DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: AbbieR on 2012-10-20 11:41 AM

The holiday season is basically here.....Halloween parties, Thanksgiving and Christmas parties are right around the corner.  My challenge is to get DOWN for the Holidays!  Instead of gaining weight, let's move the needle in the opposite direction.  The challenge is a 3-prong approach; cardio, nutrition and strength. 

I realize that we are all at different levels of fitness so let's start with the basics:

Cardio 4x a week for 45 minutes (minimum): This can be anything that raises your heart-rate, no need to stick to S/B/R.  

Strength 3x a week for 20 minutes (minimum): You don't even need to go to the gym!  You can do push-ups, squats, dips, crunches, planks all in the comfort of your home!

Nutrition:  What you eat is sooooo important!  This part is up to you....Pick something that is realistic for to accomplish when it comes to what you fuel your body with.  If you are just beginning to take note of nutrition, maybe it's something simple like logging what you eat each day or cutting out one soda or drinking more water.  If you are ready to make a more drastic change in eating habits maybe you are looking at following Paleo, Clean Eating, Weight Watchers, eliminating sugar, calorie counting, etc.  When you agree to the challenge, YOU decide what you will commit to and then report back to the group on how you are doing meeting your own expectations.

Twice a week I will throw a challenge out to the group just to keep you guessing! It might be something like complete 100 crunches for the day, drink at least 12 glasses of water for the day, etc.  Other member can throw out the challenge too!

Cheating.....no one is perfect and we all fall of the wagon, especially when it comes to food during the holidays.  When you have your moment; be honest and come clean.....you will need to report back to the group about what you ate.  Just make sure when you fall off the wagon that you really ENJOY what you are eating.  Relish in that amazing hot fudge sundae, or finishing the last Snickers from your kids trick-or-treating.  Enjoy your moment and then get right back to the eating plan you have set for yourself.  PLAN a cheat treat, it might keep you more mindful of if that cheat is worth it.

Goals:  This can be a number on the scale, fitting into a certain outfit, measurements or maybe it's just staying on track without GAINING weight.  It's YOUR goal and up to YOU!

Weekly Weigh-in/Measurements: Every Friday.  If you only want to weigh-in or only do measurements, no problem.  The scale lies

Pictures: I'm a  huge fan of taking pictures to track progress!  You can post them here or just in your BT log, but take them!!

Those are the basics, so introduce yourself and let's get DOWN!

Abbie

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Living my passion

http://musingsinawackyworld.blogspot.com/

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: AbbieR on 2012-10-20 11:54 AM

Name: Abbie

Basics: Single and living with 1 dog, 5'3", currently 135 pounds

Goal: 128

Activity: Teach boot camp 3x a week, throwing in S/B/R when I feel like it.  I finished my 7th IM in August and have been experiencing S/B/R burnout, so not following a training plan feels amazing!

Nutrition Plan: A combination of Paleo and Clean eating.  I don't eat grains or cheese.  Try to avoid sugar, but will have honey.  

Below is a pic from me at Ironman Kentucky and the other I took earlier this week.  IN the IMKY pic I ate what I wanted and survived on tons of cardio.  I've learned a ton since then and now include strength training and realize how important nutrition really is when it comes to changing the human form.  The difference in these 2 pics is only about 7 pounds!

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Living my passion

http://musingsinawackyworld.blogspot.com/

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: QueenZipp on 2012-10-20 12:10 PM

Hi Abbie!

I have seen that IMKY pic before....still hard to believe the difference in you.  Amazing.

I'm Judi.  52, married, one daughter in college, one a junior in high school, a foreign exchange student from Vietnam.  I have 3 cats (2 are running on their last lives with me!)

I have 3 weeks until my last race of the season, a half marathon.  I worked so hard last winter at losing about 12 lbs, unfortunately I have regained most of that.  Current weight is around 147.  I haven't been in the gym to weigh in for a while cause this half mary plan is so aggressive that I have dropped all but yoga and running from my agenda.  When this is over I am jumping into the winter bike plan.

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Judi
Not enough time in this life to make me a great swimmer.~~the bear
so many piglets, so little time ~~~rh8463

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: enders_shadow on 2012-10-20 1:28 PM

I'd like to join in.

I'm Kristen - 40 years old, married, 2 kids (10 & 7 girls), and one stinky dog. I work as a professor but moonlight as a chauffeur (for my kids...not for money!). Whoever got hung up on the term "soccer mom" as a voting block was kidding - soccer moms barely have time to vote!

Long story short - 2006 = 205 pounds; 2009 = 145 pounds; 2010-2011 injury/illness/medical issues; January 2012 = 200 pounds. Today = 168

Goal - eventually, back to 145; for the holidays = down to 160 or less

Cardio - running the same half as Judi in a few weeks, currently running & biking (my knee doesn't like to run so much right now); after the half, will probably stick with running & biking anyway

Strength - I'm working on the New Rules of Lifting for Life program - solid strength training (planks, squats, pushups, etc.), just started it last weekend - can't wait to see some results from it

Nutrition - I've been eating generally Paleo/Clean. I very occasionally eat grain and it gives me wheat belly, so I avoid it mostly. I do eat potatoes. I eat very little sugar. (This is how I've gotten down from 200 so far this year - it's working & I don't want to screw that up.) I generally cheat after races...a one-meal reward.

Pictures/measurements to come later.
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Kristen
Bring on 2014
(Shamrock Mary, Raleigh 70.3, Muncie 70.3...and IMLOU?)

Follow my loco journey...trimomhalf.blogspot.com

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: AbbieR on 2012-10-20 1:41 PM

Welcome ladies!!!!

