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

[keenercam]

Every time I go to post what I've written, I've fallen behind again.

So, here is what I remember:

Linda – I am so sorry for your family’s losses.

Joanne – I’m really avoiding the pain meds so that I can work from home, but it is hard to concentrate through the pain, so I’m not sure which is worse. Congrats on the 4.4 miles!!! Woohoo!

Thanks for the good wishes, pinkle! I had surgery 8 days ago for a bone and tissue graft in my knee and the combination of having the knee joint disassembled to do the surgery plus having a segment of bone taken out of my femur and replaced with a cadaver graft, and the incision itself has all been very painful and overwhelming. Right now it feels like my running days are far behind me and I’ll be grateful to be able to walk or even sit pain-free someday soon.

Thank you for the good WISHes, Kathy!

R&M – How absolutely awesome that you are so close to a normal BMI. You should be so proud of yourself. The near-term goal is within view. Keep up the awesome work! What an inspiration you are!

Lovedvc – good luck at the neurologist. I hope you get happy news and a plan for resolution.

Tracey – I hope you feel better today. Sorry you got sick after your run.

Happy birthday, Dona, brinalyn530, bellaphia and Susie!

QOTD Monday: What is your best tip to avoid temptation?
Mine is to not to go into a temptation-rich situation hungry. As long as I have eaten and have a bottle of water or flavored water with me, I can usually withstand temptation. I also try to clue DH in ahead of time on what my challenges will be and I ask him to remind me of what my plan was for what I’d eat or how I’d handle a situation. I also ask him not to invite me to share something with him that I know is really bad like horrible appetizers at a restaurant. When I am stressed at work, it is so easy to eat. To avoid eating “bad stuff”, I keep delicious snacks in my desk drawer – usually 100 calorie salty snack packs.

I really, really wanted to score all the points for the COW this week. I usually drink so much water. I LOVE water. I seriously NEED it, almost compulsively. Unfortunately, getting back and forth to the bathroom on crutches has made me seriously diminish the amount of water I am drinking, compared to what I usually drink. Right now, I am CRAVING lemon slices for my water. But, alas, I am drinking from a 16 oz water bottle and have neither the means to get a slice of lemon, nor somewhere to put it. LOL! I am living vicariously through all of you.

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?
I am often motivated by how my clothes fit. Also, if I wake up in the morning having no regrets about what I ate the day before, it is a HUGE victory for me.

 

[MushyMushy]

I'm late checking in, but I went ahead and sent Luvbaloo my starting weight this morning. OMG! It was 10 pounds higher than I expected it to be. BUT, I believe I'm carrying a good bit of water weight because we just came off a 4-day trip where we did nothing but eat everything in sight and drink a lot of alcohol.

We had no internet or 3G service where we were. Who knew Ohio would be so desolate?


Thursday QOTD: Tell us a little about yourself and your goals for this challenge.

My name is Marcia and I'm 43 years old. I've been married for 16 years (this month) to a wonderful guy, and I'm a mother to two teenagers. My oldest is 19 and youngest is 14. I'm currently an out of work teacher and am hoping to get a job teaching high school English. My goal is to just get back on the wagon with dieting. I have a very long way to go in general -- about 80 pounds at LEAST. I don't care so much about the weight as much as I'd like to get out of plus sizes and be able to shop in any store.

Friday QOTD: We talked a little yesterday about ourselves and our goals for this challenge. Today's question is what is your plan to help you reach your goals?

The main thing I need to do is track my calories with SparkPeople. I've found over the years that it's the only way to succeed with a diet.


Welcome to our Challenge of the Week (COW)!

PART ONE
Drink 6-8 oz of water each day (1 point for each day) ( 1 cup of coffee or tea counts)
Eat 2 vegetables each day (1 point for each day)

PART TWO
To help establish the habit of drinking your 6-8 oz of water each day, your challenge for this week is to find a cup, glass, mug, bottle…whatever….that will inspired you and make you feel happy each day! No need to send me a PM of what you found. Instead, post at any time this week about what is inspiring you to drink your water! Can't wait to hear about all the fun cups, mugs, bottles, etc!

