Biggest Loser 9 Spring Challenge -- thread closing -- see new thread Part 2!

[beansf]

Hello, everyone. My name is Ann. I am 37 years old (but will be 38 by the time we finish the challenge). My husband and I have been married for 4 years. We enjoy our nieces and nephews, but do not have our own child - unless you count the kitty pictured on the left.

I haven't weighed myself since we got back from our cruise in October. I have a feeling that I need to lose around 15 or 20 pounds. I will find out for sure on Friday. My original plan was to start my diet on 1/2/10 - since we have a family get-together on 1/1, so I may be getting a slow start on week 1. I already exercise regularly, but my diet is a mess right now. I have a crazy sweet tooth and I love to bake. I know I will be in sugar withdrawals for the first week or two (pray for my husband ). I am really looking forward to taking off a few pounds, though. As a pp said, I am not feeling very comfortable in my skin either.

I have struggled with weight my whole life - I remember going on my first "diet" in 2nd grade. I imagine I will always struggle to some degree, but I am taking action now, before it gets too out of hand and for that, I am proud.

 

[jennz]

So do you think DH would notice if you used turkey weenies and light crescent rolls? I agree those things are addictive.

lol I almost bought the turkey ones today but I think he'd have been upset - but wow 11 grams of fat LESS per 5 links! I only make them once a year though so I'll indulge him. I did get the reduced fat crescents, and I'm making buffalo chicken dip w/the reduced fat cream cheese, blue cheese, and fat free dressing....

QOTD: I'm Jennifer, almost 45 years old, married to Andy for 18 years, we have one dd, Sarah, age 11 1/2. I had thyroid cancer when I was 26 and the surgical complications have me on lots of meds, so I always thought losing weight would be hard, and it has been! I want to get rid of 80 pounds. DH bought me a bodybugg for Christmas - this thing is awesome!! I have a call w/a coach tomorrow to get all the details but I think it will really make a difference!

 

[stace208]

Hi everyone!
I am Stacy, a 38 year old elementary teacher (2nd grade currently), wife, and mom of two. I have struggled with my weight all of my life. I've been very successful at losing it before but not at keeping it off. Thanks to recent stress eating, I have gained quite a bit so I am guessing I have between 80-100 pounds to lose. Guess I will find out for sure on Friday Gotta make it stick this time!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Hey all! I'm Buffy, I'm 36 and I'm a SAHM of 4. DH and I have been married almost 17 years (this coming April).
I'm a moderator in the Creative Community here on the DIS.
I have about 70-80 pounds to lose but at this point I would be happy with 20.

I tried to so the Fall challenge but I got really sick so it kind of derailed me. Then our Disney trip came up. I did however lose 6.2 pounds on the trip! I'm hoping to use that as my motivation to keep going. I'm this close to being in the 100's again.

This year my personal goal is to take care of me. I had a nasty comment made about me to my husband from DS8's teacher so instead of focusing my efforts on the 240 kids in the building, I'm working on me for a change. We'll see how long they can live without me.

 

[JFrey4240]

Hi! I'm Jen, 39, wife, mother to a 9 yr old DD and speech/language pathologist at an elementary school. I joined Weight Watchers about 3 years ago and lost about 15 pounds--it was wonderful! It has all come back. My school is bringing in Weight Watchers this January and I plan on signing up. I'm hoping between that and this thread, I will stick to a better eating plan. Smaller portions is a must. It doesn't help that I talked to my friend that is hosting New Year's Eve this year and is only having snack food and appetizers. I volunteered to bring a veggie tray and fresh fruit and NOT eat the chicken wing dip even if it is on celery.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

We have our own thread! I can't wait. I think I'm going to officially start my attempts on Jan 1. That gives me some time to get organized. I am supposed to meet with my trainer today, but I sprained my hand and can't lift weights so I'm waiting to here if I should come in or not.

