Biggest Loser--Fall 2011 Challenge for Losers & Maintainers!!

[mommyof2Pirates]

I was feeling a little down yesterday and just wanted to crawl into bed when I got home from work even though I had a 30 minute jog/walk scheduled. I rested for a little bit and then got on the treadmill and did my 30 minutes. I would have prefered to get outside but I got home too late to walk outside. I felt good that I did at least that 30 minutes and didn't make any excuses.

I stepped on the scale this morning and was down 2 pounds. It's always a great way to start the day and I got to update the ticker in my signature! My goal is to lose 20 pounds during the challenge and I have already completed 10% of the goal!

Horray that is excellent and a definite pick me up to your day.

I ran into this on WW today -

Wow great tips thanks for sharing with us.

I also realized just how mch money in CC and medical debt we've paid off this yr. I think it's now about $18K we paid off !

Very impressive.

Yucky cold virus got brought to me in some form.

I hope you feel better soon.

I also just found out today that I got into a professional development Fellowship that I'm REALLY excited about!!! :

Congrats to you very exciting. I have the same issue. The past year I have really been doing well at work and making a name for myself in upper mngt. but I feel so not-well dressed. Mostly lack of money to spend on my clothes and shoes but even more just feeling like I dont look good in anything. So I know how you feel. Good luck with everything!!!!

The real challenge for me is weigh in day - the scale is stressful for me - kind of like dangling the keys in front of Scar's face

But I don't have to think of that tonight.

Linda

Dont let the scale bother you. Easier said than done I know. But even if you do well all week but dont see the number you want just focus on the positive of what you are doing for your body. Eventually the number will go down.

My moment was being down 3.8 lbs at WW!

Yay!!! Great Job CC. I just joined my fitness pal too. Im mommyof2pirates.

grandma is back at the hospital with chest pains. im just trying to stay on track and not think about it. this sounds bad but i feel like i dont even have time to think about it. i dont know. doing my best to stay on track, hope everyone is haveing a good week

Sorry about grandma I hope she is ok. Life sometimes gets very overwhelming. Hang in there.

Off to work now, and then football practice and open house at school tonight.

Have a great day!!

Busy day for you today!!!! I hope it goes well.

Which brings me to the QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

I've had a lot of fun coaching this week. Thanks for all the wonderful responses!

Have a great day all!

Thanks so much for being our coach this week Lisa. I would say I usually try to commit to HH on the weekend but it does not always go as planned. The wkends are tough.

**********************************************************

Ok Yeah for me posting two days in a row.
I got the myfitnesspal app on my phone yesterday and I started using it today. I love it so far. I am feeling good about this today.

Its a very cold rainy day here and I am hoping Ryans football practice gets cancelled tonight. It would be nice to go home and make dinner. clean up and then if its not raining get a run in. Especially since it will give me more calories to use on my app.

I hope you all are having a great on plan day.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Well I stumbled out of bed this morning with all intentions of it being a great day. I have a healthy dinner planned to throw in the crock pot this morning, scrapbooking crop to pack up for and going to DD's Back to School night tonight. Except that when my feet hit the floor I remembered that my foot is so painful I can't stand to walk. I put my Darth Vader boot on (I wore it for nearly 2 years in 2009/2010 and hate it with a white hot passion) which helps the pain some but really frustrates me. Came downstairs and my kitchen and sink that I have been working so hard to keep shiny (flylady) were full of dishes and dirty since I couldn't get in there to clean it last night. I filled the dishwasher and cleared the counters but my foot was really bothering me. So while I was fixing my wonderful low carb Taco Soup for dinner I drowned my frustration, pain and oh woe is me with a couple of Nutty Bars and a bunch of tortilla chips-- pure crap. So now I can add depressed and full of junk food to my oh woe is me.

I think this definitely does help me justify putting off the hip surgery I need. I would be non weight bearing on my GOOD leg for possibly 8-12 weeks which would pretty much put me in a wheelchair since I can't ever put all my weight on my bad foot even on a good day. I told my dr that if I have to go back to sitting on my butt for weeks on end it would really sabotage my weight loss efforts and right now I think that it is more important that I get to a healthy weight for my overall health and to make the recovery from the hip surgery easier.

I have a real issue with belts. The belt I had "broke" - it was a double sided "leather" one and the sides had started to separate. I went to get another one and the extra large has to be put on the very last hook and could probably be tighter, but the large was about 4 inches too short.

