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If my erratic scale is to be believed, I’ve been dropping on average a pound a week for the last ~2 months.

Started a new job. It’s pushing a mouse around a desk all day. No activity. But one of the perks of the job is a health incentive program. (Vitality). Free fitbit, healthy activity earns points. Rack up enough points and you get a discount on your health insurance. So I’m a gamer, and I’m going to game the heck out of this system. All I need to do is set a goal and click a button once a week for 30 points? Sure. Click through informational lessons and answer a dozen idiot questions? Yup. Banged out gold status in under a month. Halved my insurance premium.

But you know what? It actually impacted me. The stupid goal I selected to punch in once a week was to eat more fruit and vegies. And damn if that didn’t stick into the back of my brain when I’m packing my lunches. Those stupid courses I powered though on things like eating healthy? Impacting my grocery shopping. It’s not that I’m adverse to things like whole grains, but I just didn’t give them much thought. But when I’m grabbing a box of cereal to start my day, I’m not getting something based on white flour. Go fiber, nutrients, etc.

Logging 5,000 paces a day on my fitbit counts as a light workout and gets me 5 points. Walking up and down the hallway on my breaks and lunch gets me close enough to that for my normal movement to break the threshold. 10k steps takes actual effort, so I only rarely hit that. But I actively work to hit that 5k.

One thing the points get besides insurance discounts are Amazon gift cards. I’m currently assembling a Start Collecting: Skeleton Hordes box I earned by being healthy.

I thought I was gaming the system, but in truth we were gaming each other.

I guess the take away from this for other people is two fold. If your job offers health incentives, take advantage of them. You use less sick days and are healthier, and might get some perks out of it. The other is to harness your competitive gamer side. I pursue 5,000 steps on my fitbit with the same vigor I apply to getting achievements, levels, and badges in games. Treat your health like a game, and embrace your inner WAAC TFG.

Ive lost 44 pounds since i started going to the gym in August. Hoping to hit 60 pounds by the time this August rolls around.

Eating a little better, too, but i still enjoy life. Though i have been the anti junk food Nazi in our house - you know, saying things like: do we need it? If you absolutely want it, get the smaller bag. Why are you thinking of getting chocolate, we just had chips a week ago?

It feels good. Uniform fits for work better than ever, going from popping buttons to things just hanging and being loose. Have more energy, feel more confident, etc.

 Crazyterran wrote:
Ive lost 44 pounds since i started going to the gym in August. Hoping to hit 60 pounds by the time this August rolls around.

Eating a little better, too, but i still enjoy life. Though i have been the anti junk food Nazi in our house - you know, saying things like: do we need it? If you absolutely want it, get the smaller bag. Why are you thinking of getting chocolate, we just had chips a week ago?

It feels good. Uniform fits for work better than ever, going from popping buttons to things just hanging and being loose. Have more energy, feel more confident, etc.

Grats!

When I was doing my big push to shed pounds I was a bit draconian about junk food in the house and things like that. It was hard enough to keep focused on what I needed to do without temptation at every corner.

Getting results you can see brings it all home. It’s one thing to wonder why you are doing this to yourself when the only results you see are a slightly lower number when you step on the scale. But once you get the tangible results, it gets so much better! That is why you gave up all the junk and treats. To look sharp and feel good!

 Nevelon wrote:

 Crazyterran wrote:
Ive lost 44 pounds since i started going to the gym in August. Hoping to hit 60 pounds by the time this August rolls around.

Eating a little better, too, but i still enjoy life. Though i have been the anti junk food Nazi in our house - you know, saying things like: do we need it? If you absolutely want it, get the smaller bag. Why are you thinking of getting chocolate, we just had chips a week ago?

It feels good. Uniform fits for work better than ever, going from popping buttons to things just hanging and being loose. Have more energy, feel more confident, etc.

Grats!

When I was doing my big push to shed pounds I was a bit draconian about junk food in the house and things like that. It was hard enough to keep focused on what I needed to do without temptation at every corner.

Getting results you can see brings it all home. It’s one thing to wonder why you are doing this to yourself when the only results you see are a slightly lower number when you step on the scale. But once you get the tangible results, it gets so much better! That is why you gave up all the junk and treats. To look sharp and feel good!

Its funny after like the first 2 weeks of hard core dieting, i honestly stopped getting hungry and had absolutely no cravings for junk food or grazing. its odd i dont feel hunger anymore. am i going to die?

 Desubot wrote:

Its funny after like the first 2 weeks of hard core dieting, i honestly stopped getting hungry and had absolutely no cravings for junk food or grazing. its odd i dont feel hunger anymore. am i going to die?

We are all going to die. The question is if we die well.

I’m trying out a trick to see if it helps stop me grazing. When I reach for a snack, take a drink of water instead.

That's great, Nevelon! I agree that copious water intake makes a huge difference, I also noticed less general hunger, though, and that I got full with less food. That was one of the biggest shifts for me.

I dropped another 5 lbs since the last post, so am pretty excited since I am now close to my goal to 200 lbs from 240 lbs. It has made a huge difference in clothing- my shirt necks don't feel tight ( was at a 17 1/2 neck size, but now a 16 1/2 fits fine), my pants are much looser at the waist ( moved 2 belt holes tighter), and my t-shirts now hang loose over my stomach.

I also feel much more energetic and less sluggish. Dr. was impressed since my BP dropped from around 150/100 to 110/70. The only downside was that I was in with sinusitis....

I have one of these under my desk at work. I'm starting to notice a difference in both leg strength and losing a few pounds. I have been bumping up the resistance every 2 weeks.

 kronk wrote:
I have one of these under my desk at work. I'm starting to notice a difference in both leg strength and losing a few pounds. I have been bumping up the resistance every 2 weeks.

Looks like something out of Skymall

But hey, if it looks stupid, and it works, it isn't stupid. . . So good on ye for finding something that helps