Biggest Loser 8 Fall Challenge -- for losers and maintainers!

[tigger813]

9/25 QOTD: Ah, the vagaries of the scale. It goes up and down, sometimes in ways we don't expect or understand. If there were no gravity and therefore no weight, only mass, how would you measure your success? Tell us your favorite or most anticipated Real Life Victory!

I have a pair of size 10 jeans I've been trying to squeeze in to...when I can get them zipped comfortably, I'll know I've succeeded.

I have some 12s and 10s I hope to get into!

 

[disneychrista]

Originally Posted by calypso*a*go-go

9/25 QOTD: Ah, the vagaries of the scale. It goes up and down, sometimes in ways we don't expect or understand. If there were no gravity and therefore no weight, only mass, how would you measure your success? Tell us your favorite or most anticipated Real Life Victory!

Measuring Tape! Keeping your stats, waist, hips, thighs, arms etc. If the measurement gets smaller, then so am I. Besides that just the way my clothes are fitting (or not).

 

[Piglet18]

Down 1.7 lbs this week! Not bad, since I just started on Tuesday night...
Anyway, bet victory will be when I fit into that clothes I used to fit into... and then when I don't again, but this time because they will be too big! Gotta love excuses for shopping!

 

[Colleen27]

9/25 QOTD: Ah, the vagaries of the scale. It goes up and down, sometimes in ways we don't expect or understand. If there were no gravity and therefore no weight, only mass, how would you measure your success? Tell us your favorite or most anticipated Real Life Victory!

That's a tough one for me, because small changes don't show up outwardly. That's a big part of how I let myself gain so much weight, I think... I gain/lose all over pretty evenly, and it takes a change of 10+ lbs before I notice a difference, even more to make a noticeable difference to someone else. Right now, I'm focusing on the way I feel rather than the numbers; the numbers are there to keep me accountable, not as the be-all, end-all of my results.

 

[ShortyNBug]

Just got back from a little over 2 mile bike ride with my almost 4 year old in the baby seat. She may be small and still fit in the seat but her 34 pounds make a difference on how my legs feel. We were only out 20 minutes because my other daughter was sue home from her friend's house but it felt good.

As for the QOTD: I have so many clothes I bought 20-25 pounds ago and I can't wait to get into them! I measure once a month so I know where I'm sitting even without the scale moving.

 

[lisah0711]

I was pleased with my weigh in- down 4 pounds! The BL8 show helped me through the week 2 blahs quite a bit.

Thanks to the person who mentioned at the beginning of the challenge eating for fuel- simple concept- but really helps me decide when I just want or actually need to eat.

Another thank you for the exercise challenge that I believe MelanieC put out in BL7- I have been pushing to 8 miles in 30 minutes on my exercise bike ever since (when I am consistently exercising)- when I was doging it and doing around 6.5 miles previous.

That clippie looks good on you!

Good Afternoon everyone! Thank you MelanieC for the great coaching!

I am down 2 pounds this week. Not as good as last weeks 6 but hey i will take what I can get!!

I would say 8 pounds in 2 weeks is a great start!

I am down 2.6 this week, so a net of 2 pounds for two weeks...

Nice job!

9/25 QOTD: Ah, the vagaries of the scale. It goes up and down, sometimes in ways we don't expect or understand. If there were no gravity and therefore no weight, only mass, how would you measure your success? Tell us your favorite or most anticipated Real Life Victory!

I have a pair of size 10 jeans I've been trying to squeeze in to...when I can get them zipped comfortably, I'll know I've succeeded.

Sounds like a good goal -- why do all we have clothes that are uncomfortable to wear? We should be able to find nice clothes that we can wear that are comfortable too!

Lisa, has the wind started where you are? We are supposed to be getting some big winds tomorrow from the west.

Down 1.7 lbs this week! Not bad, since I just started on Tuesday night...
Anyway, bet victory will be when I fit into that clothes I used to fit into... and then when I don't again, but this time because they will be too big! Gotta love excuses for shopping!

