Greetings and welcome to the Make March Magic 2021 Check-in & Accountability Thread! This is a warm and supportive thread so whether you are a long time poster, brand new, or a lurker wanting to join the conversation, please settle in and make yourself at home.

• Here you can post your daily weight,
• Share workouts and way of eating (WOE) plans, struggles and successes,
• Life adventures and anything else you care to share.

March ushers in the spring season (Northern Hemisphere) which is a time for renewal and growth. This seems truer this year than in any that come to mind. It's been a tough and scary year and while challenges are still presenting themselves, we are in a different place than where we were this time last year. After a year of isolation, illness, loss, and worry, we need the optimism that hope and spring brings. This month let's take advantage of the "magical" moments that occur when winter releases its icy grip. Let's commit to doing away with some of the "heavy" that has been bringing us down. Spend some time outdoors and take in the fresh air and feel the sun on your face. Certainly, set goals but allow for flexibility and be kind to yourself.

A lovely and productive March to us all!

It is spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want--oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!
Mark Twain

Hey, how we do?
Spent the day with my best girl KC. We went arrow head hunting and did really well. Finished up out at the Greek monastery for gyros and olive salad! Oh man!
So. Goal this month is 5lbs. Would love to see 289 flash up for a day!
3/1 297.2

Hi everyone,

I hope that you are all good. I am really happy to be a part of this group.

Have a great day.

Hey Ben, how u been? Lol SUP bro? Welcome! Where u at, what you do? You dieting? What's the plan? Happy to have you, its Ben a little slow lately and I've Ben hoping for someone new, maybe someone who has Ben reading but not posting. Wait till u meet the rest of the weight loss crew! We Ben rocking it! Feel free to reach out with questions or issues.

Happy March everyone!
I am happy to say I did finally make the February goal and made it to 40 pounds! With that said, my March goal is to make it to 220. I haven't seen 220 in about 20 years!!

William I am glad you are doing so great! I know you will make the five pound goal!

Ben Welcome!

curvynotlumpy thank you again so very much for starting this monthly thread. And I love that Mark Twain quote! It totally captures what Spring fever is all about!

I wish everyone the best month of March, filled with successes, both in weight loss and of the NSV kind.

loganandlivsmom a huge congratulations on reaching your monthly goal but also on being 40 pounds down already! I see you making the 220s this month, your determination is admirable.

February was again a wash for me. I have yet to gain back the consistency that helped me reach my lowest weight in years last year. So I’m trying something new starting this week, which will be exercising right before I eat lunch. I can see that working out after work and before supper wasn’t working for me anymore, for a variety of reasons, so time to try a new schedule. And since I’ll be working from home for a long while still, I see no issues with working out at lunch time.

I did end the month of February on a high note though, completing what Fitness Blender calls a 1000-calorie workout. It was 36 minutes of HIIT, 26 minutes of strength training and 20 minutes of core work. I didn’t think I would make it, but I did set a goal to get through 1 of these workouts each month (they have 12 on their website) and after a rather blah month, I figured I should fight to keep that long-term fitness goal going. So 2 down and 10 to go.

And now time for today’s workout and trying this new schedule. Have a great day everyone!

Hi y'all
Slinking back in after being gone for months.I got stuck in a major way. I finally worked myself out of my plateau by following the Fast Start from Gin Stephens book, Feast, fast, repeat. It was a 28 day restart plan for me to get back on track for my fasting. Thought 28 days was perfect for February. I got down to a 5-6 hour eating window again, and have my spouse on board in a major way this time. I introduced her to keeping a food journal, no calories or carbs, just writing down what she ate. She has been amazed that simple tool has enabled her to get her blood sugar numbers down. She is a full-blown type 2 diabetic and I was really getting concerned when her AC went up to 9.

