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

[tigger813]

Throat has been bothering a lot today. Just fixed myself a cup of green tea. Still no working out though I did give a hot stone massage today.

I actually went to bed early and went to sleep by 9:20 last night. Slept until about 6am. Didn't even hear DH come to bed.

May do that again tonight though I want to watch some shows with DH. Poor guy! I've been no fun all week. He has the opposite problem. He can't sleep!

Not that hungry today. I had some coffee cake for breakfast and a WW meal for lunch. I also had my handful of M&Ms this afternoon. Not sure what I'll have for supper. I have some chicken defrosted. I may make general gau's or something Mexican with it. I just don't know what I want.

I was down another .4 without working out so I will probably still have a gain tomorrow but it should be small. I'm up about 1.2 from last Friday.

Have a good day everyone! Hope everyone has stayed safe in the blizzard. We had a dusting!

 

[50sjayne]

QOTD: Definitely summer. There's no snow in the summer

That cracked me up....

I'm definitely summer. It doesn't really get very hot here, but when it does--I love it. I love extreme weather though and I'm very jealous of your all's snow. I love the long days and am really looking forward to my summer clothes this year I bought quite a bit at the goodwill outlets and haven't had a chance to wear them yet.

Still have some things to do with son although we're getting through it. Still need to make corrections to the FAFSA, transfer his savings to a different account. He has to write an essay for one of the scholarships.
One of my kitties has uti now-- I took a lg bag of junk catfood for $2 at work--never again.....have been giving her apple cider vinegar and it really seems to be helping her, almost miraculous really. I'd rather try this first than take her to the vet and have them try to squeeze out urine like the last time, and do the tests. She is about 11 years old and has a big lump on her back. I had it tested when it first appeared and there was no cancer but since it has grown I'm pretty sure it must be cancerous. I keep a really good eye on her because of this so I think I caught the uti quick enough. She likes canned food too. I've also been giving her the cranberry pills. From what I know about cancer in cats fighting it is just hard on the cats and doesn't work, so for now I'm just watching her. I've also learned that a lot of times older animals just get bumps and it doesn't really mean anything. She is beautiful and a dear. I'm watching her--I'll take her in if I need to. I'm pretty worried about her though.

[/IMG]

Crazy Heart will be here tomorrow! Finally. I'll be at the first showtime lol and home in time for the opening ceremonies for the olympics. Yay.

 

[MelanieC]

Thursday's QOTD: I like food makeover's when you find a way to eat a favorite food, but you make it a lot healthier. What is a makeover to a food recipe that you enjoyed?


Mine is a hummus quesadilla - I spred hummus on the tortilla instead of cheese. I lightly cook on a flat cast iron skillet with a little olive oil. Then I use homemade salsa to dip each of the pieces in. Very yummy and I think the hummus is a lot healthier than the cheese.

Hummus
1 can garbanzo beans
1/3 cup tahini
4 tbsp lemon juice (1-2 fresh or I use organic bottled lemon juice)
sea salt to taste
1-2 cloves garlic ( I don't always include this if I don't want garlic breath)
mix in food processor till smooth. Add small amount of water until creamy smooth.

 

[tigger813]

QOTD:
I've been making a lot more things with ground turkey. I also made a spicy chicken dip last weekend with lite cream cheese, lite Mexican cheese, etc. I also have bought fat free evaporated milk and fate free sweetened condensed milk. I haven't noticed much difference in the taste of things. I have a popular dish I bring to parties but I haven't made it low fat yet. Some of my friends might not be too happy with me if I change it. I will try it on DH and myself first. It's a taco salad with Doritos, thousand island dressing, Mexican cheese and ground beef. I will make it with all low fat ingredients next time.

 

[LuvBaloo]

Just got around to changing my Biggest Loser Page-a-day calendar for today, and I thought of Legomom3 as I read it.

"With exercise, you must strive to burn as much fat as poosibile and a substantial number of calories. That's where cardio comes in. It's really what lights the fat-burning furnaces. This cardio workout involves two types of exercise: steady-state cardio and interval cardio."

 

[MelanieC]

We are the same here. Maybe not 2 feet but a lot more than we had this morning. The power just went out but only for a minute. It is still snowing here. Dh and I are both out for tomorrow (I really wanted the house to myself)

Hope you guys got dug out. DH just finished about an hour ago. He was totally exhausted.

