Hi everyone here...and not here, lol...Happy New Year 2023! Let's have a jump-start January, generous January, or gentle January, your choice.

For me, I jump-started in November, and while I didn't hit my goal of -20 for '22, I *did* approach it (-13), and am hoping to reach #twonderland by the spring, & my goal for the year is to approach #onderland for '24. What are your goals for the new year?

Hi Kemeki, sorry I somehow missed your post a week ago; 10% is a great goal: do-able, motivating, and you immediately reap health benefits...good for you. I just figured out I'm also going for 10%, but trying to reach it by end of Feb, as that's my birth month, though not gonna stress if I don't reach it. I'm also focusing more on food, but trying to get in some movement, at least 10 minutes a day. I also count "extra" cleaning that I wouldn't have done otherwise as I often try to incorporate low impact movements into it, so some days I get in 2 hours of exercise minutes, also walks, also other functional fitness like snow shoveling, yard work, and gardening. Also I hope to start doing youtube workout videos again at some point this month. Exercise helps motivate me to make healthier food choices, as it's a waste to exercise and then ruin it with unhealthy eating. Yay for us!

The 10 minutes a day thing was from sparkpeople which was the largest site (mfp was #2 then) for a decade or more but they opted to close the free site because there was no profit in it and focus on corporate. They suggested that you didn't even have to do it consecutively...you could do 1 min, take a break, and repeat, 9 times. Just marching in place works.

I've gotten winded at points in my fat life. I started on my journey to a healthier me again, here at mfp in Nov'22. I was a little winded when I started. I also had problems standing for more than 10 minutes, like to wash dishes or cook. So that's what I worked on in November, because I knew I would need to be doing holiday cooking. I also did some leaf raking, and *had* to shovel the driveway, because it had to be done, luckily not til late in Nov., but I was careful not to have a heart attack. It also pissed me off that I was so outta shape, which motivated me to make sure I got my daily 10 minimum since then. I'm not winded very much anymore, though I can't say for sure that 4 sets of stairs wouldn't get me too. But at least that's a great goal to work toward!

Good luck linsey! BIG life changes for you in '23.

Tami-I don't do it often, the why: it takes supreme motivation, and I cut back on activity. I was feeling like such a slug...had a couple ~4k binge days the week before, and knew I needed to really get it together to have any sort of loss, in this, the last month of my 50's. My original goal was to hit twounderland by my 60th, or at least in my birth month of Feb, but not sure it'll happen, it means 30 pounds in let's see...6 weeks, nope, 5 pounds a week is not do-able. sigh. I *have* had some bigger losses when I've basically just started working a plan, and sometimes have been able to do a couple hours of movement & a drastic cut of 1200, but have often had it backfire on me, either quitting later or various other problems, maybe like feeling sick on Friday, though I think that was due to my sleep issues.

In terms of actual 'how' & numbers: I do some 'volumetric' eating, load up (for me, about 100g) of protein, cuz it really does fill you up. Lotsa veg, esp. big salads, too, for more volume. I eat bread but found some 'small slice' lower whole grain bread from 60-80 cals a slice. I love fruit, but maybe just some berries, or an apple, & maybe a banana. Normally @ 1660, I have two big skinny lattes, but I do black tea instead of one of them. For protein: I am doing a lot of greek yogurt...chobani zero has 60 cals; oikos zero has 90 cals & fage 0% plain is also low. Also reduced fat cheese on salads & as a dish enhancer, (20 cals per quarter cup savings), also skinless chicken breast a lot, or ground turkey or even low-fat beef, so lower fat numbers too. As a proportion of the 1200, about half is carbs, & protein is a third & remainder is fat. I moved 50 min Th, then sick Fri, so cut my 1200 week kinda short, back up around 1500, Sat&Sun. Anyway, enough detail, even I'm bored with it, lol. Have a good week!

Welcome and good luck Lisa-Marie! Also big luck with the job interview tomorrow linsey!

Tami, those are great photos. It looked like that here today, though not as sunny. I didn't hike it...I *did* shovel the driveway, however, which took almost an hour. Love the idea of 150 hikes for the year. I just discovered freezing grapes, which, to me, gives them a texture like ice cream. I've been back up to my mfp recommended 1660 cals.

Hey Lisa Marie, Linsey, Kemeki...how are you doing?

Beautiful! Where is that heaven of earth & sky?
Oh, and onward & downward is a great mantra/inspiration/affirmation!