Did you try the Men's Department? You may not be able to get something cute and fashionable but if you just need something in a basic black or brown "leather" to keep your pants up there are more size options there because they often size them to men's pants sizes rather than S/M/L/XL . I also found a stretchy belt in the Mens Dept at Walmart that doesn't even have holes, you just put the widget anywhere into the belt so it can adjust to whatever size you need.

And, last but not least, consider signing up for a week of coaching. Our coaches pose the QOTD and keep the conversation moving. It is a lot of fun and very motivating. There is a QOTD archive to help you come up with questions and this group doesn't ever seem to run out of things to talk about! We are fortunate that we have enough participants that we can have a different coach every week. If you don't want to commit to a whole week let Janis know because we can split up weeks and even do a coach-of-the-day rotation sometimes. Please PM Janis if you are interested.

Which brings me to the QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

I sent Janis a PM !

Do I commit to healthy habits? Yes. Do I stick to that commitment? Not always. It really just depends on what we are doing that weekend. While I do try to stay on plan, I also usually give myself permission for at least one meal or snack as a splurge. (Since I just had this weekend's "splurge" this morning I will be trying to be as strictly OP as I can this weekend. )

WWWOOOOHOOO for payday!! I haven't had one since MAY! I haven't been called yet to work this year..... I'm actually wondering if I somehow got dropped from the list. If I don't get called in another week, I"m gonna call the school and be sure I'm still on the list! Heck, I've been doing this since 2004, so I'm sure they haven't forgotten about me!


Ended up at Subway for dinner with the kids. I don't love their salads, but it was good for the kids and it was handy, so Subway it was. Their salad dressing selection is terrible, so I ended up with just vinegar and salt and pepper... didn't do much to enhance an already blah salad, but at least it filled my belly (for a few minutes anyhow ) and I swung into the grocery store and picked up some 100 calorie packs of almonds to keep in the car for such occasions.

I was surprised that I actually got called on Tuesday to sub. Last year it was weeks into the year before I got a call. But DD15 has band after school on Tues, Wed and Thurs so she can't be home for DD11 so I can't sub those days until band season is over. DD11 has only been home alone once just a few weeks ago for about 15 mins. Depending on the school (some here start earlier and get out earlier) I may try to go ahead and work since she would only be home for about 20-30 mins before me, but I have to get her a set of keys and make sure she can use them first.


I am not a fan of Subway. Jared may have had success with them but they definitely aren't for me! The last few times we have gone I have ordered a Meatball salad with Spinach as the salad base. They have looked at me really strange and one girl was really obnoxious when I told her what I wanted but I end up with 4 meatballs with a little cheese on them-- probably not very low in fat but still mostly protein, a little tomato sauce (I ask them to not add any extra sauce and get as little as possible), and since it is hot when they throw it on the spinach and put the lid on I end up with a huge serving of steamed spinach-- Meatballs with a side of spinach! Very low carb and a big healthy veggie serving. More on plan for me than most anything else they have, especially since like you I don't like their salads.

 

[JaxJags08]

First of all...... WELCOME ABOARD!!

Have you considered talking to a nutritionist about your DD? Honestly, gotta say this.... I think your pediatrician advising you to give your child "lots of butter and full fat everything" is a bad idea. Butter and other dairy fats are NOT healthy fats. Not only would you be giving her unhealthy fats, but you would be teaching her unhealthy habits.

Try boosting her calorie intake with things like nuts and seeds (presuming she isn't allergic), avocado, healthy oils in things like hummus, pesto, and salad dressings.

How about homemade smoothies.... you could use whole milk (if you don't mind her having dairy) and/or yogurt, fruit, and then throw in some flax seed meal and flax oil.... and maybe some almond butter or sunflower butter??

Does she eat any kind of fish? Try some of the smaller canned fish that doesn't contain as much mercury as tuna (which is not recommended more than once a week or less for small children).... herring, sardines, mackerel all come packed in oil and contain omega-3 fatty acids which are great for her brain!

I know you are a newbie and I don't mean to jump on you right out of the gate. I'm just concerned. I've discovered that FEW traditional western medicine M.D.s know VERY LITTLE about REAL nutrition.

First off, thank you all for the warm welcome!

