And the winner is...

MINDY!!!

Here are the stats for our last week

% of Weight Lost this Week

Mindy: 1.84%

Rick: 1.03%

TeriAnne: 0.14%

Crystal: 0%

Amber: 0%

Jeni O: -0.5%

Anna Marie: -1.2%

% of Total Weight Lost

Mindy: 8.72%

Jeni O: 8.11%

TeriAnne: 6.95%

Anna Marie: 5.41%

Rick: 4.41%

Crystal: 3.97%

Amber: 3.08%

Congrats to Mindy for an amazing effort. (Anyone who runs a marathon deserves to win in my book!) Serious props also go to Jeni O who came in a very close second.

For those that participated in the wager (Crystal, Rick, and me), be prepared to pay up to Mindy. If Mindy would email us her mailing address, we will all make sure to put our $20 in the mail.

I think we all did a great job because we stuck with it. If nothing else, I think we all got a heightened sense of awareness of the effect food and exercise have on our bodies.

Here is some fun trivia...

• Total Weight Lost As A Group: 62.8
• # of People Who Lost Over 10 Pounds: 3 (These 3 also weigh within 2 pounds of eachother)
• # of People Who Lost Over 8 Pounds: 2
• Sneaky Competitor: The first several weeks, TeriAnne held steady at about 3 pounds lost. In week 9, she kicked it into high gear and started shedding the pounds very quickly!

Also, I wanted to congratulate Amber and Crystal on their hard work. Although it doesn't appear they lost a ton of weight, they had to work extra hard to lose what they did. They are both tiny and probably weigh less than my left leg. Any weight loss on their part must have been the result of quite an effort.

Lastly, I wanted to thank everybody for participating in this. Although it was difficult for me to focus at most times (my mind has been somewhere else this summer), it has still been really fun for me to do this. I love all of my friends dearly and it has been a fun way to keep in contact with you. It has also been great to get acquainted with those I haven't met in person. (Crystal!) The most rewarding thing has been getting excited emails from you reporting your weight loss. Many of you lost quite a bit of weight and it was really wonderful to see how happy you were with your results.

I hope a new healthier lifestyle is something that we will all be able to keep up with. Many of you have mentioned how easier it is when we are accountable to someone. If you would like to continue to keep this up in one way or another, send me an email. We can change the format so it is less competitive or we can just keep the blog open to share challenges and triumphs. I'm open to suggestions.

Thank you again for participating. It has been a honor to work with you all!

Love, Anna Marie

My Finish

Hey girls,

I just wanted to thank everyone for their participation. It was really motivating for me to have this little competition and support network. It helped me lose 13 pounds in 12 weeks. I am getting very close to my goal weight and only have 6 more pounds to go before I hit my feeling fabulous weight.

Yesterday I had to work really hard to make my weight. In fact I didn't eat or drink anything until 2 in the afternoon because I wanted to get my best weight in. I also ran for the first time since the marathon yesterday. It was a big accomplishment because my ankle and knee have been bugging me since the race. It was a tough 4 miles but it was also very rewarding! I hated running when I started out but the more I run, the more I like it.

I took this picture so I can remember my accomplishment. I know the scale shouldn't be the thing that makes you feel good about yourself but for me seeing this number on the scale puts a smile on my face.

Thanks again, I hope everyone else did what they set out to do (or are getting there). Also, thanks to Anna Marie for putting this together and keeping track of the numbers. For me it helps to know I have to report to someone every week.

Later girls :)

Week 11 Results

Hey Ladies (and Man),

Here are the results for this week!

% of Weight Lost This Week
Anna Marie: 3.53%
TeriAnne: 1.92%
Rick: 1.50%
Mindy: 0.72%
Jeni O: 0.37%
Amber: 0%

% Of Total Weight Lost
Jeni O: 8.45%
Mindy: 7.05%
Teri Anne: 6.81%
Anna Marie: 6.55%
Rick: 3.43%
Amber: 3.08%

I'm coming in for a sneak attack this last week. Watch out!

Week 10 Results

Hey Ladies...

Sorry for the late post again! I haven't gotten results from everybody, but I don't want to keep the rest of you in suspense!

Also, Lisa and Jeni E aren't going to compete with us anymore, so now I think we are down to 7 participants.

% of Weight Lost This Week
Crystal: 2.42%
TeriAnne: 0.07%
Anna Marie, Rick, Mindy & Jeni O: 0%

% of Total Weight Lost
Jeni O: 8%
Mindy: 6%
TeriAnne: 5%
Crystal: 4%
Anna Marie: 3%
Rick: 2%

Pasta w/ Spinach, bacon, & Parmesan cheese

This is super easy, fast, and healthy.

1 lb your favorite pasta (keep a couple ladles full of the pasta water)
couple handfuls fresh spinach
4-5 strips turkey bacon (or regular if that's what you use)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
You can add cooked chicken also if you like
1/2 stick butter
salt/pepper

cook pasta according to directions, drain (saving some pasta water)
add butter,pasta water, spinach, bacon bits, and Parmesan. Toss, add salt and pepper to taste.

I forgot to take a picture of this and we don't have leftovers so you will have to use your imagination.

Week 9 Results

Hey Skinny People...

I'm missing results from a few people, but I'm going to go ahead and post what I have...

% of Weight Lost This Week:
TeriAnne: 2.62%
Mindy: 0.36%
Lisa: 0.34%
Anna Marie: 0%
Amber: 0%
Crystal: -0.81
Rick: -1.52%

% of Total Weight Lost:
Mindy: 6.38%
Lisa: 6.13%
TeriAnne: 4.92%
Anna Marie 3.13%
Amber: 3.08%
Rick: 1.96%
Crystal: 1.59%

Many of us had a tough week. Let's kick it into high gear this week!

Marathons don't equal weight loss

I finished a marathon last Saturday in Park City. It was an amazing accomplishment but when I got home and hopped on the scale I had only lost 1/2 pound. That made me sad. I just ran/walked for six hours straight and didn't lose any weight. UGH!

