Bea Amaya

I think my starting weight was 227, goal weight was 220? I can't find my old post lol

Today I weigh 217.4. I have hit the 70lb (70.6) weight loss mark and have moved into the "teens"! I think I'm in a stall right now but I'm trying to focus on the positive. Wonderland is not far away!

Yes...according to my records you surpassed your goal (220). Nicely done! Congrats!

Here are a couple of reminders for the regular Challenge participants as well as any new folks that want to join us:

• Although the weigh-ins are scheduled to occur on Fridays, as the challenge ends on Friday, July 4, you are welcome to adjust this to whatever works for you. We're definitely flexible here.
  
• You'll know that I've updated the spreadsheet with your data when you see a "Like" from me (BeaAmaya) on your weigh-in post.
  
• EVERYONE who is working toward a goal is welcome to join us in this. We've had some very successful pre-surgery participants before, participants that are at goal, in "maintenance" mode, and simply wanting to maintain their weight, and a whole bunch of us that fall somewhere in the middle. All are welcome here!
  
• When a question is asked or a comment made that seems to be directed at me, FEEL FREE TO RESPOND. I'm merely the volunteer that keeps the stats for the group...it's really the group itself that keeps the group going, and individual participation in cheering on, consoling, providing input, etc. is really what makes the challenges work for us all. So yes, please, be an active participant when you can!
  
• The spreadsheet may look a little funny now, with a lot of people showing a start weight of 200 and goal weight of 199. :-) These figures are merely placeholders until the challenge gets rolling. I'll change the text color from gray to black when "real" data gets entered.
  
• I try to post a kind of wrap-up from the previous week just before a new round of weigh-ins are recorded. In this post I try to list everyone who has crossed a "border" of some kind. For example, I was THRILLED to list my own name in crossing over from the 200s to the 190s (ONEDERLAND) during the St. Patrick's Day challenge. I'm currently chasing another move from the 180s into the 170s for this challenge and will proudly list my name along with all the others who make a "border crossing" when this happens.
  

Hope this helps!

Bea

NEW CHALLENGE:

I've started the new topic for the next challenge, the 4th of July Challenge. Hope you'll all join in the fun when this one is finished. You can find the thread at: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/308570-4th-of-july-challenge/. Be sure to post your intention to join in on the fun when you can. Looking forward to another fun challenge!

Time for the next challenge...
4th of July Challenge!

Here we go with the rules and instructions:
1. Be sure and log in here on Friday, May 30, 2014 to post your start weight and your goal weight for the challenge.
2. When setting your goal, keep in mind that this challenge is only 4 weeks long (5 weigh-ins).
3. Weigh in every Friday and post your updates here.
4. Watch the data at 4th of July Challenge (click to be taken to an online spreadsheet) to see our progress as individuals and as a team.

GOOD LUCK!

Note for you non-USA folks...even though it is not your country's Independence Day, it is definitely your country's "Fourth of July" (I mean, it's the 4th of July everywhere, right?!?) So here's hoping you'll think of this as a holiday to share with us and join in on the fun here. Happy 4th of July, folks!

Memorial Challenge Week 4

Border Crossings

260s to 250s :: right for me?

250s to 240s :: alice4914, mrslb5

240s to 230s :: StaceyVSG

230s to 220s :: Mocha2871

220s to 210s :: getnhealthyintx

200s to 190s ONEDERLAND!!! :: dreamscometrue

190s to 180s :: piperdog07, KatieJo4, Beach Lover, NewNana

180s to 170s :: KimberlyBranco7

170s to 160s :: Scarpediem, Seela

160s to 150s :: livvsmum

150s to 140s :: 2013sleevegirl, Oceana

As always, my apologies if I missed anyone!

180.8 for me today. I made goal! Yippee!

Bea...

Will there be a 4th of July goal challenge???

Sure...a 4th of July goal challenge sounds like an excellent idea. I'll set the sheet up later today and start the topic off.

After 9 months and >100 lbs lost, I really thought my weight loss had pretty much come to an end. I lost a total of 1.8 lbs for month 9, for heaven's sake. However, I am pleased to report that I must still have a bit of weight to go as I am down a whole 5.4 lbs already for this month.

Here's the thing, though. If this was all that I could lose, I would STILL be happy, still be pleased at how much healthier I am and how much more active I feel, and I will still continue to work at keeping the losses I have achieved. On the other hand, I'm not quite ready to throw in the towel yet. I am still 18 lbs away from "normal" and although it may take me another 4-5 months, I think I can get there. I'm going for it!

For those ahead of me in this journey you should be pleased to know that I finally understand where you are coming from and now know the joys and frustrations of VERY SLOW PROGRESS after months of occasionally impressive losses. For those of you behind me in the journey, enjoy it as it comes and understand that stalls and slowdowns are just part of the natural progression. Don't let them get you down.

