Lose weight starting TODAY!!

[DeniseNJ]

week     date    weight   loss   total loss
1   03-Dec   169   0   0
2   10-Dec   166   3   3
3   17-Dec   165   1   4
4   24-Dec   163   2   6

I made a little chart on a steno pad that looks like this. (These weights are made up.)  Weighing myself every Friday to gauge progress toward goal.  I started my cal counting on Monday 11/19 and was at 172. Today I was at 166. Doing 1200 cal per day. Logging the daily weight and cal in my little fat book and my weekly weigh in on my little fat chart as above.

[tygertygertyger]

I went ahead and bought Ring Fit Adventure - thank you poster above who recommended it! Today is Day 3 and I do feel the difference in my arms from squeezing the ring all the time. Also, it's fun and I'm happy with the not-difficult-cardio since I get plenty of walking in with my dog.

I also watched a Ted talk about intermittent fasting and figure I'll give that a try also, so today is Day 3 on that front also. Going to give both a month and figure out how they're going.

I was debating whether to request Ring Fit Adventure for Christmas, but then I got DeniseNJ in my head about starting TODAY, not later. And I remembered that I've bought like, one book for myself in the last two years (that I'd previously vetted from the library so I knew I'd want to keep it).

So what the hell, let's do this! (Slowly and with realistic expectations!)

[Askel]

My kids and I went to watch a marathon this weekend, and now my 7-year-old is obsessed with the idea of running a marathon. Obviously I told her no, but I agreed to train and do a 5k with her. I haven't run at all for a few years, so I'm going to try the Couch to 5k program. My goal is to do that 3 days a week and hot yoga 3 days a week.

c25k is good program. I know a couple of people who launched some long standing lifestyle changes with it. 

I should run more, the fitness benefits are huge for me. I just don't like it. At all.   

But making progress here. New low on last night's weigh in of 271.  So roughly tracking my pound a week plan.   But my weight can fluctuate ~10lbs, so it's easy for small losses to get lost in the noise.  Gonna keep doing what I've been doing (more exercise, less delicious double IPAs). Haven't had to start counting calories yet.   

[Fru-Gal]

Yes, this is VERY common among mothers and cited frequently as a source of plan failure. The expectation that they *should* be able to manage everything, including feeding themselves means that they never realistically plan for when they can't actually handle everything, because instead of compassionately planning for when things will be too much, they just double down on the pressure and shame to try and "motivate" themselves to magically have more bandwidth than they've ever realistically had. I see it a lot.

Here's where I reframe it as thinking like an executive, not thinking like a mom. When you think like a mom, you think that you *should* be able to do everything and that you're somehow a failure if you don't. When you think like an executive, you have no choice but to be realistic as to how far you can push the various members of your team because you can't afford systemic failure.

I want to echo @Malcat's opinion -- I thought of this years ago as a young mom/business owner. CEOs are allowed to have "brain fog" or "decision fatigue" -- that's why they get executive summaries  written in language a five-year-old can grasp. CEOs also have assistants and services! Start living like the CEO of your life, and find ways to ruthlessly eliminate pointless tasks and delegate the rest to the computer (services, macros, apps, robots/machines), your kids (make them part of the solution), or (worst case) pay someone to do it (I'm too cheap to do this often).

Love @Malcat's point about meal prep too!

[Metalcat]

Yes, this is VERY common among mothers and cited frequently as a source of plan failure. The expectation that they *should* be able to manage everything, including feeding themselves means that they never realistically plan for when they can't actually handle everything, because instead of compassionately planning for when things will be too much, they just double down on the pressure and shame to try and "motivate" themselves to magically have more bandwidth than they've ever realistically had. I see it a lot.

Here's where I reframe it as thinking like an executive, not thinking like a mom. When you think like a mom, you think that you *should* be able to do everything and that you're somehow a failure if you don't. When you think like an executive, you have no choice but to be realistic as to how far you can push the various members of your team because you can't afford systemic failure.

