Women 200lb+, Let's Be Hallo-Queens This October!!!

Keri
71 years old
Thanks @RavenStCloud for setting up this thread. I have been slowly losing and getting in shape this summer. This thread helps me track my progress with friends.

Challenge Starting Weight in July: 260, Pre-retirement weight 262
Challenge September starting weight: 254.1 ending weight 249.6, October starting weight 249.2
UGW: 167 (healthy weight for a senior woman my height)
5'6" Tall

I do check-ins when I lose:

8/1: 254.8
10/1: 249.2 I lost .4 lbs since yesterday.

Weight loss since retiring almost 13 lbs.

🎃What are your plans for October? And are you trying to accomplish anything (big or small) in the last three months of 2024?
I want to have lost 20 lbs total since retiring by our trip to see my son, DIL and grandson for Thanksgiving. That is another 7 lbs. During the pandemic I lost 20 lbs from March to when I started my last job in September. I want to get back down to that weight. That will be 4 this month and 3 before Thanksgiving. I want to be as close to losing 40 lbs by my birthday in March as possible. I lost 40 lbs here during the economic downturn but then I went back to work and gained. This time I don’t have to go back to work. So I plan to keep going until I reach Onderland next fall. However my real goal is to get healthy and fit not just lose weight. But this includes losing weight until I reach a healthy weight.
🎃Do you have any special October snacks you'll be treating yourself to or any special seasonal events you'll be participating in? Any fun costume ideas?
We are getting more trick or treaters now with more families moving into the neighborhood. I roast the pumpkin seeds from the jack-o-lantern and make hot apple cider on Halloween. My youngest and I are strategizing how not to let the Halloween candy way lay our fitness goals. I have been really good at not craving sweets or other snacks My downfalls are sour gummy bears and corn nuts. So I plan to have some candy on Halloween but hopefully not too much.
October Goals:
• October GW: Get into the mid to lower half of the 240s
• Keep my water intake up
• Keep getting 7+ hours of sleep and try for 8 when I can
• Meal plan and cook 3+ dinners (my husband and youngest will cook some dinners too)
• Eat healthy breakfasts (only 1 day a week at a café with Latte etc.)
• 30 minutes of exercise 5-6 days a week plus1 day of aquafit (50-55 minutes). One of these days will be Classical Stretch/Eccentrics exercises. For me this and aquafit entails strength training, cardio and stability training.
• Up NEAT (non exercise activity) daily such as cooking and cleaning etc.
• Keep researching nutritional biochemistry and metabolic health.

I am really happy today because I have lost 1 1/2 lbs in the last 2 days after fluctuating all of September. Yesterday I barely made my September goal and today I have lost some more. This morning my youngest and I walked to the nearest cafe for a latte/breakfast. I only get to do this once a week and preferably when I walk there. However today is the 1st day I felt I could walk there and the next goal is to walk back again. My knee wasn't happy so I didn't do that today.

Danielle
48 years old

Challenge October starting weight 266.6
UGW: 150
5'5" Tall

I do check-ins when I can:

9/30: 266.6
10/1: (no weigh in)
10/2: (no weigh in)

🎃What are your plans for October? And are you trying to accomplish anything (big or small) in the last three months of 2024?
I want to lose at least 20 lbs and get more exercise in. I am due to take a work trip in November and possibly December. I was upset on the last trip that I had to ask for an extender for 1" of a seat belt. Granted this was on the way back, but...

Also, I was recently kinda diagnosed (it's dependent on the reactions to new meds to help narrow it down) with Bile Acid Malabsorption. I've been battling stomach issues since my early 20s from a bad case of gastroenteritis. Went to the gastro, they said "we're yanking out your gallbladder, that seems to be the issue" and my symptoms got worse afterwards. New meds are great but new rules have been implemented by the docs: Low-fat, High-Fiber. So... really looking for new ways to include more fiber and less fat.

🎃Do you have any special October snacks you'll be treating yourself to or any special seasonal events you'll be participating in? Any fun costume ideas?
I don't have any special October snacks. Does anyone have any ideas that don't require too much prep time?

And my costume? Thinking of a pirate. It's an inside joke with my work team, but I think I'll make it happen.

October Goals:
• October GW: get into the 50s
• Hitting my water goals of ~80 oz/day
• Keeping me to 40g fat and 25g fiber
• Meal plan and cook
• 30 minutes of exercise 2-3 days a week minimum

Hi everyone! Happy October, my favorite month!

@RavenStCloud this is your best month title yet I love it! Thank you for doing this.