What a disappointing meal I had for dinner. We went out for mexican. I took my own healthy baked chips. Ordered spinach enchilada's with black beans. Sounds healthy right? At the other mexican restaurant that we eat at, the spinach enchiladas are...well spinach. Tonight they came out and it was some kind of white creamy junk with a few flecks of spinach. I should have sent it back. I only ate half but I was so disappointed. I could have ordered something tastier for less WW points. Bummer. Oh well, lesson learned. Sometimes even with our best healthy intentions we still are defeated. But tomorrow is another day. I'll do some extra time on my Wii Fit to make up for tonight.

That stinks, I hate it when you think your ordering one thing and it's totatlly different.

We're doing a "Largest Loser" school. I don't think the scale they use is that accurate. Last week it told me I gained when WW told me I lost. This week it told me I lost 5, I'm nto sure that's accurate. I normally WI on Thursdays with WW, but I'm going to Nebraska with Aaron tomorow for his grandmother's funeral, so I won't be able to WI til Saturday. Hopefully I'll be able to not go too far off track while we are on the road.

I got my call from Worlds of Fun today- I will be the lead at Camp Snoopy. I have to admit, I am disappointed. I was really hoping for a coaster. But they combined what had been two crews into one and said they needed somebody organized. What can you do? Oh well, I'll make it fun somehow!

Sorry you didn't get the coaster job you were wanting. Hopefully you have fun with all the kids. Good luck this weekend.

Its been a good week for me. I've been getting the exercise in, which has resulted in less dis'ing. I've done a weigh-in every morning so far this week, which is unusual for me. Its been interesting to see the scale go up after a salty dinner, and then come back down the next day.

HOpe all of you in the crazy snow areas are okay, and that everyone who isn't feeling great, feels better soon!

2/8 Monday QOTD: What are the tools that you use most in your weight loss journey?
The computer for Dis, and WWonline.

2/9 Tuesday QOTD: Do you have a reward for reaching goal? Or mini-goals?
When I eventually reach goal, it'll be a trip to vegas with DH. Right now, no mini-rewards planned, but I've been shopping for vacation. Having a vacation coming next month is a great motivator for me.

2/10 Wednesday QOTD: What is your favorite Season and why?
early spring, when the snow is disappearing, and its longer daylight and its too early for seasonal allergies

Glad things are going well for you. I also think it's interesting to watch and observe what the scale does when you eat different things like salty meals.

Good morning. I'm a bit behind again. The days go by too fast.
I've not been great with the eating, so expect I'll be up tomorrow. Hoping to stay below my starting weight, but it's going to be close. Gonna keep on trucking.

Congrats Princess bride!! and all the top losers this week!!!
It's so great to see the third of the way stats too. Thanks Shannon.

2/9 Tuesday QOTD: Do you have a reward for reaching goal? Or mini-goals?
When I reach 181, my original ww joining weight 20 years ago, I'll be getting new cowboy boots. I don't reward along the way, I guess I usually get things that I want, and vacations are one of my big priorities in life. I think time away really helps to keep me grounded. Though when I do reach goal, a stay at a wdw deluxe resort might be nice, rather than a value, even if it's just for a couple nights.

2/10 Wednesday QOTD: What is your favorite Season and why?
I've always loved the fall, but am enjoying summer much more lately. I think it's the vacation thing, I take 2 weeks off, and we've been camping for a long weekend every summer with some friends at old orchard beach, and we go to sebago with friends, and last year, just michael and I spent a few days at hampton beach, nh before school started, and I think we're going to make that a tradition too. It was a nice way to wind down the summer.

Going to drink that water today, and try and minimize the gain tomorrow. Have a great day.

Good luck with WI tomorrow, you never know. Sometimes the scale is surprising.

Thank you MelanieC for being our coach this week! And thanks to our new coach starting tomorrow, jenanderson!



See this, Kathy, we probably have the same thing to look forward to with our boys!



Good job on the exercising! It's good to know how different meals affect your body and see what the trend is as you go through your busy week.



Isn't that the truth? February is almost half way through!

