Women 200lb+, Let's Stay Motivated This March!!!

Thank you @CupcakeCrusoe

71 years old

Challenge Starting Weight: 260 (May 2024), Pre-retirement weight 262 before May. UGW: 167 (healthy weight for a senior woman my height)

5'6" Tall

🍀 I want to hear about your wins for this year so far! What has and hasn't been working for you?

January was bad with holiday treats still around and I needed to wean my way from sugar again. February started with focus and I was doing well with making a step down in sugar intake – better than ever before. Then came Valentine’s day and Girl scout cookies to sabotage weight loss. Even so I am doing well on the nutrition and calorie fronts and am pretty much weaned from sugar. I haven’t been doing well with exercise except that last month I met my goal of walking around Greenlake.

As to weight loss I am hovering in the mid 240s and keep losing the same 3-4 pounds. I am in my smaller aquafit suit since I am down to the weight I bought it at. I have to start the weight loss going again.

I do check-ins when I lose:2/27: 244.8 (low for February)

3/5: 245.

This is my birthday week but I am trying to keep the calories down. Tomorrow we are going out to dinner and Saturday we are going to Afternoon Tea. Otherwise I am sticking to my calorie goal. After a half a year of retirement and reading Outlive etc. I think I have come up with a good weekly exercise schedule for now:

*1 session a week of Aquafit (50 minutes)

*1 session per week - long walk (60 minutes)

*4 sessions per week of 30 minute walks and 7 minute exercise for strength, stability and flexibility

*1 day of rest

March Goals:

🍀 get out of the 240s

🍀 drink more water

🍀 keep sugar intake low

🍀 keep making healthy meals at home with only 1 day a week meal out

🍀 see exercise plan above

🍀 increase general activity level with cooking, cleaning, gardening going to the basement once a day.

@CupcakeCrusoe I need to add your protein goal in

@kristinwoods919 I wish I had lost 2 pounds last month

@jenbroussard71 I am probably looking at knee surgery in my future too

@nebslp yes I hear you about the rollercoaster

@RavenStCloud so glad to see your post. It took me even longer to post this month too. Since it is my birthday week I did realize it was March but just couldn’t get to this.

@StephanieMacrecki lowering sweets has been my focus too. Now I need to get back to doing better at exercise again.

Ugh!

So finally weighed myself this morning...222 pounds. I figured. Have been feeling.like total crap. So basically gained 6 pounds in my "fun in the sun". So total loss this year is 3 pounds so far.

SW: 225

CW: 222

GW: 170

I know I will drop some water weight sooner than later. Have not gone food shopping since returning, so have been eating takeout and high sodium. Food shopping is my first priority today.

March Plan: Eat healthier and clean. Exercise. Do some light weights at the gym. Walk, track my foods.. Repeat.

Also declutter and deep clean my home and in the process, hopefully myself!

Will weigh in on Fridays. Have a good week everyone.

Birthday thoughts:

Last night I woke up after a dream at 1:30 AM and couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up and read my book. As I started back to bed I felt disappointed at the start of my birthday. I have been struggling to lose weight since the holidays. I tried at News Years and then at Chinese New Years to get back into losing. I’ve decided that birthdays are your own personal new years day. Part of the problem is that we had a car accident to deal with and have to replace a car so I have been distracted with that so exercise has been harder recently.

However, as I started off to bed I realized I am making progress if I looked at this time last year. I was still working fulltime and feeling weaker then. I wasn’t exercising much. I wasn’t able to make as many home cooked healthy meals that have always helped me lose. Okay so I have only lost 20 lbs since I retired but I have kept it off. If my weight tries to sneak up I push it back down. I have had a few weeks when I slough off on exercise but for the most part I am exercising regularly. When I do, I feel stronger. Early last summer I couldn’t walk as long as I can now and I had to stop to rest along the way. I no longer have to rest and can walk a lot longer. I have really focused on nutrition. I have been researching it along with exercise and I have been getting rid of unhealthy foods and adding in healthier foods. I have gotten my weekly sweets down to maple syrup on whole grain blueberry pancakes on the weekend. So pretty much no unrefined sugar except for special occasions. So I went back to sleep feeling less discouraged.

I usually get good sleep and yesterday I improved my water intake not that it is that bad. My husband got me a special breakfast this morning and yes some refined sugar was involved. We are going out tonight for dinner but I suspect it will be relatively healthy. We plan to go for a walk around Greenlake Saturday and then to afternoon tea.

I had another realization this morning. I have been worried my normally healthy blood pressure might be getting in the borderline range. This morning, I realized it might be a side effect of the only medication I am on. I looked it up and it is. Fortunately it isn’t a necessary medication. Anyway here is to helpful realizations.

Yesterday I stayed under my MFP calorie goal and stayed under my TDEE but was slightly above my spreadsheet calorie goal. I almost forgot to add in my drink and cappuccino. I even slept well despite the cappuccino after dinner. Not bad for birthday night out. Taking a walk with my husband and doing my 7 minutes of exercise helped. I am getting an apple watch a smaller one and reconditioned ( I liked the color) for my birthday. Anyway so far so good on March goals. We had a lot of leafy greens and asparagus and protein.

@CupcakeCrusoe thanks for the birthday wishes. Hope you get well soon.

@Mandi98U 7-8 pounds are great but I can see why you might expect more on Mounjaro. March is going to be a good month.

Jennifer - 53 years

Re-started 4/24/24 - 236.2

CW: 203.2

GW: 165 (may adjust when I get there)

Loss since 4/24/24 - 33 Pounds

5'3" Tall

Monday weigh in

3/1 - 203.2

3/3 - 203.8

3/10 - 201.6

3/17 -

3/24 -

3/31 -

I accomplished a lot this weekend. I worked out 3 times this past week, I cleaned my house, removed my Mardi Gras decorations and put a few spring things out. I had a centerpiece that needed some sprucing up and got that done. We had a fun night Saturday with my son and his friend, we played a card game that I had never heard of before called head & feet. It is a fun game; I still don't have the scoring down yet, but we had a great time.

Hope you all have a great week!