another solid workout tonight, this one was a 6x4 - 6 exercises for various # of reps, 4 rounds through. strength focused, took about 40 min. I think a focus for me this month should be sleep, and part of that will also be logging off of work sooner on my work from home days (thurs & fri). I am pretty efficient during the workday and there is always tomorrow - rarely a need to work past 5:30 but I guess I just struggle with a strict boundary for the end of the day when I am already at home.

10:30 already so I need to hop into bed. weigh-in tomorrow for me and I am feeling optimistic (knock on wood).

Username: Bowens1973
CW: 226.4

Hi everyone! I am excited to try this role as motivator. Hopefully I can do some justice to the work of @conleywoods and @cleaneater80.

@kali225 - Sleep is always good to focus on. Aside from setting better boundaries for your end of work time (also very important!), what do you plan to do to focus on sleep? Oh, and great job on getting your workouts in! Those sound properly tough.

@ashleycarole86 - Putting on weight is always easier than taking it off and honestly it's often more fun. It also gets easier as we get older. Something I've learned is that I will fail if I compare myself at all - to my older self or to others. I'm incredibly competitive, but to be successful I've had to learn how to harness that competitiveness to challenge my current self. That depressing feeling is definitely normal, but hopefully you won't let it last or derail the current progress you have been making.

Also, snow? I'm guessing by your comment you're not the biggest fan of snow and @jugar is? I like snow. When I can go to it; not so much when it comes to me. How does everyone else feel about snow?

@Pearl4686 - sleep apnea could definitely be causing the exhaustion you have been feeling. My husband did the sleep apnea test a few years ago and discovered that he stopped breathing upwards of 12 times a night! The c-pap machine has been a lifesaver (literally). He has a lot more energy than he used to, isn't nearly as grumpy all the time, and feels like he gets a good night sleep. Having to be on a c-pap is not ideal, but if it helps, it's worth it. I hope you can get some answers soon!

@YinxFed - Great job finding different programs to help you build strength in new and different muscles! When you do these programs, do you find that you prefer cardio, weight-training, yoga, HIIT, or something different?

Wow can't believe it's November

My name is Joann, I work full time as a Public Health nurse from Alberta and also have a 1 year old German Shephard and a 9 year old daughter with my husband. This past month has been up and down along with activity and stress. I struggle with nighttime snacking and plan on using the tracker to monitor it.
@ashleycarole86 Happy Birthday

@jugar I'm going to ask to pass on weight in this week. I didn't get around to it.

Friday Weigh-In
PW: 270.4
CW: 266.6

woo! bit of a spooky weigh-in with the '666' so it's seasonally appropriate as well as a solid loss. I feel like my pattern of late is a fair drop and then 2 weeks of small drops or maintenance. I'm not mad at that. See if I can keep it up.

@ashleycarole86 happy (late) birthday!! comparison is the thief of joy. I do the same thing all the time. but we are only moving forward in time from here so!

@YinxFed this challenge is with a trainer named Danielle Pascente. I found her originally through the FitOn app which you guys have probably heard me mention many times now. from there, I followed her on instagram. She has a LOT of free content and workouts on her instagram feed which you could look at to get a feel for her style of workouts. This challenge in particular is her signature semi-annual "Strong in [Fall/Spring]" 6-week paid workout program. I have never done one before but she's been doing them for several years and I saw a lot of her followers checking in and they seemed pretty popular - not very expensive either at $65 USD for the "early bird" price for 4 workouts a week for 6 weeks. It's in pdf format so each Sunday we get an email from her with that weeks workouts. then at the end of the 6 weeks, you get the full e-book to keep forever. it's meant to be home workouts, no crazy equipment, strength, some HIIT/cardio, and conditioning. I liked that it really built up over the weeks - week 1 felt very doable even with how out of shape I was - and she provides a lot of ways to modify or make each exercise and workout more advanced if that's what works for you. we're also doing "add-on" weeks this time which she doesn't always do, but they were an additional (optional) $35 USD to get weeks 7-10 which will take us into early December!

that was perhaps too much explanation. I would say she is not as intense as Caroline Girvan but it feels more sustainable for me than Caroline was - I plan to reuse these workouts into next year, maybe at 3 days/wk, and I have definitely built strength in the last 6 weeks.