I would say that was a super start for you on this challenge!

Have a great OP day all!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

9/25 QOTD: Ah, the vagaries of the scale. It goes up and down, sometimes in ways we don't expect or understand. If there were no gravity and therefore no weight, only mass, how would you measure your success? Tell us your favorite or most anticipated Real Life Victory!

My most anticipated real life victory will be when I get on an airplane without a second thought because I know my behind will not be in anyone's face if I got to the restroom. I will easily fit into my seat and have plenty of room. Ditto with rides, not even a thought, because I will fit with room to spare. I'm also extremely eager to buy smaller clothes. Sort of dreaming about a single digit, but realistically, I would be ecstatic to have a zero in my size, even with a one in front of it. I did just buy a smaller skirt, and it seems to be only a little tight. In five pounds, it's going to look good. I'm concentrating very hard on just that 5 lbs., because otherwise I get overwhelmed.

Great QOTD, visualizing helps make a reality!

Maria

 

[corinnak]

i'm down (but just) .5 lb today....and yes i am happy it's down a little, but like i emailed Mom this morning....mediocre commitment equals mediocre results. there is just WAY too much tempting food in this house! Spanish exchange guest leaves Tuesday which means less dinners out and social 'eat'erings.

Nothing wrong with .5 - sometimes life is like that and sometimes even when you do everything "ideally," the scale still sometimes says .5. It's good you're enjoying the time with your guest but also good that things will be getting back to normal soon, I bet!

Hmmm, this is an interesting question. I had a nsv myself this week with my new smaller size pants -- found a skirt in a smaller size in my closet that I wore one day without discomfort, too. So that would be a more immediate victory.
....
So I am going over to the C25K thread to make a commitment and am going to make sure I exercise every single day for the next week!

Congratulations on your smaller pants and skirt - that's a big deal! Great to see you over at C25K as well!

ahhhh. nsv got it! my nsv that i look forward to the most is pulling up my jeans and buttoning with ease..............

I am with you on that nsv.

It is definitely a good one! Squeezie jeans are no fun to wear, and that's for sure. Talk about a tangible reward for your hard work!

OK catching up. I've been sick all week with the headache, fever, dizzy thing that's going around. Oh the joy! I will probably check in every few days again because being on the computer makes the dizziness and head aches come back. BLECH!

Oh my goodness - that sounds pretty miserable. Dizzy is not good! Thanks for letting us know where you are. I hope you feel better very, very soon.

I lost 2 lbs this week. So I'm pretty much where I started out at the beginning of the challange, hopefully I will keep losing.

Hooray for a 2 lb loss! That's great! Just keep doing what you're doing - you're in the groove now.

By my energy level and how clothes feel.
So far my favourite real life victory was when I wore a bikini at the lake this summer. I didn't look great and still lots of room for improvement, but I did it. DH said I looked smaller in the bikini than I did in my one piece. And I realized he was right, it was more flattering. I should watch What Not to Wear again. I really like that the stress dressing for your shape and size, and don't worry about the number. This last year I realized that dressing to look nice definitely improves my overall attitude. If a dress in baggy and shapeless, I feel unmotivate, but when I try to look nice, then I feel better and actually eat better.

I can't believe you wore a bikini! I am so impressed!!! I am not sure I'll ever have the guts to do so (I have the national debt in stretch marks, I'm afraid) but it is so cool that the bikini was more flattering.

You have such a good point about dressing nicely - it definitely changes the way I behave when I'm wearing something I feel great in vs. something shapeless as you say.

That's great Shirely! Great job, now it's onward and downward as they say! I was up less than a pound this week which I feel great about considering I was at Disneyland the entire week! I know I will have a great loss this next week which will take away that almost pound and a couple of it's friends while at it!

Good luck this coming week people! Be sure to drink that water!

As far as the QOTD goes, my favorite way of telling the difference is pictures. I took a starting picture as well as one at 6 weeks and 12 weeks and I will take one again every 8 weeks now. Sometimes I see no change or very little change even though I have lost a lot on the scale and other times I see a dramatic change even though I have lost very little on the scale. Weird.

