January Jumpstart Challenge 2025
baconslave
Posts: 7,036 Member
Here we are. Another year gone. But a new one is starting, and in keeping with the tradition of a New Year Resolution, I have a challenge for you aiming at helping you KEEP those resolutions this year.
It's the perfect time to Jumpstart your health!
I do go on and on about one B-word. The Basics. Why? Because they're important. It may not be sexy, or catchy, but keeping the low-carb Basics locked-in is where it's at if you are wanting to actually succeed long-term. Minding the Basics will continue to serve you all the way to your goal weight and will keep you in maintenance.
So what are these Basics?
Last month we focused on the basics in an effort to avoid gaining during a hectic time of year. There were lots of treats around. But many of us managed to hit our goals and not gain. Some of us even lost a few pounds, or gained insight into our own patterns when faced with pressure.
And some of us didn't do so hot. Myself included. Hey, it's stressful during the holidays sometimes. In this case we'll pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off.
Consistency + Persistence + Time = Success
I really can't parrot that cliché formula enough. Because it's true.
Let us know your resolutions, or even just a way you'd like to challenge yourself this month if you aren't much into resolutions. Any low-carb plan is welcome. Just post your monthly goals and/or beginning weight, or if you are just planning to maintain through the month, or have NSVs to achieve, check-in daily or weekly with how well you did.
You can report your progress to your goal, whether it be ultra-obsessive daily hitting your low-carb plan Basics, or working on a fitness goal, or even nailing down other good habits in your life. Anything is fair game as long as it's in pursuit of your health or fitness. And if you have problems or need advice, you'll find that here.
Before you start, think about your goals. For measurable resolutions, we recommend getting a baseline.
Here are some ideas (abridged from FIT_Goat in this post For Those with New Year Resolutions):
Sooooo...go ahead and introduce yourself and/or post your goals when you are ready. Challenge starts on the 1st.
Here's a sample format for how you can report on various goals if you'd like:
This is a fresh new year.
Own it.
We'll be here to cheer you on.
Happy New Year and make that resolution stick.
It's the perfect time to Jumpstart your health!
I do go on and on about one B-word. The Basics. Why? Because they're important. It may not be sexy, or catchy, but keeping the low-carb Basics locked-in is where it's at if you are wanting to actually succeed long-term. Minding the Basics will continue to serve you all the way to your goal weight and will keep you in maintenance.
So what are these Basics?
- Planning ahead!!!
- Staying under carbs
- Staying under calories
- Logging and measuring
- Getting in exercise/movement if that's one of your goals
- Keeping an eye on electrolyte levels
- Getting enough water
- Planning ahead!!! Oh, wait. I said that already? Yes, I frickin' did. Because you must! "Failing to plan is planning to fail."
Last month we focused on the basics in an effort to avoid gaining during a hectic time of year. There were lots of treats around. But many of us managed to hit our goals and not gain. Some of us even lost a few pounds, or gained insight into our own patterns when faced with pressure.
And some of us didn't do so hot. Myself included. Hey, it's stressful during the holidays sometimes. In this case we'll pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off.
Consistency + Persistence + Time = Success
I really can't parrot that cliché formula enough. Because it's true.
Let us know your resolutions, or even just a way you'd like to challenge yourself this month if you aren't much into resolutions. Any low-carb plan is welcome. Just post your monthly goals and/or beginning weight, or if you are just planning to maintain through the month, or have NSVs to achieve, check-in daily or weekly with how well you did.
You can report your progress to your goal, whether it be ultra-obsessive daily hitting your low-carb plan Basics, or working on a fitness goal, or even nailing down other good habits in your life. Anything is fair game as long as it's in pursuit of your health or fitness. And if you have problems or need advice, you'll find that here.
Before you start, think about your goals. For measurable resolutions, we recommend getting a baseline.
Here are some ideas (abridged from FIT_Goat in this post For Those with New Year Resolutions):
- Get an average of your most recent weigh-ins for a good idea of your starting weight.
- Record your food, even if you're estimating. Sure, it will be a little higher in calories/junk due to the holiday season but it will still be better than having nothing.
- Take body measurements and pictures. To make sure they are accurate, take several sets of measurements and average them. Or watch this video on how to measure yourself so that you are actually measuring the same spots every time. You never need to show/share these with anyone, but you might be surprised how willing you will be to share them when you have success.