 

[chskover]

Hi everyone,
My name is Colleen. I am a single mother of 2 girls (23 & 21). My oldest plans on making me a grandmother of twins in May. I am a secretary for a school during the week, a secretary for a hospital on the weekends and I go to school at night. I have made to many excuses the last 10 years and now I need to lose over 100lbs. I am hoping this will help.
Thanks

 

[lisah0711]

to so many new and returning participants! We are so going to rock this challenge!

Yep, we are ready to !

First time also here.

I want to be on the Maintainer team (I think I signed up on the right place, the sticky thread?).

So I decided NOT to wait until the 1st and focus on me now. (Dh's GP just has been really sick and just passed this week, me and Mom have been sick the last few weeks, kids acting up, etc...) Life is so crazy lately I am afraid I am going to forget about me and keeping my goals.

Yes, it sounds like it is time to make yourself a priority, PaulaSue! And thanks for being a part of our inaugural maintainer team. I think you and 50sjayne will have quite a few people joining you as the challenge progresses.

First time for me as well. I'm Kim, single mom to a dd9 and about to be 34 in a few weeks. My weight has slowly been rising every year but now I feel like it is out of control. I have 100+ to lose so it feels a little overwhelming. I am going to try and take it 5lbs at a time and see how that works. My biggest issue is portion control so I hope if I can get that under control everything else will fall into place. I am so excited for this to start.

I should warn everyone that I have a tendancy to share everything when I'm on a long term chat like this so I'm warning you, you will know me very well by the end of this. Some stuff you may not even want to know but I'll tell you anyway

Kim

Good idea breaking up your goals into smaller numbers! And don't worry about sharing, we are a pretty chatty bunch.

 

[lisah0711]

Hi, I'm Tracie. I'm 35 years old. I'm a teacher by day and a writer at night. This fall I submitted my first WDW "educational" book for kids to several publishers. I'm still waiting to hear back.

Oooh! A Disney book -- how exciting!

Hi, my name is Eileen. I'm 28. Im the heaviest I've ever been right now and I plan on getting back to my goal weight (funny/sad thing is, that when i was at that weight, my goal weight was even lower). I sit at a desk for 9+ hours a day and it totally screws with my metabolism not to mention that by the time I get home after an hour commute, i'm so drained. But NO MORE EXCUSES!!. I have about 20lbs to lose and can't wait to start.

I got the best cook book for christmas. the tag line is, for people who say they don't have the time to cook healthy meals. I've already cooked one recipe and it was super easy and soo good. Even my bf loved it.

Sounds interesting! Would you mind sharing the title of the book?

I'm Dawn. I'm a SAHM to 3. I was formerly a homeschool mom, but this fall everyone went to school. I hoping to finally take the time to take care of myself now.

Yep, you can't take care of everyone else if you don't take care of yourself.

Welcome everyone. I signed in before but I haven't answered the QOTD

I am a 54 year old, wife, mother and AP calc teacher. Dh and I have been married for over 31 years. OUr sons still live at home Ds1 is 24 and works full time at a local department store but is hoping to get a job in a research lab. Ds2 is a sophomore engineering student at Rowan University in NJ. He leaves for Africa on Sunday to work on a road in Gambia with Engineers Without Borders. (Keep your fingers crossed that his Visa comes today or tomorrow)

Here's some for your DS, donac, that he gets his VISA today.

Hi, I'm Deb, Mother to 3 boys ages 14, 12 and 7 and wife to Chris. We've been married for 17 years. Chris is also planning to lose weight with us, but he probably won't join the official challenge. We've lost before and done fairly well keeping it off. My goal is to lose those last 10-15 lbs. I don't exercise and actually hate the thought of it. I know that I need to do that to finish with the weight loss, I'd rather give up food than exercise We have a big family trip coming up in July, a week at Disney, a week western caribbean cruise then another week in Orlando. I want to look and feel good about myself. Those pictures will certainly tell all. I am a waitress by occupation at least until the kids are grown a bit more. Until recently I was also an early morning life guard at a local aquatic center. I do love to swim, just can't seem to find the time to fit it into my day. I want to establish good habits and routines now as I would like to get back into the business world in September. I'm ready to restart my career and like it or not appearance effects job prospects.