I want to echo @Malcat's opinion -- I thought of this years ago as a young mom/business owner. CEOs are allowed to have "brain fog" or "decision fatigue" -- that's why they get executive summaries  written in language a five-year-old can grasp. CEOs also have assistants and services! Start living like the CEO of your life, and find ways to ruthlessly eliminate pointless tasks and delegate the rest to the computer (services, macros, apps, robots/machines), your kids (make them part of the solution), or (worst case) pay someone to do it (I'm too cheap to do this often).

Love @Malcat's point about meal prep too!

Exactly! Having been an executive, I'm deeply resentful that I don't have a team in my day to day life to basically pre-chew my life for me. Lol

[Morning Glory]

Yes, this is VERY common among mothers and cited frequently as a source of plan failure. The expectation that they *should* be able to manage everything, including feeding themselves means that they never realistically plan for when they can't actually handle everything, because instead of compassionately planning for when things will be too much, they just double down on the pressure and shame to try and "motivate" themselves to magically have more bandwidth than they've ever realistically had. I see it a lot.

Here's where I reframe it as thinking like an executive, not thinking like a mom. When you think like a mom, you think that you *should* be able to do everything and that you're somehow a failure if you don't. When you think like an executive, you have no choice but to be realistic as to how far you can push the various members of your team because you can't afford systemic failure.

I want to echo @Malcat's opinion -- I thought of this years ago as a young mom/business owner. CEOs are allowed to have "brain fog" or "decision fatigue" -- that's why they get executive summaries  written in language a five-year-old can grasp. CEOs also have assistants and services! Start living like the CEO of your life, and find ways to ruthlessly eliminate pointless tasks and delegate the rest to the computer (services, macros, apps, robots/machines), your kids (make them part of the solution), or (worst case) pay someone to do it (I'm too cheap to do this often).

Love @Malcat's point about meal prep too!

Exactly! Having been an executive, I'm deeply resentful that I don't have a team in my day to day life to basically pre-chew my life for me. Lol

This one sums it up pretty nicely:
https://www.bitchesgetriches.com/stop-measuring-your-time-in-beyonce-hours/

[DeniseNJ]

How're we doing folks?

I've been sticking to under 1200 calories per day, but haven't been doing my yoga.  Even my dog is lazy.  We get half way around the block then she pulls me to drag me back rather than go the long way around. I think I'm at just about at 2 weeks and am 6 lbs down.

I started writing down and just estimating calories, but now I'm weighing and doing the math, so I can know for sure if I can have a hot cocoa, at 130 calories and if I can have a squirt of whipped cream.  It's fun--makes me feel like I'm putting some effort into this.  I know I should be going some yoga right now instead of writing this.  but I have a meeting in a few minutes. ;)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I've been doing well on the workouts, & brushing my teeth between meals has been incredibly helpful. It hasn't been perfect for calories, but given how hard December normally is for me, it's going really well & I'm happy with my progress.

[Askel]

Another new low of 269.something last night.  So moving along. Steady as she goes.   

[tygertygertyger]

Things are going okay. Turns out that intermittent fasting hasn't been difficult for me, which feels pretty good! One weird day when we were meeting up with friends later in the evening, but I don't mind going slightly out of my goal hours if the socializing is good.

Had a rough weekend for other reasons, but as of yesterday, back on track in most regards. I am liking the Ring Fit too... my arms were sore the first day getting it set up (repeatedly pressing in the ring) but I upped the difficulty level two days later, so it's set.

Mostly I am thinking how nice it is to have new tools to keep in my back pocket as guardrails!

Continuing to weigh myself in the mornings, and I try not to pay too close attention until I average the monthly weigh-ins at the end of the month, but I did see the biggest drop in quite a while. (The following day it went higher again, but all the little things add up, hopefully.) 

[nessness]

I got off track with eating the past few days, but I'm back on track today.

I've been doing pretty well with exercise - I went to a "fusion" yoga class (basically calisthenics) on Saturday, went for a walk Sunday, did yin yoga yesterday, and did C25k today.

[E.T.]

No change in weight yet for me but I was down for the count while recovering from the covid booster shot last week. Hoping to get back to my normal exercise routine this week.