I'm pleased to report in at 184.6 this month, now within 5 lbs of the lowest I can ever remember weighing in as an adult. And yes, I am going to repeat the goofy mantra that gets so overused on this site because, well, I just can't help it. I LOVE MY SLEEVE!

Memorial Challenge Week 1

Border Crossings

(Sorry for the late posting...I usually try to get this out on the weened before the next week's weigh-in starts. This weekend I just missed it. )

270s to 260s :: right for me?

260s to 250s :: hmk715

250s to 240s :: StaceyVSG

230s to 220s :: yaly88, Nurse_B

210s to 200s :: mytime2shine

190s to 180s :: KimberlyBranco7, gomekast

180s to 170s :: Jhealan, Evolving

As always, my apologies if I missed anyone!

Too late to join?? Don't always get online. My phone app still has me booted out and won't send password reset link!

Join anytime!! Welcome!

@@Evolving is right on the money, @HardWork13. All we need are your stats. Where are you today? Where do you want to be by May 26? That will do it.

Random Comments from Week 1

• “Very small move, but it was a tough week” (Stacy_wls)
• “I can do this” (ribearty)
• “This is the first time I've done this. I'm excited!” (kphillips)
• “OMG...the scale moved!” (No More Shelly Belly)
• “Going slooooowwwwly” (Scarpediem)
• “Same…UGH” (septappt)
• “Not amazing, but not terrible…” (livvsmum)
• “I'm a happy camper!” (covatila84)
• “Yahoo” (getnhealthyintx)
• “…it's better than a gain” (Casie83)
• “The weather is getting better for outside walking:-)” (spiritedcowgirl63)
• “Great job everyone!!” (Evolving)
• “down…baby! finally out of that stall!” (right for me?)
• “Sunday dinner got me again!” (Hunter)
• “Lowest I've been in years and feeling great and motivated!” (piperdog07)
• “Too long in the same neighborhood” (onsummit)
• “Finally, Onderland is in sight!” (whodatgirl)
• “.6 is .6 I suppose” (crowsnestmama)
• “slow but sure! ” (Beach Lover)
• “Stall of all stalls” (Bombs)
• “Please add me to every challenge lol” (gourmetone)

Is there still time to get in on this?!

I would like to be included.. Do I just post my starting weight?

Yes there is still time to join, and yes, just post your starting weight as well as the goal you would like to reach by Memorial Day. Welcome to the challenge!

Bea,

correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that you started the spreadsheet with the date "April 28th", whereas it's the 21st. Seems we have 5 weeks of logging in after all!

Looking...

Okay...while @@gomekast's explanation was right on the money on the first weigh-in information, EarthyGoalie is absolutely correct. I DID miss a week!

YIKES!

Corrections have now been made. But April 21 is definitely the baseline measure and when we weigh-in on the 28th next Monday, we'll have our Week 1 measures. Week 2 will be May 5, Week 3 will be May 12, Week 4 will be May 19, and we will end up on Week 5 measurements being entered on Memorial Day (observed), Monday May 26.

So sorry for the omission, confusion, etc. Some of you may want to adjust your goal weights based on this adjustment. Again, my apologies and THANKS for stepping in and helping me make the corrections!

To add a bit to the conversation about the "spreadsheet"...

• The sheet is set up for "read-only" as it is posted in a space on the Internet that "belongs" to me in order to make it accessible by anyone with the link.
• While there won't be much to see in the first couple of weeks, the sheet should be set up to allow you to interact just a bit with it. For example...
  • A click on the "Overview" tab will let you see at a glance how the group is doing as a whole.
  • Want to know who will be getting some recognition for crossing a decade border during the current week? Look at column "U" on the "Stats" tab.
  • Want to see what your progress looks like over the life of the challenge? Click on your name in the selection box on the "Losses Graph" and/or "Weights" tab.
  • Want to play a bit of "what if" with your own, or someone else's stats? Go ahead and type in your own values. It won't hurt a thing as you won't be able to save the document.

I've automated as much as I can on the sheet to make it easy for me to track, and I've tried to spice it up just a bit to make it fun for, and useful to, the group as a whole. It's pretty basic stuff, but I really do enjoy watching other individuals, and the team, progress each week; it drives me to keep working hard and gives me confidence when I'm struggling. Seeing others struggle, and ultimately win, are some of the best confidence boosting actions in my week...and I, for one, love it!

Happy losing!!!

Hey Bea, Memorial Day is the 30th of May, since we start tomorrow, when will the challenge end, Monday, May 26TH when memorial day is observed? Or stopping on the 30th? Thx, cuz I wanna make sure I calculate right according to weeks.

Wow! Good question! When I Googled it, I got the Monday that it is observed on rather than the actual date, so that's what I set it up for. As always, people can adjust as needed, but for this challenge the bulk of us will be weighing in tomorrow and each Monday afterward.

Thanks for asking this and helping clarify the situation!

