Weight Loss PVP: 10 or 12 lbs in 10 or 12 Weeks! [Mar 27 - Jun 18, 2023)

[Rurik Harrgath]

Welcome one and all, once again and once more to...

 

The 10/12lbs in 10/12 weeks weight-loss Player-versus-Player challenge!

 

Feel free to set your goals inline with either the 5 weeks of your next two challenges, or include both Week Zeros for a full 12 weeks.  I want you to set goals that you think are realistic (that could even be 6lbs/12weeks or whatever works for you) and stick around for the accountability and camaraderie rather than opting out, beating yourself up, or quitting partway through!  So weigh-in sometime this week, and again every week until the Week Zero of June's first challenge.  Share your data in the spreadsheet mentioned ad nauseum below!  Post your successes, struggles, and tips!

 

Now's the time to sign-up for a Player-versus-Player accountability challenge sure to motivate you to tackle those weight loss goals!  Of course we only advocate losing healthy weight and using healthy methods to get there, this playful side quest is less about beating your peers to the finish line than it is about challenging yourself, making some new accountibilibuddies, and having a place to share your battle plan or struggles along the way.

 

Never give up.  Never surrender!

 

The Rules

1. Sign-up using the SPREADSHEET.  Add your name & starting weight, waist measurements optional.  10 or 12 lbs in 10 or 12 weeks (roughly 1lb or 0.5kg per week)  is the goal but feel free to increase or decrease the difficulty as you see fit.  Whatever your goals are, you are most welcome to participate (even if you'd like to join in late)!

2. Introduce yourself to your fellow competitors!  Feel free to mention your goals, any battle plans for getting there, and what your primary motivation or inspirations are.  Feel free to mention your Challenge goals or BattleLog too!  This is an excellent place to get to know others from the forums.

3. Update the SPREADSHEET with your weekly weigh-ins.  We're using Monday as the 'official' day, but if Sunday, Tuesday, or any other day work better, go nuts!  Just keep it at roughly a week for tracking purposes.  This challenge is aligned with the current and next 5 Week Challenges, with optional weeks off for Zero Week at the start and in between.  You're also welcome to hop in at any time!

4. Have fun, encourage everyone, and keep each other accountable!

 

Get hype but stay safe!  Also, anything done confidently cannot be considered failure!  Double also, did I mention the SPREADSHEET?

 

Tips for Success!

1. Make with the exercise (maybe the cardio zoomies, maybe the heavy uppy-downies or the flippy-dippies?)

2. Do-do the (calorie) deficit. 

3. Gobble up the veggies.

4. Gulp down the waters.

5. Visit and update us (and the SPREADSHEET) regularly to build that accountability network.

6. Share your workout playlist for MAXIMUM HYPE!! 

[Loveable_Bouncer]

I'm here! Goal is 6 lbs. My dream is to get to 267 and never see the 270s again. Last time I hit 268 lbs was last August. Getting to 267 that low will be first time in  about 4 years, and doing so without extreme dieting! Whoot!

 

Finding meals that make me feel good, treats that I enjoy over guilt. While also seeing if I can find more ways I can enjoy moving  my body.... 

 

(I'm also getting off a med in a couple of weeks that has the weight gain side effect, and hoping it will make it easier). 

[RES]

WooT! I'm here!  Crept back up a bit last week  

[TimovieMan]

I didn't join the previous weight loss PVP because I only came in halfway, and I really just needed to respawn. Losing weight was not an immediate goal... until I was about four days in - which for me is a sign of a successful respawn.

In the last 5 weeks of the previous challenge, I lost 8 pounds.

 

So now that losing weight is back in my challenge, I'm here. 12 pounds in 12 weeks should be doable. And would put me at just 2 pounds above my first target weight!

 

[Darciana]

 I'm back 🙂

 

PvP Goal: 6lbs in 12 weeks (minimum)

Method: Body re-composition (maintain/grow muscle while losing fat - taking it painfully slow)

Bodyweight strength: 3x/week (Mon-Wed-Fri)

Run (Zero to 5k): 3x/week (Mon-Wed-Fri)

Rowing: 1x/week for cross training

Walk dogs: 3x/week (as weather and schedule allows because these dogs hate rain and my bedroom already smells enough like wet dog without them actually being wet)

Log foods: All the nomnoms. Even best guestimates get put into MFP (and automatically to Fitbit) to ensure a regular deficit. 