This is one of those times of the year when I reminded how differently boys and girls think. When I was in grade school I painstakingly picked out Valentines for each of my classmates, making sure that the cute boys got a "good" Valentine and nothing too mushy for boys I didn't like. It took hours. Last night DS did his Valentines in record time -- going through the list and taking the next card that was on top. Today I will see some of the girls closely examining the Valentine they received from DS and thanking him prettily, imagining some thought went into the process -- when in reality he has no clue what he gave them and won't give it another thought. Man, I wish someone would have told me that when I was a kid!

Be sure and send those weigh-ins to LuvBaloo and those COW numbers to donac tomorrow.

Hope that everyone who got lots of snow is digging out! Have a great day all!

Thanks - i've enjoyed coaching and it's help me jump back into the thread!!

Glad you are okay. It must have been scary for your DS!



My suggestions are..... increase your fiber, be sure you are getting the proper amount of healthy fats, be sure that you are eating ENOUGH. Reducing the sodium is a wonderful idea. Be sure to be drinking plenty of water. Are you recording/journaling every bite/calorie/point (depending on your system)?? Don't try to rely on ESTIMATING.

You could also try rollercoastering your calories (high day, medium day, low day, high day, etc). This seems to help some people.... it keeps your body guessing and is supposed to keep your metabolism working hard. It has seemed to work for me in the past when I plan it and do it right. A few other things that are supposed to help weight loss are 2-3 servings per day of low-fat dairy,2-3 cups per day of green tea, low sodium V-8 or tomato juice drank twice a day before meals and increased Vitamin D. Good luck.


Morning all! I don't have a lot of time to stay and chat, but I wanted to come say HI and send WARM thoughts to those of you who are are snowed in STILL or AGAIN! I hope you all are safe, warm, and comfortable! Those of us here in northern NE can certainly sympathize, but MAN, am I glad that it wasn't US that got all that snow!!!!!!

Chances are I won't be around much between Friday and Monday. Friday night DD swims in ONE event at the Regionals competition in White River Jct, Vermont.... then Saturday late afternoon she has her HS State championship at UNH in Durham, and then Sunday we will be BACK at Regionals in VT for about 6 more events. The VT venue is 3 hours round trip and the UNH venue is 2.5 hrs round trip.... we live somewhere in the middle..... so I will be a CRAZY DRIVING MOM TAXI this weekend! These are ALL qualifying events, so I am very proud of her and I don't want her to miss anything, but I can't even IMAGINE how we are both going to feel by Sunday night. Somewhere in all of this she needs to fit in homework and I need to fit in exercise and we BOTH need to eat right!!

DS's basketball team won their first playoff game on Tuesday night, so they have another game tonight and a final game on Saturday. Thankfully the schedule works out just right for me to be able to see all of these games and STILL be able to get DD where she needs to go..... the calendar fairies must have been smiling down on me! And the weather fairies too.... no bad weather scheduled for this weekend!! THat would have made it a NIGHTMARE.

I've gotta run (literally )! TTYL.......P

Good luck to DD this weekend and good luck to you with your eating. It's always challenging when your not at home. You can do it!!

what a busy morning. I made a huge fruit tray for my sons Valentines party at preschool. Did W3D3 of my C25K plan. Now we are off for swimming lessons and then his party. I was a bit bummed the scale was up for me because I had sushi and tomatoe soup yesterday way way way to much salt. Hopefully it will drop back down. We are supposed to get rain tomorrow boo. What is everyone else up to over the Valentines weekend. My husband has to work at the hospital over the weekend so we are having dinner at Kona next week for our Valentines celebration.

You do sound like your having a busy morning. Great job on getting the exercise in. Woo hoo!

Great advice from pjlla. I have started to swear by green tea. Also making sure you are getting enough fruits and veggies. Another thing you can try is varying your workouts. Even if you don't have time to add more exercise, switching up your activities can help your body use different muscles and work harder. When I added running (just an example) I noticed weight loss - I wasn't exercising much longer each week, but I had finally found an intense workout that I enjoyed enough to keep doing. Up to that point I was doing a lot of walking or really light cardio. Any movement or exercise is beneficial, but if you're trying to get the scale to move more, I think this helps.

I agree - switching up exercise and food (high , medium, low days) is such a help and keeps your body guessing.