Ok I think I'm ready! Stall no more...weight loss here I come! I'm in this time. Bea is my step mom and mentor. I'm so glad others can see how wonderful a person she is. She is and has always been my inspiration. (Sorry if I embarrassed you Bea...just proud of you!) I'll check in tomorrow! Yikes!

AWESOME to have you join in on this one! THRILLED to have you here! (Love, love, love this girl!!!)

Happy Easter, everyone!

Nope...I didn't make goal; missed by over 3 lbs.

Yes...I'm still excited; I'm still losing.

Yes...I was thrilled to step on the scale this morning; lowest weight ever (30 years anyway)!

Yes...I'm definitely "in" for the next challenge, but will modify my expectations a bit as I get closer to goal.

Yes...I hope to see you all in the Memorial Day Challenge as well!

Here are a couple of reminders for the regular Challenge participants as well as any new folks that want to join us:

• Although the weigh-ins are scheduled to occur on Mondays, as the challenge ends on Monday, you are welcome to adjust this to whatever works for you. We're definitely flexible here.
• You'll know that I've updated the spreadsheet with your data when you see a "Like" from me (BeaAmaya) on your weigh-in post.
• EVERYONE who is working toward a goal is welcome to join us in this. We've had some very successful pre-surgery participants before, participants that are at goal, in "maintenance" mode, and simply wanting to maintain their weight, and a whole bunch of us that fall somewhere in the middle. All are welcome here!
• When a question is asked or a comment made that seems to be directed at me, FEEL FREE TO RESPOND. I'm merely the volunteer that keeps the stats for the group...it's really the group itself that keeps the group going, and individual participation in cheering on, consoling, providing input, etc. is really what makes the challenges work for us all. So yes, please, be an active participant when you can!
• The spreadsheet may look a little funny now, with a lot of people showing a start weight of 200 and goal weight of 199. :-) These figures are merely placeholders until the challenge gets rolling. I'll change the text color from gray to black when "real" data gets entered.
• I try to post a kind of wrap-up from the previous week just before a new round of weigh-ins are recorded. In this post I try to list everyone who has crossed a "border" of some kind. For example, I was THRILLED to list my own name in crossing over from the 200s to the 190s (ONEDERLAND) during the St. Patrick's Day challenge. I'm currently chasing another move from the 180s into the 170s for this challenge and will proudly list my name along with all the others who make a "border crossing" if/when this happens.

Hope this helps!

Bea

Okay...we might as well go another round with the Challenges! Especially since they are so darn FUN!

The new topic is called "Memorial Day Challenge" (no surprise there!) and can be found at:

http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/304846-memorial-day-challenge/

If you ever get lost, I tag all of these with the term "challenge" so you should be able to search the forums for it and find the link there as well.

Good luck tomorrow as we bring the Easter Challenge to a close! I figured we might as well jump right in to the Memorial Day challenge, so the weigh-ins will be on MONDAYS and will start the day after the Easter Challenge ends (April 21).

Bea

Time for the next challenge...
Memorial Day Challenge!

Here we go with the rules and instructions:
1. Be sure and log in here on Monday, April 21, 2014 to post your start weight and your goal weight for the challenge.
2. When setting your goal, keep in mind that this challenge is only 4 weeks long (5 weigh-ins).
3. Weigh in every Monday and post your updates here.
4. Watch the data at Memorial Day Challenge (click to be taken to an online spreadsheet) to see our progress as individuals and as a team.

GOOD LUCK!

Easter Challenge Week 3 Results

Here’s a wrap-up of how this week of the Easter Challenge went:

• Number of people reporting in this week: 76
  
• Total weight lost by the group: 129.4
  
• Average pounds lost per person for week: 1.7
  

This Week’s Border Crossings

• 300s to 290s (TWODERLAND!): elfnow
  
• 270s to 260s: Gina1010
  
• 260s to 250s: Fallenangel2904
  
• 250s to 240s: mcginn0425
  
• 240s to 230s: Mocha2871, kyleebean
  
• 230s to 220s: Scorpion11
  
• 220s to 210s: SleeveK, susan6161
  
• 210s to 200s: dreamscometrue
  
• 200s to 190s (ONEDERLAND!): jujube, Denisepr
  
• 190s to 180s: BeaAmaya
  
• 180s to 170s: Jhealan, Yoga-lady
  
• 170s to 160s: livvsmum
  

May the joy and peace of new beginnings be with you during this challenge!

As always, my apologies if I missed anyone!

BIG congrats for your move into ONEDERLAND, Denise! Way to go!

I am holding my breath a little as I report

298!!!

I had a stomach bug tho, and I'm still not eating very much.... so that probably "helped". Hopefully I don't rebound up but just stay steady... Even MORE hope that it still looks low when I put clothes on!

Look at you go! Congrats on a big move!

I finally did it...Onederland !!!!!!

Today's weight 198.6

GW 197

AWESOME! Welcome to the club!