When is the last weigh in day, Jan 31 or Feb 1? I am trying not to obsess with the scale so I am not doing another weigh in until the last possible minute of this challenge. I am getting to stressed out with the ups and downs, lol.

OK, weigh in day again :D I have missed the last two... so I guess I have a bit of explaining to do. First off, my weight is about the same as my last weigh in, but 1 1/2 pounds higher. That is scale weight.

Something a few of you said, and I specifically recall Jacqui talking about the unhealthy weight loss of that "Biggest Losers" program, of which I have never seen but get the gist of... that they put scale weight loss ahead of health. I realized that it was better health that I was after but had sidetracked into thinking it was just getting rid of fat. Well, I switched slightly and my priority now is on health. I have/had a tremendous amount of fat and most of my muscles had atrophied. My excuse was just age... I am 73, and hurting joints mainly from arthritis.

I tried walking and that was going fine, got up to 3 1/2 miles per day, then the knees did not want to cooperate anymore.

I read on an arthritis site that one could do exercises to work the peripheral muscles around a joint and increase the strength of the joint muscles to the point they can be exercised some again. I found that true, using some very light hand weights.... 3 lbs each. I did the max I could with them, going until I could not, then switching to a diff exercise with them and repeating. Some four weeks later here I am up to using 7 lb and 12 lb hand weights for max times I can. To my surprise, I started putting on muscle tissue, my upper body has put on over 10 lbs of muscle while slimming down at the same time. So it seems I have traded about 9 lbs of fat for 10 lbs of muscle. I call that a very good trade, and intend to continue on for another week or two before I go back to just getting rid of fat weight.

So, long story short, I have a net gain for this month rather than a drop in weight. And I am quite OK with it. 1 1/2 lbs up is not a bad trade off at all, my way of thinking.

I feel way better, but the down side is my clothes keep getting larger. And the solution to that is rather expensive...........

B F R

PS I can't help but looking over some of the stats on some of you. I see Turtle with her 5' 5" @ 142 lbs.......... and compare that to Marilyn Monroe @ 144 lbs and same height. And I betcha Turtle is healthier, more compact and has a much better mental disposition than Marilyn did what with all that exercise she does. And about the same with Sum and a few others :D

I used to fly a lot. And in learning to fly, it was not controlling the airplane that was difficult. Nope, that was easy. The hard part was in learning all the technical things about flying, such as how the altimeter, air speed indicator, magnetic compass worked. Notice that the air-speed was an indicator, not like in a car, a speed-o-meter.. speedometer. When we looked at our speed indicator in a plane, we had to adjust for the angle of climb, for the temperature, for the altitude and calculate in those numbers to get our true airspeed. Then if that were not enough, to get how fast we were traveling over the ground we had to process in the wind-speed and the wind direction and add/subtract how that affected us.

In this weight loss thing, our scales are like the speed indicator of a plane. It is not a fat-o-meter, it is a total of it all weight thing. It is fat we want to lose and the scales DO NOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH FAT YOU LOST. Nor gained. To gain one lb of fat, one must eat 3500 calories above the amount needed to maintain the body, which though varies for each of us, is about 14 to 16 calories per pound of body weight. So a 200 lb person needs about 2800 to 3200 calories to maintain. To gain one lb of fat, they must eat, digest and take in from 6300 to 6700 calories in order to put on one lb of fat. How many of you can do that in a day?? Not me. So thinking that because you pigged out over a weekend and ate that pie, soft drinks, big helping of mexican food and three big helpings of spaghetti and put on 5 lbs of fat........... No way Jose !!!

You may put on 10 lbs of scale weight, which will be water, but no way will you put on even 4 lbs of fat in a weekend. The scale weight will usually be due to the body processing the carbohydrates, which requires a lot of h20 for our body (which is really a chemical processing plant) to process the carbs. And sodium......... those salty pretzels and popcorn, and the huge amount of sodium contained in some processed foods.......... They retain a LOT of water until it is processed out of the body by the kidneys and excreted as urine.

So calm down a bit, don't get excited when the scales indicate to you that the body is processing some carbs or sodium, or in the case of our ladies, that awful gent Tom loads them up with a few extra lbs at that time..........