- Make an exercise log and try for your current personal bests (even if they're nothing to be proud of). Again, a starting number is better than nothing. It will show you how much you have achieved.
- If you're also doing something else (like quitting smoking), the same idea applies. Take a starting measurement, like how many cigs or packs per day. You'll often be shocked at how much growth you make.
Sooooo...go ahead and introduce yourself and/or post your goals when you are ready. Challenge starts on the 1st.
Here's a sample format for how you can report on various goals if you'd like:
Monday 1/1:
Water: Yep. :flowerforyou:
Electrolytes Good: :flowerforyou:
Logged Food: :flowerforyou:
Exercise as Planned: Strength training :flowerforyou:
At or Under Carb Level: :flowerforyou:
At or Under Calorie Limit: Yes! :flowerforyou:
Planned Day Ahead: Yes! :flowerforyou:
7/7
This is a fresh new year.
Own it.
We'll be here to cheer you on.
Happy New Year and make that resolution stick.
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Replies
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My birthday is tomorrow. I'll see you on the 2nd.
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Happy Birthday! Mine and my son's was Monday
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Ok. Here we are. Or here I am anyway. Birthday gone. Had some cake and ice cream but the kids can have the rest.
I am logging, tracking, and have a workout queued for this evening.
Let's do this. No one else is going to take care of me but me. No one else can.
I'll be back to report.1 -
I started logging again today 0
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I am here! I am doing really good! And most importantly, I had a pretty decent weekend, food-wise and booze-wise! This is huge for me. HUGE.
Exercise isn't on point, yet, but I did work out yesterday (only 35 min but it's better than nothing which is what I was doing the past 2 weeks) and unless the fam makes "it" hit the fan, I have a workout planned today as well.
I can't say the miraculous turnaround so far is organic. I broke down and am taking Contrave since the binging food and booze on the weekends has been an insane years-long thing since my biochemistry decided to betray me. So far, it's actually helping. I HATE and AVOID being on meds of any kind, but my weight being this high will have cumulative effects I have seen in others in my gene pool, and which I have watched them deteriorate and die from, so it can't stand.
Anyway, my weight is the highest it has been since about Feb or March of 2015, but it is trending downward. One day at a time. Forward is forward. Even though I'm unhappy to be treading old ground.
Hope you all are doing well.1 -
I get the not wanting to be on meds. Just finished 10 years of two meds (5 yrs each) and may have to go on something different later this year. Dr. does not want me actually losing weight but I have to get off the holiday gain then reevaluate.
I kept with my 3 core activities in December, strength, bowling and spin class. These minimized the winter damage. I like the way I feel after a good workout so will do my best to add more in.
Hope you had a nice birthday!0 -
tishsmith101 wrote: »I get the not wanting to be on meds. Just finished 10 years of two meds (5 yrs each) and may have to go on something different later this year. Dr. does not want me actually losing weight but I have to get off the holiday gain then reevaluate.
I kept with my 3 core activities in December, strength, bowling and spin class. These minimized the winter damage. I like the way I feel after a good workout so will do my best to add more in.
Hope you had a nice birthday!
My birthday was not good. It was basically a normal Wednesday. Had to do everything and only my oldest son got me anything and it was car air freshener.
Great job on keeping up!
I have had to mess my schedule around so much for the kids that activity is left for me after dinner when it is cold as hades and dark. I am tired from handling the day's nonsense. So that makes it harder. And add the fatigue I've had for over a year (bloodwork blithely says there is nothing wrong with me) and depression and it's almost impossible to motivate myself.
I in fact was so tired and my joints ached to the point that I did not exercise yesterday evening. I won't get to this evening as I have to grocery shop. Thursday it is on!
Eating is good at least.
Onward and downward.1 -
Got my workout in. Strength training. Good workout. Eating on point.
It's snowing over here. Winter storm warning. Ugh. Have another workout planned if we don't lose power. *fingers crossed*0 -
Spin class and bowling yesterday, strength class at lunch today. Might do yoga tonight. We were on the outskirts of the snow, only got an inch.0
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Hi all. Im new. Not new to low carb. Im going to jump in here as im just restarting my journey today. I lost 60 lbs doing keto in 2018 and maintained till about 2020. Lockdown during the pandemic waylayed me. I went back tomeating all the convenience junk and sweets and going way over my maintenance calories and it all slowly crept back up and now im back where i started at 194. My goal is 135. I felt and looked great at 135.
Stats: 5'5" female. 48yo.