Ok, I need help.... Can anyone give me any ideas or tips on fat-burning??! I'm SO frustrated right now I could scream.

I have been exercising regularly since starting this challenge. I am seeing positive changes in my endurance and also I'm regaining some of the muscle tone in my legs (yay!). But I don't seem to be losing much fat AT. ALL. I'm 44, and I know your metabolism changes as you get older (in my 20s I didn't even have to try!!). But I have days where I feel like I'm just stuck with the body I have, that I can be more "fit" in other ways but my knees, thighs and belly just won't let go of the flab!!!

My exercise routine has been a mix of walking, jogging and using my trampoline. Free, and convenient as they are in and around my home. Do you think I might make some head-way by joining a gym and using weight machines? Is there any food or combination of foods that are fat-burners?

Any advice appreciated!!

------------------

ETA: It looks like there may have been a similar post recently, judging by the replies I'm seeing on this page. Forgive me if I missed it - haven't been on this thread in days.....so if there is, feel free to just point me to it!
.

Yes - there was some good advice given on mixing things up. Definately keeping your body guessing is key. I don't know if there is really any type of food that helps, because I think since all of our body chemistries are different, what helps for one person may not for another.

Is it too late to join in? I just ran across this tread today.

Thanks,
Mike

Absolutely! Welcome to the team!

Its NEVER to late to join us!
Official weigh-in day is Friday, so if you want to be part of the weight tracking, please PM me (LuvBaloo) your weight tomorrow as I'm the weightkeeper.
Lisa0711 is our organizer and she's done a great job of having all the key information on page 1 of the thread.
Jump in with any questions!


Happy Thursday everybody!
Tonight I'll be helping the girls get their Valentines ready to take to school/daycare. And then they both want their hair put into little braids for sleeping so it will be wavy tomorrow for their Valentine parties.
Nothing special planned for Valentines this weekend. We'll be watching the opening of the Olympics tomorrow evening, and I'm taking the girls to the next town for a family dinner, and I'll be doing more shopping during the day. My SIL is getting married in Sept, and I'm a bridesmaid, so we'll be doing some shopping for bridesmaid's dresses and I will get to see her wedding dress. Should be a busy and fun weekend.

LegoMom3 - Hang in there! Somebody will come on and share better advice than I have. Maybe getting some ankle, wrist weights would increase fat-burning??

MaizieZoe - I completely missed your post yesterday about the earthquake. How often does Illinois get earthquakes?

Ahh having little ones for holidays is fun. I miss that. My youngest is now in 6th grade in middle school and this is our first year not doing valentines anymore.

Throat has been bothering a lot today. Just fixed myself a cup of green tea. Still no working out though I did give a hot stone massage today.

I actually went to bed early and went to sleep by 9:20 last night. Slept until about 6am. Didn't even hear DH come to bed.

May do that again tonight though I want to watch some shows with DH. Poor guy! I've been no fun all week. He has the opposite problem. He can't sleep!

Not that hungry today. I had some coffee cake for breakfast and a WW meal for lunch. I also had my handful of M&Ms this afternoon. Not sure what I'll have for supper. I have some chicken defrosted. I may make general gau's or something Mexican with it. I just don't know what I want.

I was down another .4 without working out so I will probably still have a gain tomorrow but it should be small. I'm up about 1.2 from last Friday.

Have a good day everyone! Hope everyone has stayed safe in the blizzard. We had a dusting!

I hope you get better. Mexican sounds yummy. I think I'm going to make something mexican next week. I've been craving that.

That cracked me up....

I'm definitely summer. It doesn't really get very hot here, but when it does--I love it. I love extreme weather though and I'm very jealous of your all's snow. I love the long days and am really looking forward to my summer clothes this year I bought quite a bit at the goodwill outlets and haven't had a chance to wear them yet.

