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The eight week healthy weight loss challenge - version 3.0 (starting 21/05/21)

14K views 396 replies 30 participants last post by  PaulBruce 
#1 ·
The first (and second!) eight week challenge were a great success, and many of us are up for another eight weeks - we're opening it up for any newbies who would like to join the next round of the challenge. Please read below.

Background:

The thought came to my head because I joined the "losing weight in 2012" thread, but I didn't have much motivation, and I had no-one to be accountable to. I was thinking about the Biggest Loser, and how teams can be such a motivation. So, I thought I would throw this out there for anyone who needs to get some weight loss happening, but just can't seem to get off the couch.

The challenge:

Commit to an eight week weight loss challenge. You'll be assigned to a team, and your weight loss percentage will be measured on an individual and a team basis. The team with the highest loss percentage at the end of the eight weeks will be the winner. This is a TEAM effort. If you lose, your team wins! Your weekly progress will be updated on the leader board for all to see.

The requirements:

You have to be willing to commit to the full eight weeks beginning 21/05/12

You have to be willing to commit to exercising a minimum of 4 x 30 minute sessions per week - the type of exercise is up to you!

You have to be willing to check in and update your progress and weight at least weekly on Mondays.

You have to be willing to share your weight and your height. (By PM if you are shy)

You may not join if losing 1 lb / .5 kg per week will put you in an underweight category according to your BMI (check here) at the end of eight weeks

The prize:

A thinner waistline, and the opportunity to bask in the glory of the winning team.

Please note that this is posted just for signups at this time. The challenge will not start until 21/05/12.
 
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#52 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by trekkingirl View Post

LCBMAX how many calories are you allowing each day? When I was nursing DS I was very successful counting calories. I kept it under 2000 calories and followed the biggest loser diet that I found on web md. Worked for me!

Is anybody else doing LOW CARB? The first eight week challenge I did really well with low carb but fizzled out four weeks into round two.
Well I actually started another thread on the subject of calorie counting because I am so confused by it. I really don't know what the magic number is for letting me lose weight without triggering a starvation response that ultimately makes me gain. I'm not nursing, so I'm keeping it at slightly under 1200. This is definitely a fuzzy number since most of the food I eat is on the fly with no time to weigh it, but when I do have time, I test my guessing and then measure, and I'm pretty close.

I'd LOVE anyone's thoughts (here or on that other thread) on how to manage calories for the greatest weight loss success.

I also do low carb, but it comes from the traditional foods/ whole foods perspective. I always try to avoid processed carbs, and when dieting, even whole grains, so that just leaves me counting starchy vegetables and fruits. In the calorie/ carb contest, I have previously given more importance to the carbs, and that worked for me, but not anymore, so now it's both.
 
#53 ·
I am very bummed to be up quite a bit more than I expected at 186.4#. However, I am hoping some of that is water weight as my salt consumption has been higher than normal this past week. So it looks like I need to jump up my water consumption and get my veggie consumption back on track.

My goal is to break into the 170s, which will mean a 2# per week loss, and my next mini goals are 180 (my prepreg weight) and 169 (my low point since the start of the reproductive craziness of the last 6 years). My ultimate goal is somewhere between 130 and 140, but I am not sure exactly what it is because it has been so long since I have been a healthy weight. So if I could get to the 169 during this 8 weeks that would be awesome, but my goal is to get in the low 170s as I think that is more realistic.

Activity wise, I want to keep up my workouts and add in some kind of nonworkout activity each day (like yard work, or swimming with the kids or something that is moving but not technically a workout).
 
#54 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by trekkingirl View Post

LCBMAX how many calories are you allowing each day? When I was nursing DS I was very successful counting calories. I kept it under 2000 calories and followed the biggest loser diet that I found on web md. Worked for me!

Is anybody else doing LOW CARB? The first eight week challenge I did really well with low carb but fizzled out four weeks into round two.

I have really made the best of the break we just had. I ate whatever I wanted to and it cost me 4 pounds! Which brings me up to 191.9! I'm now on the RED Team!

