topic Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread in SmorgasBoard

Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:23:06 GMT

Soooo....

It's the time of year when we (OK, I) start to ponder the thought of appearing in shorts in another month or two, flashing those flabby pale thighs, horrifying the neighbors and frightening the local pets and wildlife. I definitely managed to add a layer of winter insulation over the last 3 months or so.

I came across a thread on an unrelated forum where members were posting their weight-loss goals once a week, in order to be accountable to others and therefore more successful. I thought, hmm, writing it down and taping it up on the fridge where all can see is certainly one way of keeping honest on a weight-loss program. It was at least 45 minutes before it dawned on me, hey, we could have a thread like that here!

So here it is, the other FICO fitness thread. No tell-all, no pictures, no embarrassing before-and-after weights, no humiliating stories of how your zipper broke and your whatever leapt free at the company picnic; just here's how much I plan to lose, updated every Friday morning with the new (let's hope, lower) weights.

Pick a number, any number, for the number of pounds that you'd like to lose. If that number is scary-large, or seems impossible, try breaking it down. If you want to lose 40 pounds, start with announcing that you're going for 10 pounds. 60 pounds? --maybe post 15 pounds, or 20 pounds. What if all you want to lose is 15 pounds, but you have no faith whatsoever that you can stay away from the candy machine at work? --post 5 pounds.

Once you reach that goal, you can decide whether to set another one and start up again, or if you're pretty happy where you are.

This thread (if it takes off) is meant to be supportive, so it will be ruthlessly moderated. Posts about you, a spoon, and a gallon of ice cream will go bye-bye. If you fall off the wagon and want some support, please post! But in consideration of those who are on low-carb diets, please don't tell us all the gory details about the two Boston cream pies, and for those on low-fat diets, spare us the confessions about you, a skillet, and a pound of applewood bacon. * pauses to wipe away drool * And so forth.

So here it is, a chance for you to publicly commit to losing X pounds, or two shirt sizes, or four BMI numbers, if you prefer. It's not a competition. No one "wins" if they get there first, and no one "loses" if nothing much happens.

Just post how many pounds or whatever over your (initial) goal you are, and why you want to lose. <--That part is important. When you're having a pity party, it's useful to be reminded of why you're doing this.

Weigh yourself on Friday mornings, after using the bathroom, and before breakfast, dressed in your birthday suit. Or if you want to weigh at a different time and under different conditions, that's fine too, but try to make it consistent.

Be patient with yourself. If you're not all that young, and if you don't have the metabolism of an NBA basketball star, you're not going to be losing 5 pounds of fat a week. (Water, yes.) Get some sort of exercise program going. Be kind to yourself --yes, it is technically possible to live on 600 calories a day, but it's incredibly damaging to your body, and you will be non-stop miserable. Yes, drink lots and lots and lots of water, even if you don't believe that it's that important normally. Reduced food intake and increased exercise will create lots of byproducts that your kidneys will have to excrete, and you don't want to damage them. Your urine should be almost clear. (Sorry to be a bit graphic, but that's important.) If you have a medical condition that needs to be followed by a healthcare provider, like diabetes or heart disease, tell your provider what you're doing.

So, enough preaching. Here's how your post will look:

+20 <-- this means that you are twenty pounds over your goal

planning on a cruise in April

+3 dress sizes <-- this means that you're an 16 and you want to be a 10, or you're a 24 and you want to be an 18

going to be a bridesmaid in your college roommate's wedding

+4 BMI units <-- maybe your BMI is 29, and you want to be at 25

obesity runs in your family, and you want to nip it in the bud

Tomorrow morning is Friday, so jump on board! Those who come to this post later can certainly sign up at any time in the week, but Friday mornings will be the big Update Day.

If you think it takes a long time to get a CO or lien off your reports, maybe this will be something you can do in the meantime.

Good luck, everyone! I hope I have some company.