Sara it is so hard to come back from a trip and not be holding onto a little extra weight - up less than a pound after a week with Disney is nothing short of amazing! I'm so glad you're right back on track.

What a great idea to take regular pictures! It will be so neat to see how your face and body changes over time. I've often heard that often when the scale stays the same, that's the time when you're losing inches. I have no idea why that would be so, but it sounds like your photos show something similar.

I was pleased with my weigh in- down 4 pounds! The BL8 show helped me through the week 2 blahs quite a bit.

...
Another thank you for the exercise challenge that I believe MelanieC put out in BL7- I have been pushing to 8 miles in 30 minutes on my exercise bike ever since (when I am consistently exercising)- when I was doging it and doing around 6.5 miles previous.

4 pounds! That's a hugely impressive loss! No wonder your L shirt suddenly fits! Not to mention rocking the stationary bike! Fantastic!

I am down 2 pounds this week. Not as good as last weeks 6 but hey i will take what I can get!!

2 pounds is really great - yes, not as dramatic as 6, but healthy and excellent.


I also think my energy level & the way my clothes fit me… Last year for my Disney trip I bought a pair of brown plaid capries. I tried them on about a week ago for this year’s trip & they are a little tight on me. So my min goal is to be wearing them on my November 4 trip.
Candice

Great mini-goal! I bet you'll be wearing those in no time.

I am down 2 pounds and that is more than enough to make me happy right now. I've been bouncing around with the same three pounds for weeks now and finally I seem to be ready to let them go. Just 1.5 pounds away from a new number in the "tens" place... and it is a goal number, so I am excited. If I can just stay motivated and working out steadily, I should be able to reach that number by Thanksgiving... but then again, I originally wanted to reach that goal by this past June and that didn't happen, so no real "goal date" in mind now.
...
I know I look good (or as good as I can for my age I suppose) and I can hold my head high with confidence. I'll never be a beauty queen, but I'm working on looking the best I can and being the healthiest, strongest Mom/wife/ daughter/Christian/sister/friend/employee that I can be.

Great loss this week! This road we're on sometimes twists and turns unpredictably - the important thing is not to turn around and go back to the beginning. I can't believe how close you are to a new decade of weight! It's so exciting!

We are all works in progress, of course. Your self confidence is going to help in so many areas of your life!

My favorite victory?
Well I guess being married 20 years come Nov. is one. It certainly didn't come easy lol.

Wow - that's the truth, isn't it! Congratulations on making it almost to 20! And your daughter's accomplishments as well! And all your handsome kitties! My mom has fostered quite a few cats as well, including some feral ones. It is amazing how they can feel so comfortable with the other more socialized cats, but still be so skittish about people.

I am down 2.6 this week, ,so a net of 2 pounds for two weeks...

That's great! 1-2 pounds a week average is optimal!

Measure my weight loss? I have clothes that are 20 years old!! I'm very thrifty and sentimental. I use these as measuring sticks to tell how much I've lost.......and gained back : (

I've got some clothes like that myself. It sure is interesting, isn't it? Congratulations on bringing your lovely horse home!

I'm an optimist so I think I see a lot of things in my life as victories just because they make me happy.

What a great attitude!

I have a pair of size 10 jeans I've been trying to squeeze in to...when I can get them zipped comfortably, I'll know I've succeeded.

It's going to feel great when that day arrives - the clothes know, don't they?

I have some 12s and 10s I hope to get into!

That's a great goal - you can do it!

Measuring Tape! Keeping your stats, waist, hips, thighs, arms etc. If the measurement gets smaller, then so am I. Besides that just the way my clothes are fitting (or not).

Very true. I have found it to be difficult to take the first set of measurements, but it is always rewarding to see the numbers going down on the tape measure, too!

Down 1.7 lbs this week! Not bad, since I just started on Tuesday night...
Anyway, bet victory will be when I fit into that clothes I used to fit into... and then when I don't again, but this time because they will be too big! Gotta love excuses for shopping!

