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.)
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!
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Tonya Andrews says
October 9 at 2:53 pmI am 39 and wanted to get healthy before turning 40…in May I started exercising at Kosama, added walking during lunch then downloaded the C25k app and have completed 2 – 5ks and am signed up for 2 more. I have lost 75 lbs to date. I had several people contact me becuase they thought my transformation and posts were inspiring so I just started a new facbook closed group called Fit Forty & Feeling Fabulous. We have people of all shapes & sizes, men, women, some that have never worked out and some that are slim and trim and always at the gym. Many people do different diets or exercises but we are there to support each other. We share recipes, motivation, tips, encouragement, stories, etc. We just started yesterday doing a challenge like this and we had a great interest. Would love to follow you guys and see how you do and invite you guys to join us for some motivation and encouragement. Search for Fit Forty & Feeling Fabulous on Facebook. We are a closed group so anything you say will be kept within the group.
Kim Anderson says
October 10 at 8:52 amThanks Tonya!
Tabitha Rossetti says
October 8 at 7:17 pmHope it’s not to late to join in. Found this on Pinterest and I love the idea and concept.
Kim Anderson says
October 8 at 10:09 pmWelcome Tabitha! Sp happy to have you join the group! You have plenty of time!
Robin Sutherland says
October 5 at 9:04 amIm soooooo excited I came across this!!! This is soooo smart! I have a YMCA membership that I never use BUT u have motivated me to start using it this week! So glad im not trying to lose weight alone!!! Thanks lady!! So excited!!
Kim Anderson says
October 5 at 2:10 pmNo problem Robin! Welcome to the group!
Lisa says
September 11 at 6:06 pmI would love to join you in this challenge. I have actually been using MyFitnessPal along with my FitBit. MyFitnessPal syncs with FitBit. I have lost about 5 pound in that last few weeks, but I would love to lose another 15 by Thanksgiving. Do you think you could check into a Linky for everyone to share their results?
Kim Anderson says
September 11 at 10:46 pmLisa, I’d love to have you join. When you say Linky you mean like a link up? I’ll have to explore that! I’ve never done one myself before so let me see what I can research.
Jill Ray says
September 9 at 12:43 pmHey there!
I’m really happy I came across this, too. I am in the exact same boat. I gained about 60-65 pounds when I got pregnant, my daughter is 3, and I need (want) to lose 10-15 more pounds. For the past year I’ve been telling myself it’s not a big deal, but I picked up some really unhealthy eating habits since I was pregnant. I’ll lose 3 pounds, gain 2… Lose 1… Gain 3… So on and so on. I’m sick of it. I’m excited to start this challenge with you!
Kim Anderson says
September 9 at 1:53 pmJill, I’m happy to have you join our quest toward being a healthier, happy mama! Can’t wait to hear your progress. I did the same thing for the last few years- yo yo and rationalize it’s not a big deal but I know I would feel better, be stronger and have more confidence if I dropped the extra pounds.
Denise Nicole says
September 7 at 10:18 amI am so glad I came across your post/site from pinterest. I have lupus and have been struggling to exercise through the fatigue, pains and marriage, bonus kids and fulltime plus job (as a teacher). I love that your challenge is very clearly about health and wellbeing and not about a look, size or body type. I feel like my now 35yo metabolism needs a kick in the pants, so I’m taking the challenge! I’m a week behind, but starting today, Sept. 7th 🙂 Good luck to all you gals!
Kim Anderson says
September 7 at 12:43 pmDenise, with your situation, it can feel like there are lots of odds against you but just stay focused on being healthier. This challenge does have a weight loss goal but it’s really up to each person to determine their goal which might just be to eat more servings of veggies or use the app to get to a targeted number of nutrient stats! Looking forward to hearing more from your journey.
