Between the BLs (Biggest Loser) Summer Challenge 2010 Part 1

[Greenfield1984]

Rose... I feel your pain. My oldest son will be 22 next week (or the week after, who really cares at this point)... he lives in Chicago... a big scary city (in my eyes anyway)...

Have ever read the book Love You Forever? In the book, the mom takes care of her little baby... every night after the baby falls asleep, the mom crawls into the baby's room and hugs him and sings... "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." She continues to do this as the baby grows up and even after he becomes an adult... then, when she is an old lady the son drives to his moms house and while she sleeps he holds her in his arms and sings... "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my Mommy you'll be."

Even though our sons are all grown up, we will always be their mommies and they will always need us, even if they don't know it. It's okay to feel the way you feel... I feel it ever single day.

That is my favorite book to read to DD. I read it to her every single night until she was about 2, and now she picks the book we read. It's still in rotation though, and I'll probably still try and read it to her when she's 12 Sometimes when I'm just being an emotional mommy I even tear up when I read it...DH just shakes his head.

I'm feeling kind of disappointed right now, but I know I can't say anything about it. I know it's going to sound a little silly.

So two nights ago, for the first time in 16 years of marriage, my husband and I told each other our weights. Now, he has fudged his in the past, but I have just never admitted to mine. I kind of wanted us to be accountable to each other and hopefully get a good start on this weight loss. Yesterday we were both on board with dieting and changing our habits. Today, he took a work at home day and first thing he did when I got up this morning was cooked a slab of thick-sliced bacon for breakfast.

I kind of feel like home is the place where I can really succeed at this. I can control what I'm cooking and what I'm putting in my mouth. As soon as I'm faced with someone else handing me food, I don't even hesitate to eat it! I have to admit, I'm really mad at myself and just a little bit disappointed with him. It's like our talk two nights ago didn't even happen. I'm not going to police what he eats, but it would be nice if he wouldn't encourage me to cheat, know what I mean?

Anyway, sorry for whining. I know I can rescue the rest of the day, but it's discouraging to start out this way.

I'm sorry you're having a rough time with DH and eating. I know it's hard to say no to people (I'm a total people pleaser), but he should be understanding when you say no because he knows what your goals are. It is disappointing but maybe he just needs time to adjust to new, healthy habits (or maybe he's warped like my DH and believes that bacon is healthy!) Good on you for coming here to post about it. Don't get discouraged and don't let the rest of your day be a wash just because it didn't start perfectly. You can do it

 

[keenercam]

ACCCKKKK!!! DSalmost17 is baking cookies. Okay, I'm saying it here and now. I will NOT eat a cookie. Not even one. I don't want it. I don't need it. And just because it is a sugar cookie (my favorite) with pretty colored M&Ms (ya gotta love the little guys!) does NOT mean I need to eat one. I am staying in the study (working from home today) where I can hopefully avoid having cravings set off by the smell of them cooking.

I feel like Maria last week with the pizza. I WILL not eat a cookie. No, make that "I will NOT eat a cookie." There.... that's better.

 

[pjlla]

I'm feeling kind of disappointed right now, but I know I can't say anything about it. I know it's going to sound a little silly.

So two nights ago, for the first time in 16 years of marriage, my husband and I told each other our weights. Now, he has fudged his in the past, but I have just never admitted to mine. I kind of wanted us to be accountable to each other and hopefully get a good start on this weight loss. Yesterday we were both on board with dieting and changing our habits. Today, he took a work at home day and first thing he did when I got up this morning was cooked a slab of thick-sliced bacon for breakfast.

I kind of feel like home is the place where I can really succeed at this. I can control what I'm cooking and what I'm putting in my mouth. As soon as I'm faced with someone else handing me food, I don't even hesitate to eat it! I have to admit, I'm really mad at myself and just a little bit disappointed with him. It's like our talk two nights ago didn't even happen. I'm not going to police what he eats, but it would be nice if he wouldn't encourage me to cheat, know what I mean?

Anyway, sorry for whining. I know I can rescue the rest of the day, but it's discouraging to start out this way.