Still have some things to do with son although we're getting through it. Still need to make corrections to the FAFSA, transfer his savings to a different account. He has to write an essay for one of the scholarships.
One of my kitties has uti now-- I took a lg bag of junk catfood for $2 at work--never again.....have been giving her apple cider vinegar and it really seems to be helping her, almost miraculous really. I'd rather try this first than take her to the vet and have them try to squeeze out urine like the last time, and do the tests. She is about 11 years old and has a big lump on her back. I had it tested when it first appeared and there was no cancer but since it has grown I'm pretty sure it must be cancerous. I keep a really good eye on her because of this so I think I caught the uti quick enough. She likes canned food too. I've also been giving her the cranberry pills. From what I know about cancer in cats fighting it is just hard on the cats and doesn't work, so for now I'm just watching her. I've also learned that a lot of times older animals just get bumps and it doesn't really mean anything. She is beautiful and a dear. I'm watching her--I'll take her in if I need to. I'm pretty worried about her though.

[/IMG]



Crazy Heart will be here tomorrow! Finally. I'll be at the first showtime lol and home in time for the opening ceremonies for the olympics. Yay.

Hmm sounds like my household with DD17 with the FAFSA, scholarships, etc. It keeps you busy. I think her school should have their summer welcome dates up on Monday. Looking forward to nailing down some trips in the summer. It's a 16 hour drive, so knowing is important for planning other things. I still can't believe she is turning 18 in a few days. Crazy times. I hope the cat gets better soon.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Thursday QOTD: We make a shepherd's pie with chicken breast. It's just chicken breast, peas and corn, covered in mashed potato or cauliflower

Jayne -- Beautiful kitty! My Worf is almost 17, so I know watching them.

Tigger -- I use fat free condensed milk in my fudge, and no one has ever noticed

Shannon -- I remember making valentines! My ds is now 12, so the class party days are over...at least he isn't asking to go to the store to buy one for someone..

LegoMom -- This is completely unscientific, just the ramblings of someone who has also recently passed that 4 birthday. I find that if I have consistent cardio for at least an hour 5 or 6 days a week, I will lose. I also can't eat like a horse, but the intense cardio is key for me. Otherwise, you just never know...I'm also trying to add weight training in, which I'm sure won't hurt. I'm seeing definition in those areas which I do credit to "incline walking". Honestly, I wasn't seeing much happen until I started working my core. I think this is fat you can't just run off, you have to build a layer of muscle underneath for it to leave...

Dona -- I am so sorry you are having problems with your knee!

Pamela -- My ds will be at the UNH hockey game this weekend. His aunt and uncle are taking him as a surprise. He's never been to a hockey game at any level, so it will be interesting to see if he likes it. Best of luck to your daughter!

My ds has been invited to spend the weekend with his auntie and uncle, so dh and I will actually be alone to celebrate Valentine's...dh already warned me he wasn't planning a big date, which probably means an evening by the fire with a glass of wine. I must be old because that sounds peaceful and relaxing...

Maria

 

[lisah0711]

And the weather fairies too.... no bad weather scheduled for this weekend!! THat would have made it a NIGHTMARE.

Enjoy your busy week-end, pjlla! Thank goodness the weather fairies are smiling on you.

My husband has to work at the hospital over the weekend so we are having dinner at Kona next week for our Valentines celebration.

Dinner at Kona sounds like a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day!

Hope that your knee is feeling better soon, donac!

Ok, I need help.... Can anyone give me any ideas or tips on fat-burning??! I'm SO frustrated right now I could scream.

I have been exercising regularly since starting this challenge. I am seeing positive changes in my endurance and also I'm regaining some of the muscle tone in my legs (yay!). But I don't seem to be losing much fat AT. ALL. I'm 44, and I know your metabolism changes as you get older (in my 20s I didn't even have to try!!). But I have days where I feel like I'm just stuck with the body I have, that I can be more "fit" in other ways but my knees, thighs and belly just won't let go of the flab!!!

Both pjlla and princessbride6205 had some good ideas on ways to up your losses. Are you journalling all your food and exercise? You can eat your way through your exercise if you don't keep track of both. Also, maybe you need to mix up your workouts, like pjlla suggested with your food -- keep your body guessing. I think you can get a good workout at home. I would save the gym for later but that is just me. Good luck! You can do this!

Is it too late to join in? I just ran across this tread today.

hyerpraise! Thanks for joining our challenge. Let us know if you have any questions and good luck.

We'll be watching the opening of the Olympics tomorrow evening, and I'm taking the girls to the next town for a family dinner, and I'll be doing more shopping during the day.