The water part of it will be easy for me. I usually only drink water throughout the week. The veggies, on the other hand.... But I'm definitely going to give it a good try!

QOTD Saturday: Do you have any plans for the summer? How will they help or hinder you reaching your goals for this challenge?

Summer is always very difficult for me because we as a family LOVE to eat out and go to cookouts. My husband and I both have class reunions this summer, plus a big family reunion. We also go to a local amusement park every summer. I think I'll be okay through these if I can just stay on track the rest of the time.

QOTD SUNDAY: If you were at Disneyland or WDW right now what would you be doing?

Lounging by the pool at AKL (seen in my sig pic).

QOTD Monday: What is your best tip to avoid temptation?

Just to realize that nothing is truly off limits as long as you eat what you want in moderation. Be aware of serving sizes and don't deprive yourself of what you really want.

 

[maiziezoe]

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?

I have my hubby take my measurements every other week. It's nice to see the inches going down.

I think the most important "measurement" for me is that I am off of all of my stomach meds and my blood pressure meds. My blood pressure was still a little high the other day but it was much better than it had been in the past.

 

[tigger813]

Thanks to all my wonderful friends on here for the get well wishes!

I'm lying in bed listening to an old Dis Podcast (the intro show from last month). I did doze for a few minutes. I'm having some regular coke (only drink it when I'm sick) and 2 Ritz crackers. Headache is still there, not up to really eating. One of DD2s friend's mom's is going to bring her home for me this afternoon so I don't have to leave the house again today.

We're going to do our ADRs tonight. I did one this morning. For some reason you can do them online earlier than calling in right now. Don't know if it's a fluke or what. But booked a CP breakfast. I checked the others that we want and they seem to be available. DH and I need to look over things tonight and also decide on DP CS or TS. I also need to have my parents decide on where they want their meal from on the trip. I'm thinking Artists Point will be the best for them after the gathering I went to this weekend with some Disney folks.

I'm hoping to do some Wii Fit tonight. I think I'll hold off on the elliptical today. Don't want to overdo it! Not sure if I'll get my veggies in today. It depends if I have any desire to eat. I will try and drink my water and also have some tea. I was drinking water last night when I started feeling lousy so water isn't sounding appetizing to me today.

Time to fix a cup of tea and see if that helps at all!

Thanks again for all your well wishes!

 

[Connie96]

I am 2.2 lbs from a "normal" bmi. I know it's just a number, but it still seems so unattainable.

I'm right there with ya! As of Monday morning, I am 2.1 lbs from "normal". I wish you lots of good luck and success this week and next! We can do this!

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?

I don't really have any other "measurements" that I watch but I do, of course, notice when my clothes begin to fit differently. And, I'm just as excited to see my running distance increasing as I am to see my weight decreasing!

For all you runners...
When do you run? I work a full time office job M-F 8-5 and I have a 3yo DD. My running options (during the week) are 4:45am or 6:30pm.

4:45am is DARK and deserted. I live in a well-populated sub-division and I would definitely call it a safe neighborhood as I don't know of any violent crimes that have occurred in the area since I have lived there - about 7 years. Although, there was a very unbalanced AWOL soldier hiding out in a newly built house while it was still on the market a couple years ago. I do carry pepper spray when I run, regardless of the time of day.

6:30pm has been working for me since I started running again back in February, but now, it is HOT!!! The high today is 97 degrees and it's only going to get hotter for the next three months. When I ran last Thursday evening, I had to slow WAY down because I felt like I was gonna puke the whole time. I'm gonna be running this evening, but I'm just dreading it.

How do y'all balance the relative safety of running in the daylight versus the relative comfort (and heat stroke avoidance) of running in the dark?

 

[NCRedding]

Other ways of measuring: I do look at how my clothes fit. I measure once a month as a go-by. The other thing is how well do I feel. I jsut feel better when I control my weight and food intake. I went for a short walk yesterday and had to walk up a steep hill. I could not believe how out of shape I felt and how much I was huffing and puffing.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Don't forget to post your healthy recipes. I'll update the first post as new recipes come in. We started this towards the end of the last challenge.