You can only control YOU.... try as we might, we can't control our spouses (or our children sometimes!). But you can TAKE CONTROL of the situation and LEAD BY EXAMPLE! Next time he decides he wants a slab of bacon for breakfast, just say "no thanks... I'm really looking forward to my oatmeal." And try to mean it! Sit there with him, let him eat his bacon, and and enjoy every bite of your yummy, creamy, HEALTHY oatmeal. Yup.... you can even enjoy feeling a big SMUG about it. But the next weigh-in, when you are down and he is up... your point will be made.

But imagine being the spouse who is trying to enjoy the oatmeal but has to COOK the bacon for the other spouse! That is my situation. I have been doing my DARNDEST for 30 months now to continue to live a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, and get fit. And my DH has done very little to encourage this in a positive way. He still eats just as poorly as ever... he and the kids still expect me to be the chief meal-provider... even when they want pizza and chips and ice cream and brownies, etc, etc, etc! No one EVER says... "nope, we can live without pizza tonight because it wouldn't be fair to Mom."

I put my foot down a few weeks ago about how unfair it is for the three of them to sit on their behinds and wait for me to scoop their ice cream when they know FULL WELL that I am not even going to be EATING the ice cream! Don't they know how HARD it is to resist the ice cream when I am standing there with a spoon in my hand??

Anyhow.... to you. I hope things improve, but even if your DH doesn't change his ways, you can always try to LEAD BY EXAMPLE!............P

 

[pjlla]

ACCCKKKK!!! DSalmost17 is baking cookies. Okay, I'm saying it here and now. I will NOT eat a cookie. Not even one. I don't want it. I don't need it. And just because it is a sugar cookie (my favorite) with pretty colored M&Ms (ya gotta love the little guys!) does NOT mean I need to eat one. I am staying in the study (working from home today) where I can hopefully avoid having cravings set off by the smell of them cooking.

I feel like Maria last week with the pizza. I WILL not eat a cookie. No, make that "I will NOT eat a cookie." There.... that's better.

You made a plan, you made it public, and now it will stick!!..........P

 

[lisah0711]

How does one join?

missymj! Looks like everyone already gave you the basics so you are all set!

mikamah, .

OMG! I just realized I was no.1 this week!!!!! Sweet!!! I really did bust my butt last week, I am doing this one month jillian michael dvd rotation that seems to be working...What I also did was follow pretty much follow to the letter the first week of Jillian Michaels Master your Metabolism Cookbook. Guess eating organic works!

Congrats to everybody for all their hardwork!

Congrats to you! Don't forget to snag your cool clippie and wear it proudly!

Have ever read the book Love You Forever? In the book, the mom takes care of her little baby... every night after the baby falls asleep, the mom crawls into the baby's room and hugs him and sings... "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." She continues to do this as the baby grows up and even after he becomes an adult... then, when she is an old lady the son drives to his moms house and while she sleeps he holds her in his arms and sings... "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my Mommy you'll be."

Even though our sons are all grown up, we will always be their mommies and they will always need us, even if they don't know it. It's okay to feel the way you feel... I feel it ever single day.

Thanks for sharing this even though it makes me sad since my baby is graduating from elementary school and just lost his last baby tooth this week.

I'm feeling kind of disappointed right now, but I know I can't say anything about it. I know it's going to sound a little silly.

So two nights ago, for the first time in 16 years of marriage, my husband and I told each other our weights. Now, he has fudged his in the past, but I have just never admitted to mine. I kind of wanted us to be accountable to each other and hopefully get a good start on this weight loss. Yesterday we were both on board with dieting and changing our habits. Today, he took a work at home day and first thing he did when I got up this morning was cooked a slab of thick-sliced bacon for breakfast.

I kind of feel like home is the place where I can really succeed at this. I can control what I'm cooking and what I'm putting in my mouth. As soon as I'm faced with someone else handing me food, I don't even hesitate to eat it! I have to admit, I'm really mad at myself and just a little bit disappointed with him. It's like our talk two nights ago didn't even happen. I'm not going to police what he eats, but it would be nice if he wouldn't encourage me to cheat, know what I mean?