It all goes back to the eating being the hardest part. It really is what and how much food you put in your body and not necessarily your devotion to exercise. Sure exercise makes you healthy and strong but not thin.

I also think thin is different for everyone. To me, I am not thin until I can parade around in a bikini on the beach and feel good about myself. But I know people who are hanging out on the beach perfectly comfortable in their bikini and they look more like this.




I am not sure what theory I am going for here. I guess my point of this ramble session is I am going to rethink my goals and tweak my perceptions a bit to make my "thin" something that is within reach and doable, not some far out, never gonna get there, task master goal that will haunt me forever.

I think starting school this week, and being that I am a psychology major, I am getting philosophical about the whole thing.

Week 8 Results

Hey ladies...

Once again, sorry for the delay! I'm beginning to sound like a broken record with my tardiness apologies. Here are the results...

% of Weight Lost This Week
Jeni E: 2.70%
Jeni O: 1.45%
Mindy: 1.06%
Lisa: 0.68%
Anna Marie: 0.58%
Amber: 0%
Crystal: -0.82%

Congrats to Jeni E for having a great week!

% of Total Weight Lost
Jeni O: 8.11%
Mindy: 6.04%
Lisa: 5.81%
Anna Marie: 3.13%
Amber: 3.08%
Crystal: 2.38%
Jeni E: -0.70%

Overall, Jeni O is in the lead! It looks like the Jeni's rule this week!

Here are some stats...

Overall, we've lost 41.5 lbs as a group.
This week alone, we lost 8.5 lbs

Keep up the great work!

My Lent Confession

I was doing so great last week. I did have some temptations, the fudgesicles in my fridge were calling me, but for two days straight I resisted. It was a close call but I did resist. Then last Friday night I was at a church activity. Without thinking I found myself 5 bites into some homemade coconut ice cream. At that point I could have stopped and been ok because I honestly hadn't meant to but I continued and finished my cup of ice cream. If you've had it before you'd know that it's not easy to pass up. It was made by Ary who is from Thailand and used to own a fab Thai restaurant. So there is my confession. I had coconut ice cream last Friday and I loved it. At least I didn't go back for seconds so I had an ounce of self control. :)

Confession

Before you read this you have to know how embarrassed I am to post this. The reasons for doing it are A- to try and prevent it from happening again, and B-to maybe help someone else.

Last night was terrible for me. I ate so much I made myself sick! Literally, I was throwing up. It was a wake up call. We ate tomato/basil soup with Parmesan crusted baked zucchini and mushrooms, and rolls. That was good.

Then we decided to make cookies, we ate the batter and most the cookies which we decided were not very good so I decided to do pie. That would have been bad but not terrible. The terrible part was finishing over 1/2 the pie. It made me puke and left nice little purple dots under my eyes from all the chucking. Needless to say I felt awful enough to cry about it.

This morning I re-dedicated myself and decided no food is worth the way I felt physically and mentally last night. I ran 8 miles today and am feeling great. Its a new day!

My motivator

I'm sure you may think this is hilarious, or maybe just childish. But I thought I would share what got me motivated to put my diet into action. At the beginning of the summer, I made a sticker chart for my kids (with different goals for them) and for myself with a set prize at the end. I could put a sticker on the chart for running on the treadmill for 15 minutes, lifting weights for 15 minutes, making difficult eating choices, and/or losing pounds. For some reason, the silly sticker chart broke it down into short goals to help me get to my long-term goal. It was nice to have a goal with my kids too, because they were reminding me to put the stickers on after they saw me run, etc. What happened is that it made me get in good habits, so now I don't even worry about the stickers anymore. Although, I think I will still make my husband follow through on my prize (painting my kitchen/family room)! Hopefully, this will help some of you too.

My Pledge...

Ok, this is really just for me, but read on if you want...

It makes me feel guilty when I read comments from others about trying so hard, but not seeing results. I haven't been seeing any results either, but it is definitely due to a complete lack of trying. Since I'm the one that dreamt up this whole thing, you would think that I could get more motivated about it.

No matter what, I can't seem to get the desire to actually try. Sure, I want to lose weight, but I don't want to work hard at it. The past couple months have been tough for me and comfort eating is such a huge thing for me. I didn't realize to the extent of how much I turn to food for comfort until recently...

Anyway, for Lisa's "lent" idea, I'm going to give up around-the-clock eating. I'm going to eat three meals a day and three small snacks in between. Oh, and no snacking after 8:30 pm.

Thanks for letting me vent! :)

Week 7 Results

Here are the results...

% Of Weight Lost This Week
Jeni O: 1.78%
Crystal: 1.61%
Mindy: 0.70%
Anna Marie: 0%
Lisa: 0%
Amber: 0%
TeriAnne: -0.49%
Jeni E: -3.50%

Congrats to Jeni O for having another great week!

% of Total Weight Lost
Jeni O: 6.76%
Lisa: 5.16%
Mindy: 5.03%
Crystal: 3.17%
Amber: 3.08%
Anna Marie: 2.56%
TeriAnne: 2.36%
Jeni E: -3.50%

Looks like Jeni is dominating the top spot on both lists! Let's see if we can catch up with her!

Recommitting

Okay, I've been ignoring the scale for the past few weeks. I've gained 5 lbs. in the past month. We've moved and are now settling in Nevada so now I have no more excuses. So starting now I am recommitting myself. As soon as I finish this post I'm going to throw away all the cookies that I made over the weekend and all the cookies/treats that are in my pantry. This is it! I think I've even talked my husband into eating a healthier diet. Hooray! I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow. That will be my first test...no treats! Good luck to you all this week!

Oh, and to go along w/ Lisita's post a while back, I am eliminating all sweets. I know, I know this is going to be HARD but if I could do it pregnant then I can do it now!