I am really hoping to have the same success as round one. If I can pull off another 20lb loss I'll be at my goal weight of 170lbs. I have a feeling that when I hit my goal I'm going to find that my body has changed a lot since the last time I was 170lbs. I may have to reassess but for now that is my weightloss goal.
I'm doing low carb. Not super low carb, but trying to keep it under 100g/ day (150g MAX), and almost completely cutting out grains. I do starchy veggies b/c they don't seem to bother me, and I'm still nursing. I was low carbing before I got pg w/ #5 and tried to start again 2months ago but I fizzled out and started eating grains again. Even though we stick to whole grains, I put the small amount of weight I had loss back on and felt bloated and sluggish all.the.time. I cut the grains starting this past Friday and I have spring back in my step, the bloat left w/in 2 days, and I could tell a HUGE difference in how I felt.

I restarted C25K today, picked up where I left off at Week 3, Day 1 and I'm feeling pretty good. I hope I can stay motivated enough to stick w/ it and that hubby helps me find the time to get the runs in.
 
#55 ·
Ok, so here is what I have thus far. If I missed you, please let me know! If I put you on the wrong team, please let me know! And as Milk said, I am human - I am sure to miss a detail or two at some point in this challenge, so please do not take it as a personal slight and please bring it to my attention so that I can correct any errors
thumb.gif


When the last few weights trickle in, I will repost the chart!



Name



Start



Week 1



Week 2



Week 3



Week 4



Week 5



Week 6



Week 7



Week 8



Total Loss



% Loss



Alphaghetti

























Amandamarie



214.2























BlueStateMama

























BarefootMama99



186.4























Buzzer Beater



148























BridesMother



181























claybear

























Chelko



PMed























dbsam



237























Dantesmama



141























Dmitrizmom



188.2























FillingMyQuiver



166.4























huha



211























IsaFrench



165.7























lilacvioletiris



238.4























LBCMAX



153.8























Milk8shake



170.5























Poiyt

























Ruthiegirl



189























SimonMom

























trekkingirl



191.9























tropicana



141.6





















 
#56 ·
I'm really annoyed with myself for letting the 1.2 creep back on, but have a feeling that I'm holding water. Grr. My first workout for this challenge is in the books: 60 minutes of boot camp with lots of personal attention (the other two participants didn't show this morning). I would love to drop 16 lbs this challenge, but realistically 10 would be wonderful.

Re: calorie count to prevent famine mode in metabolism… Everything I've read, been taught or taught says for women to not go under 1200/day. (Men get an extra 300/day for 1500) If you go under that, your body will preferentially start on muscle over fat (and when the weight comes back there is less muscle and more fat which makes it even harder to lose weight the next time). I know when I hit a plateau about 1.5 months ago, I didn't start losing until I increased my calorie intake - I wasn't giving my body anything to burn so it was conserving everything I did eat.

Lilacvioletiris - you can do this!!! I was where you are now in December.

Trekkingirl, Ruthiegirl and BFM - race you down?
 
#57 ·
I made a good start today.

This morning I walked a mile on the treadmill, did twenty minutes on the elliptical and ten on the rowing machine. Tonight I had a personal training session and I can hardly type my arms are shaking so bad.

I will not eat I will not eat I will not eat when I am not hungry!

Go blue!
 
#59 ·
Thanks dmitrimom, today is the last day of teaching/finals for me. I will get more exercise in and then keep it a habit in the fall.
 
#60 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmitrizmom View Post

Trekkingirl, Ruthiegirl and BFM - race you down?
Sure thing! I'm up for a race (and I need the extra motivation at the moment!)
biggrinbounce.gif
 
#63 ·
Oh Jeez!! Whoops...here in Canada it was a long weekend, and I normally don't come on MDC on the weekends.

So I weighed in today at 155.0 and I am 5ft 8 inches tall.
 
#64 ·
I am totally racing everyone! I want to be the biggest loser this go round! I lost almost three pounds of bloat by cutting out the carbs yesterday! It's just jaw dropping how puffy it makes me. It really is the fifference between belly bulge and a trim looking tummy. Well trimmer looking tummy. I am 190 lbs after all.

I've been thinking about posting a photo to see if there is a visible difference eight weeks from now. What do you guys think?
 
#65 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by trekkingirl View Post

I am totally racing everyone! I want to be the biggest loser this go round! I lost almost three pounds of bloat by cutting out the carbs yesterday! It's just jaw dropping how puffy it makes me. It really is the fifference between belly bulge and a trim looking tummy. Well trimmer looking tummy. I am 190 lbs after all.

I've been thinking about posting a photo to see if there is a visible difference eight weeks from now. What do you guys think?
go for it! I love to have pictures for comparison.
thumb.gif
 
#66 ·
Trekkingirl - I may be joining you on the low carb camp! I always feel better when I live low carb, but last time I tried it my milk production plumited. So I am going to ease in 1 step at a time and see how it goes for DD and her milk!

