Happy December everyone!

My name is Ginny and I am 61 years old. I retired in 2019 and live about 10 miles west of Albany, NY. December will be my fourth month since joining this challenge and, since September, I have lost 12.2 lbs. The weight is coming off more slowly now but that's not unexpected and as long as I'm losing I'm happy. My long term goal is to reach 135 lbs so I have another 35.6 lbs to go.

I made this lifestyle change in January 2022 at 230 lbs. At 5"3" tall I was 90 lbs over the top of the healthy BMI range for my height. I was tired of feeling unwell and in pain all the time. I had no energy, constant pain in my knees and hips, and no stamina. I never exercised and couldn't climb a flight of stairs without being out of breath. As of my latest weigh in I have lost a total of 59.4 lbs. Even more important than the weight loss is the improvement in my physical condition, mental well being, and quality of life. Now I rarely have pain in my knees and hips, I have more energy and my stamina has dramatically improved.

My goal for December is to lose at least another 2.6 lbs through the holiday season and to exercise at least 40 minutes every day. That will place me in the 160's for the first time in about 15 years and finally out of the obese range for my height.

Wishing you all nothing but success!

Happy New Month, Everybody! So happy to see all the new faces in the chat (and the old ones too, not that I'm calling anyone old, I swear)!

I am minstrelofsarcasm, also known as Minstrel, also known as Ashley, also known as "that sweaty girl in the corner"... I am one of the co-captains along with the ever-marvelous @melaniedscott. My role here is to provide some real talk, some good motivation, and a few too many jokes about stress eating for anyone's comfort levels.

The Basics:

I am 27 and currently living in Ohio. I work as a combustion engineer for an industrial manufacturing company (I set things on fire for money). I am fascinated by all facets of science, whether that be nuclear physics, nutrition, geology (I hear it rocks), chemistry, etc. Feel free to ask any of your questions when it comes to the science of things. I can't guarantee I'll know the answer, but I can definitely figure it out and provide an answer in a way that's (hopefully) understandable.

Why I am Here:

I love numbers, and when I discovered that I could get healthier (as my doctor told me I absolutely had to do) by keeping track of numbers, I signed up for MFP. My original weight was 8lbs 2oz, and while I don't think I'll ever make it quite that low ever again, my goal is to never be above my highest weight of 234 (September 2014).

Despite having joined this wonderful community, I didn't take my weight loss or my health seriously until after I graduated college in May 2017 and was told by a different doctor that my eating and (lack of) exercise habits put me on the road to diabetes. I'll admit, I was terrified. I grew up with a diabetic parent who took no actions towards improving their health to reduce their dependence on insulin and is now facing some very serious health complications. I didn't want that to happen to me - I wouldn't want to put anyone through having to worry about me in the same way I worried about them.

So I searched "gym" on Google Maps, and signed up for a free class with the first place that popped up in the results, a spin studio. Since July 1st, 2017, I have completed over 1,040 spin classes. There was some… drama at the spin studio, so I no longer have a membership, but will drop in from time to time.

In other news, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in December 2019 after an arduous journey from doctor to doctor, through several misdiagnoses (why is it that the first thing a doctor will suggest is anxiety if you're female and show emotion in the doctor's office?), 14 vials of blood drawn for blood tests, 3 weeks of being unable to consistently feel the left side of my body, 2 MRIs, 1 spinal tap, and a partridge in a pear tree. I could go into a long rant about everything, and I have, but there's no need to fill my introduction with things you don’t have time to read.

In Summary:

Since joining MFP, I have lost over 70 lbs, regained about 15 while on a three-month business trip in France (wine and cheese is my weakness), lost 5 of them, gained 5 of them, maintained throughout 2020, yo-yo'ed for the first few months of 2021, and here I stand (sit) around 170 lbs, over 60 lbs lost. I don't have a goal weight anymore, since BMI was developed by a mathematician and not a doctor, and as long as I feel healthy, I can weigh whatever I want (somewhere in the 150's sounds pretty good right now, but I guess we'll see).

As for exercising, I have recently joined a new gym. Between spending time with my friend (who has a personal training certification, and who I guess is now my personal trainer) and dropping in on spin classes and all the amenities my new gym has to offer, I am hoping to get back on track. Previously, I have had memberships with CycleBar, OrangeTheory, and F45 - By no means am I an expert on fitness classes, but I know a thing or two.

I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you even more as we work our way through the month.

melissacoleman430
Cw 235
Overate on our vacation weekend to see the Nutcracker. Super cranky today putting up Christmas decorations, I should be happy. Gained 5 lbs on the weekend but the weekend was awesome. I’m diabetic, triglycerides too high, Hashimotos, and lost one of my most loved loved ones until I get to see my son in heaven. He always wanted me to take care of myself so I will, minus a few slip ups. So I have some work to do and I’m happy to do it. I do feel cranky sometimes when I let myself down but gonna keep pushing forward. Merry Christmas all and lots of hugs🌻

December 4th

Weigh In Day: Sunday
Previous Weight: November 27th - 226.0
Current Weight: December 4th - 223.6


I'm heading into this Christmas holiday with the mind set that Christmas is only one day! I will be returning home for the holidays on December 17th and staying with my brother. He is diabetic so there aren't a lot of treats around. All good things! I'm just going to take it a day at a time.

Team Statistics -
Steppers: 8 (full reporting)
Total Steps: 524,177
Average Steps Per Stepper: 65,522
Total Steps for November: 2,498,821
The Leaderboard -
@apb1025 -134,776 total | 19,253 average - Most Steps in One Day!!!
@OllieAndEd2021 - 83,843 total | 11,978 average
@MotylekOkruchy - 81,805 total | 11,686 average
@GinLee61 - 61,345 total | 8,764 average
@ljdanny - 69,906 total | 9,987 average
@pacsnc6 - 21,750 total | 3,107 average - Most Consistent!!!
@BodyTalking - 38,439 | 5,491 average
@melaniedscott - 27,873 total | 3,982 average

@shnkrnrynn - 4,440 total | 4,440 average...and this was only one day...

We were that close to the 2.5 million steps...and I'd bet we actually reached it but we were missing a few days from some of November's walkers...That's okay. We'll walk it off.

Username: ssssseika
PW: 155.8
CW: 154.9

I ate very little on Wednesday and Thursday due to a raging migraine, which led to my head in the toilet on and off for a day and a half. So, this loss isn't going to last. This loss was due to eating nothing but a sleeve of crackers and half a protein bar over the course of 48 hours. And being incredibly dehydrated, because I couldn't even keep water down.

Being sick on Wednesday and Thursday also wiped out my gym visits in the afternoons as well as my planned gym session this morning, so I am hoping to be back to regular activity by the weekend, but I am not rushing anything. Having Multiple Sclerosis is no joke.