The Roller Coaster of my (lack of) weight loss

So, I was chatting with Mindy about this last night a bit...  I was so good last week, and went to the gym FOUR times... that is a record for me :)  This week... haven't been once!!  The difference was that my son was all gung-ho about going last week, but a pain to try and get to go this week.  I'm not making excuses, just that his cooperation makes it so much easier!  I was able to get in some exercising at home, but not near as well as I do at the gym.  Anyway, its frustrating, I don't know how to fix it... I do plan on getting the treadmill set-up so I can try and get some better exercise from home, but its frustrating trying to get in a workout while being interrupted by a 4-year-old every 5 minutes... Ugghhhh... I'm just venting, thanks for listening :)

BBQ Success

I went to a BBQ last night. Lots of people, huge amounts of food and needless to say lots of temptation. I only ate one plate of food! Ok, it was a pretty big plate so this was only a small victory but I didn't table graze after eating either so that was a big plus.

Crystal was there too. How did you do Crys?

Honey Basil Chicken

This recipe is so simple, but my husband who likes "man food" and not "chick food" actually liked it. This never happens, so I thought I'd share.

Honey Basil Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper (ground pepper gives it a little more kick)
1-2 tsp dried basil OR 30-40 fresh basil leaves (I used the basil from our garden and it was yummy)
½ cup honey
1 tsp garlic powder (I just used garlic salt and eliminated the table salt)

Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drizzle each chicken breast with honey until well covered; sprinkle with basil. Bake at 400, covered, for about 30 minutes until cooked through.

I said No!

Last night we were out doing shopping as part of our FHE activity and Toro suggested we go get an ice cream cone. I said he could but that I wasn't eating ice cream. He was nice and didn't get one but it was so tempting. I wanted to share that I did it! I know it's only August 5th but I really think I can keep this up. In fact I'm also going to add that I won't take any 2nd helpings on other desserts. I know myself too well right now to cut it all out completely! I'll be stronger to try that one in September.

I also wanted to tell those of you who are working on 2nd helpings about, French Women don't get fat, (she also an additional book called French women for all Seasons) by Mireille Guiliano. It would be worth getting from the library. She has some great advice about the 2nd helping, oversize portion problem so many face and some fun and some bizarre recipes. She's been my secret weapon so far but I finally decided to share.

Week Six Results

Here are the results from Week Six. We are now halfway through the competition. I didn't get too many results this week, but here's what we've got...

% of Weight Lost this Week
TeriAnne: 0.35%
Jeni O: 0%
Lisa: 0%
Mindy: -0.35%
Anna Marie: -1.79%

TeriAnne is the only one that lost weight this week! Way to go Teri! I was on vacation all week were there was horrible food tempting me practically 24/7. What's your excuse?

% of Total Weight Lost
Lisa: 5.16%
Jeni O: 5.07%
Mindy: 4.36%
TeriAnne: 2.83%
Anna Marie: 2.56%

Looks like Lisa is still on top, but Jeni O is creeping up on her pretty quick.

Let's try to have a better week- I know I going to start working harder!

Week Five Results

Hey Ladies!

Sorry this is so late! We were on vacation all last week and I couldn't seem to find time to do anything other than play. Sorry! :(

% Of Weight Lost This Week
Amber: 1.56%
Mindy: 0.70%
Anna Marie: 0.59%
Crystal: 0.40%
Jeni O: 0.35%
TeriAnne: 0.21%
Lisa: 0%

Total % of Weight Lost
Lisa: 5.16%
Jeni O: 5.07%
Mindy: 4.79%
Anna Marie: 4.27%
Amber: 3.08%
TeriAnne: 2.49%
Crystal: 1.59%

Nobody gained weight this week! (At least nobody that reported their weight.) This is the only the 2nd this has happened since we started!

Bad Start

Ok, I know I just started the whole Lent thing. It seems shameful to have to write about my messing up on day 2! But I thought if I took responsibility and shared my shame that it might stop me from doing it again.

The culprit: A BBQ beef sandwich with melted cheese on a toasted bun. I only ate half of a second sandwich and I didn't have seconds of the homemade guacamole and chips so maybe its like half victory half defeat.

This is so much harder than I thought it would be. I feel like I have to eat as much as Bryant. I know he is a guy and needs more food than I do but if I don't eat as much as he does somehow it seems unfair. At least that is the excuse I use when he is around. Who knows what my problem is when I am alone and over eating. Maybe it is if no one sees me overeat then it didn't actually happen.

Sorry, this sounds more like a journal entry than post but I really do want to change my bad habit and I think this might help.

Send me your weight... again!

Hey Ladies,

We are on vacation here at beautiful Birch Bay. I brought my laptop so that I could post the results on Sunday, but I'm having trouble with my Verizon email. Could you all please email me your weight from Saturday again? Send it to heybeans@hotmail.com. I'll try and have the results posted by tomorrow.

Thanks!

Anna Marie

Currant-Lentil Spinach Salad

Here is an easy recipe that we like to fix for lunch. My hubby even loves this spinach salad and doesn't mind taking a big batch for lunch. Enjoy!

Currant-Lentil Spinach Salad
A recipe from the Flavor Point Diet by David Katz
Serves 1

2 cups baby spinach (pre-washed)
1/3 cup cooked lentils, well drained
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons dried currants or raisins
2 teaspoons feta cheese, crumbled

In a medium bowl, combine the spinach and lentils.
In a small bowl, stir together the mustard, vinegar, oil, water, salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the spinach mixture and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the nuts, currants and cheese
TIP: Cook the lentils ahead of time and refrigerate then so you can assemble this salad at the last minute.

Per serving: 293 calories, 16g fat, 10g protein, 32g carbohydrate, 9g fiber, 6 mg cholesterol, 343 mg sodium

Lentils
A recipe from the Flavor Point Diet by David Katz
Makes 4 cups

1 ½ cups dry lentil
5 cups water

Rinse and drain the lentils.
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the lentils and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 1 week.
TIP: Lentils are so good for everyone’s healthy that having them already cooked in the fridge may encourage the rest of your family to eat them more often!