Lisa Anne says
September 6 at 9:29 pmThis came at just the right time! I might be a week behind, but I’d like to jump right on in with you. I have an 8 year old at home and a job that pulls more than full time hours recently. I am so tired when I get home! But knowing that others are working hard makes me feel like I can try. I am going to look for tbe app right now!!
Kim Anderson says
September 7 at 9:33 amYes, you can start the journey anytime! Like I said, you may only lose 5, 10 or whatever by Thanksgiving but anything makes your healthier!
Sarah Kolb says
September 6 at 6:07 pmKim this is a great idea. I too lost lots of weight after my now 5 year old was born. I took up running but can no longer run due to hip and knee problems. My children are both in school full time so I am starting back to an exercise program. I did just as you suggested and joined the YMCA. Group exercise gives me the most motivation as well as yoga. I love Denise Austin so I will have to check out the DVD you posted. I am also using Pinterest recipes for weight watchers and the low glycemic index. I am excited for this journey.
Kim Anderson says
September 7 at 9:38 amSarah, I’m thrilled to have you along for the journey! I love the YMCA. You should also look into their Parents Night Out program. For $7 they watched my son and provided fun activities from 6-10pm and my hubby and I hate a much needed dinner and movie date night. I feel that emotional health is important too! So whether married or not, getting some you time is important. The low glycemic index is super awesome for people who know their bodies sensitivities. I lean toward managing my carbs.
Leslie Esneault says
September 6 at 9:22 amThis is a fantastic goal! And just perfect for me. I’d like to lose right at 15 pounds – those pounds slowly crept up on me over the past couple years. I’ve needed just the right motivation to get going! Great intentions – each and every morning – “I will do this….” then by lunch that motivation wanes and I reach for the dark chocolate! Ha! But I am excited to accept this challenge! Kim, you’re my hero!! Thank so much for just the right push! Best of luck to everyone!
I am on Twitter @leshhs1 and Pinterest too! Heck.. if I exercised as much as I pinned to my fitness board… well, I wouldn’t have to lose this 15 pound turkey!!! 🙂
Kim Anderson says
September 6 at 11:49 amLeslie, I’m so happy to hear of someone else as excited as me! So excited to do this with you!
blogqueendiane says
September 4 at 9:47 pmGreat idea – love the mental image of a turkey’s worth of weigh falling off our bodies by Thanskgiving! We’re having a walkoff at work that ends soon – but I’ll keep up trying to get 10,000 steps a day for this challenge.
Kim Anderson says
September 4 at 11:51 pmDiane, that is great! Walking does wonders for weight loss! You’ll probably be an inspiration for some of your co-workers too.
Kalyn Brooke | Creative Savings says
September 4 at 5:46 pmGreat challenge! I’ve been trying to lose 5 lbs — it doesn’t seem like much, but I feel the excess on my body and it is so tough now that I don’t have that teenage metabolism anymore. I’ve been running and doing free blogilates.com videos. Oh, and I definitely fit into category #2!
Kim Anderson says
September 4 at 8:54 pmAwesome! 5 pounds for someone who is close to goal can be really tough. Sometimes it feels like it might as well be 25 when your trying to get the last 5. I ran so much in High School that I never want to it again. Running is good though because it really helps with stress management! Thanks for commenting Kalyn.
Mary says
September 3 at 10:31 pmI would like to be a part of this challenge of losing a turkey by Thanksgiving…..what do I do next to join this awesome group?
Kim Anderson says
September 4 at 6:24 amMary, Every Friday I will post an update on my progress in the challenge and I would love for you to share your own progress in the comments section each Friday. It could be as simple as, I worked out 2 days this week! or I lost 1 pound this week or any victory you achieve that is getting you toward your goals!
Lori Marie says
September 2 at 11:24 pmWhat a great idea – I’m in – wishing us all luck!
Kim Anderson says
September 3 at 6:22 amLori! I can’t wait to hear your small victories, big wins, momentary fails and everything in-between! So excited to have you along for the journey to Thanksgiving.