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TheRusticRebel wrote: »Hi all. Im new. Not new to low carb. Im going to jump in here as im just restarting my journey today. I lost 60 lbs doing keto in 2018 and maintained till about 2020. Lockdown during the pandemic waylayed me. I went back tomeating all the convenience junk and sweets and going way over my maintenance calories and it all slowly crept back up and now im back where i started at 194. My goal is 135. I felt and looked great at 135.
Stats: 5'5" female. 48yo.
Ayyyy. Welcome!
I too maintained my weightloss until sometime during the pandemic. I am now about 60 lbs of that up (originally lost 100).
Anyway. Another "much much better" weekend is in the books! Only drank Saturday as per my plan. Sunday was a little higher calories than planned but not unfortunate. Haven't weighed today. The morning was rocky, so I'll do it for sure tomorrow. Exercise planned. On plan and optimistic for the week.
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Day 1.
Under carb limit: ✔️
Under calories: ✔️
Movement:❌️
I dont weigh daily. Is that something thats recommended here?1 -
Jan SW 173.5
CW 172.5
GW 150.0
I committed to the yoga and went Boy did I lose a lot of flexibility in those two months. Today will get in some indoor walking and some dumbbells.
@TheRusticRebel I weigh myself daily but rarely post it. I may start doing that again.2 -
TheRusticRebel wrote: »Day 1.
Under carb limit: ✔️
Under calories: ✔️
Movement:❌️
I dont weigh daily. Is that something thats recommended here?
Naw. I do it because it helps me keep the habit. If I get out of habit, then I lose momentum and stop weighing at all. After that goes the logging habit. And on comes the weight.1 -
Got in a great workout yesterday. One planned for today. It's a mobility fusion, which I think means stretching, yoga, pilates, and barre type stuff. I may add a 15 min Sansone vid on the end if I feel it's not enough movement.
Ate a bit too many calories yesterday. Oldest son brought me home some wings. Blew the whole day out of the water, calorie-wise. The rest of my day was on point though. So I didn't make it an "f-it" day and just go bananas as I have in the past. Which I will count as a win. Because better is better.1 -
My Monday night class is like that, called Mobilize. It includes yoga, pilates, balance and tai-chi. I hadn't been to that class in close to two months and it showed. I lost a good amount of my flexibility and balance. Need to practice both at home it seems.
Had a nice sesame seared tuna steak last night. Beef and broccoli on the menu tonight. In the office today and hope I packed enough to keep me out of the free snacks.1 -
tishsmith101 wrote: »My Monday night class is like that, called Mobilize. It includes yoga, pilates, balance and tai-chi. I hadn't been to that class in close to two months and it showed. I lost a good amount of my flexibility and balance. Need to practice both at home it seems.
Had a nice sesame seared tuna steak last night. Beef and broccoli on the menu tonight. In the office today and hope I packed enough to keep me out of the free snacks.
I ended up doing a mile walk after to get more sweat but, man, felt great after the mobility work!
I'm not going to report my weight as I'm way too embarrassed. I can say though that I'm back to my week-after-Thanksgiving weight today. Better is better.
Although my meds are delayed in shipping. They are 4 days late so far. So I'm having to half-dose it and I'm crossing my fingers they get here by the weekend cuz that's when the binge eating and drinking urges kick it up about 11,087 notches.
Annnyway... Great strength workout in the queue for this evening. Onward and downward.
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Day 2 yesterday i did great. Stayed within carbs and calories. Still no extra movement but i do average about 13k steps a day.
Day 3 today and so far so good.
I usually weigh on sunday mornings. I will probably just keep on with that.0 -
Ugh, I did not stay out of the snacks. However, I did choose the heathy nuts and protein bar. Feeling scattered for a few days. Writing down daily goals to help keep me on the right track.
Have a great weekend!1 -
Another successful day. I just have to make it through the weekend without slipping. Its easy to stick to a plan when im busy with work and kid stuff during the week. But this weekend will test my resolve for sure.2
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Hi guys
I'm a little late for January but I guess better late than never😂 i wanted to do keto for the entire month of January but I keep "cheating". I have done keto in the past and once I get into it (about 1 week in) I start to feel really good i always go off track when i travel for work.
I need a bit of accountability and positive support. So here goes.
Day 1
CW 163
GW 130
- Stay under calories
- track macros
- exercise 1 hour
- no alcohol (triggers binge eating)
Let's take action today!
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Yesterday was another good day.
