The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: wildbeast on April 01, 2018, 09:57:47 AM
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Who's up for the new challenge?
Please note I've added inches as an option for anyone interested in setting a goal in that category. And don't forget to report your results in the March thread if you participated in that!
Let the shedding begin! :)
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APRIL Roster
Name Goal/lbs Actual/lbs...... Goal/in.....Actual/in
Cali.......................5
neophyte...............5 .............1
jooniFLORisploo......2..............2
Sailor Sam.............4..............7
koshtra.......................................................0.6
westtoeast.............5
Better Late.............2.............2.5
comicguy................3
ToughMother............3
brooklynmoney........2
A&R.......................4
MaybeBabyMustache...4............ .05
blinx7.....................4
hoping2retire35.......4.................8
alleykat..................4.................6
RetiredAt63.............4................7.7
Anette....................6.................3.5
BlueSky45..............5
skibum...................5...................................3
cripes7...................5.................3
ender.....................8
MrsWolfeRN............2
garion....................5
haypug16...............4
jane x....................2.................4
Hirondelle...............3
kapiira...................3.................3
couponvan.............2.5
ohsnap..................5...............6.5
westtoeast.............7
Total goal: 108.5 lbs 3.6 in.
Total Lost: 61.7 lbs
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Cali -5 (I'd rather under promise and over deliver. LOL)
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I'm in for 5 again! Almost hit that for March. Hopefully I can keep it up!
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Goal: minus 2 lbs
I like two, because it keeps me committed enough to not gain -my primary goal- and focused enough for slow, sustainable lifestyle changes, yet is easy to achieve thus celebrate :)
*I again won't be travelling this month, so that makes it easier.
*I have new energy for movement, so am actively looking for ways to add that in.
*Feb 15-March 30 I had a specific eating plan. It was wonderful, but I'm convinced the volume of fruit I relied on left me itchy.
So my plan for April:
**Limit sugars regardless of form (starches, fruit, junk food, whatever)
**Experiment with community gym with kid
**Walk to my school 1x week
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Sir Samuel has decided to join his fine fellows, and has set a goal of -4 lbs.
I'm underway, and I have zero pop tarts available for consumption. The loss is almost guaranteed, right?
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I'm in! -0.6" for me.
"Whoso forsaketh poptarts shall gain eternal loss." Something like that.
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I’d like to join!
Goal: -5 lbs
Plan:
-Kickboxing class 2X/week
-Weights 2X/week
-Tracking calories on My Fitness Pal
-Almost exclude refined carbs and sugars
-No eating after 6:00 pm
Challenge: I’ll be traveling to Budapest for a week and will be in a hostel with no privacy and limited kitchen!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I would like to participate again with the goal of 2 lbs for April. That would take me under a milestone number. Lots of travel this month so will need to be extra mindful. I am trying to be more active this month as well--some body parts are feeling a bit wobbly!!! :)
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I am going to go for 3 lbs as I have a couple of out of town conferences and several in school full day meetings as well.
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Oh wow do I need this.
Let's say -3lbs this month and be psyched if it is more.
A bit more movement but mostly healthier eating will be the approach.
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I would like to lose weight. I will take any amount. I’m up 2 pounds from last December. It’s not that big a deal but it annoys me. If I lost 3 or 4 pounds I would be stoked and at my goal weight ( I am short so a few pounds is a material difference for me).I will have to get ok with being hungry to do that. But once I do the weight should come off and then it seems like I don’t have to stay hungry to maintain it.
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What an inspiration!!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-man-drops-326-lbs-after-fort-mcmurray-escape-1.4601130
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I'm in! Shooting for -4 lbs this month. :)
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I'm going with a 4lb loss this month.
Plan:
-Another round of 21 Day Fix
-Run 8 times
-Keep calories at or below 1400/day
-5+ servings/day of fruit & veggies
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BOOM, ok count me in!
I did Frugal February and only ate out once the whole month.
I did decluttering March, organized our attic, gave away a ton on Craigslist and went to goodwill twice.
I love these challenges. :) Let's do this people!
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ugh, March didn't go well...
20 lbs still
Maybe I can actually wear my 34" pants instead of 'squeezing' into them.
My plan;
delayed, small breakfast
late lunch (early afternoon) a little bigger but still just a normal meal
snack/small meal for supper
No beer, ugh
Basically my Lenten fast everyday of the week. Here we go!
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I will join in again with 4 lbs for the month. That gives me a 1lb a week. Doable.
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I'm in for 4 pounds this month. I lost 7 last month so 4 is a minimum. I made it past Easter with no chocolate, so the rest of the month should be easy (right, eh?).
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Not only did I eat a lot of chocolate ( among other things) but we still have lots of tasty, unhealthy foods in the house!
Making a commitment to loose 3kg (a good 6 pounds) minimum.
I will start the metabolic balance diet again ( has previously worked well for me, lost ~30 pounds seven years ago, but slowly gained back 20) and go for 40 min walks at least 3x a week.
Thanks for the challenge, that helps a lot.
Wishing everyone good luck with your leftovers from Easter and a great start!
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I'm in and am aiming for -5 pounds. Planning to get more exercise and cut out most sugars :)
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I'm in for 5 lbs and 3 inches! After a month of various stresses, the scale was at (gulp) 210 this AM.
