Weight-Loss Summer Shake-Up Challenge Chat Thread

[San2]

Good job, Cord, congratulations!!!

 

[Omega]

Since we all want to share in Cord's success - I am copying in his diary entry so that we can all see his measurements:

Can you tell I'm in a good mood today?

I'll post my journal stuff for yesterday later. For now, I'm going to talk about my questiversary.

3 months. It feels good, so, so good, to have stayed on track for this long. And I don't feel like stopping, at all. That's even better.

I really think that the changes I have made to my lifestyle are going to stick. It's not a diet, it's not a temporary workout kick. I think I have made permanent changes.
This is not to say it is always going to be easy. It is not to say that I won't have hurdles, stumbles, and challenges to face in the future. It is not to say that I don't still sometimes crave junk food and pop. I think that, for me, it is going to be something that is always out there, always having to be faced. But the key is to keep going on, no matter what.

I'm lighter, a lot lighter. I'm smaller - somewhat smaller. I'm fitter - stronger, faster, tougher. Heck, I went up - and down - 300 flights of stairs yesterday. If that isn't a sign of improved fitness, I don't know what is.

I'm quite a bit happier. There's no way to quantify that, but I'm happier. My wife definitely notices it.

Weight: My weigh-in this morning was 272 lbs. That's 5 less than last week, and a total of 39 pounds lost in 3 months.

Measurements: here are my latest measurements, in clunky table-like form that includes my previous measurements.

-------- 02 April -- 30 April -- 29 May -- 02 July
Chest: ---- 55 ----- 52 ----- 51 ------- 49
Waist: ---- 53.5 --- 50 ----- 49.5 ------ 47
Hips: ----- 52 ----- 51 ----- 50 -------- 49
Upper Arm: 17 ----- 16 ----- 16 -------- 15
Forearm: --13 ----- 13 ----- 12.5 ------- 12.5
Thigh: -----31 ----- 30 ----- 29 -------- 28
Calf: ------20.5 --- 19.5 --- 19.5 ------- 18.5
Neck: -----17.5 --- 17 ----- 16.5 ------- 16

I look at myself and I look the same to me, but that seems like a whole buncha inches.

Body fat - this is tough to measure accurately, and I'm finding there isn't much point in me putting a whole lot of stock in it. I have been trying both the impedance machine at the pharmacy, and the Accu-measure callipers I bought and have, I think, been getting better at using.
Last month I came up at 36%
This month I came up with 35%
I really don't know how much this means, given the variance between the two methods, and particularly the variance of the impedance machine.

So, what can I say after all this?

So far, so good.

TOO RIGHT - VERY VERY GOOD!

 

[Kyoropaladin]

Wow, that's just plain impressive, Cord! Those are some serious measurement decreases! Very well done, indeed! Congratulations!

 

[thecabbie]

Dude, yo are the man! Now I'm using your motivation and success as my inspiration here!

BTW, Just been pretty busy so I'm stopping in for a second is all. Added 30 minutes weights, 20 minutes of spinning and 30 of walking

 

[bikinibound]

Margaret I think you were right in plagerizing one of my challenges..lmao! I had to laugh about the water post for next week.

Congrats Cord--well done!

I have been getting in most of my veggies, but exercising has been slacking as well as portion control. Yes, I ate half a pint of Ben and Jerry's peanut butter cup ice cream tonight.

I've been having serious motivation issues. It seems I'm just constantly hungry. Don't know if it's the breastfeeding or just the fact that I'm a pig..

 

[Cord the Seeker]

Next week is going to be brutal.

4,021 ml water per day? I don't think I can do that - but I'll try.

And maintain the 5 per day?

And eat 5 new items? Makes me wish I had eaten fewer different things this week,

Tougher yet because I am on holiday out of town next week, and will be eating out a lot (although a lot of that will be Japanese, which will open up a lot of items I don't eat regularly...hmmmm).

I hope everyone has been having a good week, and that everyone has a good next week!

BTW - thank you all so much for the kind words. If it looks like I have been doing well, it is at least partly because of this forum and all the support and inspiration I get from all of you. Thank You.