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:23:30 GMT

I'm going to start a little early, in order to get the ball rolling:

+25 pounds

hoping for knee replacement surgery later this year, and the lighter I am, the better

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

currentlywinning — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:45:54 GMT

I need to get a scale...:smileysad: But Ive been in the gym 5 days a week (IM EXHAUSTED:smileyindifferent:

Im totally down for this challenge! I think Id like to lose 20lbs. Hips and thighs not included!

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

llecs — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:32:39 GMT

I'm game.

Weight needs to be shed. A lot of it. I'll start at 80 pounds. Both sides of the family had always been a little overweight, but I broke the mold and am lots overweight. I was thin and ran several miles each day when I met my bride-to-be 17 years ago and would like to get back to that again. I also want to lose because I have a 20-year reunion sometime this year. Our family is also completing some financial and business goals are plan to go on a cruise once we accomplish them, and would complete that sometime this fall. I don't want to be that guy on the beach with nice shorts and a nice shirt wearing white socks in my sandals.

To accomplish this goal I'll continue what I'm doing now. Already lost between 10-15 pounds since last month just via supplementation and diet changes alone and my britches are ill-fitting. DW and I also took a genetic test to see how our body processes carbs/fats and learned that my metabolism is high, but I pack on the pounds with too many fats. DW has a low metabolism and can eat extra fats without issue, but the carbs get to her. Through her diet change she's lost over 10 pounds in January. So we'll keep on keeping on. I need to exercise more though. Time to dust of the P90X.

2/3/2012: +80 pounds

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

Booner72 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:58:44 GMT

Thanks, Hauling! I'm game, too.

I just weighed but I just ate and came home from the gym, so I'll weigh in first thing in the a.m. Too late to get today's weight.

I will give myself kudos for going to spin class 3 times this week - that's one hour on a bike going hard core. Would like to go four times a week but I'm so busy and it is hard to get there. I need to reduce stress and exercise helps me with this. I am so much happier, depression falls off like a cloak. Why I stop going, I have no idea. But I'm back in the game!

Might have to start a gluten free diet to help with psoriosis - but need a blood test first to see if I have the gluten allergy thing before I waste my time going through that hellish of a diet plan.

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

AllPro — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:06:33 GMT

Im game too.. +30 Just started P90x again. Plyometrics tomorrow = Sad hamstrings

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

haulingthescoreup — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:06:27 GMT

AllPro wrote:
Im game too.. +30 Just started P90x again. Plyometrics tomorrow = Sad hamstrings

Ouch! I've heard good things about P90x. For other people! :D Or at any rate, people with functioning knees.

Welcome aboard!

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

AllPro — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:15:59 GMT

Yeah i have a old knee injury.The first couple times it really hurt , i had to hit the pause button. after a few weeks though it dosent hurt like it did.You can do the cardio disc instead of the plyo if your unable...

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

demi — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:06:29 GMT

OK, I'll bite (well, maybe not the best terminology in this case)...+80. For better health! bad back (2 surgery's) and knees are starting to show the wear and tear...plus blood pressure. Already started Weight Watchers, will work out for a month or two to nintendo and walking the dogs...build up to more, swim in summer and bike.

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

haulingthescoreup — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:53:42 GMT

demi wrote:
OK, I'll bite (well, maybe not the best terminology in this case)...+80. For better health! bad back (2 surgery's) and knees are starting to show the wear and tear...plus blood pressure. Already started Weight Watchers, will work out for a month or two to nintendo and walking the dogs...build up to more, swim in summer and bike.

Welcome aboard! It's a great time of year to start.

My exercise is pretty much limited to a recumbent exercise bike, and even then I have to ice my knee afterwards. But all the little numbers flashing up about calories burned and mile biked are cute, and I do like the various programs (courses) to choose from.

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:27:22 GMT

Bleh, I'm not looking forward to climbing on the scales tomorrow. This has been an awful week at work, and I've been too pooped out to cook properly when I get home.