I have suffered from really disordered eating in the past. Tracking calories is not for me - I get seriously obsessed and crazy about it, including weighing myself daily (or multiple times throughout the day).
This time I'm going to focus on:
a) Self-care, including hot yoga 3x per week
b) Minimal packaged or restaurant foods (which will help with the budget as well)
c) Weighing myself once per week on the same day, and no more.
Anything else would be optional!
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I'm in for 5 again
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I'm in. This will be hard but meh.
Starting ~218ish. Aiming for 210. Adventurous I guess. But hey whatever better to aim for that and fail than not aim and not come close?
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I think I will just try for two this month. This seems realistic to me.
Mini goals: one or less alcohol drink per day
Five fruits or vegetables
Core exercises daily
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Well, I'm not off to a good start. PMS and 50% off Easter candy teamed up on me yesterday with predictable results. Good progress last month had me saying "it's fine, go ahead."
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I aim to lose 5 pounds in April, despite a number of challenges.
Starting weight: 191
Goal by end of April: 186
Challenges: Currently have a sprained ankle, limiting exercise. Also have a week of work travel to Africa mid-month, then leaving for another work trip to Asia at the end of the month. Stress and travel tend to lead to weight gain, which is partially how I gained some of this weight in the first place.
Strategies: Focus on portion size. Avoid eating out when not traveling. Avoid stress eating. Get enough sleep and water.
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Wednesday weekly averages:
March 28: 166.2 lbs, 36.9"
April 4: 165.2 lbs, 36.8"
... and we're off! Looking for 36.3", this month, so not very far to go. But I'm guessing these last few inches are going to be more stubborn than the first few were :-)
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Well, I'm not off to a good start. PMS and 50% off Easter candy teamed up on me yesterday with predictable results. Good progress last month had me saying "it's fine, go ahead."
Sorry, but LMAO. Exactly. That 50% off got me good. I should have stayed away from all stores.
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Yesterday was a little bit off the rails, thanks to chaotic logistics. I kept a running estimate of calories in my head, instead of logging progressively. I figured I had room for those lunchtime chips. I did not have room for those lunchtime chips. Happily, I ended up at maintenance, instead of completely blowing past what my body actually needed. C'est la vie.
Skipped breakfast this morning, because I wasn't hungry. So now I've got extra calories to play with tonight. Lunchtime chips, anyone?
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I'm in for April! I'm keeping my same goal of 4 lbs from last month plus I'd like to add a goal of losing 1 inch around my waist. I've never been big into measuring but I think it's a good idea. I'll have to bust out the measuring tape tonight and see where I'm at. I don't even know how realistic 1 inch is but I figure I'll use it as a starting point.
April 3rd Weight - 127.0 Lbs - ??.?inches
Goal weight - 123.0 Lbs - ??.?inches
0/4 lbs lost 0/1 inch lost
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I'm in for April! I'm keeping my same goal of 4 lbs from last month plus I'd like to add a goal of losing 1 inch around my waist. I've never been big into measuring but I think it's a good idea. I'll have to bust out the measuring tape tonight and see where I'm at. I don't even know how realistic 1 inch is but I figure I'll use it as a starting point.
April 3rd Weight - 127.0 Lbs - ??.?inches
Goal weight - 123.0 Lbs - ??.?inches
0/4 lbs lost 0/1 inch lost
Vague rule-of-thumb: 1" ~ 4 or 5 lbs
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I'm in for April! I'm keeping my same goal of 4 lbs from last month plus I'd like to add a goal of losing 1 inch around my waist. I've never been big into measuring but I think it's a good idea. I'll have to bust out the measuring tape tonight and see where I'm at. I don't even know how realistic 1 inch is but I figure I'll use it as a starting point.
April 3rd Weight - 127.0 Lbs - ??.?inches
Goal weight - 123.0 Lbs - ??.?inches
0/4 lbs lost 0/1 inch lost
Vague rule-of-thumb: 1" ~ 4 or 5 lbs
Perfect!
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Ok guys, the April roster has been added at the top of the thread. Welcome everyone!
A couple of you didn't post your lbs goal so I put in 4, as that seems to be the most common. If you want me to change it, just let me know.
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The regular weight loss thread doesn't seem to help me, so I'll give this one a try. 3 lbs goal for me please! :)
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I'm in. My goal is to lose 3 lbs.
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I'm in for April with a more realistic 2.5 pound weight loss goal thanks to Sailor Sam's better math of how many calories you have to eat per day to lose a pound. I'm also going to start actually counting my calories.
142.2 as of 4/5/18
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I'm getting a bit frustrated. I'm at a healthy weight for my height (21.9 BMI, so basically smack dab in the middle of the targeted range), but I would like to be about 5-10 lbs lighter, mostly for vanity reasons. I used to be about 20-25 lbs heavier than I am now, but I have been at my current weight for the past 2 plus years. It was relatively easy for me to lose those 20-25 lbs, but it has been difficult to get any lower. Earlier in the week I got annoyed because I had an extremely healthy day of eating with plenty of activity thrown into the mix, but when I got on the scale the next morning, I was up a pound. As a result, I decided to consume copious amount of chocolate for lunch the next day. I'm going to try to make good food choices for the rest of the month and remain active, even if the scale does weird things. If I still don't get any results, I'll have to reevaluate my goals.