Anyway, sorry for whining. I know I can rescue the rest of the day, but it's discouraging to start out this way.

, MushyMushy. Unfortunately we are the only ones who can make this dream happen for ourselves. And your DH has to do it on his own, too. I don't think your DH is deliberately trying to sabotage you, probably more that he is just not thinking.

I'm sorry you're having a rough time with DH and eating. I know it's hard to say no to people (I'm a total people pleaser), but he should be understanding when you say no because he knows what your goals are. It is disappointing but maybe he just needs time to adjust to new, healthy habits (or maybe he's warped like my DH and believes that bacon is healthy!) Good on you for coming here to post about it. Don't get discouraged and don't let the rest of your day be a wash just because it didn't start perfectly. You can do it

This is great advice!

 

[Connie96]

I was all ready to go out to lunch with a friend. Knew where we were going. Knew what I was going to order. All set. But the rain just started pouring down and wasn't gonna let up. Total bummer. Ended up with a Lean Cuisine and a yogurt from our little snack-ateria. (Yeah, mostly we just call it "downstairs". It's not a cafeteria and it's not a food court, but you can grab a pop-tart, pre-made sandwich or something. I guess it's more like a convenience store than anything else.) I mean, I'm glad that I did end up with a reasonable lunch and I'm grateful that options like that are available here in our building. I'm also glad that I'm dry but, ugh! Definitely NOT what I wanted for lunch.

 

[Greenfield1984]

But imagine being the spouse who is trying to enjoy the oatmeal but has to COOK the bacon for the other spouse! That is my situation. I have been doing my DARNDEST for 30 months now to continue to live a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, and get fit. And my DH has done very little to encourage this in a positive way. He still eats just as poorly as ever... he and the kids still expect me to be the chief meal-provider... even when they want pizza and chips and ice cream and brownies, etc, etc, etc! No one EVER says... "nope, we can live without pizza tonight because it wouldn't be fair to Mom."

I put my foot down a few weeks ago about how unfair it is for the three of them to sit on their behinds and wait for me to scoop their ice cream when they know FULL WELL that I am not even going to be EATING the ice cream! Don't they know how HARD it is to resist the ice cream when I am standing there with a spoon in my hand??

Eek! You're a much better wife than I! If I'm cooking then I'm making whatever healthy foods I want. DH and DD can tell me what they want of course, but it has to be healthy. You also have much better willpower than I do, because if I had to cook unhealthy food/scoop out ice cream every night I would not be able to resist. So congrats on sticking to your healthy eating regardless of your environment.

 

[Dahly]

Have ever read the book Love You Forever? In the book, the mom takes care of her little baby... every night after the baby falls asleep, the mom crawls into the baby's room and hugs him and sings... "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." She continues to do this as the baby grows up and even after he becomes an adult... then, when she is an old lady the son drives to his moms house and while she sleeps he holds her in his arms and sings... "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my Mommy you'll be."

Even though our sons are all grown up, we will always be their mommies and they will always need us, even if they don't know it. It's okay to feel the way you feel... I feel it ever single day.

Love, Love, Love that book..have two copies..one for each DS. Oldest is 20, away at school in another state, so I can relate. Just reading those words made me tear up, but at the same time, remember how proud I am that I raised a son that felt secure enough to move away and be a "big" boy! thanks for the memories of reading that with my kids!

Dahly

 

[pjlla]

Eek! You're a much better wife than I! If I'm cooking then I'm making whatever healthy foods I want. DH and DD can tell me what they want of course, but it has to be healthy. You also have much better willpower than I do, because if I had to cook unhealthy food/scoop out ice cream every night I would not be able to resist. So congrats on sticking to your healthy eating regardless of your environment.

Well... don't paint me as any saint! I do cook my healthy meals for the family 99% of the time. But when they crave bacon on a Sunday morning, guess who is expected to make it?? ...............P

 

[Dahly]

Forgot to answer this in my previous post:

Tuesday's QOTD: What eating/nutrition plan are you following to help you with your lifestyle and weight loss goals?