🎃What are your plans for October? Birthday month! I'm going to see under 180 on the scale. I might not get the average there, but I should be able to see it. Then average weight at least down to 178 for the year, 5 lb lower than I started the year with

🎃Do you have any special October snacks you'll be treating yourself to or any special seasonal events you'll be participating in? Any fun costume ideas? I've gotten into a pretty solid groove with not overindulging on sweets, which is important this time of year. I have my sweet in the morning with my coffee, I have a sweet with tea at work, and I have a truffle in the midafternoon. At night I keep myself busy enough not to get stuck in a pan of brownies, and the brownies will still be there in the morning to have with my coffee (the preferable way to eat a brownie, imo). When I really need a sweet and don't have any more, I can move my protein bar (Alani makes a great tasting one! Rocky Road and Caramel Crunch for LIFE) up or back to whenever.

For our birthdays (me and my SILs all have them in the same week), we're going on a road trip, and my bestie is going to get me a pavlova, my very favorite dessert I can't get by me. That's going to be my big birthday treat.

Time for the nitty gritty:
Saturday weigh in days
Christina
35 years old
5'4"

SW: 220ish
Re-SW (Feb 2022): 200.4
UGW: 150
2024 goal weight: 165
SW 2024: 182.7

🎃 October Goals!🎃
🎃 October GW Average: 181

October SW 8/1: 183.4 (average)

🧡Log everything in grams
🧡Work out >3x a week
🧡Calories<1700/day

Have a great October, everyone!

Starting weight: 219 lbs (6/10/24)
Ending weight: 202.8 lbs (9/30/24)
Total loss: -16.2lbs
Goal weight: 150-165lbs
Goal Body Fat: 20-25%

SEPTEMBER:
1st: 206.6 lbs --> 30th: 202.8 lbs (New low!)

Goals for October: ✔
- Work 4 days/week ✔
- Walk 6k+ steps average/week ✔
- Log meals daily and accurately ✔
- Gym 2-3x/week ✔
- Drink more water and less sugar ✔
- Treat myself once/week with a self date ✔
- Weigh in at 198lbs at the end of the month (-4.8 lbs)
- END OF YEAR GOAL: 190 lbs 😍

OCTOBER:
1st: 203.4 lbs
2nd: 202.4 lbs
3rd: 203 lbs
4th: 204.2 lbs
5th: 205.5 lbs (I went on a dinner date and indulged in a burger, onion rings, milkshake, and later popcorn during a movie so this is bloat 😂, and I don't regret a thing!)

Non weight Successes:
- Went on a dinner and movie date to see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and didn't worry about calories, because enjoying myself for 1 night WON'T ruin my progress
- Signed up for some continuing education for my job, which will open up a really important sustainable career path for me
- Noticed myself stressing less about money now, despite still not having any 😂 I'm just more at peace with that and trust that I have a good support system to help me out for this short time until I can work for full price

🎃What are your plans for October? And are you trying to accomplish anything (big or small) in the last three months of 2024?
My plans this month are to finish transferring my registration so I can begin working full time and dig myself out of debt. I also have a friend's wedding to go to, which meant dress shopping while losing weight which is always a struggle because you never know how things are going to fit in a couple weeks time. And for spooky day I have no plans, so I think I'll sit in and watch movies all day/night if I can!

🎃Do you have any special October snacks you'll be treating yourself to or any special seasonal events you'll be participating in?
I love all pumpkin spice products so I've already been indulging in pumpkin pie and festive drinks. I will also get an apple pie/crumble later this month once I've finished the pumpkin pie, and I'm hoping to have a cafe date (or two) where I can get a seasonal pastry and coffee and sit and read for a while.

In terms of October treats, I plan to make a pumpkin pie later this month. I have a great recipe that calls for dark molasses as well as light brown sugar (and a little bit of white). What makes it really special is the freshly grated ginger.

Keri
71 years old
Challenge Starting Weight: 260, Pre-retirement weight 262 (my weight kept trying to creep up to 265)
October starting weight 249.2
UGW: 167 (healthy weight for a senior woman my height)
5'6" Tall
I do check-ins when I lose:

7/1: 260
8/1: 254.8
10/1: 249.2
10/7: 248.6 😊
Weight loss since retiring:13 lbs.
October Goals:
• October GW: Get into the mid to lower half of the 240s I made some progress today
• Keep my water intake up
• Keep getting 7+ hours of sleep and try for 8 when I can. I have been getting 8 recently
• Meal plan and cook 3+ dinners (my husband and youngest will cook some dinners too) It seems like I only have to make 1 good meal a week. We have so many leftovers. My youngest and I have only 1 serving so there is usually another meal and lunches with leftovers.
• Eat healthy breakfasts (only 1 day a week at a café with Latte etc. preferably walk to it.)
• 30 minutes of exercise 5-6 days a week plus1 day of aquafit (50-55 minutes). One of these days will be Classical Stretch/Eccentrics exercises. For me this entails strength training cardio and stability training.
• Up NEAT (non exercise activity) daily such as cooking and cleaning etc.
• Keep researching nutritional biochemistry and metabolic health.