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@a&R Those last few "Vanity pounds" are the hardest. Your body is like cool were at a nice healthy weight I think I'll chill right here.
I measured my waist and also hopped on the scale since I was feeling pretty good (went for a run yesterday ate a salad for lunch etc.
April 3rd - 127.0 lbs
April 5th - 126.2 lbs - 32 1/2 "
Goal weight - 123.0 Lbs - 31 1/2 "
.8/4 lbs lost 0/1 inch lost
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I found regular check-ins helpful last month. I was up 2 lbs to 171.4 yesterday, but I was expecting a bounce up this week. Next week I should hopefully log a loss again.
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Interesting reading everyone's strategies. @a&R maybe focusing on the inches would help you? Sometimes there are body changes that aren't represented on the scale.
I'm starting with exercise. I got really out of shape the last year or so.
Further to my hot yoga goal (3x per week), decided get back into running. At some point in my life, not recently, I was a runner who completed a marathon. Used to really love it.
So Saturday I took my first "run" (e.g. walking, some running) in about 3 years.
It....went. Not particularly well. I'm following the Couch to 5 K program, and I managed to complete all the 'running' intervals, although they were painfully slow.
Sunday I was SORE. But today feel OK, and am planning yoga again tonight.
Historically, I crave better food, and eat better in general when I am more active. So fingers crossed this helps with bad food cravings and helping me make choices that are better.
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Bought a scale. 183.7 this morning. Only 23.7lbs to go.
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skibum - I jogged for the first time in forever on Sunday and again this morning. Just 10 minutes each time at a very easy pace. I could've probably gone longer, but I don't want to overdo it at the outset. It made me pretty sore too. I think in order to lose any more I'll have to exercise harder and cleanup my diet a bit. I'm doing pretty well with not snacking, but I don't necessarily eat low calorie or diet foods at meals either. Those things just don't leave me feeling very satisfied.
My goals for the rest of the week are:
- Minimize snacking
- 45 minutes of activity per day (at least 10 minutes of running)
- Incorporate some dumbbell exercises
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This week is going to be a challenge. Lunch is being provided 4 of the 5 days. At least I get to order lunch for 2 of the days so I can throw in some healthier options. I need to make sure I'm making time for working out too. I've been kind of bad about that this month only running a couple times and no other working out besides walking. Need to add some strength training to the mix.
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Is it too late for me to join? 2017 was an OK food & exercise year for me, but I had a really bad 1Q 2018. I realized on April 5 that I'd gained 7.5 pounds in 2 1/2 months. (I need to insert 100 sad face emojis here). So, I immediately got off the sweets, chips, & beer wagon, and onto the fruit & veg wagon.
From my April 6 high (how did it go up the day after I started my diet?!) I hope to lose 5 pounds by April 30.
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ohsnap - I find that when I gain several pounds quickly, it tends to come off easier than if I had those pounds for years. I'm sure you'll be able to make good progress this month. Welcome!
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Hi everyone - I've been really busy so haven't had a chance to pop by and I'm glad to see all the action going on here, including some new peeps! The roster has been updated. Welcome everyone!
I weighed in a few days ago and was pleasantly surprised by a 1 lb. loss on the scale. I still haven't taken my measurements though. I think this month is going to be mainly focusing on staying the course on food choices as it looks like it will be a very busy time and that's when I too often decide that things like pizza and takeout make perfect sense.
I've been happy that I did some batch cooking a few weeks ago. It's hard to justify buying junk when you have perfectly good food at home. Today I'll season a bunch of chicken for grilling.
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I am down 1 pound give or take a few ounces. 1 more to go! Would like to lose 2 more to get me back to my low last year around this time.
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Wednesday weekly averages:
March 28: 166.2 lbs, 36.9"
April 4: 165.2 lbs, 36.8"
April 11: 164.3 lbs, 36.5"
So far so good.
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Ooooooooo, look at you go, koshtra! Nice and steady and mellow :)))
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Thanks so much, Joon! In related news, 3 pull-ups in a row this morning. 6 weeks ago was the first time I had successfully done a pull-up in... three decades? Four?
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Wow Koshtra, great work on the pull-ups. I think I'm a way from those.
Hard day with eating yesterday - somebody brought leftover doughnuts from a meeting AND girl guide cookies. Grr.
Went to yoga though, and thought I'd share this story. On the way, I was stopped at a light and saw a woman crossing the street with a big bag of takeout containers, probably Chinese. (Started thinking about Chinese takeout, of course.) Then I looked up to see that she was eating an ice cream cone. I started laughing like a loon in my car. #DessertFirst I guess, and no sharing with whoever the takeout was for. Life goals?
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...3 pull-ups in a row this morning. 6 weeks ago was the first time I had successfully done a pull-up in... three decades? Four?
WOW!!! That's an even bigger deal!!! (I know I can't do one. But I couldn't three or four decades ago, either, haha.)
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...#DessertFirst I guess, and no sharing with whoever the takeout was for. Life goals?
haha, a woman after my own heart. And now I will make some paleo crumble just for me and not tell my kid :) Thanks for the inspiration!
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Well, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions and I have been a lazy, unmotivated bum for way too long. Posting intentions and plans without following through on my plans is clearly not the way to go.
So, I got some unplanned exercise via Physical Therapy which showed me just how out of shape I am...