 

[Omega]

Margaret I think you were right in plagerizing one of my challenges..lmao! I had to laugh about the water post for next week.

One thing is for sure - drinking water in the required quantity should be business as usual for Kimberly! If she finds it tough - she only has herself to blame LOL

Now Cord, San and everyone else who was thinking "help - I'll be swimming in it" knows that I mean it when I say that I know exactly how they feel. Kimberly set word for word the same thing in one of her old challenges. I was drinking water until then - but in nothing like the recommended quantity. I did some reading up and realised that I just was not drinking enough. I drank more and it really helped.

She will be able to yell plagerism a few times over the coming weeks - as she did set some extremely valuable tasks in her legendary challenges. Since her last challenge ran over a year ago - there has been plenty of time for new people to join the forum - and the people that were here then to slip back into less controlled ways. It is my intention to set what I believe to be the most valuable tasks that I can.

 

[Omega]

And eat 5 new items? Makes me wish I had eaten fewer different things this week,

I am the same way - I have eaten quite a wide variation this week - so finding 5 different things will actually be not too easy for me either. Check out my scoresheet to see the wide variety of stuff that I have eaten in week 1 - I have even eaten celariac for goodness sake which is something that virtually no-one eats that I know of....

I only came up with the idea as a last minute afterthought when I was seeing people say that they didnt like vegetables - but really it was just a few basic ones that put people off the whole idea. The thing is that filling up on fruit and vegetables is pretty fundamental to beating this thing in my opinion...

 

[San2]

If things continue like this, water is going to be the only thing I'll have next week. Wonder if that would trigger ANY weight loss whatsoever?

I did okay with the challenge so far. Had my 5 a day, and had my exercise. I'll swim for an hour later on, so it should be about 5 1/2 hours altogether. Not the greatest really but certainly better than nothing.

I just stepped off the scales though, and again - nothing. Firmly stuck on the same weight. I really have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I mean, if I was at 150 lbs and only had to lose a couple more, I could understand it, but at 250? I have at least 70 more to lose....*sigh*

I'm glad to see that everybody else is doing well though. I'm proud of everybody here. And even though I am not losing right now, I'm kinda proud of myself. Why? Because I am not losing, and I am extremely frustrated right now, but I am still plugging along, and haven't given up. So....that's something. For me, that's a BIG something actually.

Oh, and Margaret, does it have to be a completey different vegetable for the challenge, or would it count if it was prepared in different ways? That way we might be able to exchange ideas on how to make veggies more interesting? Or maybe we could use that for another week? Just a thought...

 

[Omega]

San - we all hit times when we get stuck in a bit of a plateau if you can call it that for several weeks. It gets demoralising when you know that you have some way still to go. I hit one when I was around the 15 stone mark (210 pounds). I knew that I had tons still to lose but it was not coming away despite me averaging about 28,000 steps a day over that period (which is a heck of a stepcount for someone 5ft3 and weighing 210 pounds in my opinion)! I knew that my food control was tight too.

It was around the time that I was lurking around here - I was here but just visiting and not posting....

Anyway I read around a bit on the forum and found some advice from Steve about plateaus. I seem to remember that he suggested that we mess around with our food so I changed things around a bit.

Drinking plenty of water can actually help us to lose weight. When I get a gain that I think may be water retention or linked to it - I drink extra water for a few days - even though I already drink the quantity associated with my current weight. I am never sure whether the gain that I get every time that I eat any cheese is water retention so I drank extra water on Monday this week for instance after eating cheese on Sunday.

 

[thecabbie]

Just so y'all know... drinking water based upon that formula for me works out to anout 5 liters of water per day...

Anyone complaining need merely step into my shoes for a bit.

Cord, what you are doing is amazing my friend - keep it up

San - I read your post and omg, can I relate to that! Winning the psycholgical battle at times is waaaayyyyy more important, especially if the numbers are moving like we want them to. You've done really well so far, my hat is off to you.

 

[San2]

Ouch - 5 litres? Okay, forget that I ever mentioned my measly 3 1/2.....lol

And thanks. I know I complain a lot, but that's just my way of getting rid of the frustration, and keep myself going.