1 bad day led to a good morning today. We tried to go to aquafit yesterday but the pool closed due to chlorination issues. So we went for a walk at Golden Gardens which is a marina and waterfront beach park. But my knee was bothering me so lots of rests at benches. It was a beautiful day. We got shaved ice afterwards. I ate really healthily but more calories than usual. When I go up and weighed myself I had lost from the day before but not from my low. I have been hovering around 249-250 for a week or more. So I went to the Y to get in the aquafit I missed yesterday. I found out that basically I can do aquafit from 7 AM to noon every weekday. I stayed around for a couple of hours exercising and talking to the friendly retirees who use the pool then. I thought I could only do aquafit/waterwalking until 10 AM but found out that it stayed open until noon. I feel much more energetic today. When I came home I relaxed a bit then weighed myself again before having breakfast/brunch. I have finally lost another lb. After reading Outlive I am thinking about devising a more permanent retirement daily/weekly schedule. I am glad I found out more about the pool schedule 1st. I did 4 20 minute intense exercise sessions mixed into my regular aquafit as well. I may do this when I walk as well if my knee will allow.

Thanks Keri. I look back at my birthday post and shake my head. I ate everything on my plates, including lobster tail with drawn butter, broccolini with hollandaise sauce, and a brownie topped with vanilla ice cream. I never eat that much fat! But I really enjoyed myself. The only thing I didn't enjoy was my Diet Coke (am I crazy or what?). I'm eating very little today, not because I am trying to "undo the damage" but because I'm simply not hungry! Oh and I had two slices of fresh baked sourdough bread slathered with butter I almost never eat bread, especially with butter! Today I don't feel guilty at all. My birthday was a happy one. Oh, and hubs gave me a box of a dozen chocolate truffles. "I know you're on a diet and all, but I figure you can have one every night as a special treat." They are too special to gorge on.

Good afternoon everyone!

I'm in the danger zone this month, and it only gets harder from now until the rest of the year, as far as weight gain goes. I was tempted to retain a coach, one of my favorites is running a program for the next 8 weeks. He would be using spreadsheets to monitor my progress.

But! He requires participants to do weight training, and I don't want to give up on pole fitness/chair acrobatics or not have the energy to do both, so! I decided I'd be my own coach. After all, I have to self-motivate a little bit, or I might as well set $100 on fire as retain a coach.

Luckily for me, Google Sheets is free. It is well established in this thread's history that I love a spreadsheet.

Here's a link, in case any of you want to join (or like to be nosey like me, lol): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YTnqOaDWi_N48gMKimcFN9ltsANcl3L63DmNZc65J2o/edit?usp=sharing (if you do want to join, just go to File-> Make a Copy, then you have one of your own!

It's 80 days to the end of the year starting tomorrow, so I decided to have some fun with it:

As I was setting my metrics, a lot of them were multiples of 8, so I decided to make (almost) all of them multiples of 8, plus 8k for 80 days got stuck in my head.

I measured my favorite tumblers, I like 32 oz ones, it turns out, so I only minimum need 2 a day!

All I have to do now is make my own local copy, and start filling in my favorite high-protein recipes and workouts, and tomorrow starts the data collection.

Time for a long-overdue tag party:
@KeriA at least sour gummies aren't the most high calorie sweet, so good to see you here again! I know you can do it, I watched you do it!

@jenbroussard71 I love the witch cackle energy! And the working with a trainer, all great things!

@duebedm I'm so sorry to hear you're having stomach troubles! I had my gallbladder actually be the problem when I was in high school, and it got so bad I wouldn't eat because it would just hurt. Sending healing vibes. As for favorite october snacks, my favorite thing to make when the weather gets cold is roasted potatoes, but that's not much of a snack, haha.

@AG_Lake I respect the post-when-losing game, and I hope to see you here again soon.

@quolwy you're doing great! I love meals good enough to be like "no regrets," haha.

@lisakatz2 happy belated birthday! Your pumpkin pie sounds so good!

See you all tomorrow when I start my harebrained I'm-my-own-personal-trainer scheme.

Good morning everyone!