Then Mr. R. and I took a looong walk on the beach, which burnt me to a crisp and made me sore for two days...
Working at spring gardening has strengthened me a bit like it always does - but right now I am a hurting puppy... my muscles are protesting.
The PLAN
PT is finally done, so I guess this is a good time to continue my homework from that.
Walk or bike each day - action-find a step counter app for my phone. Kid got the bike ready for me and it is a lovely day today.
Maybe my friend will go on a walk with me tomorrow - we'll see.
Absolutely, positively - NO SNACKS after supper. I never used to eat past supper, that is one super bad habit to get into.
Whatever sweets or snacks I crave during the day - cut in half.
Next week - look at the actual calories I am consuming - which seems to have crept up to insane levels.
Pilates CD and my new fitness board will be part of my new exercise routine - we'll see how that goes.
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Nice job on the pull-ups! If I'm working out consistently I have been able to get up to 3 but the first one I "jump" into it and the others I don't fully extend. So they are 3 "cheating" pull-ups. Currently I can do maybe 1 on a good day.
April 3rd - 127.0 lbs
April 5th - 126.2 lbs - 32 1/2 "
April 12th - 125.2 lbs - 32 "
Goal weight - 123.0 Lbs - 31 1/2 "
1.8/4 lbs lost .5/1 inch lost
1 lb this past week :) very happy about that. 2.2 lbs to go!
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I am being more serious this month.
I have a 6 day workout routine. 6 small meals every two hours 6am to 4pm with plenty of protein and it helps prevent the bad snacking. Staying on track for drinking lots of water.
Thursdays are Highland Games training; log, kettle bell, and rock toss. Here I go!
Edit; @koshtra I struggle with pull ups too. Trying just hanging for a while, it helps. Keep a clock near by and watch the seconds.
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So far so good here. I don't have a scale so I think I'll only be able to weigh in by the end of the month. However at 4 days in I averaged 1600 kcal/day and at least one hour of moderate/intense exercise :)
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Daily scale fluctuations drive me nuts...I should probably only weigh in once or twice a week. I was up 2.5 this morning! Still down from my starting point last week. I'm not sure what happened. I stayed within my caloric budget yesterday, although my choices weren't that great. Less fruit & veg & whole grains, and I ate meat for the first time in a week. At 2 meals.
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181.5 this morning. Down from 184 on the 6th. But I think it might be a fleeting low. No worries, I'll get there for realzies eventually.
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It's probably worth testing your scales -- get on them at least a dozen times, with or without something you know weighs 1 lb, with or without something you know weighs 2 lbs -- to understand the variation in your measurements. When you pile that variation on top of your own body's variation, you're likely to see 3 lbs "play" in either direction. (Change the weights between times because a lot of scales "stick" -- tend to give you the same weight twice in a row, even if the weight changes.)
I think weighing in weekly is about the worst thing to do, unless you're looking for a huge loss, because the variance will swamp the actual loss number. If you're not going to weigh daily and take averages, it's probably better to weigh monthly. Monthly should at least tell you whether you're headed in the right direction. Weekly might tell you you're losing at a good clip when you're actually gaining, or vice versa. Which either gives you despair or false confidence --either one is great for sabotaging your resolve.
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It's probably worth testing your scales -- get on them at least a dozen times, with or without something you know weighs 1 lb, with or without something you know weighs 2 lbs -- to understand the variation in your measurements. When you pile that variation on top of your own body's variation, you're likely to see 3 lbs "play" in either direction. (Change the weights between times because a lot of scales "stick" -- tend to give you the same weight twice in a row, even if the weight changes.)
I think weighing in weekly is about the worst thing to do, unless you're looking for a huge loss, because the variance will swamp the actual loss number. If you're not going to weigh daily and take averages, it's probably better to weigh monthly. Monthly should at least tell you whether you're headed in the right direction. Weekly might tell you you're losing at a good clip when you're actually gaining, or vice versa. Which either gives you despair or false confidence --either one is great for sabotaging your resolve.
Good points re scale and weighing frequency. Somehow I do feel like monthly is a bit too long though, as it makes me clueless about whether I'm heading in the right direction. Daily is for many people too frustrating (don't they always tell you to not step on the scale too often?!) though you are right that weekly averages will be way more accurate than once/week but it will give you a sense of direction. Personally, I like biweekly as it gives the body a little more time to get to a loss bigger than the scale fluctuations, but isn't too far away from the next measurement.
Having another perfect day of 1660 kcal while being good on macro's. Trying to up to proteins a bit though, as I'm on the lower side of the healthy range.
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It's probably worth testing your scales -- get on them at least a dozen times, with or without something you know weighs 1 lb, with or without something you know weighs 2 lbs -- to understand the variation in your measurements. When you pile that variation on top of your own body's variation, you're likely to see 3 lbs "play" in either direction. (Change the weights between times because a lot of scales "stick" -- tend to give you the same weight twice in a row, even if the weight changes.)
I think weighing in weekly is about the worst thing to do, unless you're looking for a huge loss, because the variance will swamp the actual loss number. If you're not going to weigh daily and take averages, it's probably better to weigh monthly. Monthly should at least tell you whether you're headed in the right direction. Weekly might tell you you're losing at a good clip when you're actually gaining, or vice versa. Which either gives you despair or false confidence --either one is great for sabotaging your resolve.
