The Lose A Turkey By Thanksgiving Challenge
True confessions of Kim Anderson here. It’s not a subject I like to talk about really but, I gained a lot of weight while I was pregnant. I’ve lost 50 pounds since the day my son was born but that was 3 years ago and I still would like to lose more to get down to a healthy weight for my height.
I know I’m not alone. I know that there are many of you moms out there who would love to lose 15 pounds in a healthy way without having to go extreme or read another diet book.
A 15 pound loss, if you’re at least 15 overweight, will make you healthier, stronger and help you feel better overall. If you too would like to aim to lose 15 pounds by Thanksgiving, I hope you will join me in my lose a turkey by Thanksgiving challenge. (Thanksgiving turkeys average about 15 pounds each). Maybe you only need to lose a 10 pound ham or a 5 pound chicken. Whatever your goal feel free to join the journey to a healthier mind and body. I know it may take longer than 12 weeks, but at least I have a goal in mind and I have something to aim for. This is a marathon kind of deal, not a sprint. Don’t worry if you need to keep working even after the holiday to get to your goal.
IMPORTANT: You should always consult your doctor or medical professional before you start any health or fitness plan or change your diet. I am not a doctor or nutritionist and am not intending to give medical or weight loss advice or recommendations on my blog. I’m just telling you about my journey, inviting you to pursue good health in your own way and sharing the tools I use to reach my personal goals.
1. Weekly Updates-
I will be publishing a weekly blog post every Friday between now and Thanksgiving to update my progress and share any good recipes, exercises or calorie cutting tricks I learned.
If you want to join the challenge on your own, please feel free to “check-in” on each Friday’s post and leave a comment on your progress. Maybe your win for the week is in pounds loss or time spent at the gym. Whatever victory, big or small, please share it! See the weekly updates by clicking the links below.
Week 9 Results- Took 1 Week Off
2. FREE Weekly Weigh In Printable Sheet-
I’m going to hang this weekly weigh in sheet in my bathroom, by my scale so I can weigh-in each week and document my progress. Feel free to print one and hang it in your bathroom or keep it hidden in your bathroom drawer (if you prefer to keep your progress to yourself). In the past I have found great success in hanging the sheet in the bathroom as I know my hubby will see it and that sort of creates a drive to go forward in and of itself.
3. No Before & After Shots
For me this journey is about health, not obtaining a body that’s not mine. Therefore you aren’t going to see any before and after shots. You won’t see me holding up my old pants. You won’t see me posing with 6 pack abs (cause that just ain’t gonna happen.) I’m just a mom with a simple goal of loosing 15 pounds to be stronger, healthier and happier in my own skin for ME.
1. My Fitness Pal Website & App
I plan to use this app to reach my goals. If you haven’t tried this, it’s a FREE online calorie counting buddy. It’s AMAZING. You simply get the app or go to the website and create an account. You can tell it how much you want to weigh (in the case of this challenge 15 less than I do today) and it will tell you how many calories you should consume to get to that goal and will give you a realistic target date.
- Their food database is so huge I seriously doubt you will ever have to enter the nutritional details for anything yourself.
- You can add exercise and it will add calories to your day.
- The app will occasionally give you nutritional tips about the food you entered.
- It gives you some great detailed information about your nutrition and how much sodium, fat and other things you should aim for each day.
THE BEST PART? At the end of each day, when you total your calories, it will tell you how much you should weigh in five weeks if you ate and/or exercised everyday like you did that day! I love that feature!
WHY CALORIES? Science. I believe in calories consumed vs calories burned as a safe balanced way to manage weight. As a teen and college student, it was how I kept my weight in check so it has a track record with me. That’s why I am doing this. I’m going to eat lots of fruits, veggies and lean proteins to help me stay in my ideal caloric range I’m given by My Fitness Pal. I’m keeping this simple.
Pinterest Weekly Menu Planning
Please feel free to follow my 15 Pound Challenge Pinterest Board as I load my weekly menu plans on the board to create my healthy shopping list.
2. Exercise!
Let’s face it, you’re probably 1 of 3 people when it comes to exercise:
1. Love it! Adrenaline Junkie!
2. I do it to get the job done.
3. I hate working out!
That’s okay! I fit into the #2 category of I do this to get the job done and be healthy.
How do I fit fitness in as mom?
I plan to do two forms of physical fitness to achieve my 15 pound goal.
- YMCA- The memberships are reasonable and they offer scholarships for families who need financial assistance. The best part is the quality childcare. I could not go to the gym if they did not offer childcare. I plan to go a least 3 times each week. I will either go to a Zumba dance party or burn some seriously quick calories on the elliptical machine.
- Denise Austin- Shrink Your Female Fat Zones DVD- I will do this on the days I don’t workout at the YMCA during my son’s nap time. The workouts are only 20 minutes, are low impact in my opinion and basically just focus on a woman’s most fat storing spots. (Please note: The picture below is an Amazon Associates link which means when you click and buy something from Amazon.com I get a small commission that helps keep this blog running. For more info, check out my Privacy Policy here.)
3. Drink Water
Yeah, I know that’s simple. I also know it’s important to being healthy and keeping my cells in working order. I’m aiming for the recommended 8 glasses per day. From what I’ve read, water also helps detox the body so drinking it is a good idea all around.
That’s pretty much it! I started Thursday, August 31 and will go after my goal until Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is just a little over 12 weeks away. I will need to loose about 1.25 pounds per week to make my personal 15 pound goal. If it takes me longer than Thanksgiving it’s okay. I just know that no matter how long it may take, I’m on my way to healthier, happier me. Join me each Friday for the lose a turkey by Thanksgiving challenge updates!
Kim Anderson is the organized chaos loving author behind the Thrifty Little Mom Blog. She helps other people who thrive in organized chaos to stress less, remember more and feel in control of their time, money, and home. Kim is the author of: Live, Save, Spend, Repeat: The Life You Want with the Money You Have. She’s been featured on Time.com, Money.com, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, and more!