Wow! Sounds like a super trip!

Hello, everyone. My name is Ann. I am 37 years old (but will be 38 by the time we finish the challenge). My husband and I have been married for 4 years. We enjoy our nieces and nephews, but do not have our own child - unless you count the kitty pictured on the left.

I haven't weighed myself since we got back from our cruise in October. I have a feeling that I need to lose around 15 or 20 pounds. I will find out for sure on Friday. My original plan was to start my diet on 1/2/10 - since we have a family get-together on 1/1, so I may be getting a slow start on week 1. I already exercise regularly, but my diet is a mess right now. I have a crazy sweet tooth and I love to bake. I know I will be in sugar withdrawals for the first week or two (pray for my husband ). I am really looking forward to taking off a few pounds, though. As a pp said, I am not feeling very comfortable in my skin either.

I have struggled with weight my whole life - I remember going on my first "diet" in 2nd grade. I imagine I will always struggle to some degree, but I am taking action now, before it gets too out of hand and for that, I am proud.

Your kitty sure is a handsome one.

lol I almost bought the turkey ones today but I think he'd have been upset - but wow 11 grams of fat LESS per 5 links! I only make them once a year though so I'll indulge him. I did get the reduced fat crescents, and I'm making buffalo chicken dip w/the reduced fat cream cheese, blue cheese, and fat free dressing....

QOTD: I'm Jennifer, almost 45 years old, married to Andy for 18 years, we have one dd, Sarah, age 11 1/2. I had thyroid cancer when I was 26 and the surgical complications have me on lots of meds, so I always thought losing weight would be hard, and it has been! I want to get rid of 80 pounds. DH bought me a bodybugg for Christmas - this thing is awesome!! I have a call w/a coach tomorrow to get all the details but I think it will really make a difference!

It will be interesting to see if he can tell any difference with the rolls. I think as you get used to the reduced fat stuff that you really forget how the other stuff tasted but it takes awhile to get there!

Hi everyone!
I am Stacy, a 38 year old elementary teacher (2nd grade currently), wife, and mom of two. I have struggled with my weight all of my life. I've been very successful at losing it before but not at keeping it off. Thanks to recent stress eating, I have gained quite a bit so I am guessing I have between 80-100 pounds to lose. Guess I will find out for sure on Friday Gotta make it stick this time!

You can do it!

Hey all! I'm Buffy, I'm 36 and I'm a SAHM of 4. DH and I have been married almost 17 years (this coming April).
I'm a moderator in the Creative Community here on the DIS.
I have about 70-80 pounds to lose but at this point I would be happy with 20.

I tried to so the Fall challenge but I got really sick so it kind of derailed me. Then our Disney trip came up. I did however lose 6.2 pounds on the trip! I'm hoping to use that as my motivation to keep going. I'm this close to being in the 100's again.

This year my personal goal is to take care of me. I had a nasty comment made about me to my husband from DS8's teacher so instead of focusing my efforts on the 240 kids in the building, I'm working on me for a change. We'll see how long they can live without me.

, Buffy, I'm glad it's your turn now.

Hi! I'm Jen, 39, wife, mother to a 9 yr old DD and speech/language pathologist at an elementary school. I joined Weight Watchers about 3 years ago and lost about 15 pounds--it was wonderful! It has all come back. My school is bringing in Weight Watchers this January and I plan on signing up. I'm hoping between that and this thread, I will stick to a better eating plan. Smaller portions is a must. It doesn't help that I talked to my friend that is hosting New Year's Eve this year and is only having snack food and appetizers. I volunteered to bring a veggie tray and fresh fruit and NOT eat the chicken wing dip even if it is on celery.

Great plan for dealing with the party food!

We have our own thread! I can't wait. I think I'm going to officially start my attempts on Jan 1. That gives me some time to get organized. I am supposed to meet with my trainer today, but I sprained my hand and can't lift weights so I'm waiting to here if I should come in or not.

Hope that your hand is better soon!