Both digital scales we've owned were "sticky" and it was obvious. How could I possibly be exactly 1XX.2 pounds every day for 3 days in a row? So now we have a scale that looks like the one I used to see at Grandma's house.
About the daily/weekly/monthly....like Hirondelle just mentioned, monthly is much too long; I need more immediate feedback. I'm going to stick with daily for now. You mentioned averaging - my husband said the same thing to me this morning. As long as the trend is downward, an upward blip one or 2 days a week shouldn't cause me to freak out.
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Week 2 weigh in and again pleasantly surprised to see a loss on the scale. I'm down 2.4 lbs for the month. I had two days this week when I ate off plan including last night when we went to the movies and had lots of popcorn and coke so I actually expected a slight gain.
I think monthly weigh ins would be too long for me as well. But I do find that I have to build in the monthly hormonal fluctuations so that I don't become discouraged and upset. Dh prefers monthly, heck even bi-monthly, weigh ins. I don't think men have the same hang ups with weight that women do.
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Well, I'm not off to a good start. PMS and 50% off Easter candy teamed up on me yesterday with predictable results. Good progress last month had me saying "it's fine, go ahead."
I feel your pain neophyte! PMS and asthma (which translates to Prednisone) has me up +0.8. Grrrr....
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Here's a recent (and typical) two weeks of daily weighings (the blue line), when I was eating exactly the same number of calories and doing nearly the same amount of exercise every day. If you pick any two points on this chart that are seven days apart, you can show anything from a 1.5 pound gain to a 2 pound loss. In fact what I'm doing -- what I've been doing for fifty weeks now -- is losing a very boring predictable steady 1.2 pounds per week. (Oh, ignore the "measured waist" title, that's not the data selected here.)
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I have to weigh myself daily. ( I tend to overdo it and take the average of three measurements. ) Monthly will definitely lead to procrastination on my part and weekly still does to a lesser extent.
I had a bad week food and exercise wise, but I still managed to make it back down to 169.8 for my weekly check in here.
My big news is that I got a new exercise buddy! We're still working on manners so our walks are painfully slow at this point, but he's pretty smart so hopefully he'll pick it up and accept that I expect him to listen to me soon.
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Well, he's cute as...well, a puppy!
What a great companion and inspiration for movement :)
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Oh neophyte, I want him/her - just look at that sweet face. Looks smart as a whip too.
Sometimes I wish I had a dog, but it isn't a good idea for various reasons.
Well, I drug out the scale, which isn't working anymore - maybe it just needs a new battery? I was thinking of weighing in once a week or every other week.
Ten pounds in four months would be nice too, but I'd be happier with more endurance and losing inches than the actual weight.
Losing a dress size would be the ultimate - a solid size 12 would make me very happy indeed.
I do miss being slim and fitting into a size eight or ten. Size ten sounds like the moon when you are a size 14:)
More garden work happened - that's good exercise!
Haven't cut out all the snacks and sweets after supper - yet - but there has been progress.
Ate more salad - I like a good salad, but not so much as the main meal. Will do more salad this week - Tuna tonight, served on top of lots of green stuff and herbs from the garden and sliced boiled egg and a big ring of pineapple on top. Yum :)
I'll be taking a short bike ride today to a nearby park to test the feasibility and security of adding this to my daily routine. Everything else is too dangerous to get to, I'll have to transport the bike in my car - ugh.
The weather unexpectedly turned cool for a few days this week, 60's - so Mr. R. and I will take a two-mile walk in the park tonight and maybe every night. The beach or three different huge parks with trails are all nearby.
We'll see how this week goes - I'll report back.
What is a good website to go to for checking my calorie intake? As of today, I'll write down my calories for a week, just to see how much we actually consume. Maybe it could be as easy as swapping out one item for another?
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Neophyte - Congrats on the pupster! That's the best kind of exercise buddy.
Sigh. I'm getting so discouraged. My weight is very much stuck in the 139-141 range. Starting to very much think this is my setpoint, which I am semi unhappy with.
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Wednesday weekly averages:
March 28: 166.2 lbs, 36.9"
April 4: 165.2 lbs, 36.8"
April 11: 164.3 lbs, 36.5"
April 18: 163.2 lbs, 36.4"
Pretty much on course, here... looking for that nice soft landing.
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What is a good website to go to for checking my calorie intake? As of today, I'll write down my calories for a week, just to see how much we actually consume. Maybe it could be as easy as swapping out one item for another?
For most purposes I just google e.g. "calories potato" and Google pops up a serviceable answer.
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Sigh. I'm getting so discouraged. My weight is very much stuck in the 139-141 range. Starting to very much think this is my setpoint, which I am semi unhappy with.
Yeah, it sucks. I gather from folks like Stephan Guyenet that setpoints move up easily, but it's not really known whether they ever move down :-(
I've been working this past year from the hypothesis that my appetite is just irremediably broken -- that I'll always want to eat more than is good for me. Which is discouraging in one way, but in another it sort of clears the deck and makes the problem straightforward: I just have to measure and monitor what I put in my mouth.
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Sigh. I'm getting so discouraged. My weight is very much stuck in the 139-141 range. Starting to very much think this is my setpoint, which I am semi unhappy with.