[DeniseNJ]

Still no exercise but keeping calories below 1200 and writing everything down.  I'm at 165lb since starting less than 3 weeks ago.  3 lbs each weeks one and two but only one 1 lb this week. 

The dog wanted to turn around and come home after a block.  Maybe if I take a small treat for her, I can lure her for a longer walk.

[Runrooster]

I lost 2 pounds week 1, 1 pound week2, gained back a pound week 3.  Oops.
I did okay in week 3 in terms of eating, but there were 3 obstacles: free Georgetown cupcakes at work (I ate, savored 2, different days), free Wendy's from my cell phone (again, I slowly savored 2 of these, different days), and cake for the workplace birthdays (I had one piece).
But at the same time I cooked a big batch of lentil soup (sambar) with dumplings (idli), and some healthy kung pao chicken both with a ton of vegetables.

I also did Cto5k this week, so my muscles are complaining today.  I did some running 10 years ago - 5k, half marathon, and marathon distance - but I was always super slow.  I want to try again, maybe more so after I lose some weight.

Coming up I have 2 family birthdays, Christmas and New Years, so I'll be happy if I can maintain. 
One party on Monday is at a restaurant and I've basically decided I'm going to eat normally but eat a light vegetable based lunch.

[ToughMother]

Joining this club and thanks for starting it!

A few years ago, I joined a thread and managed to get down to my goal weight and maintain it.....UNTIL THE DAMN PANDEMIC.

So nearly two years later, I'm 12-15 lbs up and since my clothes were built for a 5'2" 115lb person, that is a no go. SUCKS.

Stress eating, ridiculous hours at work and some back issues that have decimated any movement (let along exercise). My strength is non-existent. I sit at work and while commuting, and basically have time to make lunch for the next day, shower, and grab some sleep.

I'm a disaster. So not only do I want to lose the weight, but I want to get stronger, and have some activity back in my life. Those are all way too broad goals, so I'll narrow them down a bit later. I do know that tracking all my food and my weight really helped last time, so I have to dust off that approach again.

I'm also aiming to be FI-slightly-RE in July (market willing!) and it would be great to start that off in better shape than I am now.

Thanks and best wisheseveryone!

[DeniseNJ]

Joining this club and thanks for starting it!

A few years ago, I joined a thread and managed to get down to my goal weight and maintain it.....UNTIL THE DAMN PANDEMIC.

So nearly two years later, I'm 12-15 lbs up and since my clothes were built for a 5'2" 115lb person, that is a no go. SUCKS.

Stress eating, ridiculous hours at work and some back issues that have decimated any movement (let along exercise). My strength is non-existent. I sit at work and while commuting, and basically have time to make lunch for the next day, shower, and grab some sleep.

I'm a disaster. So not only do I want to lose the weight, but I want to get stronger, and have some activity back in my life. Those are all way too broad goals, so I'll narrow them down a bit later. I do know that tracking all my food and my weight really helped last time, so I have to dust off that approach again.

I'm also aiming to be FI-slightly-RE in July (market willing!) and it would be great to start that off in better shape than I am now.

Thanks and best wisheseveryone!

Yoga with Adriene has 5 and 10 min segments and some you can do at your desk.  She says the 5 min of yoga that you do is better than the hour of yoga that you don't do.

[Askel]

And now everything starts going to hell.  Tomorrow is the last day of work until.... 1/3?  Losing my routine really screws up my eating plans.   

Hopefully I can get out and get some good skiing in, but there's always a series of family obligations ready to screw those plans up as well. 

[Metalcat]

And now everything starts going to hell.  Tomorrow is the last day of work until.... 1/3?  Losing my routine really screws up my eating plans.   

Hopefully I can get out and get some good skiing in, but there's always a series of family obligations ready to screw those plans up as well.

This is where intermittent fasting works out so well, there's always a schedule.

[Askel]

This is where intermittent fasting works out so well, there's always a schedule.

I may just give this a try, I've been reading your posts and others on the topic and am intrigued.  Will definitely give this a try if the current plan isn't working.   Thanks!   

[ToughMother]

Yoga with Adriene has 5 and 10 min segments and some you can do at your desk.  She says the 5 min of yoga that you do is better than the hour of yoga that you don't do.