We have not been to a nutritionist, but I have tried to be very conscientious about what types of fat we are feeding her. I'm not trying to plump her up on lots of butter and oil (though I have started adding butter to her veggies). I thought about putting it in her rice as her dr. suggested, but don't want her palate to fall in love with those things. Her "problem" (and I use quotes, because it's not really), is she LOVES fruits and veggies and is constantly running around burning calories. She would fill herself up on those things if she could. I found she loves avocado, so we go through one of those each day. We also make whole milk smoothies and go with full fat yogurt (though that seems hard to find these days).

Really, I'm not worried about her weight too much (and neither is her doc). I'm Asian and was always pretty petite and my DH was quite skinny, so I think it's just genetics for her. My weight gain basically just started when the doc said DD needed to gain more weight and I started adding the avocados and full fat smoothies to my already not so low-calorie diet.

 

[mackeysmom]

QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

Yes AND No.

While I usually allow myself a little "wiggle room" for Saturday night dinner (usually the night I catch up with my friends at a restaurant), Sunday is my grocery shopping day and the day I do some bulk cooking for the week.

Knowing that I'm going to filling my fridge with healthy goodies on Sunday, keeps me a little more on track Saturday nights, I think.

- Laura

 

[pjlla]

Well I stumbled out of bed this morning with all intentions of it being a great day. I have a healthy dinner planned to throw in the crock pot this morning, scrapbooking crop to pack up for and going to DD's Back to School night tonight. Except that when my feet hit the floor I remembered that my foot is so painful I can't stand to walk. I put my Darth Vader boot on (I wore it for nearly 2 years in 2009/2010 and hate it with a white hot passion) which helps the pain some but really frustrates me. Came downstairs and my kitchen and sink that I have been working so hard to keep shiny (flylady) were full of dishes and dirty since I couldn't get in there to clean it last night. I filled the dishwasher and cleared the counters but my foot was really bothering me. So while I was fixing my wonderful low carb Taco Soup for dinner I drowned my frustration, pain and oh woe is me with a couple of Nutty Bars and a bunch of tortilla chips-- pure crap. So now I can add depressed and full of junk food to my oh woe is me.

I'm so sorry you are having so much pain right now. You can't seem to catch a break with it.... it seems like it is one thing and another that is causing you discomfort.

Glad you were able to get the sink cleaned out.... that should make you feel better.

The taco soup sounds yummy. Not sure what a "Nutty bar" is, but it sounds yummy (and a bit ) too.



I think this definitely does help me justify putting off the hip surgery I need. I would be non weight bearing on my GOOD leg for possibly 8-12 weeks which would pretty much put me in a wheelchair since I can't ever put all my weight on my bad foot even on a good day. I told my dr that if I have to go back to sitting on my butt for weeks on end it would really sabotage my weight loss efforts and right now I think that it is more important that I get to a healthy weight for my overall health and to make the recovery from the hip surgery easier.

I agree... the surgery would be less risky and you would recover better at a good weight. Smart decision.


I was surprised that I actually got called on Tuesday to sub. Last year it was weeks into the year before I got a call. But DD15 has band after school on Tues, Wed and Thurs so she can't be home for DD11 so I can't sub those days until band season is over. DD11 has only been home alone once just a few weeks ago for about 15 mins. Depending on the school (some here start earlier and get out earlier) I may try to go ahead and work since she would only be home for about 20-30 mins before me, but I have to get her a set of keys and make sure she can use them first.

I'm usually called within the first few weeks, but often even before the school year starts, which is why I am a bit alarmed. I'll give it another week though. Kind of enjoying my "vacation"!


I am not a fan of Subway. Jared may have had success with them but they definitely aren't for me! The last few times we have gone I have ordered a Meatball salad with Spinach as the salad base. They have looked at me really strange and one girl was really obnoxious when I told her what I wanted but I end up with 4 meatballs with a little cheese on them-- probably not very low in fat but still mostly protein, a little tomato sauce (I ask them to not add any extra sauce and get as little as possible), and since it is hot when they throw it on the spinach and put the lid on I end up with a huge serving of steamed spinach-- Meatballs with a side of spinach! Very low carb and a big healthy veggie serving. More on plan for me than most anything else they have, especially since like you I don't like their salads.