Hi everyone,
My name is Colleen. I am a single mother of 2 girls (23 & 21). My oldest plans on making me a grandmother of twins in May. I am a secretary for a school during the week, a secretary for a hospital on the weekends and I go to school at night. I have made to many excuses the last 10 years and now I need to lose over 100lbs. I am hoping this will help. Thanks

Wow! You have a lot going on in your life! Thanks for joining our challenge.

 

[clomahony]

Hello all. My name is Carin and I live just outside DC and am 41. I'm now almost up to 260lbs and I've never been so heavy in my life. I was always thin when I was younger so I'm not very disciplined in the dieting and exercising but have to do something now. I currently work in finance for a defense contractor but spent the last 15 years in commerical real estate when I was laid off last August. I have 3 kids (20, 6 & 3). Ideally my goal is to be under 200 lbs intially but my real goal is to buy clothes in regular stores and not the plus size stores anymore.

To all who set this up, Thanks for all your hard work. I look forward to working with everyone here.

 

[DisFam95]

Hello all. I've been married almost 15yrs and have 2 young boys. Work part time in PT at a hospital. I got to my goal weight after my last child a couple years ago - amazing how a trip to Hawaii can motivate you! The pounds have krept back over the last 2 yrs and I've put about 15-20 lbs!

I do well with food journaling so I hope to get back to doing that. I have a treadmill and used to do it 5x week for an hour but of course have let that slide the last few months.

So my plan is to get back to journaling and working out on a regular basis. I have a DL trip coming in Feb and I want to lose the 15-20lbs. Not sure if it can be done in 2 months but i can get a good start.

I have not done a challange before so I hope coming on here and having to report in will help keep me on track. I've been sick for the last week and i'm dying to get back to working out bt I think I would fall over I'm so dizzy!

Good luck to us all!!!

 

[MelanieC]

QOTD -

I'm Melanie, 40 years old and married for 22 years. I have a DD17 who is going to the University of Mizzouri next fall and a DS12 who will get to be the king of the house next fall, lol. We have two cats, Phantom and Pumpkin (one who is thin as a rail and one who is heavy and fat).

I joined WW several years back. The first time was after DD was born, and I lost a few pounds but didn't stick with it. Then years later I joined again in 2002. I did well and then DH when to Kuwait in 2003 for 3 months. I gained all but 10 lbs I lost back. So when he came back from the war I started again in June and made it to goal by July the following year (2004). Then I sort of gave myself permission to slide a little and went on some summer trips and gained a little. Not tons, but enough that I didn't go back to Weight Watchers out of shame. Then last November we went to Disney for two weeks and by Christmas I was disgusted with myself. All my clothes were getting tight again. I did the 1/2 marathon in January of 2005 (WISH Inaugral team) at WDW and came home and got strict again. I got down to within 6 pounds of my Weight Watcher goal by the end of June 2005. Then a long weekend in Vegas, 2 weeks in Disney and a long weekend in Alabama really got to me and I was back to where I was in Jan 2005 when I did the 1/2 marathon. For the next few years I have gained over the late summer/fal and lost again late winter/spring early summer. Each year I start the cycle all over. 2007/2008 I put on a little more weight landing me in the 150's-160's. Last year 2008/2009 I put on a little more weight landing me in the 160-170's. This year, I got down to 159 (but mostly staying in the 163 range) and after a trip to Disney & Vegas I'm back up hovering in the low 170's although the past two weeks with the holidays I'm hovering around the 174 & 175 range.

Now I do Sparkpeople and count calories. I am going to take the $15 I would spend on WW's and put it in a jar when I get to my goal I'm going to use the money to go on a spending spree. Also, when I get to goal I'm going to buy myself 3 pairs of Lucky Brand Jeans. Something I won't let myself do until I get to where I want to be. I'm also a vegetarian now, so this will be a fun adventure with my new eating style. I'm actually loving being a vegetarian and loving all the new foods I'm discovering.

