September/October weight loss challenge

[Veronica]

10 or 20 or 25 pounds of extra body mass are minuscule in the greater scheme of things.

Actually that's not minuscule when it's fat pounds. Too many Americans are obese and seem to be content to be so. They don't seem to understand what those extra fat pounds are doing to their health.

Veronica

[Catrin]

135.4

[Possegal]

Just an FYI for folks, technically this is a 7-week challenge since that takes us to Oct 28th. So 7 weeks from today is the last weigh in. Just in case that impacts any goal weight you may have chosen.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...hl=en_US#gid=0

[DonnaS]

Weight this AM is 135.

This is a double challenge for me as I'm (hopefully) going on one of the WomanTours' Outer Banks bike tours the end of October. I've lost 10 pounds so far since signing up.

[Ambikes]

I'm back after a LONG break. Thanks to Susan and the rest of you for sharing your stories because it's inspired me to give this another go. My backstory is fairly similar to a lot of you. I lost 25 pounds through diet modification and A LOT of running about 2.5 years ago. I wanted to lose 5-7 lbs more at that time, joined this challenge, and failed to lose anything. I realize now that my body is probably just happy at 135 lbs, not at 128 or 130. I am at peace with that BUT the scale is now reading 140. In addition to that, I have had some bad things happen in my personal life recently that make it really difficult for me to motivate to exercise and eat right. After allowing myself 3 weeks of a massive pity party, it's time to refocus.

So, I am resolving to clean up my diet, get back on the exercise wagon, and lose the 5 lbs I let creep up on me last winter (and failed to lose over the summer).

Current weight: 140
Goal weight: 135

[carlotta]

Current: 181
Goal: 170

[oxysback]

Wow, Ellen - that's a lot of lost weight already! Good job!!

Thanks! And happy early anniversary.

[Aggie_Ama]

Posse- Please use my Monday weight of 158, I try to stay off the scale in between my WW weigh in days because in the past I will tend towards OCD and weigh many times a day.

Blueberry- I lost nearly 50 pounds on WW online in 2004-2005. I am the type if I really commit to something I can do it. At the time I also regularly followed a similar type of board as TE and I told all of them so I had to be accountable to them. I am using WW online again, I also don't think meetings are for me. I of course have my husband to know what I am doing and a few close friends. So I feel like for my personality I have enough of a support system. Let's see if I succeed in getting back down in weight.

[azfiddle]

I successfully used WW online to lose almost 40 lbs. I have gained back about 5 but am getting back on track before too much damage has been done.

There are benefits to the groups- but it is a big time commitment and more money. We have a group on the WW forums (on the fitness challenge, "Biking Babes and Guys" that acts as a good motivator. (Maillotpois occasionally checks in there).

[maillotpois]

Blueberry - I have typically had more success with WW meetings. But it all depends on the leader and group. If it is not a good fit for you then online may be better..

[maillotpois]

We have a group on the WW forums (on the fitness challenge, "Biking Babes and Guys" that acts as a good motivator. (Maillotpois occasionally checks in there).

yes. . I wish I were a more active participant. The format of that forum is somehow less conducive to regular participation for me than is TE. But it is a solid good group of people on that thread, very very supportive.

I have to say - I joined WW in 1988, lost 50 lbs plus, became lifetime, and kept the weight off til I got pregnant (so about 8-10 years). I have tremendous loyalty to that company in general , and the recent changes to the program made it a lot more sustainable for me last year.

I go back to meetings Sunday. look out world.

[uk elephant]

Looks like I'm starting a bit higher than expected. 221.4 and aiming for anything close to 210 this challenge.

[klesko]

I weigh 138. Yikes!
Ambikes description of a massive pity party is a good one for me two, except mine has been 6 weeks (shoulder surgery/sister with terminal illness and my 13 year old dog is not doing well either). Life is not fair, and it is not helpful to me or anybody else for me to eat everything in sight and feel bad and sick and unfocused. I will do better if I eat less better food and exercise.

[Aggie_Ama]

WW ladies I have a question, how do you count activity or do you? And how do you deal with those points. For example yesterday I did a 51 mile, climbing ride. WW said it was 44 activity points, obviously I am not going to eat all that. But on days I do a shorter ride or spin class, it shouldn't matter if I leave those AP on the table? I swap my AP before my allowance (flex, what do they call it now?). Just wondering how others have had success.

[maillotpois]

WW ladies I have a question, how do you count activity or do you? And how do you deal with those points. For example yesterday I did a 51 mile, climbing ride. WW said it was 44 activity points, obviously I am not going to eat all that. But on days I do a shorter ride or spin class, it shouldn't matter if I leave those AP on the table? I swap my AP before my allowance (flex, what do they call it now?). Just wondering how others have had success.

My rules are

(1) underestimate intensity. The points for cycling based on MPH don't track with my real world - high intensity is > 12 mph average? Come on. On a road bike? All my rides are "high intensity" then, and while I have periods during the ride where it absolutely is high intensity I am NOT giving myself that for a whole ride because it just isn't that hard. Maybe I will give myself "high intensity" for 1 hour out of 4 or something.

(2) only use the APs the day they are earned. I don't need the calories the next day, really. Even after a double century - which is tough, but that's my rule.