Absolutely! Passing right through those clothes is going to be awesome for you! 1.7 is a very strong loss. Great!

That's a tough one for me, because small changes don't show up outwardly. That's a big part of how I let myself gain so much weight, I think... I gain/lose all over pretty evenly, and it takes a change of 10+ lbs before I notice a difference, even more to make a noticeable difference to someone else. Right now, I'm focusing on the way I feel rather than the numbers; the numbers are there to keep me accountable, not as the be-all, end-all of my results.

I'm the same way - a very even gainer. It sounds like you have a great attitude about the numbers - they're a great tool, but not the main focus of your endeavors.


As for me, I think I forgot to answer my own question, I was in such a rush earlier this morning!

9/25 QOTD:
I have read that it is important for good health to have a weight in the healthy range and a waist measurement of under 35" for a woman, under 40" for a man. My waist had been well into the 40's for quite some time and I thought I'd never get under 35." However, this week, I bought a new belt and it is a women's size M and a pair of size 8 pants. It could, for sure, be the vanity sizing, however, the tape measure consistently reads between 34.75 and 34!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Lisa, has the wind started where you are? We are supposed to be getting some big winds tomorrow from the west.

No wind here -- it was an absolutely gorgeous day!!! (Who knows what tomorrow will bring...)

 

[corinnak]

Just got back from a little over 2 mile bike ride with my almost 4 year old in the baby seat. She may be small and still fit in the seat but her 34 pounds make a difference on how my legs feel. We were only out 20 minutes because my other daughter was sue home from her friend's house but it felt good.

34 pounds make a huge difference on a bike! - glad you got out for a ride with your daughter today!

My most anticipated real life victory will be when I get on an airplane without a second thought because I know my behind will not be in anyone's face if I got to the restroom. I will easily fit into my seat and have plenty of room. Ditto with rides, not even a thought, because I will fit with room to spare. I'm also extremely eager to buy smaller clothes. Sort of dreaming about a single digit, but realistically, I would be ecstatic to have a zero in my size, even with a one in front of it. I did just buy a smaller skirt, and it seems to be only a little tight. In five pounds, it's going to look good. I'm concentrating very hard on just that 5 lbs., because otherwise I get overwhelmed.

Oh, those are very motivating things to look forward to, Maria. The seats on rides and airplanes are so confining and uncomfortable. Congratulations on your new skirt - I am sure it will be loose before you know it - you are on a roll to that next 5 lbs.

Sounds like a good goal -- why do all we have clothes that are uncomfortable to wear? We should be able to find nice clothes that we can wear that are comfortable too!

This is SUCH a good point. Comfort and quality are definitely important, whatever our size is.

 

[50sjayne]

Sounds like a good goal -- why do all we have clothes that are uncomfortable to wear? We should be able to find nice clothes that we can wear that are comfortable too!

After the movie tonight I went to Ross to get a new bra- some of mine are getting too loose- remember I also went off the pill. Found one then decided to walk over to Barnes and Noble and had to walk by Catherines. I remember almost walking in there once thinking-- well I'm finally there. Now I'm nowhere near there-- I'm wearing medium shirts and while 14 pants will still fit loose, I'm in 12's and 13's.
Sidenote, they had some cute Halloween stuff at Ross for very good prices. It took iron will for me to resist some stand up trick or treaters for $5.99.
Double sidenote- went to see My One and only with Renee Zellweiger who played George Hamiltons mother- kind of a mini biography of a few years of his youth- it was excellent.

 

[mikamah]

Thanks so much melanie for coaching last week. Loved your qotds and got lots of great advice.

Welcome Corinnak and thanks for coaching this week. Great first qotd.

Today's QOTD is being brought to you by Sarah's and my belts:


9/25 QOTD: Ah, the vagaries of the scale. It goes up and down, sometimes in ways we don't expect or understand. If there were no gravity and therefore no weight, only mass, how would you measure your success? Tell us your favorite or most anticipated Real Life Victory!