Body talks: So listen to it. It says when it's hungry and needs fuel. Eat slow so can hear it *ting!* when satiety level has been reached (AKA don't fkn overeat, fool!)

 

I have a 5K run on Saturday, June 10th which I'm currently doing a C25K training style app (it's free, "Just Run: Zero to 5K"). The following Monday, 12 June, we leave for our annual beach trip.

I'm hoping to, at the very least, get back down to where I was last year (150-155lbs) so I don't have to buy new swimsuits for this trip. Even better if I can be a little closer to ultimate goals for my confidence and ability to enjoy vacation a tad more without being so self conscious. This is also where the current 5 week challenge will come into play (it's becoming a web the way it all interweaves with each other... gaaaah!)

 

In addition, I have a business trip out of state the last week of April. I'm hoping, since the hotel has a gym, I can maintain some type of training. Fortunately it's only a 4 day trip (leave Tuesday, return late Friday) so I'll only miss 2 days of scheduled training. Also fortunately, I started the C25K training early so I should have a couple extra weeks built in (4 weeks if you include the final M-W-F before the run Saturday and I successfully train during my business trip). I may skip that week's weigh in since I won't have my scale on Friday AND I'll have been eating out for 4 days straight at that point. Will definitely need extra willpower to get through! 

[TrashcanCarla]

Hey all 😎

Trashcan Carla has arrived!

 

My goal is to lose at least 12 pounds over the next 12 weeks, but at my weight (249.6 lbs at 5'4"), a greater loss would be very welcome. I hope to be somewhere under 237 at the end of these two challenges, but we'll see how it all goes.

 

I'm logging every thing I eat and am aiming to stick to a calorie deficit at least every weekday. Weekends are a little more free and easy, but still logged. I am strength training 3-4x a week and am doing the rowing machine and/or cardio dance 3x a week. Add in some 30m-1h walks and there you have it.

 

I'm here for the accountability and camaraderie! Let's do this. 💃💃💃

[Rurik Harrgath]

20 hours ago, Loveable_Bouncer said:

Finding meals that make me feel good, treats that I enjoy over guilt.

 

One major gamechanger for food in my world was making piece with volume meals.  I'll do a whole bag of frozen veggies or bag of iceberg salad mix plus other refrigerator veggies alongside whatever protein.  It's been the key to keeping me filled while losing weight.  Also a protein that I never get enough of is air fried chicken thighs and bone suckin' sauce that Spezzy introduced me to.  You can find it in bulk on Amazon; it caramelizes and makes a really delightful crust on an otherwise boring piece of chicken!

 

 

We've also been doing brownie mix/from scratch with zero butter and only Greek yogurt/eggs, either bulk stevia in lieu of sugar or sugar-free mix, and it drastically lowers the calories. but preserves the fudgy texture.  I have approx a 1/6 piece of a big rectangular pan for somewhere around 250 calories, and then pair it with another half cup of Greek yogurt and some sprinkles for fun.  It's been a revolutionary dessert addition!

[Snarkyfishguts]

Hey Everyone! I think I know everyone already, but just in case:

 

I'm Snarkyfishguts, and am starting off this challenge at 243.  My plan:

1. Do a lot of walking. 

2.Focus on getting my vegetables in and limiting junk food. 

 

I'm going to track using a checklist, and I'll post my weekly weigh ins! Yay! Go team!

[Elennare]

Hi! I'm in for this.

 

I have been trying to lose weight for years, and the best I've been able to do after gaining a bunch over covid is to maintain my weight. Every time I think I'm starting to make progress, it bounces right back up. 😕

 

To say I am discouraged going into this is a bit of an understatement, but I'm not giving up.

 

I've also got the added complication of being a competitive (amateur) athlete, so I can't cut my calories too much or I'll not be able to do that well.

 

All that said, I'm setting my goal at a modest 0.5 lb per week, from today through the end of next challenge for a total of 5.5 lbs over 11 weeks, in the hopes that it might be attainable. As far as strategy goes, I've got practice 3 times a week and have actually been crushing it this year at getting at least 20 minutes of some sort of exercise every day, so I'm not going to mess with that. I am going to try to limit fast food, and choose a vegetable for the base of every meal.

[Rhovaniel]

Thanks to a little nudge from Rurik, I am here. 

