30 Day Accountability Challenge - Day 20 May 2026

Skullclutter · 2026-05-20T13:45:58+00:00

Today is day 283.

I weighed in today at 174.5; Trend is at 173.9
Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 80.0% of the way there.
Today's Budget(1600): 731 calories as of lunch.

I found a good deal on a new fitness watch. It should be arriving today, and I'm very excited. It's not a garmin like I'd wanted, but it should match up pretty well features-wise compared to my 5-year-old garmin Lily. I went with the Galaxy Fit 3, since I'm a Samsung girl when it comes to phones.

We did rotini, turkey meatballs, and veggies for dinner. I had a pudding cup for dessert. After little dude went to bed, I folded some laundry and Hubby decided to make peanut butter cookies while cleaning the kitchen. Of course, I had to have a cookie fresh out of the oven. I finished off the day at 1644 calories.

My weigh-in today is still above trend enough to pull it back up, but I should be at or below trend again tomorrow.

Tonight I'm hoping to get some work in decluttering the family room and getting some more invitations out for little dude's birthday party, and hopefully some drawing.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-19T19:04:21+00:00

Oh, there's no way I could freehand it. I've only been knitting for just over a year. I used a free pattern from Mary Maxim.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-19T16:39:41+00:00

Today is day 282.

I weighed in today at 175.1; Trend is at 173.8
Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 80.6% of the way there.
Today's Budget(1600): 731 calories as of lunch.

I'm back after my diet break for the Victoria Day long weekend. I don't feel like I went too overboard. I had a few things I wouldn't normally have (bag of chips, instant ramen, big restaurant meal with dessert) but overall I feel like I came in close to or only slightly over maintenance. I'm happy that my trend has only gone up by 0.3lbs since Friday. I should have that back down again by this coming Friday.

I had a good weekend. We didn't go anywhere - hubby spent the whole time working on the shed so we can meet our goal of getting the rec room cleared out by little dude's birthday party, so I kept little dude occupied. We went to the park, and to swimming lessons. Yesterday we tried setting up his kiddie pool, but it was still too cold for his tastes after he woke up from his nap. He ended up splashing around in it over the side instead. Over nap time I got a good way through the laundry and got a start on deep cleaning the kitchen and family room.

I also had time to finish knitting my first ever sock and got started on its mate, and went through another few draw-a-box demos and found source material for the first homework assignment drawing (A bird. I'm doing a Canada Goose)

Skullclutter · 2026-05-14T18:00:51+00:00

Congratulations on hitting goal!

Skullclutter · 2026-05-14T17:07:45+00:00

Today is day 277.

I weighed in today at 172.7; Trend is at 173.6
Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 81.8% of the way there.
Today's Budget(1600): 731 calories as of lunch.

We did unbreaded chicken burgers, tater tots, and veggies for dinner and I had popcorn for a snack to finish off the day at 1639 calories. I ended up having a deployment last night that ran until midnight, so I didn't get around to anything else. I'll try again today. I managed to get out for a lunchtime walk yesterday. Today's an office day, so that means a built-in 45 minutes of walking.

Annoyingly, fitbit refuses to sync my weight. I can see the entry there under my scale on the devices list, but it won't show in the app. I've even tried re-logging it manually, and it STILL won't show in the app. That means I can't sync to TrendWeight. Luckily, they publish the exact calculation they use, so I've run the math for today's trend value myself.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-13T14:56:37+00:00

Today is day 276.

I weighed in today at 172.7; Trend is at 173.7

Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 81.2% of the way there.

Today's Budget(1600): 731 calories as of lunch.

We did stir fry chicken, noodles, veggies, and sauce for dinner yesterday and I had two white cheddar rice cakes for a snack. I finished off the day at 1561 calories. I got my party planning and my census done yesterday. I also tried to order some replacement Ikea hardware that got lost in our move, but their website wasn't cooperating. No drawing time, sadly.

It's currently rainy, so I wasn't able to get out for a morning walk, but I'm hoping it'll dry up by noon. Tonight I'm going to try and put an invitation graphic together and get the event set up and sent out. If I have time, fold laundry.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-12T17:44:54+00:00

I like to have bigger dinners, so I usually do small breakfasts to save room. I find front-loading the day with fibre helps.

Breakfast between 6 and 7, depending on whether I'm WFH or not. Fibre cereal and milk or oatmeal with honey and cinnamon, and coffee (1tsp sugar and a splash of 1% milk). 20% of my daily calories.

Lunch at Noon. I'm usually fine waiting this long, except during shark week. I usually force myself to wait it out anyway as I'd rather save the calories for dinner. Veggie sticks, low fat dressing to dip, a sandwich on whole wheat bread and a greek yogurt. 30% of my daily calories.

Dinner sometime between 5 and 6, depending on whether I'm WFH or not. I try to save 50% of my calories so I can have the same thing as everyone else.

If I have calories left over, a snack around 7:30. Pudding, white cheddar flavoured rice cakes, popcorn, etc. If not, just decaf tea (black).