Yeah, it sucks. I gather from folks like Stephan Guyenet that setpoints move up easily, but it's not really known whether they ever move down :-(
I'm in a healthy weight range, so part of me wants to be okay with it. But the other part is a bit more vain. I'm going to try a bit of intermittent fasting. Maybe that'll help.
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Neophyte, such a cute puppy! He will certainly motivate you to move.
Koshtra, I just read 'The Hungry Brain', have you tried eating bland foods that are not rewarding? It's something I've been experimenting with to help me with appetite control. I'm certainly less interested in finishing bland food. (Of course, then I have to stop myself from snacking an hour later, but that's a different problem...)
As of this AM, down 2.5 lbs in April, so halfway to my goal. Fingers crossed I'll make it, although overeating on the weekends is killing me.
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Koshtra, I just read 'The Hungry Brain', have you tried eating bland foods that are not rewarding? It's something I've been experimenting with to help me with appetite control. I'm certainly less interested in finishing bland food. (Of course, then I have to stop myself from snacking an hour later, but that's a different problem...)
I still eat high-reward foods, but I'm really strict with quantities. For instance I eat half a cup of ice cream every night, but it's *exactly* half a level cup -- like, meticulously packed, and eaten out of the measuring cup :-) Whereas the bowl of plain broccoli I have with my breakfast, or the plain potatoes I have with dinner -- I don't fuss about the amounts of those. I'm not worried about getting out of hand with them.
For me, the high-reward foods are essential to being able to stay on program. Three times a day I get something that I REALLY like to eat, a few bites that totally trigger the dopamine explosion (or whatever it is that makes the pleasure centers do their near-orgasmic thing.) If I have those moments to look forward to I can get through a 500-calorie deficit day, no sweat. A treat is on the way. A rescue is being thought of. The lizard brain decides it's not actually starving to death after all, and it doesn't need to snatch motor control away from the cerebral cortex.
But yeah, eating mostly bland low-reward foods, and eating mostly the same things every day, is really helpful. I don't have impulses to suddenly run amok with my daily unsweetened oatmeal, or to eat five plain potatoes instead of two at dinner. It's just food: I enjoy it, and then I forget about it.
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I'm in for April with a more realistic 2.5 pound weight loss goal thanks to Sailor Sam's better math of how many calories you have to eat per day to lose a pound. I'm also going to start actually counting my calories.
142.2 as of 4/5/18
140.2 as of 4/21/18, but only because dinner was some nuts, a bag of skinny pop, and 1/4 bag of Skittles.
The April scale has been disappointing.
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180.0 this morning. Level 1goal unlocked, though I'll certainly bounce back up. That's okay, I still have a few days to actually stay below 180.
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Week 3 and I'm down 3.2 lbs for the month despite a very stressful last two weeks so I'm pleased. Still haven't taken measurements, still haven't started exercise. Still planning to though. I've been able to stay 90% on plan with my diet despite having strong cravings for junk food this past week.
Today and tomorrow are going to be difficult emotionally. My anxiety has been high. I've cut back by 50% on my caffeine to help with it, but it's still going to be challenging. It's times like these when I see clearly how much I've relied on food for emotional coping.
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168 today. That makes me officially, uh, 1 lb down so far this month I think. Ugh. I got off course but I've been starting to get back on track this week.
I haven't done my bodyweight workouts since I got the dog. Time to get back to that now that he's settling in I think. He's been stubborn about pulling on the leash so he hasn't made a good exercise buddy at all and I was getting very frustrated, but then yesterday he finally seemed to get it and we were able to walk almost half the length of the block before we had to stop because he pulled. At one point it was literally every single step. Making walks as boring as possible at this point helps I think, so we go around and around our block. I'm also trying to avoid crossing the street for now because it messes up the training protocol.
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Been out of town and then sick and then super busy the past week and a half. I'll have to try to remember to step on the scale tomorrow morning. I am thinking about getting into the every day weight-ins. Ran 4 miles yesterday (longest run this year) plus I ran twice last week 2 and 3 miles, and did a nice 3 mile hike. So hopefully that shows up on the scale!
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Google TDEE calculator if you haven't already.
https://tdeecalculator.net/
5lbs down so far! I am going for a few more in the last few days. I'll try to sweat it out over the weekend.
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Google TDEE calculator if you haven't already.
https://tdeecalculator.net/
5lbs down so far! I am going for a few more in the last few days. I'll try to sweat it out over the weekend.
The calory values seem reasonable, but their recommended macro intake seems kind of ridiculous to me with 165g protein? Normal recommended protein intake is 0.8-1.2 g/kg body weight, but this is 2.5 g/kg body weight which is only relevent if you do really intense weight training?!
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Google TDEE calculator if you haven't already.
https://tdeecalculator.net/
5lbs down so far! I am going for a few more in the last few days. I'll try to sweat it out over the weekend.
The calory values seem reasonable, but their recommended macro intake seems kind of ridiculous to me with 165g protein? Normal recommended protein intake is 0.8-1.2 g/kg body weight, but this is 2.5 g/kg body weight which is only relevent if you do really intense weight training?!
it is giving me ~1 g/lb protein to weight. When I change the tab to "bulking" it goes up to 1.5g/lb. then again maybe it is because you are looking at lb and thinking in kg??