Here's the link to where you can post recipes!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2447512

 

[lisalisalisa]

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?

It always seems to go from my face first. I can always tell when I have put on weight or lost it by looking in the mirror.


Happy Birthday to all those celebrating.

 

[MushyMushy]

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?

I can tell I'm making some decent progress when my skin feels looser (and obviously my clothes do too). Also, when I'm taking care of myself and eating properly, I don't get acid reflux and just all around feel better.

 

[JOANNEL]

Cam,

Wow that is some pretty serious stuff. Take care of yourself and here's to quick healing

 

[JOANNEL]

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?

The way my clothes fit and how my knees feel!!

 

[MushyMushy]

I'm sorry to ask this here, but how can I get my clip next to my sig pic? It's getting cut off at the bottom.

 

[lisah0711]

Other ways of measuring: I do look at how my clothes fit. I measure once a month as a go-by. The other thing is how well do I feel. I jsut feel better when I control my weight and food intake. I went for a short walk yesterday and had to walk up a steep hill. I could not believe how out of shape I felt and how much I was huffing and puffing.

Isn't amazing how much better you feel by doing just a few things that you should?

Don't forget to post your healthy recipes. I'll update the first post as new recipes come in. We started this towards the end of the last challenge.

Here's the link to where you can post recipes!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2447512

Thanks for maintaining this thread for us, Rose. I also have a link in one of the early posts of the thread in case you can't find the thread.

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?

It always seems to go from my face first. I can always tell when I have put on weight or lost it by looking in the mirror.

Well that is a great way to see it with your smiling face!

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?

I can tell I'm making some decent progress when my skin feels looser (and obviously my clothes do too). Also, when I'm taking care of myself and eating properly, I don't get acid reflux and just all around feel better.

No acid reflux -- that is a good thing!

On your signature issue go into the same place where you put your clippies. I think there is a return or space between your DVC pic and your BL clippie. It looks like you have a lot of room so it should work -- just get that space out between [/IMG] after your DVC clippie and at the beginning of your BL clippie. You might even have room for a ticker! :thumbsup2

[quote="JOANNEL, post: 36837673"]The way my clothes fit and how my knees feel!![/QUOTE]

Who knew that knees could measure fitness? :confused3 My hips and ankles join in sometimes, too.

I'm trying going backward today to catch up here! :3dglasses

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

I'm right there with ya! As of Monday morning, I am 2.1 lbs from "normal". I wish you lots of good luck and success this week and next! We can do this!



I don't really have any other "measurements" that I watch but I do, of course, notice when my clothes begin to fit differently. And, I'm just as excited to see my running distance increasing as I am to see my weight decreasing!

For all you runners...
When do you run? I work a full time office job M-F 8-5 and I have a 3yo DD. My running options (during the week) are 4:45am or 6:30pm.

4:45am is DARK and deserted. I live in a well-populated sub-division and I would definitely call it a safe neighborhood as I don't know of any violent crimes that have occurred in the area since I have lived there - about 7 years. Although, there was a very unbalanced AWOL soldier hiding out in a newly built house while it was still on the market a couple years ago. I do carry pepper spray when I run, regardless of the time of day.

6:30pm has been working for me since I started running again back in February, but now, it is HOT!!! The high today is 97 degrees and it's only going to get hotter for the next three months. When I ran last Thursday evening, I had to slow WAY down because I felt like I was gonna puke the whole time. I'm gonna be running this evening, but I'm just dreading it.

How do y'all balance the relative safety of running in the daylight versus the relative comfort (and heat stroke avoidance) of running in the dark?

I am similar- I work an office job which usually is 8-5 sometimes later if needed. In the morning I take my two sons 5 and 3 to daycare so a morning run would need to be early and even though we also live in a decent area I am a scardy cat. I usually run between 7-8pm at night and early mornings 7-730a on the weekends. I have been running just in my neighborhood. Im not sure what to do on really hot nights either. I know Im not much help but I thought knowing someone else was in the same boat might may you feel better.