Thanks @DeniseNJ ! I’ll check it out. A friend also mentioned YwA has a month long January challenge. All signs point to the fact that I should check her out.

And no weight gain this week. That’s the first step in the right direction.

[crowinghen]

Hubby and I ( recently retired at 57 and 58, so still trying to get in a routine) have been going hiking 2 days (about 2 hours) , rest a day then repeat with some yoga thrown in. I don't think it burns that many calories, but its a good way to get outdoors and makes you feel healthy in a way that you want to treat your body well.
We were really good with cutting out sugar and processed foods, but kind of got lax, so now we have tightened our belts ( well figuratively, but soon I hope it will be literally)

[Metalcat]

Hubby and I ( recently retired at 57 and 58, so still trying to get in a routine) have been going hiking 2 days (about 2 hours) , rest a day then repeat with some yoga thrown in. I don't think it burns that many calories, but its a good way to get outdoors and makes you feel healthy in a way that you want to treat your body well.
We were really good with cutting out sugar and processed foods, but kind of got lax, so now we have tightened our belts ( well figuratively, but soon I hope it will be literally)

I don't pay any attention to exercise as a way to "burn calories". I do exercise for my health and body composition, not for my weight.

I'm now the lowest weight I've been in 3 years (BMI 22.1) after starting IF a few months ago, and I've done the least exercise in my entire life during that time because I'm rather disabled and waiting for major surgery.

[crowinghen]

Did our hike today, almost made it to the top of the mountain! Our personal best, the views were fabulous!
Not our pic, we forgot our phones, and it was more beautiful, with as much snow as we have here!

[Askel]

OK, finally got on the scale after the holiday feasting is over with, and.... holding steady!  Back on the bike riding to work this week, and enough snow on the ground to enjoy some skiing when I can't do that, so should be able to make good progress now. 

[DeniseNJ]

Since starting counting and limiting calories and writing everything down about 5 weeks ago, I've lost 9 lbs.  Sometimes I won't eat something just bc I don't want to have to write it down.  Staying at 1200 cal. per day.

Yoga with Adrienne started a 30 day Yoga series yesterday.  I missed it but you can start anytime so I'm starting today.  Anyone else?

[tygertygertyger]

I lost 1/3 of a single pound in December. Not too bad, I guess. I realized two things over the last week:

1. Moms are always trying to pawn off leftovers on me. My partner doesn't eat most of that stuff, so it's all me, and I have a strong aversion to food waste. Many times this is good - I freeze anything I can freeze and often am pleased one month later to find tasty items. But when I can't "save" it for the future, then I resolve to eat it until it's gone. I got very sick of eating smoked salmon and one particular dessert over the holidays. Even my dog, who used to LOVE salmon, ate around it in his bowl. Need a better strategy or a willingness to toss the excess. (I was not eating myself sick, but just eating a portion daily until it was gone. Still too much.)

2. Now that all that stuff is cleared out, I am back to eating my homemade foods and working on IF (16/8). But, I am hungry in the evenings so it seems that I'm not eating enough in my window. This will take some trial and error to figure out how much food I actually need, esp if my preferred homemade foods are soups and fruit.

In good news, we finally have snow and are taking the pup on daily off-leash snow tromps. Good for all of us. 

[boarder42]

Well my today is now starting yesterday again. Goal is to be under 210 and drop about 15 lbs before our 3 weeks in Maui.  Basically stayed flat since this whole thing started. Bouncing between 220 and 230

[ToughMother]

Yoga with Adrienne started a 30 day Yoga series yesterday.  I missed it but you can start anytime so I'm starting today.  Anyone else?

Started YWA yesterday. Using the "office version" when I'm on site just to get a little stretching/break in and subing in some of her "back pain" series since I've been dealing with a blown disk since June.

Not tracking my intake yet and it shows. Latest weigh in was 128.2 which was up 0.6. Oops. Wrong direction. Have a doc appt in early Feb and would like to be at 125 when that happens which is 10 from my goal.