Per serving: 243 calories, 0g fat, 20g protein, 41g carbohydrate, 22g fiber, 0mg cholesterol, 7mg sodium

'August Lent'

After talking to a couple of you who I'm in contact with regularly I've realized that I'm not the only one in need of a pick me up to get going again. What AMB has started is great and I want to work harder with this great idea she's started. I've definitely not been in it 100% so I've decided to implement this idea for me and I think I'm probably not alone however if you are already being strict all the better for you! So here is my idea. It's up to you if you want to join in, no pressure if you don't. Here's the plan.

a) Decide which type of food or what particular food (all chocolate, or ice cream, etc) is holding you back the most. Only pick one and you can be as general or specific as you want too.

b) Commit to avoiding your pick for the month of August.

c) Add a comment to this blog to admit to what you are giving up.

d) Post about any relapses or success stories so you have accountability.

e) I also like that Minwimm has posted recipes and I think it'd be great if we all shared a easy healthy recipe once a week. Just a thought but certainly not mandatory by any means.

August Lent is the best name I could come up with but I'm open to suggestions!

Awesome Cold Veggie Pizza

This is a fantastic summer recipe that is great tasting and mostly healthy.

1 can crescent rolls, or canned pizza dough
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
dill, fresh or dried to taste
garlic salt to taste
Lots of fresh veggies
shredded cheddar

Lay the crescent rolls out flat on cookie sheet and bake according to directions. Let cool 10-20 minutes while you mix up the spread and cut the veggies.

mix softened cream cheese, sour cream, and dill and garlic (I used about 1 T each) and spread on top of cooled dough, then just cut whatever veggies you have on hand and place them and the shredded cheese on top. Yumo!


I used shredded cabbage, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, shredded carrot, and green onion. I bed this would be good with olives, feta, and roasted red peppers too. There are probably tons of great combos that you can do with this recipe.

Let me know if you try one and how it turned out.


P.s. I know this isn't the best picture but I didn't think about posting until this morning and we ate this for dinner last night so it is a picture of the leftovers which I am eating right now for lunch.

Food Journal

I read the best way to keep track what you eat is by writing it down. I also read that you eat 10% less even if you don't change anything in your diet because of putting it on paper. It seems like a lot of work and hard to be accurate. How can you know exactly how much of something you are eating when you don't measure it? I think I might try it just for a few days and see how it goes.

Does anyone else food journal, or something resembling it?

Having Trouble Getting Motivated...

Is anyone else having trouble getting motivated, or am I alone on this one? I've been doing terrible and it is totally because of a complete lack of trying. It's not like I've been on vacation where it is hard to find time to exercise or eat healthy. I also haven't been sick or incapacitated in any way.

I've just been 100% lazy. I've been eating junk and I've mostly been sitting around. I really want to lose weight, but I don't want to put forth the effort to make it happen. I'm thinking about posting a nasty fat photo of me for the rest of you to gawk at. I'm also considering posting my actual weight weekly so I can't hide behind a percentage. Any other ideas? I thinking that public humilation is the only thing that will motivate me at this point.

Am I the only one whose behavior is shameful?

Week Four Results

% of Weight Lost This Week
TeriAnne: 1.63%
Mindy: 2.04%
Amber: -0.79%
Lisa: -0.68%
Jeni O: -1.08%
Crystal: -1.22%
Anna Marie -1.81%

Total % of Weight Lost
Lisa: 5.16%
Jeni O: 4.73%
Mindy: 4.03%
Anna Marie: 3.70%
TeriAnne: 2.29%
Amber: 1.54%
Crystal: 1.19%

(No weight was reported for Melissa, Jeni E, or Rick- seriously, is it really hard to get a weight from someone that lives with you?)

So, Mindy and TeriAnne were the only ones that lost weight this week. The rest of us were a little pathetic! I gained three pounds. :( Luckily, we still have all lost something!

Let's step it up a little next week!

My virtual model

I know we are all scared to post photos of ourselves so I thought this would be a fun alternative. Here is my after shot. I know I don't look like this quite yet but by the September 13th deadline I will. (hopefully)

Naked

Ok, technically I lost a pound last week but that is because I went from weighing myself in my jammies to weighing in naked. I am not sure if this is considered cheating or just being resourceful. Now I am going to have to weigh in naked every week.

There's my guilty secret. Anyone else like to share about their weigh in experiences?

Week Three Results

Sorry this is late. I'm so lame....

% of Weight Lost This Week
Jeni O: 2.45%
Lisa: 2.34%
Amber: 2.31%
Crystal: 1.20%
Mindy: 0.69%
TeriAnne: 0.67%
Anna Marie: 0.30%
Rick: 0%
Jeni E: 0%
Melissa: No weight reported

% Of Total Weight Lost
Lisa: 5.81%
Jeni O: 5.74%
Anna Marie: 5.41%
Rick: 3.43%
Mindy: 3.02%
Crystal: 2.38%
Amber: 2.31%
TeriAnne: 0.67%
Jeni E: 0%
Melissa: No weight reported

Lisa and Jeni O are both looking super strong, but it's still anybody's game!

Keep up the hard work, ladies!

Anna Marie

Better late than never...

I am late to add to the blog because I have been out of town, but I am totally engaged now and hopefully it will all go down hill from here (I mean the weight!)

My story:

I am 29 years old and apparently the slow weight lose that starts at 30 has started a little early with me. Or it could be my three children, 4 1/2 yrs, 2 1/2 yrs, and 4 months (aka main reason for needing to lose weight.) I am married and live in Washington. And I love Anna Marie for doing this!

My Motivation:

1. I really just want my clothes to fit again! I am tired of wearing the same 3 outfits.

2. I want to feel and look good.

3. I want to recognize myself in pictures again.

My achilles heal:

No question - ice cream. But I also have a problem with eating while I am winding down after the kids are in bed.


I am super excited to be doing this challenge. I just bought an elliptical yesterday and I ate my last cookie (yeah right) tonight! Wish me luck!

It takes more than you think

At least for me...

I was just calculating some of the weight loss numbers. According to Anna Marie's calorie counter, I need to eat only 1000 calories a day... less than I previously thought, but only by 200 cals or so.