But enough about her. I've got my blood sugar under control, but am not losing weight. I have been working on examining my strategies and finally had an "aha" moment Sunday. I have to stop "trying" to lose weight. I need to lose weight. Yoda was right--"there is no trying, only doing". I am going to be 66 in a couple weeks and I need to do this, or get real and make peace with where I am.

I want to live another 20 years or so if possible (average age of my family's lifespan). It is now or never.

I promise you will see more of me here.

Thanks, Linda

Hey team, what the do?
I would stick around and wax poetically about weight loss and exercise, however, I'm way to busy "bringing sexy back"
3/2 296.0

Just lost a long post again. Oh well. I'll try again.


So I decided to change my weight details to where I started last February 2019. My last campaign. Like most, this has been a lifelong battle to get off weight I keep regaining. When I was a teenager, I was 105 pounds at 17. Haven't seen that since. My highest weight was 202 aver my mother died. Got some off with Weight Watchers. My father dies 5 years later, and I started smoking my husband's cigarettes to try and stave off regaining what I had fought so hard to lose. Stupid I know.


So at 50, after smoking 5 years, I gave them up, because my new love wanted me to be around for old age together. Predictably, gained weight until I reached my high of 205. I tried Weight Watchers again, but they changed the program so much it wasn't working for me. Also, my new business was failing and I just couldn't afford it.


Five years later I finally got my head together enough to try again. Started fasting February 2019. Lost 15 pounds fairly easily, then I got stuck on a plateau. Then Covid hit--no more Tai Chi classes, etc.


I'm going to be 66 this month, and my family usually makes it to the mid-80s. So far I have managed to avoid my mother's heart problems and my dad's cancer problems. But I know my luck is running out as time flies.


I read in a geriatric nursing book yesterday (I catalog books for a library) that they think that as long as an older adult's BMI is the "overweight" range, instead of "Obese" or "morbidly obese", the health effects may not be that bad. So if I can get my BMI down to under 150 (BMI 29), I think that will be good enough for me and my doctor. Ideal would be "normal" of 120 to 130, but that is not realistic for me at this stage of my life.


Have a nice day everyone!

Madamwu Welcome back! After reading what you wrote, I agree many of us have had lifetime battles with our weight. I am in my early 50's but remember being a teen and wishing I was as thin as my friends. Even as a size large or 16 my friends were size small and I felt huge. I have lost and regained so many times, I have truly lost track. I agree with you that there is no more trying, just doing! I like the info about being just overweight vs obese in older people as well. That seems more doable. I can picture being "just" overweight vs the ideal for my height.

William Go ahead with bringing sexy back! That was great!! Way to go with the 296!

Martine Thanks for all your encouragement! The virtual support group here is great! Congrats on the 1000 calorie workout!! Wow! I hope the scale starts going down again soon for you.

madamwu welcome back! What a very honest look at your weight loss journey so far, thank you for sharing. A couple of things you said in your previous post really resonated with me: “Do or do not. There is no try”. Yoda couldn’t have put it better. At some point you either do it or you don’t. And then you mentioned needing to lose weight for your health and your future, or eventually get real and make peace with where you are now. I agree that everything comes down to a choice: do I want to stay at this current weight or do I want to reach a new low? That’s the question I will ask myself every time I feel like skipping a workout or making unhealthy food choices. You are worth fighting for that healthier BMI, wishing you much success!

HealthyBen welcome to this group!

William47 I see you are still on track and still your fab self

So far I am doing well this month in establishing a new routine and creating more consistency in my workouts and healthy habits. I am a list-maker and love checking things off, so I’ve created a healthy habits table on my phone and am adding colourful check marks each time I complete something which is part of my daily routine. Every little thing counts and it’s not just about exercise, it’s about overall habits. Don’t know why I never thought to try this before. Hopefully seeing boxes checked will keep me moving forward.

Hope everyone is enjoying a great week so far!