And thanks - that means a lot.

I'm off to an hour of swimming now....can I count the water that I swallow while doing that towards the daily amount?? *lol* <---- Just kidding, of course. And I try not to swallow ANY of the water anyway.

 

[Omega]

Swimming will be lovely in this heat San. Have a great time - and it will be valuable exercise too.

LOL at swallowing water - the new challenge doesnt start until Saturday. Enjoy NOT feeling waterlogged yet.

 

[thecabbie]

The sun came out. Seriously, it has rained every day this week - every one. The month of June was a washout. We had 5 days out of the entire month that it didn't rain. SAD is in full force.

I will ride my bike today, I will ride it many miles, just for the sheer glory of being outside on a day where this big bright thing is visible in the sky.

 

[Bellaryna]

Okay I am back at it! lol
Between last weekends Grad Party, which went very well, and then leaving the next day to go camping for 4 days I didn't do to well in all the challenge departments. I didn't totally bomb buuut I didn't do nearly as well as I could have.
I did make sure to have plenty of fruit along on the camping trip. And did manage to munch on quite a bit of it. One day I actually ate an entire head of lettuce since I had no way of storing it once it was opened! Got made fun of for that one. Just about every meal had a baby carrots added to it. As well as fruits too.
Found out on the last full day of camping that there was a really nice sand dune that you could climb. Of course it was pouring down rain and that being our last day there would be no other days to try it. Was told it was 285 stairs to the top. That would have made quite a workout if I had only known about it.
So here I am back in the comforts of home. Already today I have had a banana with my organic yogurt mixed with granola.
Today is looking good.

 

[Bellaryna]

The sun came out. Seriously, it has rained every day this week - every one. The month of June was a washout. We had 5 days out of the entire month that it didn't rain. SAD is in full force.

I will ride my bike today, I will ride it many miles, just for the sheer glory of being outside on a day where this big bright thing is visible in the sky.

I can totally relate.
It rained everyday that we were camping. And to top it off never got warmer than the low 60*'s.
So not fair! We were suppose to swim in Lake Mi everyday. Wahhhh!

 

[Omega]

One day I actually ate an entire head of lettuce since I had no way of storing it once it was opened! Got made fun of for that one.

Dawn - That is brilliant!!! That is taking the twin concepts of "waste not want not" plus "must get some challenge points" quite far even for you!!! I havent ever eaten an entire lettuce head all at once - in fact I dont know if I could... If Kimberly had ever thought of the idea it would have fitted right into one of her eating challenges. I remember her toying with a wierd food one just before she fell pregnant and stopped setting challenges....

 

[Bellaryna]

Dawn - That is brilliant!!! That is taking the twin concepts of "waste not want not" plus "must get some challenge points" quite far even for you!!! I havent ever eaten an entire lettuce head all at once - in fact I dont know if I could... If Kimberly had ever thought of the idea it would have fitted right into one of her eating challenges. I remember her toying with a wierd food one just before she fell pregnant and stopped setting challenges....

I remember Kimberly's food challenges! I am still haunted by the cabbage! hahaha

Actually the lettuce wasn't bad at all. I actually got to where I was feeling pretty full by the end of it.
I may not have determined to eat the whole thing if not for everyone making fun of my eating a plain head of lettuce.
Once that happened it was "game on".
LOL

 

[Cord the Seeker]

I havent ever eaten an entire lettuce head all at once - in fact I dont know if I could...

I used to do that when I was a kid. Sit down after school in front of the TV with an entire head of lettuce.

If only I hadn't also done that in the past with - an entire bag of chips, an entire pizza, or an entire box of KFC....

 

[Cord the Seeker]

The sun came out. Seriously, it has rained every day this week - every one. The month of June was a washout. We had 5 days out of the entire month that it didn't rain. SAD is in full force.

I will ride my bike today, I will ride it many miles, just for the sheer glory of being outside on a day where this big bright thing is visible in the sky.

Ride, my friend, ride!

And dude - 5 litres? Yikes.