 

I'm Rhovaniel. The main goal is to get back to 70 - 75kg (we'll see what looks/feels good when I get there) and I am not going to lie, I'm in a bit of a disappointed 'how the hell did I let it get like this' mood. Weighed in at 81.3kg this morning (And I thought 80kg was the wake up call). But I AM determined that the number will go down. I won't whine or complain about it. That's the number and I am going to chisel the hell out of it. Doing some quick conversions, that means I need to be losing around 24lbs in total. The goal for this is 6lbs, or somewhere between 2.5kg and 3kg. That is a very conservative goal, but I am mindful of two things:

 

1. I have ADVENTURES planned and I want to make sure that I lose weight in tandem with regaining strength and also working on skill level ups to allow me to fully embrace said adventures. So, calories can't go too low or performance will suffer

2. There is alot of bad habitry to break here. I eat when I'm stressed, when I am low, when I am agitated, bored, procrastinating. Meal portions have been consistently too high. Food has been a crutch. These are things that must be overcome, but with kindness to self and gentle redirection rather than self-hate and berating myself. When I get mad at myself, the 'false hunger' demon starts getting louder. I'm calling him Wormtongue because he's sneaky, full of lies and only pretends to be on my side whilst actually working with Saruman. 

 

 

How shall I get there? I'm gonna ranger it!

 

Taking the hobbits to Isengard? Not on my watch! I have started running again, building up slowly. 

Orcs attacking Helm's Deep? I got you, Theoden. Aragorn had hella endurance to be up all night after long days of pursuit and brief rests and still have the strength to slay the enemies of mankind. Weight training will keep me strong. 

 

and food, I hear (someone) say? EH. That's the part I struggle with the most. So far, it's a case of cutting out takeout as much as reasonably possible and not buying chocolate. If it's not in the house, I won't eat it. I'll crave it like mad, but I won't eat it. Because it wont be there. Right?

 

[Darciana]

19 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

One major gamechanger for food in my world was making piece with volume meals.  I'll do a whole bag of frozen veggies or bag of iceberg salad mix plus other refrigerator veggies alongside whatever protein.  It's been the key to keeping me filled while losing weight.  Also a protein that I never get enough of is air fried chicken thighs and bone suckin' sauce that Spezzy introduced me to.  You can find it in bulk on Amazon; it caramelizes and makes a really delightful crust on an otherwise boring piece of chicken!

 

 

We've also been doing brownie mix/from scratch with zero butter and only Greek yogurt/eggs, either bulk stevia in lieu of sugar or sugar-free mix, and it drastically lowers the calories. but preserves the fudgy texture.  I have approx a 1/6 piece of a big rectangular pan for somewhere around 250 calories, and then pair it with another half cup of Greek yogurt and some sprinkles for fun.  It's been a revolutionary dessert addition!

 

I second the air fryer thighs! We use TexJoy but now I'll have to see about this Bone Suckin' Sauce to mix things up...

[Darciana]

5 hours ago, Rhovaniel said:

Thanks to a little nudge from Rurik, I am here. 

 

I'm Rhovaniel. The main goal is to get back to 70 - 75kg (we'll see what looks/feels good when I get there) and I am not going to lie, I'm in a bit of a disappointed 'how the hell did I let it get like this' mood. Weighed in at 81.3kg this morning (And I thought 80kg was the wake up call). But I AM determined that the number will go down. I won't whine or complain about it. That's the number and I am going to chisel the hell out of it. Doing some quick conversions, that means I need to be losing around 24lbs in total. The goal for this is 6lbs, or somewhere between 2.5kg and 3kg. That is a very conservative goal, but I am mindful of two things:

 

1. I have ADVENTURES planned and I want to make sure that I lose weight in tandem with regaining strength and also working on skill level ups to allow me to fully embrace said adventures. So, calories can't go too low or performance will suffer

2. There is alot of bad habitry to break here. I eat when I'm stressed, when I am low, when I am agitated, bored, procrastiating. Meal portions have been consistently too high. Food has been a crutch. These are things that must be overcome, but with kindness to self and gentle redirection rather than self-hate and berating myself. When I get mad at myself, the 'false hunger' demon starts getting louder. I'm calling him Wormtongue because he's sneaky, full of lies and only pretends to be on my side whilst actually working with Saruman. 

 

 

How shall I get there? I'm gonna ranger it!

 

Taking the hobbits to Isengard? Not on my watch! I have started running again, building up slowly. 

Orcs attacking Helm's Deep? I got you, Theoden. Aragorn had hella endurance to be up all night after long days of pursuit and brief rests and still have the strength to slay the enemies of mankind. Weight training will keep me strong. 

