New Month, New Apple Watch Activity Goal

It is a new month and thus, a new Apple Watch Activity Goal Challenge. 

 

My goal for February is to close my Exercise ring 21 times this month.  This should be doable, I just need to keep a focus on it as this month only has 28 days so it doesn’t leave many days for rest.  I guess I’ll be moving and shaking it this month.

 

I also got an alert for a special Unity Challenge award.  It said I would earn this if I closed my Move ring seven times in a row during February.  Well, on February 1^st, it told me I earned this award.  It feels little like cheating since the month just started which means it allotted me credit for January.  I am sure sometime this month I’ll be closing my Move ring for seven days in a row.  I usually make sure I close that ring daily.

 

I have a WW Buddy group of several people around the US that have all lost 100 pounds at some point in our journey.  Some are still in maintenance, some have re-gained, some have quit WW, and some have re-joined WW after a leave of absence.  One of our group members suggested we start a daily thread to try and re-gain some accountability, weight loss related or not.  Dave asked what we would like to focus on for February.  I would like to try out a new exercise once a week.  There are some Aaptiv audio workouts for the treadmill that interest me and Dave told me about some You Tube videos made for the treadmill where it looks like you are taking a hike through some beautiful scenery.  Those sound great.  I also really enjoy the Gina B You Tube workout videos so I might try out a new one of those.  And, I can’t forget the amazing FitOn workouts on the WW app.

 

Let’s get moving!

Why Weight Loss Can Seem So Difficult

 In looking back at my yearly weight record, I wanted to share a little as to why it can be difficult for me to lose weight.

In June 2020, I finally saw 199 on the scale.

In September, I was back up to 206.

That seems to be my typically weight loss journey.  Working hard at brining the scale down is only one half of the equation.  The equally hard part is keeping it there.  After I reached my doctor’s goal weight of 175 in 2009, I maintained my weight pretty early for five years.  I was able to keep my weight within the 2 pound weight range, occasionally tipping the scale back up but getting a handle on it.  

When I refocused in 2016 and starting to tackle the re-gain weight, I noticed that I had this bad habit of trending up 5-10 pounds over September - January.  Once I became more focused on that, I was able to keep my gaining in check.  Then, I noticed I was trending up the scale 5-10 pounds over the summer month.  Ugh.  It is a never ending battle.

I don’t quite have a handle on my summer gain.  It is directly related to two things:

• Vacations
• Social Situations

I am proud I bring my weight back down and no longer struggle with the constant uphill gain climb.  But, sometimes it is really frustrating to spend all this time re-losing weight over and over again and not feeling like I am getting closer to that new doctor’s note goal of 190.

I want 2021 to be my year.  This is the year I want to get a handle on my summer gain AND my fall gain.  I want to break that cycle of gains/losses so that I can re-claim goal and just focus on maintenance again.  

This is the perfect time to start digging in and figure out my plan to help me be successful.  I often have lower weight numbers in February and March.  I am going to work really hard to give it my all for the next seven weeks.  Then, we will have a vacation.  That gives me seven weeks to come up with a plan that will balance being on track, enjoying vacation indulges, and keeping that weight gain to a minimum.

Weekly WI: An Unexpected Gain

 Good Morning.

I have my tooth crown replacement and then need to grab a nap as I am working the graveyard shift tonight.  You might want to check on me between the hours of 2 am and 5 am.

I had a gain this week, which was unexpected.  When I reflect back over my week, I don’t really see where the gain came from.  I realize that I was a little carb-heavy the first part of the week, which could be the culprit. Regardless, the only way to combat an unexpected gain is to continue to stay the course.  

I am slightly regretting my decision to organize a pizza party for Super Bowl Sunday.  All this means is that I need to pre-track so that I am prepared and can balance it throughout my week,  Having pizza on Sunday with a weigh-in on Tuesday could sway the scale.  I love pizza so I am willing to chance, it.

My week looks really good for success and I’m determined to do everything I can to accomplish it.