Today is shaping up good as well. I weighed in!
SW:195
CW: 187.4 -7.6 lbs
GW: 135
Obviously this is my water whoosh. But its still nice to see. Im definitely in full ketosis now and im feeling pretty good. Need to do some planning for the week so i dont slip.
Hope y'all are having a good weekend!1 -
Nothing going on here, sick with a cold and feeling like a zombie. Fingers crossed for a better day tomorrow.1
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Just popping in to say hi and Happy New Year everyone .... I am having a lot of medical issues... my foot is still in a cast and they are thinking I need another surgery .... I am having an MRI on my shoulder soon ..I have to have glasses and I am still on a lot of meds due to being diabetic ... I have issues with my kidney's ....I am a mess for sure ...but I did turn 54 on 12/29 ...3
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Megan_smartiepants1970 wrote: »Just popping in to say hi and Happy New Year everyone .... I am having a lot of medical issues... my foot is still in a cast and they are thinking I need another surgery .... I am having an MRI on my shoulder soon ..I have to have glasses and I am still on a lot of meds due to being diabetic ... I have issues with my kidney's ....I am a mess for sure ...but I did turn 54 on 12/29 ...
I'm sorry to hear you are still having so many issues. Hoping that gets better very very soon. Happy Belated Bday to you though!
I'm still on track and doing pretty well. Calories a little looser this past weekend since I didn't log. That's something to work on for this one. But I kept my alcohol within my goal. Another huge win for me.
My weight is just kind sitting 1.5lb less than the post-Thanksgiving weigh-in. But my body does this regularly and it will budge. I just have to be patient. Great strength workout yesterday. Planning to do another today. Still not back to 4-5 days a week consistently due to family interruptions and poor recovery, but I'm working on it
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SW: 195
LW: 187.4
CW: 186.6 -.8
GW: 135
Any loss is better than no loss. I havent been great at tracking but i do have a blood ketone meter and i have been staying pretty firmly in ketosis. So my plan going forward is to track more to get a handle on my calories.0 -
I've been here before and found it really helpful, but it's been a loong time. I lost 20+ lbs on keto in 2015-2016ish and kept it off for several years but then switched to a sedentary job ... then COVID lockdown ... then had a very debilitating MS attack in 2021 followed by 4 rounds of COVID, lots of steroids and antibiotics, went from runner/hiker to "dynamic disability," plus likely perimenopause (I'm 48).
I'm 5'7" and (outside of twin pregnancy) I'd never weighed more than about 160. I've been gaining roughly 10 lbs a year for several years now and am currently at 196.6.
I've tried some different food plans, MS diets, etc. and talked to my PCP and MS specialist about this several times, but my current health challenges and debilitating MS/long COVID fatigue make it hard to (a) stick to a deficit without my fatigue getting even worse and (b) limits my energy/ability to consistently meal prep over time and even have energy to *consistently* make good choices.
I'm staritng over now though as I just can't keep gaining like this, and my cholesterol, triglycerides and A1C are creeping up while my HDL has gone down. I may have to keep experimenting, but I think coming back to the accountability of this lovely group will probably be good for me. My PCP's latest recommendation was to try Atkins-style eating (maybe closer to Atkins 40 rather than Atkins 20), and to focus on macros rather than cutting calories since cutting has been such a struggle for me the past few years. Keto worked beautifully for me in the past but now I struggle with both energy levels and reflux at times (feeling like I need something a little starchy to settle my stomach) so I haven't stuck with it very long at a time in the past 4-5 years.
Current goals:
Staying under carbs: 35 net for now
Staying under calories: Aiming for a range of 1400-1700 or so, with flexibility here based on MS symptoms.
Logging and measuring: Yes, just re-starting now!
Getting in exercise/movement if that's one of your goals: Yes! I have done a TON of physical therapy and MS-specific exercises, and have a good plan in place that includes exercising "to tolerance" 5-6 days a week.
Keeping an eye on electrolyte levels: This is one thing I've skipped in recent years when trying keto. For some reason I didn't think I needed it, but I'm going back to this now.
Getting enough water: I almost always do. Naturally thirsty and I actually love water, so that's one thing I've got going for me.
Planning ahead!!! You're absolutely right. I need to keep up on easy foods and I think add in some single-serve low carb freezer meals to have on hand for when I have a rougher day or week MS-wise.
Mad props to anyone who actually read or skimmed that whole novel. 0