@MaddawgMadsen forgot to say, yay on being a motivator!! yes, logging off work sooner is one thing. but putting my phone down earlier at bedtime is the next thing.

One thing that definitely didn't help my sleep last night is that my apartment building's fire alarm went off at 4:28am. And again at 5:05am. My floor did not have to evacuate as it was not a real fire - some other small accident I think, but wow. It is loud. So I didn't fall asleep again until around 6am. Gave me that weird nauseous feeling in the morning because my brain new I got weird sleep. Ya know?

I have logged off work already today thanks to a forced software update at 4:59pm (woohooo!!) and now I will swing into my workout. Tonight is mexican takeout for dinner - I am thinking a quesadilla with lots of veggies. Should be a nice quiet weekend for me with a few home projects and lots of relaxation. I want to push myself to get in the pool for the first time since maybe July. (my apartment has a heated indoor pool open all year - but not sure how heated it actually is in November. we'll find out!)

TGIF Waistaways!

@ashleycarole86 happy belated birthday! I can't believe you have snow already...keep it up there! I am not a snow person at all. I hate being cold.

@MaddawgMadsen congrats on being the new team motivator!

@Kali225 great loss this week!

I have been eating pretty well the past few days. Aiming for a perfect day tomorrow. I haven't gotten as many steps in the past 2 days. I will need a plan for this since it will be dark when I leave work next week 😥 I'm not sure which is worse, the dark or the cold.

CW: 190.4
It’s down a tad-yay!
I’m Evelyn and I live with my spouse, Sarah, (and 3 cats)in Vermont, a couple hours away from my sister (@jugar) in Canada. My 2 adult daughters live fairly nearby (1 in VT and the other in NH).
I’ve wrestled with weight loss and exercising for most of my adult life. When asked what I like to do for exercise, I mostly come up with “nothing”! Hmm…going back to the drawing board gets old, though, and I want to work on strength training now that my bone density is becoming an issue. If I can do some weight bearing exercise each week, I believe I’ll have more energy and have more oxygen in my brain to help me feel good!
A friend runs a gym for women and specializes in weight lifting. I’m going to touch base with her and see if we can work together this fall and winter.
OK. Back to reading all of your shares. Can’t wait!

IDEBRAK
PW: 133
CW: 136.6
Next week's goal: 135.0

I can't lie about it. That death row inmate diet hasn't worked well for me. LOL
My grandson's birthday came. We had to go to IHOP. I can't let a 3-year-old down. We ate an obscene amount of gluten-free pancakes. I'm glad these birthdays only happen once a year, though.

I'll take this for what it is. The holidays never "get" me, so I have no worries. We have something small, just me and the boyfriend. The kids appear in several dinners, so we never expect them to have another one with us. I find it unrealistic to expect them to eat several meals. Not to mention, I work in retail. We ALWAYS work black Friday. I want to get in bed early.

I'm changing jobs in two weeks. It's exciting and stressful (but in a good way). I won't have to travel at all giving me a better work/life balance. The pay is significantly higher as well. It's a win-win!

Hoping for a much better November. My birthday is on the 20th. I'm hoping to be nearer the 130 range, but for next week's weigh-in, the goal is 135.0. I think I'm going to start posting the next goal every week. There's something about seeing it in writing that makes it more achievable.

@Gidgitgoescrzy : I have vines like those big ones on the tree in my backyard. It's 7 acres of woods, and there is a large patch of vines like that on the ground. The deer like to bed down near it.

Now for my steps:
SAT: 3070
SUN: 10627
MON: 15077
TUES: 15209
WED: 12108
THURS: 15123
FRI: 6430

TOTAL: 77,644
GOAL: 91,000
Missed by: 13,356 A whole DAY! I have to ramp this up!

Sorry, this is long. It's thoughts on "paper". I KNOW I can do this. I've done it. Several times. I get complacent. Having a routine is great! However, I do not do well when it's the same mundane task. I like to mix it up a little. Change is GOOD!

I do not track food. I have forbidden myself to do so. It DOES work. I've been there. I was a Weight Watchers leader for a few years. I know that everything about weight loss, getting "fit", or even a healthy lifestyle is a mindset. However, what works best for me is developing a realistic lifestyle. I feel like I need to embrace something sustainable for the rest of my life. I will not write everything down forever, so I don't do it at all. That's also the reason I don't diet.