And, if I spend 20-30 minutes on my elliptical trainer, it says I burn 200-300 calories (50+ carbs). Even at 20 minutes, I'm dripping sweat. Then I usually do some core work afterwards.

Now, I've been exercising for some time at that level. I've been eating maybe 12-1300 cals daily. I haven't lost weight, actually I've gained a little. But I sit at the computer a lot, typing my book.

So what does that mean? Do I have to exercise at least 500 calories a day and eat a strict 1000? How will I have any energy to carry out my regular mom responsibilities?

But I'm going to try it. Apparently you need to shock your system to get those stubborn pounds off!

Help me understand

I am in mid week frustration! I have been eating really well (except for one small helping of dessert last night) and I have been exercising my butt off. My scale is playing some mean trick on me because it says I have actually gained 1/2 pound.

I weigh in the same time every morning so I know it's not the fluctuation thing. And I also know that 1/2 pound doesn't seem like much but when you are trying so hard it is crushing!

Bryant's birthday is today so I got up to make him a breakfast of eggs, cheesy hashbrowns, and bacon. I then made myself a spinach smoothie. I was so disaplined! Not even one little bite off the tip of the bacon.

Lets see...what's my point here...Is anyone else feeling frustrations? Struggling? Or if you are doing excellent maybe a motivational story?

I Can Make You Thin.

Well, not really, but have any of you watched the show I Can Make You Thin with Paul McKenna?  I watched part of the first episode and checked out his website McKenna.com... Basically it is about portion control and eating how and what you want.  Anyway, I tried his concept (during lunch and dinner) of putting down your fork and knife, chewing the food (I think he says 20 times), then continuing this throughout the meal.  I can honestly say that because I ate slower I was able to tell I was full quicker, and therefore ate less than I normally would have.  I think one of my biggest problems when eating is not being able to stop, which is not good :(   

Now, I'm not saying that I am a total believer in this guy, as this show was on for a few weeks, and I only caught about 3/4 of the first one, but I do see his point in eating slowly to pay more attention to when you are full.   But I do have a question for the rest of you... Is it possible to lose weight and/or be in shape, and not eat perfectly?  I am HORRIBLE at eating well, now I don't eat fries and milkshakes every day, but I definitely don't eat well balanced meals either.  I hate to make excuses, but it is so hard for me to eat "good for you" food, it just takes too much time and effort.  But on the other hand, I want to be fit and trim.  Can you eat what you want and still have a good body???

Week Two Results

Here's how we are looking for this week. These look different from the email because I decided that I didn't like how excel was rounding to the nearest whole percent. This is more accurate...

% Of Weight Lost This Week
Anna Marie: 2.70%
Jeni E: 1.40%
Rick: 0.51%
Mindy: 0.34%
Jeni O: 0%
Crystal: -0.80%
Lisa: -0.67%

Total % of Weight Lost
Anna Marie: 5.13%
Lisa: 3.55%
Rick: 3.43%
Jeni O: 3.38%
Mindy 2.35%
Crystal: 1.19%
Jeni E: 0%

What kind of eater are you?

I took a quiz to find out what kind of eater I am. Not that I need anyone's help telling me what my issues with food are but...I am an excessive eater. Once I start, I have trouble stopping. So I think the best thing for me to do is just not start. I can never eat just one Oreo, cupcake, pastry, potato chip, blah, blah, blah.

I know moderation in all things is good but for me I think abstinence may be best because my genes will NOT let me moderate. I am hoping after lots of practice I get better at it.

http://caloriecount.about.com/

Here is the site in case anyone else wants to see what type of eater they are. Just click on "Determine your diet profile" once you get there. This is a good site for nutritional information, food journaling, and finding burn rates for different exercises. There is even a place you can type in your recipes and it will tell you the amount of calories per serving. I love that feature because sometimes it is hard to know what your homemade enchiladas are setting you back calorie wise.

Oh and if you do use their food journal it will give you a grade for the day on your eating, A-F.

My Motivation

I want to lose weight because I jiggle when I laugh.

Friendly Wager

Now that we have had a chance to size up the competition, it's time to decide on a wager. From the poll results, it looks like the majority are most comfortable with $20, so we will go with that.

If you want to get in on our little side bet, make a comment on this post to confirm your participation. The deadline for getting in on this is Saturday, July 5th, 11:59 pm PST.

The rules for the wager are pretty simple: winner take all!

:) Anna Marie

Privacy...

Hey hey hey...

Jeni O. suggested that I change the settings on the blog so that it isn't searchable online. I meant to do that in the beginning, but forgot. Sorry! I haven't given this blog address to anybody other than the 10 participants, so I would be surprised if we had any other visitors.

If anyone is feeling the need for extra security, I can always change the blog to a private one. But, of course, we will have the hassle of having to log in every time we want to check things out, which isn't my favorite thing to do. I know, I'm lazy.

Feel free to make a post a comment about your opinions on going private with our blog.

Anna Marie

My muffin top

I thought it would be appropriate to post my muffin top. I took this picture of myself in the mirror so there is a small glare but I think you can still make out the fat roll. I also have really cute saddle bags to show off...maybe some other time.

Week One Results!

Sorry this is late! There are a few weights that haven't come in yet , but I decided to go ahead and post results anyway...

Lisa: 4%
Jeni: 3%
Rick: 3%
Anna Marie: 3%
Mindy: 2%
Crystal: 2%
Amber: 0%
Jen E: -1%
Melissa: No weight reported
TeriAnne: No weight reported

Congrats to Lisa for an awesome first week!

WARNING

Last night I was sitting on our couch relaxing when my husband asked, "Is this you?" I looked up to see that he was at the computer looking at our 'Muffin Top' website that I hadn't closed out of. I gasped in horror.... "You think that first picture is of me?" He repeated himself so certainly, "Is this you?" I again said, "Are you saying you think that picture is of me?" He finally said in frustration, "No, it SAYS right here, is this you? I was just reading it out loud." I was still in mortified shock. "Did you or did you not think that was me?" Again he repeated, "NO." Then he quickly shut up realizing that there was nothing he could say now to change our misunderstanding. We got a good laugh about it (after several minutes) and I warned him that I'd HAVE to blog about it to warn the rest of you.
WARNING..... . close out of our blog before you walk away from it just to avoid any confusion with your poor unsuspecting spouse who might read something out load that could offend you.