We'll be checking out the Olympics this week-end, too. I remember your pics from Vancouver -- it's so picturesque!

tigger813, I hope that you are feeling better soon. I have sympathy for your DH too. I didn't sleep well last night and feel like a zombie today. You don't think that you have strep throat do you?

 

[tigger813]

tigger813, I hope that you are feeling better soon. I have sympathy for your DH too. I didn't sleep well last night and feel like a zombie today. You don't think that you have strep throat do you?

Thanks, Lisa! No, I don't think it's strep as I have no fever. My throat has felt really dry despite the large amount of water that I drink. I may have just worn myself down. We were staying up late a lot that past couple of weeks. It's also TOM so that doesn't help with the exhaustion. It's not hard to swallow so I think it's just a cold. Nose isn't running too badly today. I have to say that I never have had strep in my life. May have had it once but a blizzard kept me from going to the doctor so they just prescribed an antibiotic over the phone. I used to get a lot of sore throats as a child. Girls, knock on wood, haven't had it either.
Looking forward to some warmer weather soon I hope! Also, looking forward to getting some R&R this weekend watching the Olympics! I'm sooo excited!!

 

[lisah0711]

She is beautiful and a dear. I'm watching her--I'll take her in if I need to. I'm pretty worried about her though.

Awww! Bless her little kitty heart. And bless your heart, too, for having to worry about her.

Thursday QOTD: We make a shepherd's pie with chicken breast. It's just chicken breast, peas and corn, covered in mashed potato or cauliflower

This sounds yummy. Will have to try some as I am doing menu planning this week-end.

MelanieC, have to think about the QOTD and will post my answer later.

Off to DS' Valentine's Day party -- the last school party of his school career. I'm kind of and kind of .

 

[princessbride6205]

Ok, I need help.... Can anyone give me any ideas or tips on fat-burning??! I'm SO frustrated right now I could scream.

I have been exercising regularly since starting this challenge. I am seeing positive changes in my endurance and also I'm regaining some of the muscle tone in my legs (yay!). But I don't seem to be losing much fat AT. ALL. I'm 44, and I know your metabolism changes as you get older (in my 20s I didn't even have to try!!). But I have days where I feel like I'm just stuck with the body I have, that I can be more "fit" in other ways but my knees, thighs and belly just won't let go of the flab!!!

My exercise routine has been a mix of walking, jogging and using my trampoline. Free, and convenient as they are in and around my home. Do you think I might make some head-way by joining a gym and using weight machines? Is there any food or combination of foods that are fat-burners?

Any advice appreciated!!

------------------

ETA: It looks like there may have been a similar post recently, judging by the replies I'm seeing on this page. Forgive me if I missed it - haven't been on this thread in days.....so if there is, feel free to just point me to it!
.

No worries on the similar question. To answer your question about the gym - I don't think it's necessary to join. Walking, jogging and trampoline are great for cardio. I would think about working some free strength training in. You can do crunches, squats, lunges and push-ups with no equipment. You could also try a work out video.
As far as food, are you tracking points or calories? If not, I would start there. When I started counting calories last year, I realized I was eating way more than I ever would have guessed. (How did my wheat pretzels and low-fat ice cream add up to too much?)
I don't know if there is any scientific backing to this, but how you use your points/calories seems to matter. I noticed a difference when I used my calories for nuts, raisins, yogurt, etc. rather than low fat cookies.

Is it too late to join in? I just ran across this tread today.

Thanks,
Mike

Welcome!!

 

[tigger813]

Ended up making chicken gorditas with lite Mexican cheese on top. Not too bad since I didn't really eat much today. Drinking my water I think has been my savior this week!

Of course, the GS cookies arrived tonight! I bought 4 boxes- 1 mint, 1 Thanks a lots, 1 lemonades and 1 Carmel Delites. I bought the lemonades for me though I am going to try and not eat very many of them. I also like the mints.

Good luck to everyone with their weigh ins tomorrow!

 

[lovedvc]

Don't know if I will have much of a weight loss tomorrow. My body seems to be fighting itself. I have stayed on program all week. Maybe its because I ate different foods than what I'm used too, could be the sodium. Hopefully I will see a loss but I really have my doubts. I just have to push through it and not give up. No pity parties.