QOTD-Tuesday

I have only been using the scale as a measurement, and also my clothes. I am thinking I should also start taking measurements. I unfortunately am obsessed with the number even though I totally understand how the body works.

 

[acename]

Tuesday QOTD

I can tell I'm making progress by how my clothes fit. Particularly in the thigh area. That's my worst trouble spot so I know if my pants feel more loose there I'm making progress.

I had a bad weekend for sure food wise. Luckily my husband decided this weekend he wants to lose weight too. I got a new scale last week(the old one was broken) and he didn't realize how much weight he gained while I was pregnant . My mom also is getting back on weight watchers too so our gatherings will have more healthy options. I do much better when someone else is losing with me, so this is really good news for me weight loss wise.

 

[MushyMushy]

That did it! Thanks, Lisa.

 

[princessbride6205]

Mushy - I think your BL clip plus your sig pic are too wide to be on one line. You can shrink the BL clip in photobucket. Edited to add: NEVER MIND!

Connie - I'm a night runner, like 8:15pm - but in MN summer, it's light enough to feel safe until at least 9:15pm. I try to do my long runs on the weekend, so I can pick almost any time. I work an office job 9-5 with an hour commute each way and have a 2.5 yo DD - so we're in a similar situation. I'm not sure what to advise you about the heat - 97 is way too hot IMHO for running. But, I'm so not a morning person, so I don't think I could do pre-5am. Hope you can figure something out that works for you!

Need to check out the Healthy Recipes thread!

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?
How my clothes fit is a big one for me. I still had clothes from my thinner days (2004-05) in my closet. I've been able to fit back into everything now as I maintain my goal weight. The only problem is that those were my pre-professional attire days, so I only have 2 work-suitable pants to wear!
How my clothes fit was actually part of how I decided on my goal weight. If I had tried to lose any more weight, I would have been too thin for my '04-'05 clothes.

 

[LuvBaloo]

Happy Birthday Escape/Susie!

Tigger - feel better soon so you can get back to being our Energizer Bunny

Tuesday QOTD Do you have other ways to measure your progress besides the scale?

When I first started losing weight, I weight by my belt I wear to work. It felt great to move to lower notches Then I got smaller pants that currently don't need a belt. Right now I mainly go by how my pants feel, plus how I feel overall. I've finally figured out that my state of mind has a big impact on losing weight, so I'm focussing on going to bed every night feeling like I've accomplished something. So instead of the last thoughts of the day being all the things I failed to do, I'm making myself think about the things I did do, and I'm sleeping better and feeling overall more positive.

Yeah for running! I do not enjoy running, but I'm only doing it two days a week with DH and he has been amazingly supportive. It's an awesome feeling to finish a run!
Are you giving up pop completely? It's hard, but so worth it in the end. I've even noticed my teeth are whiter!

I'm not going to give it up completely, everytime I try that I fail. So my plan this week is to reduce it to every other day and max 2 cans in a day. Thanks for mentioning the whiter teeth, cause that's a great motivator for me

Thanks for the good wishes, pinkle! I had surgery 8 days ago for a bone and tissue graft in my knee and the combination of having the knee joint disassembled to do the surgery plus having a segment of bone taken out of my femur and replaced with a cadaver graft, and the incision itself has all been very painful and overwhelming. Right now it feels like my running days are far behind me and I’ll be grateful to be able to walk or even sit pain-free someday soon.

Wow, major surgury. Hope the pain-free day comes soon!

I think the most important "measurement" for me is that I am off of all of my stomach meds and my blood pressure meds. My blood pressure was still a little high the other day but it was much better than it had been in the past.

That's excellent!

 

[lisah0711]

Shannon- I remember the first weeks of c25k, and the plus to the longer running intervals in each consecutive week was it's still the same 20 minutes, so you have fewer intervals. I think week one was 8, and week 2 goes down to 6. Just something that helped me get through it. Nice job on no pop. Good luck!!