Week One Results

Hi Ladies (and Rick who doesn't read this anyway),

Email me your weight by the end of the day today. I will post our results (by percentage lost) here tomorrow!

Have a great weekend!

Anna Marie

All my children (I mean all my excuses)

I am Jeni, and I've been holding onto all my 101 excuses as if they were my own children:

1. Baby #3:

For some reason it has taken me longer with each kid to lose the weight. I'm not sure if it's because I'm ...

2. older,

3. busier, or

4. lazier, but those last pounds have become a bit too attached. I also think I have a harder time losing while ...

5. breastfeeding (or at least that's what I've been telling myself). I get really hungry.

My baby just turned one, and I'm in the process of weaning which basically means all my excuses are expiring at the end of the month. Yikes!

I live in Minnesota so the timing for this is doubly perfect because I currently can't use the

6. weather as an excuse or my

7. kids' crazy schedule, since in the summer things are so low-key.

My challenges are: ice cream, social eating, restaurant eating, and chips with salsa (especially because we make the best fresh salsa from our garden (oh yummy, I'm dreaming of it already). I am continuously trying to find a replacement for tortilla chips that would actually work well with salsa, so if anyone has any good suggestions I would love you forever.

I'm a visual person, so seeing pictures or video of me is the biggest motivator because I just do not look the way I'm supposed to right now. Does anyone want to post pics of themselves, or is that just too much?

I suppose I'll spare you the rest of my excuses and just get to work!

My Achilles Heel...

Yes. Shakes. Specifically chocolate with peanut butter cups. Summer or winter, I don't care, except in the summer I don't get cold eating it :)  So here is my other problem, I don't like fruit.  Never have, and I'm pretty sure I never will.  Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it, in fact a chocolate banana shake is pretty good... But I have never been a fruit eater, I will choke it down, and I'll eat a banana here and there, but otherwise I much prefer vegetables over fruit.  When I say this though, it does not mean that I eat a plethora of veggies.  Overall I have a horrible diet, that is something I am hoping to improve on with this challenge, and I am proud to say that I had a salad for lunch today :)  We just won't count the calories in the caesar dressing that I topped it with.  Anyway, I know a few of you mentioned your liking of sweets and chocolate, what food do you consider your "achilles heel"?  

Crystal

Another Green Smoothie Recipe

This is the green smoothie recipe I mentioned. It's very similar to the Breakfast Smoothie Minwimm posted below. When I tried it (the green smoothies were part of our food sampling with an enrichment class we recently did) it had blueberries so it was purple not green. On your first try I recommend adding blueberries to the green smoothie. Once you see how great a smoothie can taste with spinach or other greens it will be easier to move to the green smoothie. Thanks for getting this idea on the blog Minwimm, bottoms up!

Kristen's Green Smoothie Recipe
1 cup of fresh orange juice
1 to 4 oz of baby spinach greens or other greens
1/2 large banana, frozen
1 cup other fresh or frozen fruit--your choice

Add the juice to your blender and then add the greens. Blend until you get all of the greens liquefied. Add the other fruit and blend until smooth. Some people like to add protein powder or tofu. You can add these, but you may need to add some more water or juice. You can use water and frozen OJ concentrate too, but fresh is best! Strawberries and/or cherries will taste delicious but the resulting color will be funny. Adding blueberries will mask the green for the most part and is a good choice for a beginner who finds the bright green color a little too strange. :-) I also like to use peaches, pineapple, and mango. Citrus (as in the juice) helps to cover the taste of the spinach.

Breakfast

I have a neighbor across the street that is on a raw foods kick, she is constantly telling me about her latest and greatest recipes and how cooking is a way of the past. Like I could ever give up cooking, processed foods and dairy products!

Anyway, here is a breakfast smoothie recipe that she gave me. I tried it for breakfast this morning and was pleasantly surprised. It taste great and is filling too.

1 cup frozen blueberries
1 ripe banana (if it has a little brown it will be sweeter)
1 0r 2 handfuls of fresh spinach (I used two)
1/2-1 cup water (depends on what you want the consistency to be like)

Blend well

More than you wanted to know about Amber

Hi Ladies,
Thank you Anna Marie for condescending to accept me into your group!

Here are my "issues"...

I was happily going along four years ago, fit and at my ideal weight after having a daughter and a son. My family, my life was complete! WHAM.... we found out we were expecting baby three, and while I believe children are a blessing and all that :) it was a stressful for me. We were building a 700 square foot home... yes, you read that right, not a lot of extra room. I had a car that could only fit two in the back seat. My life was designed around the four current members of the family.

So, long story short, I was more stressed than usual during that pregnancy and ate more than my share of cold stone creamery, which led do my first bout with belly fat. That has been very difficult to get rid of. I'm also one of those who does not lose while nursing.

Fast forward to now, my bonus baby is three, and as wonderful as heaven and earth, and we are so happy he's here. But one other thing he derailed was me writing a book I had planned. Now, I'm writing feverishly to get the book done, and as I've been sitting more and more often, my weight is creeping up. My least favorite place the fat has settled (other than belly) is arms. I've never had slender arms, but now they are tree trunks (that can flap in the breeze when I wave.)

Oh, my other quick stats: Married 11 years, daugheter 8 and sons 6 and 3. Husband changing jobs this summer so stress is still a dear friend in our home. I have to learn to lose weight even when under stress! Time to work a little harder at this. I'm 31, and like many of you I've found that weight no longer melts off like it did in my twenties. Why, oh why is that? :)

Looking forward to this, ladies!!
Amber

New Contestant...

We have one more person in our midst- Amber! I've known Amber since we were about 5 years old. My brother married her sister, so we are almost related.

Thanks for joining us, Amber!

Anna Marie

Weigh In?!