 

and food, I hear (someone) say? EH. That's the part I struggle with the most. So far, it's a case of cutting out takeout as much as reasonably possible and not buying chocolate. If it's not in the house, I won't eat it. I'll crave it like mad, but I won't eat it. Because it wont be there. Right?

 

I absolutely LOVE everything about the way you frame this. Adventures? Hobbits in Isengard (hell no!), attacks on Helm's Deep? (Not today!)

 

As far as food, I just think of Hobbits.... I'm like a little Hobbit, first breakfast is consumed, I'm pondering second breakfast. Oh, is it elevenses yet? (<-- unfortunately factual thoughts about my current situation)

 

It is, though, nice to have someone else running and picking up slowly. I'm not a runner (in that I don't particularly like it), but it will help me on my own adventures if I build up a bit more endurance.

[darksaber]

Hello everyone! Joining in because I have to lose weight both for my self esteem (yes, I know, that's mostly mental work) and my health. My goal for 12 weeks are 8 lbs, my battle plan is to track all my intake, make sure I eat my veggies especially as snacks since my main meals are usually healthy and within the calorie range I chose for myself, and going on daily walks. Unfortunately, I'm currently restricted when it comes to exercise but I'm hoping that'll improve within the next few weeks. 

I've been struggling with my weight for years, thanks to a sedentary lifestyle and impulse eating high calorie foods so I'm hoping this kind of accountability and a goal for a set time frame rather than "lose 25 lbs NOW" will help me.

[Shello]

Shello checking in!  

 

My goal is set to 10 pounds during this run but honestly it's just to lose whatever I can as consistently as possible.  If that's 4 pounds, so be it.  If it's 12, great!   

 

If you don't know me, I have a yearly roadmap in my battle log and each challenge supports that path.  My goals this year are to consistently abide by my daily and weekly tasks that support health and 150 minutes of cardio a week, 2 strength trainings, and 2 stretchies/yogas a week.  I am currently focusing on just trying to do one of those things every day to build a consistent habit.  I'll worry about minutes and frequency once that is established.  

 

I am loosely tracking food.  I tend to eat the same thing all week so once I log meals once, I pretty much know where everything lands.  I am logging calories from sweets daily for this challenge and aiming to keep them under 200 calories a day.  I am a grown up and I can eat sweets whenever I want, but as a grown up I can also choose NOT to eat sweets whenever I want.  

  

 

 

[Shello]

18 hours ago, Snarkyfishguts said:

Hey Everyone! I think I know everyone already, but just in case:

 

I'm Snarkyfishguts, and am starting off this challenge at 243.  My plan:

1. Do a lot of walking. 

2.Focus on getting my vegetables in and limiting junk food. 

 

I'm going to track using a checklist, and I'll post my weekly weigh ins! Yay! Go team!

I see you! <4. 💜💚  Welcome my Doodlie buddy.

[ElectricTrailRunner]

Filled out the spreadsheet. 

 

So my plan is run and strength train, and come up with a Celiac and Diabetic diet for someone in the house and follow along with them.  Ditch soda completely more Tea; and try to stay away from the sweets by eating fresh fruit instead

[Rurik Harrgath]

2 hours ago, ElectricTrailRunner said:

So my plan is run and strength train, and come up with a Celiac and Diabetic diet for someone in the house and follow along with them.  Ditch soda completely more Tea; and try to stay away from the sweets by eating fresh fruit instead

 

That's a solid plan.  It really doesn't need to be any more complicated than that, but we all know just how tricky it can be to implement! haha

 

We're here for ya!

[Snarkyfishguts]

9 hours ago, Shello said:

I see you! <4. 💜💚  Welcome my Doodlie buddy.

Thank you buddy! 💜💚

[Rhovaniel]

18 hours ago, Darciana said:

I absolutely LOVE everything about the way you frame this. Adventures? Hobbits in Isengard (hell no!), attacks on Helm's Deep? (Not today!)

 

As far as food, I just think of Hobbits.... I'm like a little Hobbit, first breakfast is consumed, I'm pondering second breakfast. Oh, is it elevenses yet? (<-- unfortunately factual thoughts about my current situation)

 

It is, though, nice to have someone else running and picking up slowly. I'm not a runner (in that I don't particularly like it), but it will help me on my own adventures if I build up a bit more endurance.

Thank you! Tbh, I used to run and it was very much a love-hate kinda thing. Some days I loved it, some days I hated every step. I think part of it was not having a clear resolution for why I got such bad calf pain at times, which is slowly healing. Being able to run without pain, or any little niggle... that's when it was good. That's what I want to return to. 