Shannon, I totally agree with Kathy on this one -- week 2 is easier. Fewer intervals and a longer time to recover. By the time you get to the end of recovery you are actually ready to go again! Hang in there!

I made a plan to get the running in between kids soccer and coming home for dinner. And I stuck to it! Still not loving the running, but it feels to good to do it. I may end up doing 2 weeks of the week 1 level, but I'll decide that when next week rolls around.

It may or not be your thing, Shannon, but I think that you will like how you feel as you get a little farther into it.

Have a lovely day and thank you all for posting. I love how active this board is and I love hearing everyone else's answers and useful tips.

It is a great group we have -- give yourselves all a big pat on the back for being a great group!

WOw, this is a busy place. I need to start taking notes.

Rose&Mike, here's some for your ROFR. Do you have a thumbdrive or something to back your data up on in case your laptop does go?

QOTD TUESDAY - I go by how my clothes are fitting but truthfully I do get hung up on the number on the scale. Hopefully this time around I will not be so obsessed with it!!

It's a number, it's not who you are!

I really, really wanted to score all the points for the COW this week. I usually drink so much water. I LOVE water. I seriously NEED it, almost compulsively. Unfortunately, getting back and forth to the bathroom on crutches has made me seriously diminish the amount of water I am drinking, compared to what I usually drink. Right now, I am CRAVING lemon slices for my water. But, alas, I am drinking from a 16 oz water bottle and have neither the means to get a slice of lemon, nor somewhere to put it. LOL! I am living vicariously through all of you.

Cam, can you have your DH get you some lemon or lime juice to squirt in your water so you will have the flavor?

I think the most important "measurement" for me is that I am off of all of my stomach meds and my blood pressure meds. My blood pressure was still a little high the other day but it was much better than it had been in the past.

Yay for lower BP!

Thanks to all my wonderful friends on here for the get well wishes!

Get well soon!

I'm right there with ya! As of Monday morning, I am 2.1 lbs from "normal". I wish you lots of good luck and success this week and next! We can do this!

Wow! You and Rose really are long, lost twins!

Sorry I don't have any tips for your running dilemma. I run near my office between when I get off work and go home so it is earlier in the day. Ideally I would run in the morning before work because I really, really love it when my exercise is done first thing.

Saw Prince of Persia yesterday. It was cold and rainy all week-end in our neck of the woods so it was a two movie kind of week-end. The stunts were spectacular and the scenery beautiful. I've heard that Disney was hoping it is their next Pirates franchise but I don't think it will be that but that is just MHO.

Have a great day all!

 

[Connie96]

I am similar- I work an office job which usually is 8-5 sometimes later if needed. In the morning I take my two sons 5 and 3 to daycare so a morning run would need to be early and even though we also live in a decent area I am a scardy cat. I usually run between 7-8pm at night and early mornings 7-730a on the weekends. I have been running just in my neighborhood. Im not sure what to do on really hot nights either. I know Im not much help but I thought knowing someone else was in the same boat might may you feel better.

Connie - I'm a night runner, like 8:15pm - but in MN summer, it's light enough to feel safe until at least 9:15pm. I try to do my long runs on the weekend, so I can pick almost any time. I work an office job 9-5 with an hour commute each way and have a 2.5 yo DD - so we're in a similar situation. I'm not sure what to advise you about the heat - 97 is way too hot IMHO for running. But, I'm so not a morning person, so I don't think I could do pre-5am. Hope you can figure something out that works for you!

Thanks yall! I knew there had to be others like me.

I plan to run this evening, but I'll have to decide whether to hit the road at 6:30, like usual, or try to get DD to bed a little early and head out around 8:15. It'll be dark by the time I get done, but it beats getting up at 4:30 in the morning. The truth is that I prefer starting my day with a run, but 4:30 is just a little more "middle of the night" than it is "morning". The other dilemma I have about getting DD into bed early is that she goes right to sleep if I put her to bed at 8:30, but anytime I get her to bed around 8:00 she usually keeps popping back up until about 10:00. It's always something, isn't it?