 

[50sjayne]

Ugh. Well I'm on the rag...after 20 years on the pill I'm still not used to the cramps after a year...Was a little worried yesterday that I had gained a pound but today...back to goal weight.
I think Kiara's doing a little better. She's not doing any worse anyway. thanks for the concern. I always felt a little guilt about her. She was in the high kill shelter, just a kitten-- cute as 'heck' and there was another lady interested in her. Someone who looked kind of rich. She was from a litter of barn cats though and had some socialization issues, and at the time, if the cats got returned they were immediately euthanized. That's how I rationalized taking her anyway. Most of my cats would have been euthanized if I didn't get them...she however would have definitely been adopted. I thought the lady interested in her was kind of mean though-- she pulled the tail of another kitten there.

Had a salad for lunch ;-) Really looking forward to work tonight--it's only 4 hours but I've been enjoying that shift, it's my last day and nights are busier and I see a lot of customers I don't see a lot now that I'm working more days.

 

[donac]

We had 11 people participate during COW5. Congratulations everyone who sent me numbers. You are all winners.


Congrats to the other participants
carmiedog
donac
LuvBaloo
tmfranlk

with 23 out of 28 points
mikamah
Ronda93


with 24 out of 28 points
bouldertcr



With 25 out of 28 points
HappySmyly
lisah0711



With 26 out of 28 points
jenanderson
redwalker


Welcome to COW 7

You do not have to participate but it is there to help you build good habits. Each week we will have two to four habit suggestions for you to do. At the end of the week you report your points to me.

It has been said that if you do something for 30 days it will become a habit. We will start off easy with two habits that have been known to help weight loss. As the weeks go by we will add to these habits. We will never have more than 4 habits to work on each week since that seems to be the number that most people could do without a problem.

COW 7

Do at least 20 minutes of exercise every day
Floss your teeth once a day (I know everyone hated this but we must do it)
Do something for someone everyday no matter how small
Journal your food each day

When you send me your points please post your total in your RE and then in the main part of the pm list your points as follows:


XX days of exercising for 20 minutes per day
XX days flossing
XX days doing something for someone else
XX days journaling your food

This challlenge runs from Friday Feb 12, 2010 to Thursday Feb 18, 2010. On Friday Feb 19, 2010 pm me your points for the week. The COW results will be posted the same day the weekly totals are posted.

HAve fun with the COW.

Don't forget to send me COW6 points tomorrow.

 

[corinnak]

It's been a busy one! My YMCA fit club class this morning included a little core workout - we got to try a few moves on the Pilates Reformer machine. I think I might need to buy a few sessions with that - it's pretty cool!

After that, I came home and did the Biggest Loser Yoga DVD - I remember doing part of it a long time ago and stopping midway through - I don't really know why. I am really loving it right now, though. It's a nice change and the core and weights in parts 2 and 3 are really good! Not to mention Bob talking you through everything. On the down-side, Vicky and Heba are both in it! On the up-side, so is Bernie. He's a favorite, for sure.

Thursday's QOTD: I like food makeover's when you find a way to eat a favorite food, but you make it a lot healthier. What is a makeover to a food recipe that you enjoyed?

I've posted it on previous challenges, but here is the Tofu Chocolate Mousse recipe again. It is not exactly low calorie, but it is not too high in sugar and does have a certain healthiness to it:

From "The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook" by Tosca Reno

3/4 dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate bars, broken into pieces
12 oz light silken tofu* at room temperature, drained
1/2 cup warmed skim milk or soy, rice or almond milk
1 tsp best-quality vanilla

raspberries for garnish (optional)

*You MUST use silken tofu for this recipe. Regular or light both work fine, but light creates a smoother texture.


Preparation

1. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler in the microwave. Make sure to let the chocolate melt slowly. Stir until chocolate is uniformly smooth

2. In a food processor or blender, combine tofu, melted chocolate, warmed milk and vanilla. Process until smooth. If there are still white pieces, you can place the mixture in a fine-mesh strainer or sieve,pushing through with the back of a wooden spoon into medium decorative bowl or ladle into individual serving bowls. Chill and serve. Garnish with raspberries (optional but good!).