For me it is clothes that fit without pain also. I have 18s-12s, and 2 years ago the 14s fit perfectly, but after this year, the 16s got tight again, and I thought I had thrown out all the 18s, but just found 2 pair of 18 capris in the basement, which fit, but it's sad because I thought I'd never go back. My first nsv goal is for the 16s to fit. I am also working hard on exercising regularly, and when i do, I love that my knees don't ache when I walk upstairs, and I don't get so winded out running and playing in the yard with my son. I don't think I'll ever keep up with him in a race anymore, but it's nice to try, and not die at the end.

Have a nice weekend.

 

[donac]

Good morning everyone. It is beautiful Saturday morning here in jersey. I am by myself this weekend. Ds2 is at college (he's coming home next weekend to got to a football game and to see Toy Story in 3d), ds1 is camping with some friends and dh is camping with the scouts. A friend is coming over later so that I can teach her how to knit mittens and tonight we are going to see her daughter play with the local high school marching band which my sons marched with.

I am going to go to AC Moore this morning. The other night I saw they had pink yarn to support breast cancer. I may try to make some quick scarves for the women in our department. One of the girls was out most of last year fight it and is back this year but since it is so soon we are still concerned about her. The school is having Breast Cancer Day in the middle of OCtober. I will probably work on a quilt I have been working on forever. Dh and I have Monday off so that is the day I am going to clean the house and grocery shop. Why ruin a weekend by myself.

I am down .6 for this week. I am starting to get back into walking this week so it is a start.

Keep up all the good work everyone.

 

[corinnak]

Good morning! We stayed up late watching Biggest Loser Week 2. I was astounded by the program this week. The numbers they were stating for calories in and calories out - 1,200 in and 6000 out per day! I eat more than that, I'm sure, and to burn that much, I would have to run a 6 hour marathon every day. Fortunately, we are on a gentler trajectory to our losses here. Physcial activity plays such an important role in reshaping our bodies and increasing our health, even if we're not burning thousands of calories and many hours per day on it. And since we are doing it, we might as well enjoy it, right?

9/26 QOTD: What makes or would make physical activity more enjoyable for you? This can be a thought process, a particular song or songs, special clothes, choice of activity, etc.

Bonus question: What physical activity do you have planned for yourself and/or your family this weekend?

 

[Worfiedoodles]

9/26 QOTD: What makes or would make physical activity more enjoyable for you? This can be a thought process, a particular song or songs, special clothes, choice of activity, etc.

Bonus question: What physical activity do you have planned for yourself and/or your family this weekend?

For me, it's all about running to music, old favorites, rediscovered favorites, and a few new songs that really get me moving. I added 5 songs last night -- this morning (I have an i-pod shuffle that randomly selects my music) I heard REO Speedwagon's "Say You Love Me or Say Goodnight", Sammy Hagar "I'll Fall in Love Again", and some remix of Bryan Adams "Heaven" that's been put to a dance beat and is sung by a woman. I have to keep mixing it up, I've heard ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" 138 times, so it's being temporarily retired!

I already did my TM workout this morning -- I did 5 miles and it felt great! I feel confident I have a nsv -- I'm down to 13 min miles. This is huge for me, I could barely handle 16 when I started (and that was walking, not running)! Tomorrow I'm going to do weights.

I only lost .2 this week, so that's a big discouraging. I'm determined to have a bigger loss next week, and I'm going to conduct myself accordingly this weekend.

We're headed out to Foxwoods casino in CT in a little while. DH is going to the Alice Cooper concert, and ds and I are tagging along to enjoy the hotel pool. It's a 2-hour drive, and I packed plenty of healthy snacks. We're planning to take in the Mystic Aquarium this afternoon, maybe I'll even try Mystic Pizza!

Maria

 

[disneychrista]

Good morning! We stayed up late watching Biggest Loser Week 2. I was astounded by the program this week. The numbers they were stating for calories in and calories out - 1,200 in and 6000 out per day! 9/26 QOTD: What makes or would make physical activity more enjoyable for you? This can be a thought process, a particular song or songs, special clothes, choice of activity, etc.