For those new to the thread and want to join in, post how much you'd like to lose (or heck, how much you'd like to gain) and why, and then each Friday update with your progress.

So I started out with:

+ 25 (25 pounds above goal)

because I want to lose weight before a knee replacement

I'm hoping that tomorrow I get to post a loss! :O :P

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

KaLin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:11:17 GMT

I want to wish everyone good luck in acheiving their weight loss goal!! I know how difficult it is to drop those unwanted pounds. I was a yo-yo dieter for 20 years and finally decided I had to take the bull by the horns and get the weight off when I could no longer go up and down the stairs at the house without having to stop at the landing to catch my breath.

I lost 102 pounds in 10 1/2 months and feel soooooo much better and no longer have to take blood pressure meds and have been able to eliminate/reduce the meds that I took for both my COPD and Lupus. I'll be checking back on this thread for progress reports and to give everyone much deserved WOOO HOOO's for their accomplishments. :)

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

haulingthescoreup — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:42:40 GMT

100 pounds in 10 months! :O Wow!!!

Didn't have time to post earlier:

+ 23.6. (from + 25)

I was on track for better than that, but too much stress eating the last few days. :P

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

AllPro — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:20:27 GMT

+ 30 ..LoL There is way to much good food in my house. Theres always next Friday !

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

MattH — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:40:52 GMT

I'm not gonna post numbers, suffice it to say I weigh somewhat more than I would prefer but less than I weighed six months ago. In some ways the fit of clothing can be a better indicator of fitness than is weight: adding good weight in the form of muscle mass will make the scale number go up without enlarging the waistline, while it is possible to lose muscle and gain fat without changing total weight.

If you are interested in risk-scoring systems, which you probably are if you are reading this, you should google Framingham Risk Score. The Framingham Risk Score is a scoring model used by physicians and medical reasearchers to estimate a person's risk of heart disease.

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

Booner72 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:52:08 GMT

+ 22.22222

But I also agree that the fit and size of clothes is a much better indicator, at least for me. When I work out regularly and hard core, I'm happy with how I look and feel, but the scale is always too high. I'm tall and carry a lot of weight. But I've always wanted to get to that goal weight....so I'm going to track it.

Good luck this week, everyone!

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

Booner72 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:10:58 GMT

Current: +22.

That means I've only lost .2222 pounds in an entire week of NO DAIRY, NO WHEAT, and avoiding as much gluten as I can. Serious bummer. I'm trying to fight a bad skin condition by changing my diet. It's hard. I feel so weird. But if I do eat something w/ the above items, I instantly start itching and scratching and my skin turns red.

ETA: Where is everyone else?

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

haulingthescoreup — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:02:01 GMT

Booner72 wrote:
Current: +22.

That means I've only lost .2222 pounds in an entire week of NO DAIRY, NO WHEAT, and avoiding as much gluten as I can. Serious bummer. I'm trying to fight a bad skin condition by changing my diet. It's hard. I feel so weird. But if I do eat something w/ the above items, I instantly start itching and scratching and my skin turns red.

ETA: Where is everyone else?

lol, I gave up. I figured everyone had bailed. :D

I'm +24, courtesy of a week and a half of stress eating during a massive software meltdown. :( (Don't know how long I can keep that excuse going, though. I'm back in salad land. :P)

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

llecs — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 23:07:57 GMT

Never give up!

I just hadn't bought a scale and I backslid. :smileysad: Though I can say with a pinch of guilt that the Tiramisu was delicious. I do have a new goal though. Our 20th has been set for July.

Re: Friday weigh-in: the other FICO fitness thread

haulingthescoreup — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:12:58 GMT

llecs wrote:
Never give up!

I just hadn't bought a scale and I backslid. :smileysad: Though I can say with a pinch of guilt that the Tiramisu was delicious. I do have a new goal though. Our 20th has been set for July.

Ah, there's nothing quite like a high school reunion to put the fear of God into you!

Or a kid's wedding with all the former in-laws. ;)