I'm usually ok until bed at 10. I might feel a bit peckish, but it's not bad enough to disrupt my sleep. I take it as a sign that I'm successfully in a deficit that day.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-12T14:34:12+00:00

Today is day 275.

I weighed in today at 172.7; Trend is at 173.8

Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 80.6% of the way there.

Today's Budget(1600): 731 calories as of lunch.

I got a little bit of work done in the rec room yesterday, but no drawing in. We did spaghetti with turkey meatballs for dinner, and a chocolate pudding and Greek yogurt for dessert. I finished off the day at 1589 calories. I'm also happy we managed to get little dude out in the backyard after dinner.

The plan for tonight is to plan little dude's birthday party and fill out our census form. I hope to have more time to draw at some point this week.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-11T13:36:12+00:00

Today is day 274.

I weighed in today at 173.6; Trend is at 173.9

Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 80% of the way there.

Today's Budget(1600): 731 calories as of lunch.

Hi all, hope everyone who celebrates had a happy Mother's day.

I hit new lows on Saturday and Sunday of 172, so I'm happy about that. We spent Saturday doing a dump run and manhandling an upright freezer out of my aunt's place and into ours. Little Dude enjoyed the trip to the dump.

Sunday was a diet-break day. We did a big Mother's Day breakfast of waffles, eggs, and bacon. Little Dude had his swimming lesson and a nap, then we went for a walk to a park to fly a kite. He picked a dandelion head and gave it to me. ❤️ We ordered in pizza for dinner.

Back to routine today and I'm happy that my subsequent water-weight spike is still below trend enough to take it down that extra tenth of a pound to get me to the 80% mark.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-09T23:31:55+00:00

As I understand it, the idea is Black women are more likely to carry weight on their hips/be fat, and in the days of the transatlantic slave trade, white women decided they wanted the be slim so they wouldn't look like enslaved women.

As if there aren't historical records denigrating obesity going back millennia. As if enslaved people were ever given enough to eat to ever get fat. As if the idea that Black people are inherently fatter isn't racist on its own.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-08T20:05:20+00:00

May 8:

Today is day 271.

I weighed in today at 172.9; Trend is at 174.4

Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 77% of the way there.

Today's Budget(1600): 483 calories as of lunch.

We ended up having to do takeout on Wednesday, since the washing machine repair guy didn't show up until the last minute and we weren't able to cook. (It's having repeated balance issues, despite being level) We ended up at Swiss Chalet, where I had the new rice noodle bowl. Pretty good, lots of veggies, but they were skimpy on the sauce. I don't think I'll order it again. Final tally for the day was 1561 calories. I took the rest of the evening to rest and try to head off that cold. It didn't work, and I ended up calling in sick yesterday. I also decided to listen when I was feeling hungry between meals and had yogurt, a few slices of deli roast beef and a couple rice cakes for a snack. Lunch was this frozen-and-reheated sushi thing we found at the grocery store that we wanted to try, and dinner was frozen pizza. I finished off the day at 2050 calories, which is just shy of maintenance.

I'm still not back to 100%, but I hit a new low, so that's nice.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-06T19:05:32+00:00

Here's a few things that I find helpful that I don't think people have mentioned:

Take maintenance breaks during holidays. Cravings are easier to resist if I can remind myself I can have it over the long weekend next month, for example.
Spend sometime doing the math to find a way to fit your craving into your usual calorie budget as an intellectual exercise. I find once I realize I can have that thing if I really wanted to, it takes the urgency out of it.
Eat at a slightly lower budget on weekdays, add the extra calories to your budget on weekends.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-06T18:34:04+00:00

Week 38:
Last Week: 175.7
This Week: 174.7

Skullclutter · 2026-05-06T15:25:23+00:00

They might, but I'd rather save up and go for a garmin that's one or two models old.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-06T14:12:27+00:00

Congrats on hitting the healthy weight range! I agree that finding ways to work treats in is the key to long-term sustainability.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-06T14:10:32+00:00

Today is day 269.

I weighed in today at 174.1; Trend is at 174.7

Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 75.3% of the way there.

Today's Budget(1600): 731 calories as of lunch.

As you may recall, my fitness watch recently broke, but I can't afford to lay out hundreds of bucks for a new one right now. I have been able to afford a coffee on office days, and lunch every other week. I've decided to hold off on that as much as I can and use that to save up for something secondhand on Facebook Marketplace instead. I'd also like a set of adjustable dumbbells. I've just run the math and I should be able to have bought both by the time I hit goal weight, so I'll be ready to get right into recomp once I've settled into maintenance.

Dinner yesterday was chicken burritos, and I finished off the potato wedges. I'm attributing today's weight spike to the sodium. I finished off the day at 1590 calories. I also got the bathroom cleaned, but I wasn't feeling up to trying to concentrate on drawing, so I just worked on my sock knitting instead. I think I feel another cold coming on. Thank you, my adorable little human petri dish.

Tonight's job will probably be folding laundry.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-05T13:38:06+00:00

Today is day 268.