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Wednesday weekly averages:
March 28: 166.2 lbs, 36.9"
April 4: 165.2 lbs, 36.8"
April 11: 164.3 lbs, 36.5"
April 18: 163.2 lbs, 36.4"
April 25: 162.0 lbs, 36.1"
Hit my April goal this week. I know, 0.6" inches is a pretty modest goal, but hey, I hit it!
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Congrats and great job, koshstra!! :)))
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Google TDEE calculator if you haven't already.
https://tdeecalculator.net/
5lbs down so far! I am going for a few more in the last few days. I'll try to sweat it out over the weekend.
The calory values seem reasonable, but their recommended macro intake seems kind of ridiculous to me with 165g protein? Normal recommended protein intake is 0.8-1.2 g/kg body weight, but this is 2.5 g/kg body weight which is only relevent if you do really intense weight training?!
it is giving me ~1 g/lb protein to weight. When I change the tab to "bulking" it goes up to 1.5g/lb. then again maybe it is because you are looking at lb and thinking in kg??
No I'm looking at the kg. 1 g protein/lb weight roughly translates to 2.2 g/kg as well so that's the same. Their lowest protein intake is 30% of your daily calories while the dietary recommendation is between 10-25%, the latter being for athletes that do lots of strenght training.
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Finally checking back in... I've been eating a TON of veggies and fruit for the last 10 days - trying to make them the biggest portion of my meals. I've been feeling good and eating good - so I'm scared to get on the scale! If the number hasn't budged much I'm going to be really disappointed. Waiting until April 30th to face the scale.
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I'm down from 139/140 to 136.4 thanks to a bit of intermittent fasting. I feel like intermittent fasting is just a euphemism for skipping meals, which used to be considered unhealthy, but now it's rebranded and the hip new thing.
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I'm down from 139/140 to 136.4 thanks to a bit of intermittent fasting. I feel like intermittent fasting is just a euphemism for skipping meals, which used to be considered unhealthy, but now it's rebranded and the hip new thing.
Whatever works over the long haul! Losing weight is pretty simple: you just have to figure out how to eat less. Fasting? Restricting a macronutrient? Counting Calories? Forbidding "villain" foods (sugar, flour, saturated fat)? Sure. Everything *might* work for a person. You just have to find what *does* work for you. And be prepared to change strategies if yours stops working, alas! I was so bummed when low carb stopped working for me. That was a sad day.
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PacificEve -7
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I didn't have a proper starting weight measurement, but I'm down at least 2 lbs so I'm happy with that. 10 more to go :)
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I'm down from 139/140 to 136.4 thanks to a bit of intermittent fasting. I feel like intermittent fasting is just a euphemism for skipping meals, which used to be considered unhealthy, but now it's rebranded and the hip new thing.
I find this really funny too! Just a few years ago it was not-done to skip breakfast and now everyone's like "oh I haven't eaten yet as I do intermittent fasting". Funny how all fasters seem to skip breakfast but no one dinner?
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Nah, lots of IFers skip dinner, or breakfast and dinner. Many do their eating in a few-hour window late afternoon through evening, though, just so they can still join with family/friends and skip the less relational meal times in their life.
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Okay! Maybe it's just me that I happen to don't know any dinner-skippers. I also feel like most have their eating window from afternoon to evening so that's why I felt like most IFers skip breakfast, maybe also just because for most people it's the easiest meal to skip (both hunger-wise and relation-wise).
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Okay! Maybe it's just me that I happen to don't know any dinner-skippers. I also feel like most have their eating window from afternoon to evening so that's why I felt like most IFers skip breakfast, maybe also just because for most people it's the easiest meal to skip (both hunger-wise and relation-wise).
Yeah, exactly. From a body standpoint, I find it much easier to skip dinner or eat it late in the afternoon. From a family standpoint it's a lot easier to skip breakfast.
I'm being forceably and pedantically reminded that weight loss isn't linear:
4/23: 181.2
4/24: 180.3
4/25: 180.6
4/26: 181.0
4/27: 179.0
4/28: 177.6
What the hell, body?
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I was 99.9% sure my last relationship was over when the person declared he was now IFing through dinner time.
There’d been a series of decisions that meant more and more of our life was unshared and I was going along with those. When he decided to remove sharing our most relationshippy meal, that was the last straw for me. Which is funny considering all of what had preceded this. But yep, if I’m in a relationship, sharing long wonderful meals is 47% of the whole goddamn point, dude.
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I think I claimed 4 lbs for the month and I made it. I am surprised because it was stop and go there for awhile.
4/1 - 165
4/28- 161
That puppy is just adorable. Sure to keep you active.
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Okay! Maybe it's just me that I happen to don't know any dinner-skippers. I also feel like most have their eating window from afternoon to evening so that's why I felt like most IFers skip breakfast, maybe also just because for most people it's the easiest meal to skip (both hunger-wise and relation-wise).
Yeah, exactly. From a body standpoint, I find it much easier to skip dinner or eat it late in the afternoon. From a family standpoint it's a lot easier to skip breakfast.
I'm being forceably and pedantically reminded that weight loss isn't linear:
4/23: 181.2
4/24: 180.3
4/25: 180.6
4/26: 181.0
4/27: 179.0
4/28: 177.6
What the hell, body?
