My Journey

Day 1 - January 1, 2020
250 lbs.
I started watching my calories and my portions. I have used the LoseIt app in the past and it works for me. I was surprised when it was mid-afternoon and I was already over my daily recommended calorie count (about 1850 cals to maintain my weight). It would take about 10 days before I was able to feel full on a modest calorie deficit.

Day 6 - January 6, 2020
245 lbs. I lost 5 lbs this past week and got to order a patch! I chose "Save the Chubby Unicorns"
I started The Foundation 30 Day Program on level 2. I split it up into workouts Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will take Wednesday, Saturday, and Sundays as Rest Days. It works for me to have rest days and not go 30 straight at this stage. This split means it will take 2 months to complete instead of 1 but that is okay. It is a lot more than I was doing before.

Day 11 - January 11, 2020
242 lbs
One week of exercise and it is amazing how out of shape I am. I have completed Foundation Days 1-4 and a two day rest is required!

Day 18 - January 18, 2020
241 lbs - 1 pound lost this week. I have to keep reminding myself that's the goal. The first few pounds came right off. The rest I will have to earn!
Completed Foundation Days 5-8.
My lunges are no where near deep enough but they are what I can do right now.

Day 25 - January 25, 2020
238 lbs - For passing 240, I ordered the Dangerously Overeducated patch. (I have a Master's degree that sees very little use)
Completed Foundation Days 9-12.
Day 10 was the first time I had to do any squats. I did the first set of 10 but by the time I came back around to do the next set, my muscles locked up and they weren't going to happen. Instead, I substituted a wall sit. It was the first time I had to sub something and I hated it. My wife is awesome and suggested that I add stretches that targeted the squat muscles and eventually full squats to every warmup. This has been a workout/momentum saver.

Day 32 - February 1, 2020
235 lbs. Another patch week! Thundercats, HO!
Competed Foundation Days 13-16. Started February Challenge Upper Body Light.
I started the week adding in some side lunge stretches and I finished the week by adding 5 squats to my warm-up. Did I mention my wife is awesome?

Day 39 - February 8, 2020
235 lbs. Zero lbs lost. (Actually, I still went down 0.6 lbs but I am only counting whole pounds.)
Completed Foundations Days 17-20. Completed February Challenge Upper Body Light Days 2-8.
This was a tough week. It started on Sunday with the Super Bowl. I traditionally snack on pizza, chips, queso, guacamole, popcorn, hotdogs, or anything else on the snack table. This year, we were really intentional about our food choices. We still had a pizza but we cut it into small 2" squares. We replaced the chips and dips with celery, baby carrots, a light ranch dip, apple slices and grapes. I still went over my calories but most of it was much healthier than usual. However, it seemed to throw off my whole week. I seemed hungry and snack-ish all week and fairly lethargic. I still completed my workouts but I went over my calorie targets 4 of the 7 days. The only really good news came on workout day 18. It called for a squat hold and I knocked out all 5 sets! We will just chalk this up as a learning experience and take it one week at a time.

Day 46 - February 15, 2020
234 lbs.
Completed Foundation Days 21-24. Completed February Challenge Upper Body Light Days 9-15.
Staying positive that I lost a pound this week. I would really like to get another patch for my wall but I know that 1 pound a week is much more sustainable. Really feeling like I have a better handle on what I am eating. I am slowing replacing high carb and high fat foods with lower calorie and higher protein options. This week, when we ate out, we discussed in advance where we were going, looked at the menu with the nutrition info, and made educated decisions about our meal choices and the rest of the days calories. It felt very natural and was a positive experience.

Hi Shelexie
Welcome to the hive!
Let's get this thing started...

Shelexie Hello and welcome! It sounds like you've made a good start!

Welcome
The idea of ​​celebrating your victories with a fun patch on the wall seems excellent

Day 53 - February 22, 2020
230 lbs.
Completed Foundation Days 25-28. Completed February Challenge Upper Body Light Days 16-20.
I am super excited about hitting this milestone! I have now lost 20lbs since January 1, 2020, through much healthier food choices and 4 days a week of about 30 minutes of exercise. My app today said I had lost the equivalent of two house cats. I also get to order my next patch! Get it?! Transformers! Transformation. I crack myself up!

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On a less fun note, I may have to stop the February Upper Body Light Challenge. It is a lot of repetitive motion on the elbows and I am having pain in my left elbow equivalent to tennis elbow. I have an arm band on now and I am doing the stretches. I would really like to complete the challenge. At the same time, I plan to start 30 Days of Change on March 1st and I don't want to jeopardize my progress. I guess we will see how it plays out.

Welcome, @Shelexie!! I love the way you specified your “rules,” and the support you are receiving from your spouse!! That’s a great way to start out and your progress and positive attitude is inspiring!!
Here in the Hive, you will find many motivational threads, educational and sciency info about food and exercise that will keep you interested. There’s TONS of help here. And we will root for you!!

Thank you for all the positive comments! I didn't know I wanted/needed them but now I do! They are a huge motivator when you sometimes feel like you are on your own in this struggle. Thanks!

That's it! Sometimes it is hard to continue and these comments are pushing into the right direction. So keep going on and we will accompany...

We strengthen each others

Shelexie massive welcome to the hive! Epic start to your thread cant wait to see the rest of your journey also amazing work on your first 2 badges ​​​​​​

Day 60 - February 29, 2020
229 lbs.
Completed Foundation Days 29&30.
Completed my first two Workout of the Day - Porter, and Anywhere Abs.
Also did my first two daily dares.

This was a tough week. I stayed on track with my eating plan and lost 1 lb. My wife fell and injured her ankle. We will find out Monday if it is a bad sprain or something that requires surgery. Then we had to say goodbye to one of our cats. Vanna was only 8 yrs old but had gotten to the point where she was getting a urinary track infection every 5-7 days. We had gotten her all the right foods, all the right medicines, and she was going to continue to be in pain. So we were left with a horrible decision and grief. I did not comfort eat. I did have comfort bourbon but limited it to one.

This coming week, I will begin the 30 Days of Change program. I plan to move from 4 workouts a week to working out each day. I am also beginning the daily dares (because I love patches!). Thank you for all the positive comments and the welcoming nature of the Hive community!

Congrats on Fondation
I'm sorry for your cat...

Good work on Foundation!🥳😎
Sad news of the kitty, tho.....😢and your wife’s ankle....hope it’s an easy fix/heal🤞🏼

I am so sorry to hear about your kitty! Losing pets is HARD. Also hope your wife's ankle heals quickly.