After hearing you guys talk about sparkpeople in the week leading up to the challenge, I checked it out. I really like the site, and have been diligently tracking my food, water and exercise. My goals are the 1200-1400 hundred calorie range, but I think I actually need to stay closer to the higher end, with the amount of exercise I am doing (was at 40 minutes daily last week, increased to 60 minutes daily this week). The scale isn't budging, and as hard as it is for me to fathom, I don't think I am eating enough. I have read a few articles in the past week that tell me I am not consuming enough calories, but I am having a REALLY hard time wrapping my head around that thought. Does this sound right to you guys? Do I really need to eat MORE to LOSE???

Thanks for any suggestions!

Dahly

 

[Rose&Mike]

Rose... I feel your pain. My oldest son will be 22 next week (or the week after, who really cares at this point)... he lives in Chicago... a big scary city (in my eyes anyway)...

Have ever read the book Love You Forever? In the book, the mom takes care of her little baby... every night after the baby falls asleep, the mom crawls into the baby's room and hugs him and sings... "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." She continues to do this as the baby grows up and even after he becomes an adult... then, when she is an old lady the son drives to his moms house and while she sleeps he holds her in his arms and sings... "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my Mommy you'll be."

Even though our sons are all grown up, we will always be their mommies and they will always need us, even if they don't know it. It's okay to feel the way you feel... I feel it ever single day.

Thanks. That is exactly how I feel. (I am crying now by the way.) He called me and is still not sure what he is going to do, but seems to be doing well. I just need to learn I don't have to fix things, just listen.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Forgot to answer this in my previous post:

Tuesday's QOTD: What eating/nutrition plan are you following to help you with your lifestyle and weight loss goals?

After hearing you guys talk about sparkpeople in the week leading up to the challenge, I checked it out. I really like the site, and have been diligently tracking my food, water and exercise. My goals are the 1200-1400 hundred calorie range, but I think I actually need to stay closer to the higher end, with the amount of exercise I am doing (was at 40 minutes daily last week, increased to 60 minutes daily this week). The scale isn't budging, and as hard as it is for me to fathom, I don't think I am eating enough. I have read a few articles in the past week that tell me I am not consuming enough calories, but I am having a REALLY hard time wrapping my head around that thought. Does this sound right to you guys? Do I really need to eat MORE to LOSE???

Thanks for any suggestions!

Dahly

Go to spark people and put in your daily exercise goals and see how many calories it says you need. When I went up to 60m 5 days a week it increased my calorie range. We talked about this a lot last time, and I think a lot of people will agree that if you are exercising a lot you need to make sure you getting enough food. I know I'm not eating enough this week and between that and pms my weight has stalled. Also, make sure you are getting enough water with all that exercise. I don't track everyday, but I will track when things seem to have stalled, and there have been a couple of times when I wasn't eating enough, or was low on protein, carbs, etc. Hang in there.


Pamela I can understand cooking the bacon--I cook meat for ds when he is home and Dh and I don't eat meat (me at all, dh eats when we go out) but I would draw the line at scooping the ice cream, especially if I wasn't having any. Maybe you should go out and get a really fancy ice cream scoop and wrap it up in ribbons and present it to them and tell them I got this special so you all can scoop your own ice cream. I have retired my scoop!

 

[Connie96]

If you have iPhone or iTouch, check the App Store for "Restaurant Nutrition". It's a free app that has nutrition info for multiple restaurants and fast food joints. It may not be new, but I just found it a little while ago, so I wanted to share.

 

[JOANNEL]

Thanks. That is exactly how I feel. (I am crying now by the way.) He called me and is still not sure what he is going to do, but seems to be doing well. I just need to learn I don't have to fix things, just listen.

I so feel your pain, my babies 21 & 24 are grown and gone right now. I am missing them and feeling sorry for myself!! I am just glad I am not grazing my way throught he kitchen!! You guys are keeping me from it, so thank you!!

 

[N&B'smom]

I'm going out to eat tomorrow night....the night before we weigh in! And my weight was up a half pound already. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! I do think I'm retaining but still!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

returning my McDonald's Shrek glasses.