 

I hear ya on second breakfast. Like a hobbit, if there's food, I want it lol 

[Loveable_Bouncer]

On 3/28/2023 at 1:03 PM, Rurik Harrgath said:

One major gamechanger for food in my world was making piece with volume meals.  I'll do a whole bag of frozen veggies or bag of iceberg salad mix plus other refrigerator veggies alongside whatever protein.  It's been the key to keeping me filled while losing weight.  Also a protein that I never get enough of is air fried chicken thighs and bone suckin' sauce that Spezzy introduced me to.  You can find it in bulk on Amazon; it caramelizes and makes a really delightful crust on an otherwise boring piece of chicken!

Thank you for the suggestion!

Found some local hardware stores sell this seasoning also.... now I'm thinking grilled chicken this summer too... 🤤

I make so many excuses around using my airfryers (that's in an instant pot) but it would help make meal prep go faster!

 

Hope it helps me with chicken from the fridge blahs...

 

I do eat larger portions of veggies and meat. It feels like a delicate balance. 

 

 

On 3/28/2023 at 1:03 PM, Rurik Harrgath said:

We've also been doing brownie mix/from scratch with zero butter and only Greek yogurt/eggs, either bulk stevia in lieu of sugar or sugar-free mix, and it drastically lowers the calories. but preserves the fudgy texture.  I have approx a 1/6 piece of a big rectangular pan for somewhere around 250 calories, and then pair it with another half cup of Greek yogurt and some sprinkles for fun.  It's been a revolutionary dessert addition!

I was also going to say this doesn't work for me... but damn just realized that's a protein boost brownie mix. 

Most bread/cake like foods are border line for me since I tend to eat the whole pan....

But will definitely keep in mind for a weekend treat. 

---

On 3/29/2023 at 8:46 AM, Shello said:

am a grown up and I can eat sweets whenever I want, but as a grown up I can also choose NOT to eat sweets whenever I want.  

This! I 100% feel like this is the hardest part...

[TrashcanCarla]

30 minutes ago, Loveable_Bouncer said:

Most bread/cake like foods are border line for me since I tend to eat the whole pan....

This is me. If a dessert is really tasty (and especially chocolatey) I eat like... all of it. I now focus on making sweet things like chickpea chocolate chip "cookies" which taste decent and hit the spot but don't make my brain go all crazy.

 

+++

 

So far, so good for me this week with sticking to my exercise plan and calorie deficit. Had one whiskey at the Old 97s show I went to last night and still stayed in my budget and felt good this morning. Yay for greatly reduced alcohol consumption in my life! Saving calories and my liver!

 

Today's my rest day. I'm planning to do a strength workout on Friday and Sunday with rowing and cardio dance on Saturday.

[Rurik Harrgath]

19 hours ago, Loveable_Bouncer said:

I was also going to say this doesn't work for me... but damn just realized that's a protein boost brownie mix. 

Most bread/cake like foods are border line for me since I tend to eat the whole pan....

But will definitely keep in mind for a weekend treat. 

 

18 hours ago, TrashcanCarla said:

This is me. If a dessert is really tasty (and especially chocolatey) I eat like... all of it. I now focus on making sweet things like chickpea chocolate chip "cookies" which taste decent and hit the spot but don't make my brain go all crazy.

 

I occasionally have the same issue, so I'll put the rest of the pan in the freezer.  At least it creates one barrier toward access.  

[Snarkyfishguts]

6 hours ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

 

I occasionally have the same issue, so I'll put the rest of the pan in the freezer.  At least it creates one barrier toward access.  

Also frozen brownies are amazing 

[Darciana]

I'm shocked right now but after a weekend of absolute madness, the scale shows I'm DOWN.

 

Over the past week to week and a half, my trend weight has slowly been creeping up. I was sitting around 158 but I haven't been careful with bloat, alcohol intake, and general amounts of food (especially the more calorie dense foods) so it went up to 159. This week the focus is to avoid alcohol entirely (especially now that the parties are over), stick to my workout schedule (the one thing that HAS stayed consistent besides attempted logging of food), and be more mindful about what goes in this pie hole. Logging isn't enough anymore. General calorie count isn't enough. I need to get back to nutrition and balance. Hopefully it'll bring another Minion "whaaaaaaaat" moment next week, too, in the form of another loss.

[Snarkyfishguts]

I didn’t lose weight this week, but honestly I am thrilled to not have gained weight. There was a lot of bread. So much bread.