Mine did exactly the same thing last week. Five days without shifting and suddenly down a pound on day six, down another pound and a half on day seven. And I'm really kind of obsessively consistent. (And no, I don't have a boa constrictor digestion; things move along just fine.) Even after a year of this I'm still left perplexed sometimes. Though I have learned a lot more confidence that in some Platonic reality I'm losing 1.2 pounds per week, which will eventually register on the scale, the phenomenal world is still a mysterious place.
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Ah, this actually worked! I did my weigh in and I'm down 7 pounds. What!
My big changes were starting at a kickboxing gym and going 3X per week and shifting my diet to be slightly smaller portions and reduced (but not eliminated carbs). I also didn't really eat sugar, but I never do. I'm extra surprised though, because I was traveling for a full week where I didn't exercise other that site-seeing walks and I ate out for most meals.
Thanks for the thread, everyone! Hope there is a May version.
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The May thread has been started here: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/may-~-weight-loss-challenge/
How did everyone do in April?
My goal was 2 lbs and I lost 4 so I'm very pleased. It was just a slow and gradual loss which I hope will continue next month.
@westtoeast - congratulations! 7 lbs in one month is excellent.
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I was 99.9% sure my last relationship was over when the person declared he was now IFing through dinner time.
There’d been a series of decisions that meant more and more of our life was unshared and I was going along with those. When he decided to remove sharing our most relationshippy meal, that was the last straw for me. Which is funny considering all of what had preceded this. But yep, if I’m in a relationship, sharing long wonderful meals is 47% of the whole goddamn point, dude.
Agree 100%, which is why I don't IF through dinner time or lunch time on the weekends. I mostly hope that I can trick my body into losing a few more pounds doing IF once in a while. When I reach goal, hopefully I'll be able to maintain with a more normal eating schedule.
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Yesterday I had released 4+. Today, 2 lol. But 2 was my goal, so I'm happy even if the scale likes playing this little joke on me :)
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ALRIGHT! Last day. Stop eating and sweat it out. Last chance!
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My goal was to lose 3 and I think I did lose 3 or 4. My pants have loosened up enough that I don't feel like I need to go buy new clothes. Nice work everyone!
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The end of April snuck up on me!
06-April: 184 lbs
28-April: 177 lbs
Down 7 lbs. My uniform blouse definitely feels looser, which is a welcome relief.
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Not sure how I did it but I lost 6 total for April. I thought it was only four.
4/1 - 165
4/30 - 159.
Awesome.
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Great going, folks!!!!
(And now I owe some Sammy Money! YAY!)
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3 again, but we've been traveling a lot so I haven't had as much exercise.
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Only lost 3,5 pounds instead of the 6 I intended to loose, but I have to say I am happy to at least have lost those! So many temptations out there...
Will keep going in May
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8LBS
~20 or so more to go.
Dont' forget to sign up for the May challenge.
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I lost .5/lb. I'm still SLOWLY making progress! :-)
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I lost .5/lb. I'm still SLOWLY making progress! :-)
Excellent, MaybeBabyMustache! You're moving in your chosen direction and I love that you're honouring and celebrating the success :)
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My official loss for April was 1 measly pound. 1. I didn't do a great job of anything in April so hoping to kick it up a notch in May.
Strangely, I seem to have stayed pretty much on the same trajectory. I must have started April in a valley and ended in a peak.
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As of May 1, I was down 2.5 lbs so goal accomplished. For my body type and how I am wired, weight is all about sugar. Maybe someday I'll have to pull back on other carbs or fats or something but for now I am just focusing on sugar elimination as much as possible
And no I didn't move my lazy ass much more in April and it's a problem.
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I lost .5/lb. I'm still SLOWLY making progress! :-)
Excellent, MaybeBabyMustache! You're moving in your chosen direction and I love that you're honouring and celebrating the success :)
Thank you! I somehow still expect my metabolism to respond like I'm in my 20s, instead of my 40s. Slowly & surely, moving in the direction of my plan. :-)
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I lost 6.5 (goal was 5). But, it was all in the first 12 days...the last couple of weeks my weight has fluctuated up & down within a pound or so, but I can't seem to budge past the 6.5 mark. I know, I'm impatient.
Next thing to give up: the daily pint. :( Even though I don't crack open a cold one unless it's in my calorie budget for the day, all those evening carbs can't be doing me any favors.
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Hey everyone - I've updated the roster with the achievement numbers reported and as a group we lost 54 lbs in April!
If I missed anyone or made any errors, let me know.
Thanks for completing the challenge!
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@jane x I forgot to post! I had a cough all April, didn't think I was really sick but I think I may have been running a low-grade fever. All this to say that for my 4 pound goal, I lost
7.7 pounds!
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@jane x I forgot to post! I had a cough all April, didn't think I was really sick but I think I may have been running a low-grade fever. All this to say that for my 4 pound goal, I lost
7.7 pounds!
Thanks!
Our new total for pounds lost in April is 61.7! Pretty cool.
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April 3rd - 127.0 lbs
April 5th - 126.2 lbs - 32 1/2 "
April 12th - 125.2 lbs - 32
Goal weight - 123.0 Lbs - 31 1/2 "
1.8/4 lbs lost .5/1 inch lost
I never posted my end of April weight and I can't remember what it was so i stepped on the scale this morning and I'm at 125.4 so Let's just go with that. Total loss of 1.6Lbs
Now to get back on track with the May challenge.