Yesterday went well! I didn't hit my water goal, but I hit all my other goals for the day- calories, protein, steps, and workout. Today, no workout, so my hot girl walk is the only thing going. It's almost sun up now, so almost time for that. I've got my water, I'm ready.

This morning's protein coffee was oatmeal cream pie flavored thanks to some protein powder I picked up on a whim at Aldi yesterday. It's good! The fact that these protein powders are making my coffee so sweet is helping me not to give into that habit of having a sweet treat with my coffee in the morning.

I don't much like the protein cake mix I used yesterday, but I can struggle through to use it up, then just use my protein bars as dessert instead.

Tonight for dinner I'm making my egg roll skillet, which I always love, and rice for the fam while I eat it plain. Tomorrow starts a few recipes I'm really looking forward to from @ livcarbonero on instagram and tiktok, she has such good looking food with great macros.

Other things for today: We got a new toaster oven/air fryer! Now I can get rid of the toaster and the air fryer! I'm so excited, this thing is so rad.

I need to take Kiddo to get her hair cut, get a present for her friend whose birthday she's going to tonight, and get her money for her A's and B's on her progress report. I have no idea what the going rate is for A's and B's these days.

And I need to tackle AND put away the mountain of laundry I've allowed to accumulate. And take the recycling out- I wish we still had curbside recycling, it sucks that it accumulates in my house until we go take it elsewhere.

Busy day! Better get to it. Time for the hot girl walk. Have a good day, everyone!

Jennifer - 53 years
Re-started 4/24/24 - 236.2
CW: 208.8
GW: 165 (may adjust when I get there)
Loss since 4/24/24 - 29 Pounds
5'3" Tall

10/1/24 - 207.2
10/7/24 - 208.8
10/14/24 - 208.8 (well at least it's not a gain)
10/21/24
10/28/24
10/31/24

I worked out 5 times this week, Tuesday and Wednesday were with my trainer (1 push day / 1 pull day). Thursday I wasn't feeling that well, chills no fever (I think my body needed a rest day). Friday was cardio, Saturday was weights, and Sunday was a 3 mile walk outside. My husband joined me which was a nice surprise.

My food was a little off this past weekend due to a lack of planning. I didn't go off the rails, but I didn't eat the healthiest options.

Today is my body scan at the gym so I am excited to see what progress shows.

Hope you all have a great week!

10/14 231.0

Hi everyone! Between vacation and illness, it’s been several weeks since I checked in!

Anna
30 years old
Starting weight, early July: 228.8
Current weight: 214.5

We went to visit family and godfamily out of state at the end of September, and I really struggled to log all my food. So I just did my best to eat intuitively, log what I could to give me some parameters, and I was shocked that I lost right on track! I was sick at the beginning of our trip, then my daughter broke her leg, then my godfather’s wife had a life-threatening medical emergency while we were there…so it was a wild ride. And then I was sick again when I got back. What that has meant is that I’ve struggled to get back on track with fitness and food choices (I really struggle to eat veggies when I’m not cooking as much!), but it’s gone better than I expected. I think I’ve learned a couple things. 1) My body won’t immediately decondition if I need a period of rest and recovery. 2) I need more rest and recovery! 3) I think I want to bump down the intensity of my training a bit and learn some more deep stretching and slow body weight work. For my mental health and for injury prevention. I do have a trainer (I kind of have 3 at the moment, but one that’s dedicated just to me), and I don’t see her often, but I will ask her to help me figure this out.

I think I’ve also learned that my “work” is to focus on my calorie deficit and macros, and the “fun” is the fitness. It was a big goal of mine to enjoy my movement and find easy to get fit that brought me joy, and I’m finding my way. I stress a little less when I miss a day or need an extra rest day because I know I’m still doing the work with my nutrition. That’s number one, and the fitness is extra (though I’m trying to be more active in the home overall, but that’s coming naturally).

This month in the rest of my life I’m pouring myself into our homeschooling setup and daily rhythm. The coziness of fall
Is a great motivator!

Thanks everyone for your support. Have a great week!

Good morning everyone!
yesterday:
✅> 8k steps
✅<= 1600 cal
✅32 minute self care
✅> 64oz water
✅>= 128g protein

Weighed in at 181 today, fine by me, still well below my average and the weight can't go down all the time. Plus I know I've been doing what I need to do.

Today is a workout on my own, not at the gym. I'm going to do a cardio dance youtube workout followed by a splits workout from a flexibility trainer I bought last year on Black Friday.

I think dinner tonight is going to be leftovers, but if it's not, it'll be a peanut shrimp rice noodle recipe from the same person as yesterday. The sushi bake yesterday was great! Here are the macros:

That's from @ livcarbonero on instagram.