My dh was telling me last week that a full set of these are going for 100$ on ebay!

I am SO bummed right now, I've been eating right and all but just weighed myself and the scale was UP!! Not a full pound but about 1/2 lb. This is so frustrating!!!!

I do the same thing and it can be frustrating. I have learned to not dwell on it. If its not a good # let it motivate you to work even harder, if it is a good # let it keep you motivated to make it even better!

Have ever read the book Love You Forever? In the book, the mom takes care of her little baby... every night after the baby falls asleep, the mom crawls into the baby's room and hugs him and sings... "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." She continues to do this as the baby grows up and even after he becomes an adult... then, when she is an old lady the son drives to his moms house and while she sleeps he holds her in his arms and sings... "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my Mommy you'll be."

Even though our sons are all grown up, we will always be their mommies and they will always need us, even if they don't know it. It's okay to feel the way you feel... I feel it ever single day.

I recently just heard about this book from a friend and was almost sobbing when she let me read her book. I have two boys ages 5 and 3. I was all teared up again reading your post. I need to get 2 copies of this book for my boys. Thanks for sharing.

QOTD-WED- I am doing WW on my own. I had done meetings that were provided through work. I work in a large hospital network and they offer these every quarter. We do get reimbursed the cost up to 700$ per year which is nice. I have had a very hard time getting to the meetings over the past few years now that we have 2 kids. You guys are like my meetings and luvbaloo is like my leader weighing me in! So thanks to you all I have been able to stay pretty on track this time around. It has always worked in the past. This time I just need to figure how to maintain wants I hit my goal. This is one thing I havent done well in the past.

I realized today why I have felt so miserable and grumpy the past few days as well as bloated and hungry.....TOM is here at only the 23rd day... Ever since I had Mirena an IUD put in a few years ago I seem to get it more frequently even though after a year most women do not get it at all. Its really annoying and frustrating. Sorry if this is TMI but since taryn was talking about having gas I figure anything is game. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[brinalyn530]

Ummm.. lettuce GROWS in dirt (or soil, if you prefer), so it being dirty is perfectly natural... especially if it was picked right after a rainstorm. Soak it in the sink in cold water. Give it one good swish and then don't agitate it again... let the dirt sink to the bottom and then just skim the clean lettuce (or spinach) from the top of the water. All set.

I was going for sarcastic there, really . I eat lettuce all the time and I have a system in place to make sure it's clean the way I like it to be clean. The point I was trying to make with that sentence is that I have irrational, dysfunctional thinking and if I concentrate on that type of thinking long enough even something natural and healthy that I eat almost everyday can warp into something that I'm "afraid" of.

OMG! I just realized I was no.1 this week!!!!! Sweet!!! I really did bust my butt last week, I am doing this one month jillian michael dvd rotation that seems to be working...What I also did was follow pretty much follow to the letter the first week of Jillian Michaels Master your Metabolism Cookbook. Guess eating organic works!

Congrats to everybody for all their hardwork!

Congrats to you and all the rest of the losers and maintainers this week! As for us gainers, we're here and making an effort, it will show up on the scale soon enough.

Have ever read the book Love You Forever? In the book, the mom takes care of her little baby... every night after the baby falls asleep, the mom crawls into the baby's room and hugs him and sings... "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." She continues to do this as the baby grows up and even after he becomes an adult... then, when she is an old lady the son drives to his moms house and while she sleeps he holds her in his arms and sings... "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always as long as I'm living my Mommy you'll be."

Gosh, that book makes me cry every time I even look at the cover. I teared up just reading your post... I dare not even think about the day my son goes off to college (or whatever he chooses to do when he's old enough to do so), I'll either be jumping for joy that I am finally free, or holding on to his legs, crying, while he's trying to get away! It's a good thing I still have 8 or 9 more years before that day comes...

Tuesday's QOTD: What eating/nutrition plan are you following to help you with your lifestyle and weight loss goals?