Kristen, I added you to my friends list

Edited by AbbieR 2012-10-20 1:42 PM

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Living my passion

http://musingsinawackyworld.blogspot.com/

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: joemac3 on 2012-10-20 4:12 PM

Hi Abbie! I am in for being down for the holidays. I will post all my info when I get to a computer but count me in! And great pic By the way.
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You are like stage 3 syphilis: I can't get you out of my head.
TriAya:I like stroking things ... and banging them, apparently

Akustix: the word "panties" makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

If God Invented the marathon to keep people from doing anything more stupid... The triathlon must have taken him completely by surprise!

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: kimmax on 2012-10-20 6:23 PM

I'm in too! Awesome challenge Abbie! I'm going to think it through and will post details soon!

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: tri42 on 2012-10-20 8:09 PM

I'm in if guys are allowed.

Craig, 48, 182 lbs.

Goals = 160 lbs., 30 inch waist, 8 hr 30 min Assault on Mt Mitchell ride, and 1 mile < 6:00, and finally seeing others on here reach their goals and share their successes.

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: kimmax on 2012-10-21 6:49 AM

Name: Marcia

Basics: Married with a child and a zoo in my house (dog, 2 cats & a toad!). 5'5" and 143

Goal: 138-ish and leaner
Not sure how I'll measure my progress but most likely a combination of using the scale and how things fit. It's interesting that prior to 2008 the only cardio I did was a spin class 2-3x/week but I did do strength training 3x a week and I was 136#, lean and a size 6/8.  Since getting in to tri I've ramped up my cardio which left little time for strength and I now focus more on eating for fuel and yet... I'm 143, soft and size 10 can be tight.  Last year I completed my first HIM and at this time was 138, size 8 and leaner So... I have a half mary on November 18th and after that I will be really focusing on getting stronger and try to make my body less 'fluffy'.

Activity: I'd like to focus on swimming and get back on the bike.  Some pain to my piriformis has kept me off it.  But I'd also like to try some other things such as rowing, maybe crossfit with my child, or boxercise and skipping.

Nutrition Plan: Stick to eating what is natural vs. processed.  Get back to clean eating.  Being married to a Korean means I eat a lot of rice which I love, but I need to try to cut back on the carbs and make wiser choices.  Really forcing myself to eat for fuel vs. comfort.  I'll see if I can find a pic and I will start logging my diet to monitor what goes in the pie-hole!!

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: CFDBFTW on 2012-10-21 2:07 PM

I'll play! I could use the support, ideas and accountability.  I need to lose 20-25 pounds of pure fat while keeping the 11lbs of lean I've added recently with weight training.  Menopause is roadblocking my efforts to lose the fat, grrrr .. I'll put up more when I am on the computer!

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: SpeedKnight on 2012-10-21 3:59 PM

How could menopause be affecting you at all? You don't even look like you're in your 30s yet!
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Jim, The Kilted Clydesdale
"You don't have to finish fast. You just have to finish!"
http://clydesdaleracing.wordpress.com

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: CFDBFTW on 2012-10-21 4:38 PM

Ha! Thanks .. but I am 10 months away from the big five-oh!  (I'd rather not think about it)

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: AbbieR on 2012-10-21 4:43 PM

Of course men are allowed!!!!!  Welcome Craig!

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Living my passion

http://musingsinawackyworld.blogspot.com/

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: AbbieR on 2012-10-21 4:44 PM

 

Woohoo and THANK YOU!

 

Welcome Teejay and Jim!

Edited by AbbieR 2012-10-21 4:45 PM

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Living my passion

http://musingsinawackyworld.blogspot.com/

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: Chunga on 2012-10-21 7:42 PM

I think this is a great idea, I would like to join in. I am closing in on 50 and want to do a sprint before my 50th next August. I still have quite a bit of weight to lose, about 60 pounds. I am considering a May sprint but it may be August since I still have so much to lose.

I have been walking and biking, I have worked up to 40 minutes cycling in 3 months.

Losing over the holidays is such a great goal, thanks for starting this thread/community effort!

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: SpeedKnight on 2012-10-21 7:47 PM

HOLY JEEBUS!!!  I don't look that good at 37! 

Rock on with your gorgeousness!!!

 

 

Count me in... where I am not concerned with my weight, the Michelin resting atop my Levis isn't cool.

Edited by SpeedKnight 2012-10-21 7:48 PM

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Jim, The Kilted Clydesdale
"You don't have to finish fast. You just have to finish!"
http://clydesdaleracing.wordpress.com

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: brash69 on 2012-10-21 8:50 PM

count me in,   original goal was to get down to 159 but now hope to get down to 150,

 

 

think thats an old pic cause i thought she was was in her 20's early 30's

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: BAMBAM66 on 2012-10-21 9:28 PM

Hi! Abbie!  I think it's time for me to get a little more serious about my body size. 

I currently weigh 122 (was down to 115 for a while) and am comfortably in a size 4.  I would like to stay in that size range but drop the weight and work on my middle section. 

I started a weight loss journey a couple of years ago, but didn't really get serious about it until December last year.  At that point I weighed 150 and was wearing a size 14! 

I'm doing quite a bit of trail racing right now and really need to incorporate core work!  I'll have to take a current picture tomorrow and post it.  I may even post a couple from a year ago and one from 2 years ago.  I am VERY HAPPY with my transformation!

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Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

Hope is the thing with feathers - that perches in the soul - and sings the tune without words - and never stops, at all. Emily Dickinson

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.
-- Dr. Seuss

RE: DOWN for the Holidays!
BY: CFDBFTW on 2012-10-21 9:34 PM

Yes it's old  .. it was taken last night.  I've been blessed with good genes and for that I am quite thankful!  I have a lot of years left to live and want to be healthy and comfortable and active!