1: 37 minutes HIIT workout + 2.4km walk
2: 33 minutes upper body strength training workout + 2.4km walk
3: 28 minutes yoga and pilates workout + 2.4km walk

Checking in today. Thanks for the welcome back.

My current challenge is to cut back on my "lunch" to make it a "snack" that I have to open my eating window. I'm following fasting protocols, which I have to tighten up to restart my weight loss. Because I am eating later, starting at 12:30pm instead of the 11:30 schedule I have doing at work for years, I'm having trouble not eating too much so I am hungry enough for my main meal at 5:30. My problem is I like variety and I need to find a way to incorporate that without going overboard.

Today I tried a can of light Progresso soup with a mini-naan with hummus. Seems to be working. But I miss crunch!

madamwu that lunch sounded good. Kuddos to you for being able to fast until 12:30pm. When I wake up, usually around 5:60-6am, I am beyond hungry. Breakfast has always been a very important part of my day. If fasting helps kickstart your weight loss again, then it's the right thing for you.

Still keeping on track with my walking and workouts and daily routine. I've even reached my hydration goal each day so far. But today I was so hungry that I could've eaten everything in the apartment. I managed to stop myself after a hefty portion of peanuts this afternoon. Those things are just loaded with calories and it's crazy just how fast you can eat a whole bunch. I know why I was tired: I woke up at 2am and couldn't fall back asleep, and I couldn't nap today until a planned delivery arrived. I don't know how long I'll tough it out tonight, but David's sleep was disrupted as well, so since we're both tired, it's lefovers for supper and probably an early time to bed.

Have a nice evening everyone!

1: 37 minutes HIIT workout + 2.4km walk
2: 33 minutes upper body strength training workout + 2.4km walk
3: 28 minutes yoga and pilates workout + 2.4km walk
4: 36 minutes upper body strength training workout + 2.8km walk

madamwu: Nice to see you back posting. You've made great points in your earlier posts. A couple of years ago I participated in a year-long campus health and wellness program. The goal of the program was to lose 7% of your weight but this wasn't a weight-loss program. It was program geared to providing the tools of life-long health in a small group setting. There were 10 of us, all female. It was an eye-opening and wonderful experience. The first thing we had to commit to for the first 20 weeks of the program was keeping a food journal. It's not a coincidence that I was the most successful during those weeks Your comment about your spouse keeping a journal and finding success is pushing me back into it.

Martine: You sound in much better spirits this month! I'm a list maker too and I'm happy you've found a strategy that is fun and is working for you. I'm a big colored pen fan as well. Writing things down not only creates another level of accountability but there is something about seeing your commitment written down in your handwriting that adds to the accomplishment. Great job!

VickieLou: . Wishing you a successful March!

loganandlivsmom: As I've stated before, the only time I was ever normal weight was when I was born. I can't remember a time I haven't been fat or overweight for any sustained period of my life. Like you, I've gained and lost dozens (maybe hundreds) of pounds over the years. I'm actually very surprised that I've maintained my current weight during COVID. It's fluctuated a few pounds up and down but has largely stayed the same.

William47: You sound well. Good luck on your mission to "bring sexy back."

HealthyBen: Welcome to the neighborhood! Make yourself comfortable and post as often as you'd like.
*******
Happy Sunday! It's a beautiful day here in Northern California. I just finished up some laundry and am poaching chicken breasts so I can use this week. Earlier I had my weekly chat with my Portland friend. I've been MIA due to work commitments but I read the thread every day. I'm happy to report that the two websites for each of the units I supervise have both been revised and launched. We've been working weekly on the websites for the last 4-5 months. I'm happy that it's done and with the final product. We're also wrapping up our peer hiring. I need to check a few more references and that should do it. Hopefully the students we've selected will all say yes. Friday I received all the applications for the career staff transfer adviser position I'm hiring for. HR received 90 applications and passed on 70 of them after they did their screening.

I'm taking a few days off in a couple of weeks and I'm so ready for the break!

I hope everyone is well.