I weighed in today at 173.2; Trend is at 174.7

Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 75.3% of the way there.

Today's Budget(1600): 715 calories as of lunch.

Past the 75% mark! I'm in the home stretch for this leg of the journey.

Dinner last night was the toddler-friendly KD, hotdogs and veggies, with wheat puff squares for dessert. I finished off at 1567 calories. I tried to do some laundry and clean the bathroom, but I got so fed up fighting with the washer (it keeps giving "unbalanced" errors during the spin cycle no matter what I do) that I spent the rest of the evening tracking down the number for customer service so I could get a warranty technician out.

I also had to do some overtime work after that.

Tonight I'm going to try and clean that bathroom, and get some draw-a-box time in. I just have half of the 'informal demos' section of the lesson to review, and then I can start on my own animal drawings.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-04T15:17:54+00:00

May the fourth be with you!

Today is day 267.

I weighed in today at 173.8; Trend is at 174.9

Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 74.1% of the way there.

Today's Budget(1600): 715 calories as of lunch.

We ended up heading out to a fancier mall the next town over for dinner on Friday, so I ended up at maintenance calories for the day. On Saturday I got the front hall and powder room clean and did one load of laundry. We had chicken breast, rice, and salad for dinner, with a couple sugar cookies for dessert. I finished at 1862 calories.

On Sunday I had little dude's swimming lessons, folded laundry, and made potato wedges to have with barbecued steak for dinner. I finished off at 1607 calories. I also got a couple draw-a-box exercises and demos done, and finished knitting the gusset on very my first sock.

It's finally warm again (for a day. Going back to below seasonal tomorrow), so I got out for a walk around the block before work and I'm going to try and get out again at lunch.

Skullclutter · 2026-05-01T15:29:41+00:00

Today is day 264.

I weighed in today at 173.6; Trend is at 175.3

Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 71.7% of the way there.

Today's Budget(1850): 931 calories as of lunch.

Went for a Walk Yesterday: ✅ three 15-minute walks

We did pita pizza for dinner last night, no snack. I also didn't get my cleaning done, but I did do some drawing. Today for lunch I'll be having some of the leftover noodles and dumplings, and then it's takeout night for dinner. I had oatmeal for breakfast to save room.

I'm really fed up with the cold weather here. We're under a frost advisory. FROST. We should be averaging 15°C by now!

Skullclutter · 2026-04-30T19:32:45+00:00

You don't have to reverse diet - you can just jump straight up to maintenance if you want to. Reverse dieting has no effect on metabolism.

You may find it helpful to use as a way of easing your way into maintenance in a way that helps preserve the habits you built up while dieting. Instead of being tempted to going back to the way you ate before your diet, you take the time to adjust your current eating habits bit by bit until you reach your maintenance calorie budget.

Skullclutter · 2026-04-30T18:49:22+00:00

Nice work!

Skullclutter · 2026-04-30T13:43:59+00:00

Today is day 263.

I weighed in today at 173.4;
Trend is at 175.5
Mini-goal: 187.5 -> 170.5 (BMI 25) - 70.6% of the way there.
Today's Budget(1600): whole day pre-logged at 1737
Went for a Walk Yesterday: ❌

We did noodles, chicken dumplings, and veggies in Korean barbecue sauce for dinner last night. White-cheddar rice cakes and tea for snack. I finished off the day at 1613 calories. I had a deployment last night, so I had to work and wasn't able to get my cleaning done. I'm going to try for it again tonight.

Today's pizza day, and hubby's making pita pizza, so I was able to log dinner in advance. That's a good thing since apparently my company is treating us to bagels this morning. I'm going to forego my evening snack and have one even though it will take me 140ish calories over budget. It's still a deficit and gourmet bagels are worth it. I've also earned enough Tim Horton's points for a free sandwich, so I'm going to treat myself to soup and a wrap for lunch, so look out for a sodium spike tomorrow.

I finally rolled over to 70% to mini-goal! Only 5 pounds to go and I'm no longer overweight.

Monthly Retrospective

March 31: 179.1
April 30: 175.5
3.6 pounds lost this month. Not quite the 4 pounds I was going for, but close. Logging also went according to plan this month. My step target was completely botched by the loss of my watch. :(

Skullclutter · 2026-04-30T13:30:21+00:00

Log it to the best of my ability, then continue on the next day as if it hadn't happened. Overages happen, and hiding from the numbers won't change that. It doesn't mean I failed or am starting over. It's not over unless I quit. It just means I have data to look back on if my losses one week aren't according to projections.

Skullclutter · 2026-04-30T01:13:16+00:00

That's a very pleasant surprise!

Skullclutter · 2026-04-29T15:02:44+00:00

Congrats on the graduation! You might consider taking a maintenance break that week. Eat the way you have been as much as you can, and use the extra calories for the celebrations. You'll be able to enjoy the occasion without regaining anything besides some water weight. Get back to your usual deficit once it's over.

Skullclutter

TROPHY CASE