Alright, alright with some peer pressure I've jumped on the band wagon and confessed my weight to our fearless leader. I'll admit I was hesitant about joining because I'm super competitive and not able to exercise how I'd like to. Don't let that fool you. I'll still be giving you a run for your money as I carefully watch and track everything that goes into my mouth.
Here is my story. Feel free to skip below to my motivations if you want.

My issues: In 2001 while at a stop light I was rear ended when some idiot pushed the gas instead of the break. I suffered bad whiplash especially b/c at the time of the accident I was looking to the left so my neck got jarred all over the place. I went to PT for 9 months and recovered but relapsed slightly during my pregnancy 2004/2005. When our beautiful daughter was born in 2005 my tailbone broke during the labor. I've recovered significantly but never 100%. Unfortunately neck/upper back pain and low back pain have caused chaos with my spine and now my mid back is having issues from the way my body overcompensates for the problems. I swallowed my pride in Dec 07 realizing that I couldn't fix it alone and started seeing a physical therapist again. I've gone twice a week since and I'm seeing improvement but it's slow going when you have as many problems as I do. I'm limited on what exercises I can do but it's also crucial for me to slowly start exercising again so I can re-build the muscle stability that my neck and spine need and hopefully one day put an end to the frequent migraines and back/neck pain. It's a fragile balance so I don't re-injure myself. I'm not very patient and it's hard for me to go slow at this when I know I've been capable of more physical effort in the past. I was a pilates junkie before my pregnancy and exercised often so it's been hard to see my weight slowly increase even after getting back to pre-baby weight. Oddly enough ever since I started physical therapy my weight has slowly increased. Last November my weight wasn't an issue.

As if the above reasons aren't enough here are my other motivations:

1 - I've always wanted to be the cool mom that can hike, run, bike and do everything to have fun with the kids while keeping up with them. I'm frustrated that I'm often tired all day long and the other day I couldn't even push my daughter in the swing because of back pain. It was humbling and frustrating!
2 - Sugar! To say I have a sweet tooth doesn't quite do the problem justice. I love anything sweet and unfortunately I got a triple dose of chocolate in my jeans as neither of my sisters like it... there is no doubt I got their share. (It worked out well for me as a kid during Halloween though.) So when my sweet tooth is out of control I try to bring it down to earth with one word - cancer. I'm at high risk for colon cancer and moderate risk for breast cancer. The experts say that cancer loves to feed off of sugar and helps it grow faster so cutting back could be life saving for me!
3 - Also with the above - I want to live a long healthy life and my 30's are already not as forgiving as my 20's. I need to get better habits going now that will last a lifetime.

4 - I'm dying to shop the smaller sizes when I go clothes shopping. It seems like the smaller sizes have a bigger selection at the sales rack so this could really benefit our budget once I need to buy skinnier clothes because nothing fits!
5 - When and if I ever get pregnant again I want another healthy pregnancy!

6 - Exercise reduces stress and I've missed that stress reliever!

7 - I want to set a good example for my daughter. Already with the little P.T. exercises I do she always wants to join me and when some friends came over today she asked if they wanted to do exercises! I need to continue this example and show her that her mom is capable of much more the the wimpy things I do now.
8 - I want to enjoy eating vegetables. During this time I'm going to focus on new recipes and I'm determined to make food delicious so that I'll want to devour things like broccoli, chard and brussel sprouts! I'm hoping this will rub off on my daughter as well.
9 - ME - I know accomplishing weight loss while getting in to the habit of exercising regularly will be the start of confidence I'll need to go after other goals.
10 - I want to make my dh proud!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

Jen's Motivations

Hello Ladies! I am Jen - Lisita's sister. I currently live in Provo, UT but hopefully that will change as soon as my husband finds a job. (He has a phone interview for a job in Mill Creek, WA tomorrow so please keep your fingers crossed). Anyway, I had a baby mid May and am packing around a lovely midsection. I jogged throughout my whole pregnancy which helped me to keep my weight down. Now that it's been six weeks I'm pretty close to my pre pregnancy weight but I definitely don't have my pre pregnancy body!!! So my goal is to find that pre pregnancy body that I lost sometime last year. :)

My motivations are:
1- To be healthy: I want to feel good, have lots of energy, and try avoid any major illnesses down the road (or now).
2- To look good in a swimsuit: If I look good in a swimsuit I'll look good in anything else.
3- To feel good: Even if I haven't reached my goal yet, my body feels so good when I'm exercising regularly.
4- To work on controlling my sweet tooth: I am such a sucker for sweets! I'm not much of a chocolate person (thank goodness) but I definitely make up for that in other areas!!! (Just ask my sister!)
5- Of course I must add that I want to look hot for my husband. He deserves a hot wife!

So I'm looking forward to having to answer to someone else besides myself and getting to know all of you.

P.S. If hating me somehow gives you more motivation then go for it. :)

Good luck everyone!

Hula Hoop

I don't know if any of you have the Wii fitness or not but our family LOVES it. They have an exercise that is called Super Hula Hoop. My first thought was "how fun," after 6 minutes my legs and butt were burning and I thought "what torture."

My husband and son Jaren are doing the running exercise in Wii right now and making laps around our kitchen and living room area. Its pretty funny. Wii is a great way for me to see what progress I will be making because it does your weight, BMI, and overall improvement with each of the exercises.

Just a Couple of Cool Things...

I love this little online calculator. You enter your weight, height, and amount of physical activity you do per week. It then calculates how many calories you need to consume a day to maintain your current weight, or to lose weight, or to really lose weight.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#

For those that are more interested in tracking points using the Weight Watchers method, here is a points calculator...

http://www.webmilhouse.com/pointcalc.php

Have you ever wondered how many calories you burn just by doing everyday things? Dishes? Brushing your teeth? Sex? This little tool calculates how many calories you can burn doing all sorts of things...

http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

Hope this helps somebody!

Anna Marie

Roll Call!

Hello Ladies (and one token male)...

Here is the final list of ever body that has joined the competition...

