of processed sweets when I snack. So, cutting snacks - or at least substituting higher calorie snacks for healthier options - and exercising a little more made the difference for me.

I’m still struggling to maintain without gaining. My problem is always slight, incremental gains that add up over time. Just 100 or 200 calories make a difference in the course of a year! Best wishes to others trying to ‘crack the code’ overcoming plateaus and maintaining weight after achieving your nutrition and exercise goals.

Here’s an article that might help anyone experiencing a plateau: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss-plateau/art-20044615

@Yukie_OP I like it! I got their Sonic collection. I've only tried the Sour Power, but it’s good. It takes like the sour punch straws.

Step Goal: 6000
8/11 - 6,116
8/12 - 3,661 😔

I took a break from my evening work out last night. But I’m excited for weigh in tomorrow.

leni1us
Friday
PW 160.4
CW 159.1

Steps
8/12 - 6,671

The August Week 3 Group Challenge is posted and ready to begin tomorrow, Sunday, Aug 14th. I hope you'll join us for "DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!" Here's your link:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10871470/august-week-3-group-challenge-do-something-different/p1?new=1

Hope to see you there!
Jessica

Yukie_OP wrote: »

Yukie_OP Saturday weigh-in
PW: 137
CW: 134

Very nice loss @Yukie_OP !! WTG!
Jess

Missing Weigh ins for the week (incl today):
@Jax_Grim x2
@gofishs x3
@JanieD82
@Motiv8tedMom x3
@StacyAru x2
@CasandraW
@Valentina_99v x2
@Tiguan26
@kateineu

Stats begin early Sunday morning, so please report in today!
Thanks!
Jessica

Good evening everyone. Hope you are all having a good weekend. Today was my day off BUT work had a no call no show so I worked for awhile., and wprk again tomorrow. Im annoyed with all these people not showing up, ugh. Why is that so common lately, ugh. This is my last week working full time at that job, school starts the 22nd so I go back to working 6 days a week

Steps
Aug 9: 14.706
Aug 10: 14.806
Aug 11: 10.740
Aug 12: 15.056
Aug 13: 14.433
Good morning Shape Shifters. I am sorry I have been so quiet here. We are currently in the middle of a heatwave and I just feel miserable. I am already dreaming of autumn and wind and rain; summer sucks. I have not been doing anything besides some house work. Getting my steps in has been a challenge. I have to nap every day because of my headaches so it's not been going great. The temps should slowly start to drop tomorrow, but we probably wont get rain until Wednesday. Happy Sunday everyone