So I've done some serious yo-yo'ing. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of being overweight. I've felt the 130's in 2005 and lived in the 140's and low 150's for a while after that. I still feel like that, but when I look in the mirror I see something that doesn't reflect how I feel on the inside. It's time to change that. I'm the ONLY ONE who can do it. It's totally up to me and it's a choice and a decision I must make. I'm ready to get healthy again, to like exercise again. I'm ready to walk past that mirror and like the person I see.

I'm so excited to get this going again! We are going to rock 2010! It's also hard to believe this is the 9th BL I've been a part of.

 

[jbm02]

Hi everyone - another first timer here.
I'm Jude and I'm 44, working mom, married 18 years to amazing DH and have two terrific kids, DS14 and DD10. I used to think I had will power and have come to the sad conclusion that I don't. But I would like to! I am only 5'1 so every single ounce puckers on me. I joined an early morning boot camp class at our local Y last year (still going to it!) and have lost about 20 lbs. But it came off very very slowly. I'd like to lose another 25 more. (my original goal for 2010 was 15 - and I was going to try to lose 5 lbs a month. But once I found this site I figured I'd try to boost that up a little...) My biggest issue is grazing - I love to eat. I haven't been very successful at journalling or calculating calorie content of foods (although I try to buy "healthy") so I am really looking forward to a program that holds me accountable for every little nibble.
My dream is to someday complete a marathon.
Another part of my motivation is to help my family eat better. While my DS is a beanpole, the rest of us are not. I am especially concerned because my sturdy DD will start middle school next year and I know how cruel tween girls can be. My DH has diabetes and had a heart attack 2 years ago. He is 6'5 and probably weights about 300. We are planning to support each other for a healthy 2010.

 

[LuvBaloo]

My name is Shannon and I'll be the Weightkeeper again this challenge.
I really enjoy working with numbers in Excel ( I am a geek!) and enjoy participating in these challenges!

ITEM #1:
There was interest expressed in the planning thread for people to be able to set a goal and be measured against their goal. I am willing to add that to the tracking if people want it. This would be something extra for people that want it; the normal top losers results will continue as they were in the last challenge.

So for folks that want some extra accountability:-when you send in your starting weight, you can send in your goal for the challenge.
- I will keep track and report the status for the goals as:
LuvBaloo - 2% complete
MickeyMouse - 10% complete
Donald Duck - 13% complete
You don't have to do this if you don't want the extra accountability. This is optional extra.

Item #2:
Each week the results will be calculated as (old - new) divided by old to give a % loss. If weeks are missed, the results will be divided the weeks since last weighing in.

Item #3:
Anybody that missed 3 weigh-ins in a row, is dropped from the tracking, but is welcome to rejoin at any time.
If you are going to miss weighing in for any reason, just let me know and I'll mark you excused, that way you get credit for at least checking in.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the weights.
Please let me know if there's something you'd like to see in the reporting.

Remember to send in those starting weights on Jan 1st .
And if Friday isn't the best day for you to send your weight in, you can send it in a day or 2 early or late. I will post a list of those who haven't sent weights in, usually on Sundays. Results posts will be put up on Tuesdays. There is no pressure to send in weights, and if you prefer to just chat that's fine.

 

[MelanieC]

Also - I just started a thread for Friday for an exercise challenge. I'm challenging everyone to do some sort of exercise on Friday to get themselves started with a BANG! Anyone game? Come join me.

 

[LuvBaloo]

And now to properly answer the QOTD:

My name is Shannon. I'm 37, married with 2 DD's (8 and 4). I work full time, and have been taking one correspondence course at a time, but I'm taking a 3month break from courses. My DH was my friend in highschool and we became more than friends the day after finishing school. We've now been a couple for over half our lives!

I enjoy all sorts of crafts, and of course Disney vacations. I live in Western Canada, and am really looking forward to 2011 when DCL comes to Canada. We're booked for the cruise to bring the ship to Canada and stay on for the first trip to Alaska.

My weight slowly creeped up after high school until last January when I decided to get serious about trying to lose weight and joined BL6! I joined WW online in March, and in the first half of 2010 lost 20 lbs. And then maintained for the rest of the year. I let life get in the way. I'm re-motivated again, and have set a goal of 20pounds for BL9. I've also set myself a goal of losing 15 pounds and then I can buy myself the Glee DVD!
And DH & I are going to Vegas when I reach my goal weight!