Actually, I have a new Chocolate Mousse recipe - this one from Weight Watchers. It is somewhat lower in calories and fat, but has, I believe, more sugar. Of course. I can post that too if anyone is interested, but I'd have to type it up fresh.

 

[tigger813]

CorinnaK: Please post the other recipe as well. I love recipes/

Can't sleep!Throat is killing me! Head is achy too. Of course, I have 3 must do things this morning to do. Gotta take DD1 to school and drop off soda for her class party. Then I have a meeting with DD2s preschool teacher and speech pathologist. Then DH and I have to go to NH to see our financial advisor.

Tonight we are celebrating the Olympics by making pizzas and Olympics onion rings! I hope I feel like staying awake for it. I will have to take a nap at some point today. Been awake since 4:30. No fever just feel like crap.

 

[donac]

I am off again today. I really wanted to go in but the school it closed. I have a feeling that the roads in the district are still pretty bad. Our district is very large ( 50 sq miles) and many times the smaller roads are not even plowed by the 3rd day. What is nice about today is dh had to go to school. Ds is home but sleeping late and then maybe going to a job interview. Last night ds and I spent about 30 minutes going over a math test he had to take for this job interview. His math was great because all we were discussing was how many decimal places he should use.

I don't have anything planned for today except to write a letter of recommendation for a student and get it out in the mail today.

Have a good day everyone.

 

[jenanderson]

Good Morning Everyone! I am excited to be your coach for this upcoming week! First, thanks so much to Melanie for coaching this past week! I really appreciate all the support and advice the coaches give so when there was an opening for this week, I felt I needed to try to give back for all I have gotten.

Here is a little bit about me:

My name is Jen. I live in Minnesota with my DH, DD (13) and DS (10). I am a teacher who always takes on many more things than I should…that leads me to struggle with finding time for myself. I have been struggling with my extra weight for many years. About 8 years ago I did WW, exercised and reached my goal weight but over time, all the pounds were put back on. This past fall, I noticed how unhappy I was because nothing fit (not even what I called my “fat clothes”), that I was never in any photos any more (we take tons of photos) and that I hated to even look at myself in the mirror. I knew it was time to get back to WW and make a commitment to losing weight.

At the start of January, I had at least 50 pounds to lose and it seemed like a huge number. There are days where that still seems like a huge number but I am working on it…one pound at a time and it is good. I have reached the point where going to WW and eating properly is fairly easy again. Exercise is a top priority for me and I am reaching a point where I might even begin to call myself a runner!

Today’s QOTD: What do you still find to be a challenge in your weight loss journey and what is one step you can take to overcome it?

One of my biggest challenges is taking care of myself. I don’t really mean eating the right foods (my journaling makes sure I do that) or exercising (this is something I do on autopilot now). The things I do struggle with include taking vitamins, going to bed on time, saying no when I am already overbooked, finding time for me, etc. I had a couple of weeks where I did this great…when it was on the COW weekly list. Since it has come off, I find that I am ignoring me.

The step I will take this week is to find 10 minutes for me each day again. I deserve this time and find that it does help with my weight loss.

Alright, I need to get going to school! I will check in on everyone later!
Jen

 

[jenanderson]

I am off again today. I really wanted to go in but the school it closed.

I don't have anything planned for today except to write a letter of recommendation for a student and get it out in the mail today.

Have a good day everyone.

Enjoy your day off! I hope you find time to do something nice for yourself!

Can't sleep!Throat is killing me! Head is achy too. Of course, I have 3 must do things this morning to do. Gotta take DD1 to school and drop off soda for her class party. Then I have a meeting with DD2s preschool teacher and speech pathologist. Then DH and I have to go to NH to see our financial advisor.

Tonight we are celebrating the Olympics by making pizzas and Olympics onion rings! I hope I feel like staying awake for it. I will have to take a nap at some point today. Been awake since 4:30. No fever just feel like crap.

Hope you feel better soon! I love the sound of your Olympic party tonight. What a fun thing to do to kick off such a special event!

Actually, I have a new Chocolate Mousse recipe - this one from Weight Watchers. It is somewhat lower in calories and fat, but has, I believe, more sugar. Of course. I can post that too if anyone is interested, but I'd have to type it up fresh.

I would love to have the WW chocolate mousse recipe! Please share!