Don't let those scales get to ya :) They are just indicators. Make a few little mental calculations and take it easy. What the scales read at the beginning and end of the month are what count.

Look at Turtle........... she patiently puts down the daily weight and says nothing while some watching it get a little edgy but her ups and downs. But at the end of the month, she always has her loss :D

Great work Turtle !!

hello
 

kelijpa thanks! and yes it is weird not to have a scale in a fitness room but I guess some don't buy into scale logic lol!!

jaqui d yeah don't give up! I've seen the slow carb doet give major whoosh at random times...just stick w it!!! :hug:

susan1975 checking in is good good for you for being accountable!

sum38 whooo!! still kicking scale butt!! good job! :lucky:

turtle11 nice job keep it up!!! :carrot:

Rhiko, watchoutforthatcar, darius, stilettolife....good job on goals!!! :encore::encore::celebrate::celebrate::celebrate:

shr1nk1ngme yeah I'm going to get ketone testing strips...the doofy lady at the pharmacy store told m the box I found on the shelf was from the druggist section and I couldn't buy them over the counter...I was mad.... I know you can, they're just test strips...but that box was too much anyway, I only want some to start to see if I do it... so I'll go to Wal-Mart.... how often do you test? I too am finding higher fat does better, feels counter productive!

boatingmommy: how did the chicken enchiladas go? what would you have to modify?

susan1975 keep trying!! You've come so far! ;)

big fat rooster Glad to see you're building muscle, it is confusing when muscle weighs more than fat although the other up side to that is that muscle, from my research helps burn fat....more muscle better burn rate..something like that? so you might find when you want to burn fat you'll have a better go maybe? Well anyway, it's wonderful you're strengthening muscles, it's not hard for them to go south without use...many small muscle groups go by the wayside even when we think we're exercising....for instance, my knees are bad...part of that is due to weak muscles behind and around my knee, the exercise the therapist recommended had to do with pulling yourself across the floor on a lil rolly stool with your heels only.....among others...but that one was the most tolerable....amazing how easy it is not to use some muscles you'd think walking or something would suffice....anywho, sorry I am rambling...good job!! :carrot::carrot:

BFR, awesome post!!! :cp:

Check in
 

*TMI warning!!!!* Ok figured some of you might appreciate the warning.... anyway, looks good on the scale so far.... TOM came this morning, lil late.... I dunno what that will say for my weight, usually I lost right before and I sorta did but hadn't seen too much of a rise before, not like usual.... but then might not be usual for a while. I dunno. Anyway, still doing good.

Those who use ketone strips... people have been saying deep purple is dehydration, do you agree? I am always under my water...I need to do better. I will be getting those on Friday... anything else useful as a tool for low carb, high protein?? is the blood or breathe meter worth it or better than strips?

Jan. 1: 260
1/2: 259
1/3: 257
1/4: 256
1/5: 256
1/6: 256
1/7: 256
1/8: 255
1/9: 253
1/10: 254 what?!?
1/11: 253
1/12: 254
1/13: 254
1/14: DNW
1/15: 256
1/16: 255
1/17: 254
1/18: 253 yay!
1/19: 254
1/20: 256
1/21: 254
1/22: 251
1/23: 251
1/24: 253 WTH? maybe it's sodium or...maybe it's TOM coming....
1/25: 253
1/26: 251
1/27: 250!!! GOAL!!!
1/28: 250
1/29:249
1/30:
1/31:

Met my first 2 goals now on to a new one for January 2014!
SW 288
CW 239.4
GW 235

Jan 2 239.4
Jan 8 240.2 I will get it back next weigh in! Im very determined!!
Jan 15 237.6
Jan 22 237.4 TOM
Jan 29 235.8 Yay!!
I never made my goal this month..shoot! I guess is i weigh in again on last day of month there may be a slight chance im very close:)

Everyone is doing so great!! I am very motivated by seeing everyones wonderful progress.