Bonus question: What physical activity do you have planned for yourself and/or your family this weekend?

I had to pause it and replay to make sure I heard them correctly. No wonder they lose so much, they are burning nearly 2 pounds per day.

QOTD - For me it is deffiently music while doing out door walking and variety in my in-home walking DVD workouts. I am about to purchase two new workouts. Even though the "moves" are the same for each workout, the different combo's and walkers makes each one unique.

Bonus - My kids don't know this yet but it is cleaning up the back yard. We have an apple tree that has droped a lot of apples on the ground that need to be picked up.

 

[mullysisters]

Doing activity that I know is part of my regular life-not added especially to lose weight, walking the dogs, riding. I've just started on the c25k on my dreadmill, sometimes I watch a TV show to make the time pass more quickly.

This weekend - Sis and I are going to ride the horses three times, some times they get put aside for other things, but not this weekend!

 

[Colleen27]

9/26 QOTD: What makes or would make physical activity more enjoyable for you? This can be a thought process, a particular song or songs, special clothes, choice of activity, etc.

Bonus question: What physical activity do you have planned for yourself and/or your family this weekend?

Music makes all the difference for me. I found, in tracking my walks on RunningAhead.com, that I average a full minute per mile faster on the days I remember to take my mp3 player than on the days I forget it. I also really enjoy my new routes. Our old neighborhood wasn't very walker friendly, lots of areas without sidewalks or too rough to get the stroller across at any sort of pace, but the new neighborhood is much better, very picturesque, sidewalks almost everywhere, and just overall more pleasant to walk.

As far as physical activity this weekend, we're going away (in about 5min) to enjoy a hotel with an indoor pool and spend tomorrow at the Renaissance Festival. Lots of splashing and playing tonight and walking tomorrow, but not of the real exercise variety.

 

[airtime247]

Just a quick note to say I lost 3.1 pounds this week. I think it was mostly due to having the flu and not eating much for two days. I didn't exercise for three but really stepped it up the last three days. Hopefully this momentum will keep up and I'll have another loss next week. I really want to drop another 9.6 during this challenge to reach my initial goal.

I'm getting behind on QOTDs so I will need to think about them later tonight when things slow down here.

Have a great weekend everyone!

-steve

 

[LuvBaloo]

9/26 QOTD: What makes or would make physical activity more enjoyable for you? This can be a thought process, a particular song or songs, special clothes, choice of activity, etc.

Bonus question: What physical activity do you have planned for yourself and/or your family this weekend?

physical activity for me is fun when its something with the kids. One evening this week, I had a friends boys and of course my own girls and took all 4 kids to the park. While the 4 of them were playing on the climbers, I just walked circles around the playground; walking in the peagravel is much harder than just walking on the grass, plus I was walking the balance beam and on the swings. I figure I got a good work-out all while watching and talking with 4 energy packed kids.
I also like to do stepping or exercise bike while I'm watching a good show. If its something I can really get caught up in, then I'll do a longer workout.

For the bonus - I went to the pool and swam today while the girls were in their lesson. I swam 15 lengths instead of the 12 I did last time. When the girls lesson was over, we stayed in the big pool, and there was some of the foam handweights out, so I was able to get some good arm exercises done while the girls played; they think its just a game playing with them, and I get a great workout, plus some laughs. I can feel it in my upper arms now.

Unfortunately, we ended the morning with Kaleigh getting her nose smacked with her friends head, so we saw the inside of the first aid room to get her bleeding nose under control.

For me, it's all about
We're headed out to Foxwoods casino in CT in a little while. DH is going to the Alice Cooper concert, and ds and I are tagging along to enjoy the hotel pool. It's a 2-hour drive, and I packed plenty of healthy snacks. We're planning to take in the Mystic Aquarium this afternoon, maybe I'll even try Mystic Pizza!

Maria

wasn't Mystic Pizza a movie back in the 80's ?


Sounds like lots of you have some great plans for the weekend!