 

[Derby]

Hi, I'm a 28 year old mostly stay-at-home mom to an almost 2 year old. I work a few days a month in an acute care psychiatric hospital. Like lost of PPs, I am just tired of being overweight. My DH and I would like to start TTC baby #2 sometime next year and I would like to be MUCH healthier than I am now. I am beginning training in mid-January for a 10K on March 27. I am very active in my local moms group and I love to read. I used to be really outdoorsy and ride horses, but that has sadly kind of gone by the wayside since having DD. Of course, I love Disney! I need to lose about 20-30 lbs.

 

[pakaramom]

I got the best cook book for christmas. the tag line is, for people who say they don't have the time to cook healthy meals. I've already cooked one recipe and it was super easy and soo good. Even my bf loved it.

I'd love the name of the cookbook!

I got the best cook book for christmas. the tag line is, for people who say they don't have the time to cook healthy meals. I've already cooked one recipe and it was super easy and soo good. Even my bf loved it.

I'm jealous - I really really really want a bodybugg!!


QOTD:

I'm new to DIS and BL challenges. My name is Stacey and I'm married with 3 kids. DS 7, DD 5 and DD 1 1/2. We're planning our first family trip to WDW in April the week this challenge finishes up! I need to lose ~100, but will be happy with just feeling and fitting better in my clothes. I lost a bunch of weight after having DD1, but slowly crept back up. I've done WW and did fairly well and might continue with that or maybe trying Sparkpeople. Does anyone use Sparkpeople? I'd love to add you as friends!

Looking forward to getting started!

 

[tigger813]

Hi everyone! I am so excited to be here again! I'm looking forward to being your coach 1/8-1/14!

I am Tracey! This is my 2nd BL challenge! I did well last time (finished 2nd, YEAH, ME!)and still have about 15-20 pounds to go. I have lost almost 40 since last Christmas and lost 22.5 last challenge!

I am a 39 year old wife, Mom of 2 DDs (9 and 5), and a Licensed Massage therapist. I was a teacher for 7 years prior to that and left to spend more time with my family. We are Disney addicts in this house. Our next trip will be next December to celebrate my 40th b'day.

I love watching the BL every Tuesday with DH! I got several new workout things for Christmas so I'm looking forward to finishing this challenge reaching my goal! DH and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary last weekend. I currently weigh what I did before getting pregnant the first time. My goal is 145-150.

I became totally hooked on exercise after getting the Wii and Wii Fit last year. I also love my elliptical. I find that I feel so much better after a workout. I am addicted to Leslie Sansone's WATP workouts. I was doing 6-8 miles a day during the last challenge between WATP and my beloved elliptical. I have put back on about 4 pounds this holiday break from the challenge and finally started working out again this morning. My workout room is currently my parents bedroom so I will not be able to do my full workouts until they leave next week sometime but I will do my WATP anywhere I can find including the bedroom.

Best wishes to all of you and welcome aboard! This is a great group of people to be with everyday! Looking forward to sharing ups and downs with all of you and most of all getting healthy and fit together!

Happy New Year! To 2010 being the best year ever!

 

[DisneyFam5]

Hi everyone. I found the BL challenge last January and it finally kept me going on my diet. I won the challenge and lost 62 pounds by July 1st! I don't know why, but having to PM my weigh to a total stranger really kept me going. I was very excited to win the challenge and I felt great!!!! Shopping was awesome. Unfortunately I eventually fell off the wagon
and gained about half of it back. I feel awful and poor Kohl's is going to send out a search party because now shopping is depressing and I'm avoiding it! Anyway, I'm ready to get moving again and I guess my goal for the fifteen weeks is to get back to where I was in July.
Oh, my name is Michele, I'm a 45 year old engineer, married 18 years, with three boys ages 17, 15, and 13. Also I LOVE excel and am a geek like LuvBaloo!