Another fitness influencer if you will that I've been following for recipes and inspiration is this one:
https://www.tiktok.com/@fitnfineewithpenelope She'll tell you in every video that she lost 100lb and has kept it off for 8 years.

Two very different vibes, lol, but there's room for everyone. And I take good things from both.

My shoulders and arms are so sore from the gym yesterday, still! That's how I know it was a really good workout, I should text my instructor to thank her, haha. Soreness means muscle growth means hotness is coming!

Tag party time:
@GardenQueen30 Oh my goodness, that's a super eventful vacation! I hope your godfather's wife is doing okay now. I know homeschooling's not easy, but I, too, feel the pull of how lovely it must be in the early fall, getting to hang out in the house with the windows open and do lessons. My third grader is learning how to study, and lucky for me, she's not rebellious about it. (It helps that I offer her spending money for good grades on report cards, haha).

@jenbroussard71 THOSE ARE AMAZING RESULTS!! Truly, the GAINS! Fat loss and muscle gain! This is exactly what you'd like, I can see why your trainer is ecstatic. And I can see why she asked you to up the steps- so that you can maybe increase your NEAT so you can lose weight (mostly fat) and retain this lovely muscle you've got. And breaks are good for adherence, this is great all around.

Have a great day, everyone!

Good morning everyone!

I weighed in at 179.9 this morning!!! Pulling my average down to 182.1. I haven't seen the 170s on my scale since February, and haven't been in the 170s as an average since December last year.

My weight loss graph is a little wild:

I started using macrofactor in 2022, so that's why this graph only goes that far back, and in all of 2023, I was between 170 and 180 until Christmastime. But really started ticking up at just about this time last year. Which is why I'm doing this now this year.

Anyway! Yesterday was great:
4th ✅ / 4 workouts per week
✅> 8k steps
❌<= 1600 cal (hit 1660 because my favorite instructor brought us shortbread from Scotland. I partook.)
✅32 minute self care
✅> 64oz water
✅>= 128g protein

I took the girls to gymnastics, and got myself a big salad from the salad bar at Harris Teeter: lettuce mix, onion, tomato, cukes, and chicken, with the golden italian dressing, which is not as high calorie as I thought it was, and I had room for a little cup of tiramisu, which is one of my favorite desserts, so I did it. No regrets.

I was in my favorite instructor's first class, then I was going to do splits class with a different one. She saw me in the hallway and asked me what I was doing there. I told her I needed to split, and she was like "no you don't. I'm doing choreo." Well, that was enough for me, I'm not going to miss a choreography she did. I told the other instructor, and she acted fake hurt, haha. So I didn't do my splits, but I had a great time.

Also, she complimented me on my pinwheel being very flat (like, my knees up very high). Let's see if I can find a picture:

Note: That's not me. But you spin like that around the pole until you reach the ground.

Today! My lunchtime walks are working to get me to my step goal, so that will be at lunch, and I've prepped all the food I need (Trying a new protein bar today, Barebell Caramel Cashew). Dinner tonight will be pizza, and I'm making this recipe for a high protein pizza. I've only just realized I need shredded chicken and don't have any. I'll work it out.

Wow, this turned out very long. I'm so excited to be making good progress, and doing it in a way that allows me to have tiramisu once in a while. Tomorrow will be the big birthday trip, and I need to plan carefully for everything not up there, since up there, I'll treat myself a little. Have a great day, everyone!

Good morning everyone!

Saturday weigh in day!
Christina
35 years old
5'4"

SW: 220ish
Re-SW (Feb 2022): 200.4
UGW: 150
2024 goal weight: 165
SW 2024: 182.7

🎃 October Goals!🎃
🎃 October GW Average: 181

October SW 8/1: 183.4 (average)
8/5: 183.2 average
8/12: 183.2 average
8/19: 182.0 average (-1.2!!!) I'm going to make my goal this month if I keep this up, and I will.

🧡Followed The PLAN

It's Saturday, the communists are in the funhouse, I'm going to have a ton of fun today, and I have a detailed plan of what I'm going to eat based on menus of the places we're going to be going. I'm bringing an emergency protein bar and some Quest protein chips in case there are no good options for whatever reason.

Yesterday was good:
✅> 8k steps
✅<= 1600 cal
✅32 minute self care
✅> 64oz water
✅>= 128g protein

@lisakatz2 I'm so glad to hear your vacation went great, don't be scared to get back on that scale! The sooner you know, the sooner it pops back down, because you'll make choices to make it so.

Have a great day, everyone!