Step one - cut out all refined grains (stick to actual whole grains, fruit and veggies) - start tomarrow,

Step two - Cut out the grains, and just do fruit and veggies (will start if step 1 goes well)

And then hopefully I can cut back starch veggies and fruit (in an ideal world I would do one serving of fruit a day, and starchy veggies rarely and basically no grains, but I doubt highly I will get all the way there and keep my nursing lady happy.
 
#69 ·
I have no clue what the issue is, but I do know that my body seems to respond pretty extremely to hormones. I have had many reproductive issues and I have never ovulated while breastfeeding. (I can feel ovulation, so I am quite confident in this one). The reproductive drama is part of the reason I have so much to loose in the first place. When I am at a healthy BMI my cycles get looooooong (like ovulating 2 or 3 times a year) and when I am at a bmi on the edge overweight and obese I ovulate like clockwork at a 33 day cycle. My doctor speculates this is all related and says he has seen other women experience the same issues. I am very glad we are not planning on expanding our family further because I'm ready to be finished with all of the havoc reproduction and lactation are causing for my body . . . aprox 8 more months to go :D
 
#71 ·
Hi Vermontgirl and PixieLittle

BFM: I shall leave it up to you to add the newbies to a team, when you next do the weight chart.

Trekkinggirl: I was thinking about some photos too. Personally, I felt like I didn't see much of a change after the first challenge, but definitely can after the second. Other people are noticing too.

I'd be keen to do a "now" photo, and compare it to "after" the challenge. I might even have a pre-challenge one that I can use for comparison.
 
#72 ·
I will go ahead and post our updated chart. We are still missing a few folks, but we have most of our starting numbers at this point.



Name



Start



Week 1



Week 2



Week 3



Week 4



Week 5



Week 6



Week 7



Week 8



Total Loss



% Loss



Alphaghetti



155.0























Amandamarie



214.2























BlueStateMama



145























BarefootMama99



186.4























Buzzer Beater



148























BridesMother



181























claybear

























Chelko



PMed























dbsam



237























Dantesmama



141























Dmitrizmom



188.2























FillingMyQuiver



166.4























huha



211























IsaFrench



165.7























lilacvioletiris



238.4























LBCMAX



153.8























Milk8shake



170.5























PixieLittle



176.5























Poiyt

























Ruthiegirl



189























SimonMom



168























trekkingirl



191.9























tropicana



141.6























vermontgirl



148





















 
#73 ·
I slipped up and had a couple slices of frozen pizza w/ the kids. I can feel the "grain bloat" creeping in.
angry.gif


On the positive side, I've done 2 days of C25K (Monday and Wednesday) and this afternoon I did over an hour of hard yardwork (moving wheelbarrows of wood and topsoil, building a hugelkultur bed).

I'm hoping to add in some weight training next week 2 days/ week. Lately I'm noticing that I feel really weak in the upper body, which is difficult for me b/c before children, I felt strong. I want to feel that way again.
 
#74 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by tropicana View Post

8 pounds. one pound a week.

we will be close -- race you down!
You're on!

This week has been discouraging. AF is due tomorrow, and my weight does not budge the week before af comes. I've been eating better than usual, exercising every single day, but the scale has been stuck at 141 for seven days now. Gah. Hopefully I'll see a big drop-off within the next few days - I'm sooo close to the 130s and I haven't seen those digits since before I was pg with my middle son!

Re: before and after pics - you definitely should post them! They are an incredible motivation. I took my "before" pics after I had already lost about 15-20 lbs (so in the 170s), and the difference between then and now is incredible. I don't think I'd be allowed to post mine, though, since they're bra-and-undies pics!
 
#76 ·
Hmmmm. I gotta say, the basic math of counting calories and more exercise.... works. So obvious, but I often come to basic realizations late!

I've been interested to notice that I had to handle hunger for the first few days, and struggled to keep the food numbers down, and now the hunger pangs are more tolerable and easy to respond to, and I'm having trouble keeping the numbers up to 1200. This reminds me of the other obvious epiphany - the body can get used to anything! And why not ask it to get used to a healthier state, rather than the unhealthier state.

Heading on a trip this weekend, but will be at a hotel with a fitness center, so at least I can do that.
 
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