[nessness]

Yoga with Adrienne started a 30 day Yoga series yesterday.  I missed it but you can start anytime so I'm starting today.  Anyone else?

Ooh, I need to try that. I've been doing yoga at a studio, but Covid is at an all-time high in my county and one of my kids can't get vaccinated yet, so I think it would be prudent to switch to at-home workouts for a little while. It is so much harder for me to stay motivated that way though.

[tygertygertyger]

Yes, i was swearing at adrienne this morning “lets move on!!!” Haha.

[DeniseNJ]

Yes, i was swearing at adrienne this morning “lets move on!!!” Haha.

Yeah, I must say i was a bit sore.  It was more exercise-y that I remember yoga being.  But I think that's just bc I'm so outta shape.  Started a few days late so I'm on day 3.  I don't like to sweat or shake around or get out of breath so yoga is a good choice for me.

[alsoknownasDean]

I've been meaning to post for a while, but it's time.

Back in 2011 I lost over 30kg...and eventually put it all back on. A number of years later I lost almost 15kg...then went on holiday and winter happened, put it back on. It's time for me to start losing a bunch again and improving my fitness and health.

Just got off the scales at 123.2kg (at a guess that's ~275pds?), and I've hovered around 120-125kg for the last few years. I'm sure I could get to 110 by April without too much work.

I'm a bit over 180cm tall (just under six feet), and my target is around 90kg. In the 2011 instalment of losing weight I got down to 80kg which was probably a bit on the thin side.

Last time I did lose the weight I did it with regular weekly updates to keep me focused on it. Mostly changes in diet, and losing the kilos made physical activities easier and more enjoyable. I do currently play cricket but running to chase a ball or score runs isn't currently all that much fun...just as well I can't bat very well :)

[boarder42]

i need more accountability

i wish this was like investing setup the money to flow in and you're good.  Here I have to make a good decision multiple times a day to get where i want to be.

starting this week at 224.8.  Better than the last 3 weeks over 230 so thats better but not great.

[DeniseNJ]

i need more accountability

i wish this was like investing setup the money to flow in and you're good.  Here I have to make a good decision multiple times a day to get where i want to be.

starting this week at 224.8.  Better than the last 3 weeks over 230 so thats better but not great.

Agree. It's important at first to keep decision making as easy as possible so you don't have to make so many decisions everyday.  Starts with what you buy at the market.  If you don't buy junk and buy plenty of veg than your snacks and meals are decided for you.  If you meal plan once a week then that's no decisions all week.  If you decide what times you'll eat each meal with no snacks in between then you know it's five o'clock and you're eating salad and grilled fish, which you have in the fridge, and no chocolate pudding in the house so that's out.

Also, every time it's not mealtime and I think, "Ooh what should I eat?" I answer, "NOTHING!"

[boarder42]

i need more accountability

i wish this was like investing setup the money to flow in and you're good.  Here I have to make a good decision multiple times a day to get where i want to be.

starting this week at 224.8.  Better than the last 3 weeks over 230 so thats better but not great.

Agree. It's important at first to keep decision making as easy as possible so you don't have to make so many decisions everyday.  Starts with what you buy at the market.  If you don't buy junk and buy plenty of veg than your snacks and meals are decided for you.  If you meal plan once a week then that's no decisions all week.  If you decide what times you'll eat each meal with no snacks in between then you know it's five o'clock and you're eating salad and grilled fish, which you have in the fridge, and no chocolate pudding in the house so that's out.

Also, every time it's not mealtime and I think, "Ooh what should I eat?" I answer, "NOTHING!"

yeah i'm very good at sticking to things if i don't drink alcohol.  so thats like a double edged sword for me - alcohol calories and then if i over partake the day after i may eat early due to being hung over and the day  i am drinking i definitely eat more later. 

[Askel]

Decision fatigue is definitely an issue.  It's especially tough for food because it's so omnipresent. There's a literally a coffee shop in my building full of tasty snacks.   

The buying all my food at once for the week is something I've done for years and really helps. I also find it helpful to not set myself up for a series of decisions that require self denial.  Better for me if the good or even least bad option is wanton self-indulgence on part.