~Anna Marie (me!)
~Rick (my hubby and the lonely male of the competition)
~Lisa (I've known her since we met at Redmond ward approx 5 years ago)
~Jen (Lisa's sister- she just had a baby and is almost already down to her pre-preg weight! Feel free to hate her.)
~TeriAnne (We also met in Redmond)
~Mindy (Also from my Redmond days)
~Crystal (Friend of Mindy's and the featherweight of the competition. You can hate her too.)
~Jeni (My cute roommate from BYU. She introduced Rick and I, so I will love her forever!)
~Melissa (We met at church during our brief stint in Bothell. She's also friends with Lisa)

Ok, I'm just kidding about the hating thing. We shouldn't hate anybody in the group. You can just dislike them a tiny bit.

Here are some random stats about our little group just for fun...

• Our members cover 4 states. (Washington, Utah, Minnesota, and Oregon)
• Our combined weight is 1382.8 pounds. Can we all fit in an elevator together?
• 4 of you weight within 5 pounds of each other
• Redmond appears to be a great breeding ground for friendships :)

Feel free to post more about yourselves so that we can get to know each other better. We've got a great group of people here and I think this is going to better than any Weight Watchers meeting. (Hey, and it's free!)

Anybody else who wants to join us is always welcome. They will be a little behind us in weight loss, but that will just make us look better, right?

Good luck this week!

Anna Marie

Still trying to lose the baby weight!

I am excited to join you guys! I don't know if everyone knows me so here is a short bio. I am 31, have been married for 10 years, we have three kids and are moving to Oregon on the 30th! My husband is a foot and ankle surgeon so we have been in this area for his residency. He got a great job so we are going where the money is!
Last September I started trying to lose weight after hitting my all time high of 160. I never even weighed that much pregnant! With all three kids I gained more nursing than pregnant but with the first two I had lost the weight by their second birthdays. This time around it has been much harder. In the last 9 months or so I have succeeded in losing about 25 lbs and I am quite proud of myself but I still have 15-20 lbs to go until I am back to being the person I know I can be! From January-April I did really good exercising a lot and noticed great changes both in my body and spirit but then hubby left for a month and now I am in pack-up-and-move mode so the only exercising I am getting is taping and transporting boxes! I can't wait to get started again and am excited to have people to answer to! So here's to a healthier all of us! (and sexier too!!)

Melissa

I'm so excited!!

Here are a few of the reasons I am participating in this challenge:

1. For myself: Hopefully this will get my butt in gear to start working out!
   
2. For myself: I want a better body... who doesn't?! I can honestly say that my weight it fine (please don't be mad at me for saying this) but how the weight is dispersed is annoying to me. I feel like I weigh more than I do because of it...
3. For myself: Just to be more healthy. High blood pressure and cholesterol run in my family and I really need to be more serious about excercising to stay healthy. Plus I am getting older...
   
4. For my husband: He needs a hot wife :)
5. Ummm yeah... All the reasons are pretty selfish, I just want to look good!! Also, like Mindy said, I wouldn't mind trying to prove I am strong enough to do this...

Good luck to all of us!! I am so excited to be a part of this... and as soon as I start slacking I expect all of you to send me rude messages to get me back on track :)


Crystal

My Motivation

I was actually going to suggest that everybody do a post about why they want to lose weight. Mindy beat me to this and already posted hers Great minds think alike!

My plan is to come back everyday and read this post and remind myself about why I'm doing this. In a moment of weakness, it might be helpful to refocus on my goals.

So here is why I want to lose weight...

1. I just hate feeling like I'm fat. I'm vain and I want a hot body!
2. I feel very self-conscious about my body around other people. Sometimes I even wear two bras to try and make my boobs look smaller.
3. I don't recognize myself in pictures anymore. I HATE having my photo taken- I used to love it.
4. I want to enjoy shopping for clothes again.
5. Fat rolls just get in the way sometimes.
6. I hate feeling out of shape. Sometimes Gwen and I like to put on music and dance at home. After 10 minutes I'm tired, winded, bright red, and sweating like a pig. I would love to be able to keep up with my daughter!
7. Even if weight wasn't an issue, it can't be denied that exercise and healthy eating are crucial to your health. I want to live a long, healthy life!
8. I'm not very confident in my ability to change bad habits. I sometimes give up too easily. I want to prove to myself that I can do it.
9. I hoping that by losing weight, I can decrease my bra size a little. Having a large chest is SO uncomfortable.
10. One of my biggest motivations for losing weight now is to improve my fertility. We received a discouraging diagnosis at the doctor's office the other day. The doctor said that if I lost 10-15 pounds, it might help regulate me a little bit. He was being kind- I really need to lose more like 20-25 pounds.

Feel free to post your reasons for wanting to lose weight!

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

Day 1

My reasons behind wanting the perfect body, I'm sad to say, are very selfish. As much as I love my kids and my husband and want to be able to be active with them, I want it for ME much more.

Here are my top five reasons for taking on my health:
1. Look great in tanks and shorts
1. Look great in workout clothes
2. Look great in a bikini
4. Look great naked
5. Prove to myself that I am strong enough to make it happen

Since we didn't have to have our weight in until 11:59 pm I debated eating and overloading today, then I got in my swimsuit because we are taking the boys to the pool. I decided NOW is the time, no more procrastinating. I might not be able to fit in this swimsuit tomorrow if I pigout one last time.

Can't wait to hear from everyone else!

Welcome!

Welcome to my Biggest Losers Challenge! Remember to eat all you can for the next couple days so that you are nice and plump by Saturday. Make sure to email me your weight by 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time!

I chose these juicy cherries as my background to inspire healthy eating. There was a background that had Twinkies in it, but I thought it might be slightly inappropriate for our purposes!

I will give everybody rights as an author so that you can post on here. Feel free to share tips, recipes, or discuss your good and bad days. This blog is here so we can support each other (or do a little trash talk if the competition gets heated!)

Enjoy your last few days of eating whatever you want, because I new and healthier you is around the corner!

Thanks for participating!