Susan1975 Keep at it girl! You will do it!! :)

January 19 - 165.0
January 20 - nw
January 21 - nw
January 22 - 166.8
January 23 - 165.4
January 24 - 165.4
January 25 - 164.8
January 26 - 164.8
January 27 - DNW
January 28 - 165.7
January 29 - 165.7
January 30 -
January 31 -
February 1 -

I just don't know what's up with me. Doing everything right. TOM is late and I've been stressed over exams...I just don't know. :*(

Anyway, CONGRATS for all of you reaching your goals or continuing your path toward it!!! :D

No weigh in this morning
Been rough past few hours. Been stuck in car over 18 hours. I live in Birmingham alabama. So when I got my first meal to eat this morning. I ate a lot. Worried to weigh in. But I dint care because I'm alive and healthy after being stuck in the storm

Just back from my family trip and haven't caught up on the NEW thread yet (!!) - sure I've missed lots of people turning red at the end if the month (not TOM but reaching goals)! I love this bit of the month!

I've weighed in today to see the damage from five days of indulgence. I exercised like crazy whilst I was away, so am only up two lbs. might manage to shift it by Friday if I'm lucky, but no goal for me this month. Roll on Feb!!

Start Weight - 141
Goal Weight - 136

Jan 6 - 141
Jan 7 - 142
Jan 8 - 141
Jan 9 - DNW
Jan 10 - 141 (just)
Jan 11 - DNW
Jan 12- DNW
Jan 13 - DNW
Jan 14 - 141
Jan 15 - 140
Jan 16 - DNW
Jan 17 - 138
Jan 18 - DNW
Jan 19 - DNW
Jan 20 - 139
Jan 21 - 138
Jan 22 - 137
Jan 23 - 137
Jan 24 -137
Jan 25 - 139
Jan 26 - 139
Jan 27 - DNW
Jan 28 - DNW
Jan 29 - 139

Oh my, that's really scary! I can't even imagine! So glad you made it through OK. Wow. :hug:

______


As for me new to report. Tomorrow's the next weigh-in so I guess I will find out if I am still semi-stuck or if the scale is still moving along.

It's a DownDay and I am really busy so that's all for now. See everyone tomorrow!

ajlee33 - So glad you are safe. I was looking at the pictures on CNN...what a mess. Glad you made it back home safe and sound. I would have eaten EVERYTHING just from the stress!

ajlee glad your safe, I drove through snow squalls most of the way up here, but the plows were out, I only saw one accident, but it is stressful being out in the weather like that, again, glad you're safe and sound.

B F R awesome post, love your analogy to flying, very interesting reading. Thanks for that. Congrats on your weight training, building strength is awesome!

Things are going pretty well here, will be heading home tomorrow, so will be able to weigh in of the last day of the month :D whatever it is, I'll be happy, I did manage to exercise every day, I passed up on the partying, not interested in it, maybe if I knew them better, I'm not against fun, something just told me to skip it.

Sounds like everyone is doing well overall, looking forward to doing it all again next month hard to believe Jan is almost over, it went by fast, except the super cold days.

Edit: there was a scale in a storage room at the office, it was a balance beam one, where you slide the weights across, so right after I ate lunch with clothes and shoes I was 163, felt like a goof but had to do it, actually there were 2 scales in the room, so I weighed myself on both :lol: same on both.

Best to all :sunny:

shr1nk1ngme. It was crazy. But I made it.

boatingmommy yes I can say I ate a lot. Chocolate. Waffles chips. Etc. I was hungry from over 12 hours no eating. So I made up for it.

kelipjpa Alabama is not ready for the ice we had. It was crazy. And terrible. They just dint know how to drive in it


On the other hand

I guess the walking in ice to and from car over three miles and no food over 12 hours really helped

1/1 - 225.4
1/2 - 226.0 (+0.6)
1/3 -225.4 (-0.6)
1/4 - 225.4
1/5 - 225.4
1/6 - 224.2 (-1.2)
1/7 - 223.8 (-0.4)
1/8 - 225.2 (+1.4)
1/9 - 225 (-0.2)
1/10 - 225
1/11 - 224. ( -1 )
1/12 - 223 (-1)
1/18 - 223 (0)
1/24 - 219.8 (-3.2). Finally
1/30 - 217.6

Oh yeah. I made goal for the month :)