Hungry at work? There's a pile of fresh fruit and veggies in the fridge I can literally gorge myself on guilt free. 

Want to have a couple megaton double IPAs? No better place to enjoy them than on a nice long bike ride or fireside after an all day ski.   

[DeniseNJ]

How's everyone hanging on?

I'm still writing down food and keeping within calorie limit, but I've only done yoga sporadically.  No walking either.  Just don't want to leave the house and feel super lazy all the time.  Excuses, excuses.  Lost just 1 lb this week. Have to add the yoga and maybe it'll be better next week.  Still, the writing down and counting/limiting calories is going well.

[tygertygertyger]

Eating outside of the holidays is working well for me. My daily numbers seem lower, but I'll wait and see the average for this month. I've been eating down the pantry, but I looked up new veggie recipes yesterday. Now I just need to go to the store... maybe the pantry will hold me for another week...

I had taken a couple weeks off Ring Fit Adventure, jumped back into playing, and man, my arms have been powerless for days since then. I was going to do yoga but thought better of it. But I've started playing again - 5 minutes at a time. Yoga is in the cards for this weekend. Also I texted a friend that I haven't been seeing since omicron started circling, and we're going to meet up for a winter walk this weekend.

[E.T.]

Still no change up or down for me and I haven't been made my running goals. I've done ok on keeping up my strength training and am starting to add intermittent fasting to my routine. Hormones and pain from IUI cycles are definitely not helping me.

[Runrooster]

I think we're done with the holidays and birthdays, but I'm not sure.  My 88-year-old father's celebration was delayed because of Covid precautions, then snow.  I suspect it's basically cancelled now.  It's been going on since a few days before Halloween, with two big Indian holidays (Karva Chauth and Diwali), then 2 funerals, and of course Thanksgiving.  Glad to have a break from feasting.

I just checked, and I've missed 4 days of exercise in the last 7 weeks, including one day where I felt ill and spent 4 hours buying out the grocery stores.

I was maintaining my initial 3-pound loss until last week.  What I thought was sodium-induced weight gain from a restaurant meal has stuck to me for the past week.  The problem with having some celebration every week is that my body isn't adjusting to lower calories.  Plus with exercising moderate intensely every day? I seem to eat well for 2 days, then have a super-hungry day where I cave and eat junk.  Saturday I woke up like that, managed to eat fruit, drink seltzer, eat a few crackers, eat a few more crackers, take a hot bath, have some soup, eat lunch, before the hungries finally dissipated.  It wasn't a pint of ice cream, but it wasn't great either.  The hot bath because I might be cold more than hungry, my father and brother have also commented that it seems colder this year than most.

So, heres to a fresh start.  Hopefully those 3 pounds come off quickly.

[Weisass]

I think I am going to join you all.

I am a pretty active person- I work out 4-6 times a week, I move a lot, but I definitely need to bring more intention to how I fuel my body. I need to be more in control of that area, which for me I think boils down to planning it out more. I'm thinking of trying to follow the Mediterranean diet principles, both because that kind of food is my preference, and it is more lifestyle focused. I have reasons for being suspicious of anything that feels too "diet culture," but I really could stand to drop 15 pounds.

[DeniseNJ]

I'm annoyed that I've only lost a pound a week for over a month.  I've been writing down my food and keeping below 1200 calories a day and still only a lb down.  I guess it's good, but it feels so slow.  It's been almost 2 months and I'm down 13 lbs.   the first 5 came off quickly but ow it's just going so slowly.  I might have to start exercising soon--which I hate.

Still though I'm making progress so that's a plus.

[sixwings]

I've lost 4 lbs in january so far, need to lose another 10 or so and I'll be happy so aiming to be therei n march probably. I keep it simple and just track what i eat and the approximate calories. I dont intentionally cut anything out, however when i'm counting calories to stay within my calorie budget i usually am taking more nutrient rich foods because they are lower calories and fill me up more. A doughnut, while delicious, is basically the same calorie cost as a meal and i'll be uncomfortably hungry all day as a result, so i just dont eat stuff like that much.

Gym goals were back on track until they got shut down so i'm back to bodyweight fitness and cardio. Not the best but oh well.

