Thread: Team Skinny Ultimate Goal Challenge

So RawrGirl and Squishy are both looking to reach ultimate weight loss goal by Feb 15th, so RawrGirl decided to start a challenge. "Team Skinny" was coined by Squishy, and a bunch of us girls decided it would be fun to make that our group name, and we plan to keep a maintenance journal for a year here on Miniminis. If anyone else's ultimate goal date is around Valentines Day, feel free to join...the more the merrier!

RawrGirl is going to assume she gained about 6 pounds over Christmas so she is adding that to the 7 she still needs to lose to reach goal. Her next weigh-in is Jan 11.

RawrGirl (0 lbs down, 13lbs to go)

Yo yo!

Here to sign in. Weighing err.. 9 stone 9 today and aiming for 9 stone 2... so I would like to lose 7lbs and I would like to achieve this by the end of the week. Err, I mean month.

Happy to see you, Greta! Yea, I know how you feel. I can't believe I was 129 for a only a day. Shameful, lol.

RawrGirl (0 lbs down, 13lbs to go)
Greta (0lbs down, 7lbs to go)

Count me in! Weighing in at 9st 7 today & I'd really love to get to 9st by valentines so put me down to lose 7lbs please

Welcome, Clanger!

RawrGirl (0 lbs down, 13lbs to go)
Greta (0lbs down, 7lbs to go)
Clanger72 (0lbs down, 7 lbs to go)

Hello - Maybe I should join too?? I weighed in at 9st 9lb on Wednesday. My target is 9st 4lb but by 13th February I would like to be 9st 2lb ideally as I am then going off on a holiday where I am very likely to gain! So 6 weeks to lose 7lb - can it be done?

RawrGirl (0 lbs down, 13lbs to go)
Greta (0lbs down, 7lbs to go)
Clanger72 (0lbs down, 7 lbs to go)
Nettee (0lbs down, 7 lbs to go)

Ok, here I am, tail between legs and head hanging in shame...!

I may change my goal on Monday when I weigh in, but for the moment, I'll pledge 10lb please. Wow, seems like a lot to lose by Feb 14th with just calorie counting, but I'll give it a good shot. Eek!

RawrGirl (0 lbs down, 13lbs to go)
Greta (0lbs down, 7lbs to go)
Clanger72 (0lbs down, 7 lbs to go)
Nettee (0lbs down, 7 lbs to go)
Squishy (0lb down, 10lb to go)

Yay, Squishy is here!

You know, if Lipotrim feels like cheating and/or you will miss food, you could always just cut calories to 800-1000 during the week and still eat real food. If you eat a lot of veggies, and like chicken, and can buy low fat sour cream and the like, you can eat 3 meals plus a snack. Without drinking a single shake as she was sick of them, RawrGirl lost 9 pounds in the 3 weeks before Christmas by doing 500-800 calories Mon -- Thurs, 1500 on Fri and Sat, and 1200 on Sun, plus the Shred...so you should def be able to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks even if you ate around 1000 a day. Just a thought.

I feel like a light weigh dieter in comparison to all you vlcd fiends on here - Had a go with intermittent fasting over Christmas and I don't think I can manage on less than 1000 cal. Going for a consistent week this week to get back on track.

What is your daily calorie count Clanger?

A year's maintenence diary is such a good idea - I am a bit nervous about reaching target really in case I lose all motivation.

Originally Posted by Nettee

What is your daily calorie count Clanger?

I'm trying to keep it to just below or as close as possible to 1200. As I'm getting closer to goal cutting my cals right down & being mega strict with the no snacking seems to be the only thing that works for me so that's what I'm gonna keep doing

Have a look at a post by ' lily ' on my diary. It truly is inspirational stuff and I think you'll all relate too.

However, this has not stopped me blatantly ignoring her advice although I know she is spot on : )

RawrGirl understands where she is coming from, and for the most part, she would be "spot on" as most binge eating books say the only way to stop binge eating is to stop dieting, as deprivation leads to bingeing. However...