I tried SparkPeople but it was just too time consuming for me, a lot of the things I eat weren't on the list so I ended up having to make a custom item for pretty much everything except fruits and veggies. I didn't have the time or inclination to enter all of the nutritional info into each custom food so I was really just tracking total calories at the end of the day. But I did take their recommended calorie range based on my stats and exercise, so that plus the calculations from Jillian Michaels' books gave me a target range, daily and weekly. I try to stay between 1400 and 1700 calories for the day, vary the total calories within that range each day, and have one day that is a little over the 1700 (a "splurge" if you will) so that my body doesn't get used to eating exactly the same amount of food each day. Of course, that is my goal - it hasn't been working out that way since I haven't been using my food journal for a while until this week. As far as my actual journal goes, I have a little spiral notebook with Donald Duck on it that I use to track my food and water, although I am looking for something a smidge bigger so I can also track our COWs and my workouts easily and keep notes about emotional challenges that day that may explain why I made those choices. For now my Donald book is working out OK, and I'm definitely a lot more conscious of what I'm putting into my mouth when that little book is sitting right next to me! However, personally, I know that writing everything I eat into a food journal isn't something I want to do every day for the rest of my life. I'm really hoping that I am able to use my journal as a tool for learning portion control, controlling emotional/bored eating, and proving that I feel better and I am better when I eat well and workout. Once I get to goal, I hope to be able to use what I learned from keeping the journal to make good choices without having to continue to keep the journal. I''m a long way from that, though, so we'll see how it goes.

I've got a few things that NEED to be done today here at work, so I'm off for the day (most likely). Have a wonderful rest of Wednesday everyone!

Bree

 

[brinalyn530]

You got it girl!!!

Don't know what made me laugh more (with you, not at you, I promise) your post or your reason for editing!

I have to admit I'm pretty proud of myself. It only took me two years to figure it out .

And thanks for getting me on that post. My humor apparently doesn't translate well on the boards... Sorry to anyone that misunderstood, I was poking fun at myself and my absurdities.

Now I really have to get some work done...

Bree

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Tuesday's QOTD: What eating/nutrition plan are you following to help you with your lifestyle and weight loss goals?

Theoretically, I do WW Online. I'll be honest and say that I don't really use it as I should, but when I do it works!

I'm going to be the dissenter here. We received Love You Forever when my son was small, and dh and I both find it depressing and sad. It just creeps us out. The mom crawling back in the room, the son breaking into his mom's house -- it just seems a bit much to us. We got rid of it and haven't looked back. I guess we're not very sentimental. I'm glad you guys like it so much and it gives you comfort. And I agree, it is going to be an adjustment one day when my little chick leaves the nest -- and I'm sending a for all the moms and dads who have been through or are at that stage.

I either have allergies or a cold coming on, it's hard to tell in the air conditioning at my office. I'm looking forward to getting home. We're having grilled salmon and salad for dinner, one of my favorite meals.

Maria

 

[my3princes]

I'm feeling kind of disappointed right now, but I know I can't say anything about it. I know it's going to sound a little silly.

So two nights ago, for the first time in 16 years of marriage, my husband and I told each other our weights. Now, he has fudged his in the past, but I have just never admitted to mine. I kind of wanted us to be accountable to each other and hopefully get a good start on this weight loss. Yesterday we were both on board with dieting and changing our habits. Today, he took a work at home day and first thing he did when I got up this morning was cooked a slab of thick-sliced bacon for breakfast.

I kind of feel like home is the place where I can really succeed at this. I can control what I'm cooking and what I'm putting in my mouth. As soon as I'm faced with someone else handing me food, I don't even hesitate to eat it! I have to admit, I'm really mad at myself and just a little bit disappointed with him. It's like our talk two nights ago didn't even happen. I'm not going to police what he eats, but it would be nice if he wouldn't encourage me to cheat, know what I mean?

Anyway, sorry for whining. I know I can rescue the rest of the day, but it's discouraging to start out this way.

The solution in my house is not to buy things that I can't eat. My DH would starve before he'd go shopping so if I don't buy it, I can't be tempted with it.



QOTD: I use WW points system, but I do it on my own. I'm too cheap to pay for the meetings when I already have the materials. That money can be better spent on vacations