[sixwings]

I'm annoyed that I've only lost a pound a week for over a month.  I've been writing down my food and keeping below 1200 calories a day and still only a lb down.  I guess it's good, but it feels so slow.  It's been almost 2 months and I'm down 13 lbs.   the first 5 came off quickly but ow it's just going so slowly.  I might have to start exercising soon--which I hate.

Still though I'm making progress so that's a plus.

1lb a week is a very healthy amount of weight to lose every week and it's much more sustainable. Be proud of what you've done you're doing awesome! I aim for 1 lb a week. Losing more than 2lbs a week consistently can actually be really bad for your body and can lead to problems with your metabolism down the line making it harder for you to maintain a healthy weight. So dont be disheartened you're doing a great job losing weight in a very healthy way!


https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/losing-weight-too-fast#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4

[seattlecyclone]

I gained about ten pounds last year, about half of it just in the past few months. That's a trend I'd like to reverse! I had noticed an uptick in drinking and also late night snacking recently. I'm going to start by addressing that. This past week I've done none of either. Too early to see any results yet, but I'll keep up strict abstinence in both areas for a few weeks to see how it goes, and assess from there. I was expecting to feel stronger cravings for alcohol than snacks, but the opposite has been true. I've hardly missed the drinking. I have no intention of abstaining for life though!

[DeniseNJ]

OK, folks, how we doing this week?
I'm down just one more pound, was hoping for more but encouraged by you guys that this is good.  So that's 5 lbs this week and 14 lbs since end of Nov--a bunch cam off right away but now it's just a pound a week for about a month and a half.  Still super sedentary. Still not getting my yoga done.  Still writing down everything and keeping to under 1200 calories per day.  But I still have 23 pounds to lose and if that takes 23 weeks that won't be until July.  Ugh.  Still, July is coming whether I'm fat or not so I may as well keep plugging away.

Hope everyone else is doing well with whatever your plan is.

[DeniseNJ]

Hi guys.  Still on the weight loss train.  If you've fallen off, you can get right back on today so go ahead and apply some of those mustachian principles that have served yo well to weight loss.  Remember millionaires are made ten bucks at a time. So even a pound or two can start your journey.

So how are you celebrating milestones?  Not "rewarding" yourself since your weight loss is its own reward.  But are you celebrating goals or intervals?  How so?

[tygertygertyger]

In December I lost 1/3 of a single pound - in January I lost 1.33 pounds. I am mostly okay with that progress - (super freaking) slow and steady.

I spent January eating down the stored freezer and pantry foods, and it proved to me that I actually had a decent variety in there. I did just buy a bunch of "treat" foods, but they are freezer and pantry. I feel good about not needing to eat them all right now, since I am excited about the normal healthy foods I've bought too.

Also I was dancing around the house last night, after doing squats and pretend-punching my partner on our nightly dog walk, so I might start focusing on fun exercise this month. I'm surprised that we haven't gone to the ice rink yet! That is free and not too far away.

My friends (jokingly?) suggested I have a dance party and I would not at all mind that. We're going to work on getting speakers set up.

[Askel]

Hi guys.  Still on the weight loss train.  If you've fallen off, you can get right back on today so go ahead and apply some of those mustachian principles that have served yo well to weight loss.  Remember millionaires are made ten bucks at a time. So even a pound or two can start your journey.

So how are you celebrating milestones?  Not "rewarding" yourself since your weight loss is its own reward.  But are you celebrating goals or intervals?  How so?

My excuse: COVID knocked me off the train. :/   But not nearly as much as I would have expected so am still making (slightly delayed) progress towards my goal.   

I've been rewarding myself lately with some absolutely brutal all day backcountry ski trips that leave me barely able to work afterward I'm so tired. :D 

[E.T.]

I'm still exactly the same. I've been doing IF for a couple weeks now (16/8), I'm skipping one meal a day so definitely eating less. I'm also consistent on strength training and added in more yoga and some more walking. Haven't been running but it's pretty icy out so that may be on hold for a bit. I'll just keep on keeping on and hope eventually eating less and moving more pays off.