RawrGirl does not like the "minimum 1200 calories a day for all women everywhere" rule. Most of the diets RawrGirl did for the last 14 years were around 1200. And she also followed the experts advice of cardio for 30+ minutes several times a week. And she lost weight so slowly (sometimes only .2 or .4 pounds a week) that yes, the "deprivation" of not eating pizza led to eating pizza on weekends. Not an entire pizza, just 3 slices. So then RawrGirl got so frustrated at never reaching her goal she decided to do a VLCD. Of course, it wasn't a typical VLCD as she eats real food (not just shakes), eats 1500 cal Fri and Sat, and 1200 on Sun, and lifts weights, on average, 6x a week.

Experts warn against VLCD's for one reason: starvation mode. RawrGirl has a feeling that starvation mode is not about eating under a certain amount of calories, but when your body starts to get its fuel from muscle...which I think RawrGirl's routine prevents. For instance, except for the first few days or so back in September, RawrGirl never dreamed about food. And she was never consumed with food shows, or recipes...in fact she avoided them as the few times she wanted to plan upcoming holiday meals they made her hungry. (Studies like the famous Minnesota study show obsession with food and food dreams are normal responses in people who are starving.)

So RawrGirl assumes that because she was lifting weights, her body got the majority of fuel from her fat stores, and thus it never "panicked" and made her consumed with food. Now yes, she gained over the holidays (not sure how much, but her waist went up 1.5 inches), but that is normal as she ate more than usual...but for the most part she didn't eat once she felt full. Point is, the experts just say "don't eat less than 1200" when RawrGirl thinks it's a bit more complicated than that, and if she still listened to them, she'd still be in size 10's or 12's and feeling fat and frumpy and hating the way she looked. RawrGirl also takes a TON of supplements to make sure she gets all her vitamins...a regular multivitamin/mineral packet which includes ginseng, plus she takes calcium, potassium, b6, b12, Coq10, biotin, natural vitamin e, and when she remembers (as they have to be taken later) fish oil and iron.

Also, a few times RawrGirl has dropped her Mon-Thurs calories down to 500...which she can only sustain for 2 weeks as at that point she starts getting grumpy that she can't eat, and hunger doesn't just feel like an "empty" feeling, it feels like a gnawing feeling that makes her keep checking the clock to see when she can eat again. 800 seems like the magic number for her...not unreasonably hungry, not obsessed with food...yet experts would be freaking out.

Point is, RawrGirl bets that there are a lot of people who could cut their calories to anywhere between 800 -- 1200 a day 4 days a week if eating real food, and also lifting weights, and not go into starvation mode, and not damage anything (if relatively healthy to begin with and taking supplements). Obviously, RawrGirl is not a doctor and is not saying VLCD's are safe for any/every one, but just that, from her own experience, feels that eating less than 1200 calories a day does not guarantee "adverse effects." RawrGirl also gives herself one weekend a month to eat anything she wants in any quantity (as long as she stops when full), which for her, mentally means that all food is legal, she just chooses to only eat it one weekend a month, rather than making it illegal for all of time or length of diet, which is another trigger for binge eating, as once one eats something "bad", they may as well eat anything and everything "bad" since who knows when they will have it again. With RawrGirl's plan, she already can eat more on the weekend anyway, she just keeps everything low-carb and around 1500 -- this makes every weekend a treat. And then every 4th weekend is an even bigger treat.

Anyway...sorry this was such a long response. RawrGirl is just very happy to be thinner than she ever has been and believes the "1200 calorie a day rule" is one of the biggest factors that kept her from reaching goal for over a decade, and feeling fat through her entire 20's. She wishes she had rebelled against it sooner.

So RawrGirl just searched high and low in the room she knows Prince Charming hid the scale, but she can't find it. That's probably a good thing, but she really wanted to feel like she lost something. Guesstimating a 6lb gain over Christmas puts her at 135, but she gained between 6 to 9 lbs, and lost a little bit in her measurements, so if she had gained 9 pounds, and is now 135, she could put a 3lb loss down...but it's all just a guess since she's not been on a scale. Grrrr! RawrGirl wants it to be Jan 11th! Actually, RawrGirl just wants to be 129 again. She has decided that 129 is her maximum amount, so her range will be 122-129. Anytime a holiday or similiar event is approaching, she will make sure she is near 122, so if she gains, hopefully she won't exceed her range.

RawrGirl (0 lbs down, 13lbs to go)
Greta (0lbs down, 7lbs to go)
Clanger72 (0lbs down, 7 lbs to go)
Nettee (0lbs down, 7 lbs to go)
Squishy (0lb down, 10lb to go)