I like our Subway.... they are USUALLY pretty nice (new girls last night though). A few months ago they had a delicious orchard chicken salad. I didn't want a full salad and I didn't want the bread.... so I ordered a 6" sub.... but put the chicken salad on the side along with my veggies and pack the bread separate! So I had a "mini" salad with the chicken salad on a small bed of spinach and lettuce and took the bread home to DS! Win-win! Last night I had salad with turkey.... 4 little slices of turkey, no cheese, lettuce, spinach, pickles, tomatoes, cukes, onions and she didn't even fill the bowl. Then the only fat-free dressing they offer is french (ICK), so I asked for a little container of red wine vinegar... she gave me about 1 tsp.! HONESTLY! It was bearable, but for $5 plus tax..... not so much! Next time I'll drive a few extra miles and hit the salad bar at the grocery store!

First off, thank you all for the warm welcome!

We have not been to a nutritionist, but I have tried to be very conscientious about what types of fat we are feeding her. I'm not trying to plump her up on lots of butter and oil (though I have started adding butter to her veggies). I thought about putting it in her rice as her dr. suggested, but don't want her palate to fall in love with those things. Her "problem" (and I use quotes, because it's not really), is she LOVES fruits and veggies and is constantly running around burning calories. She would fill herself up on those things if she could. I found she loves avocado, so we go through one of those each day. We also make whole milk smoothies and go with full fat yogurt (though that seems hard to find these days).

Really, I'm not worried about her weight too much (and neither is her doc). I'm Asian and was always pretty petite and my DH was quite skinny, so I think it's just genetics for her. My weight gain basically just started when the doc said DD needed to gain more weight and I started adding the avocados and full fat smoothies to my already not so low-calorie diet.

Glad you took my suggestions in the way in which they were intended. Didn't mean to come across too "know it all".

Sounds like you are doing great with her... glad you aren't too worried. And an avocado a day for her is GREAT!

********

Well friends.... day totally got away from me! Bed is covered with clean laundry that will be waiting for me when I get home at 8:45pm. Never hit the TM because I wouldn't have had time to shower! I've got to get DS at the bus stop now. THen I will have 10 minutes at home to get the dinner in the car and head out.... OY!! TTYL........................P

 

[kollerbear]

I LOVE your Fantasyland Disney World! Can I come with you on this trip?

YES!!

 

[tigger813]

QOTD: NO! Unfortunately! I usually gain back everything and more over the weekends. I only drink alcohol on weekends and that's also when I eat unhealthy snacks. I don't always exercise on weekends usually due to lack of time. I will have an easier time controlling myself this weekend as I'm working at a fall festival. I will bring protein bars and water. I will have a shake for breakfast both days.

I have gone three days without a soda. I get my caffeine from my tea. I've been drinking lots of water with aloe which is so important for my tummy!

Hoping to find codes for the healthy eating articles I want to share with all of you from my weight loss challenges. Excited to coach again.

More than likely I will put the questions/articles up the night before. I won't be able to reply on Saturday and Sunday until the evening so please be patient!

Time to find those passwords for all of you!

TTFN

 

[lisah0711]

Good afternoon all!

Thanks to everyone who decided to give coaching a try. You will enjoy it.

Thanks for all the nice things that you said about my coaching this week. It was a lot of fun and I can honestly say that you all inspire me much more than I could ever inspire you.

I think that our Fall Challenge is off to a great start! Especially considering that we are already on page 36 and it's just the end of the first week!

Please be sure and PM those weights to dvccruiser76 and HH points to cclovesdis tomorrow.

 

[jimmduck]

Good morning all!

Sorry that I was not able to get back on last night due to school open house.

First, a couple of housekeeping matters:

Welcome to our incoming coach tomorrow, Tracey!

Tomorrow please don't forgot to PM those weights to dvccruiser76 and your HH (Healthy Habits) points to cclovesdis. I bet Satorifound might even still accept beginning numbers if you are doing WIN!

And, last but not least, consider signing up for a week of coaching. Our coaches pose the QOTD and keep the conversation moving. It is a lot of fun and very motivating. There is a QOTD archive to help you come up with questions and this group doesn't ever seem to run out of things to talk about! We are fortunate that we have enough participants that we can have a different coach every week. If you don't want to commit to a whole week let Janis know because we can split up weeks and even do a coach-of-the-day rotation sometimes. Please PM Janis if you are interested.

Let's talk for a minute about the week-ends. Do you sometimes find it is harder to stay on track on the week-ends than it is during the week? Here is a little excerpt from an article from sparkpeople.com called "10 Tips for a Healthier Week-end."

We all know how it goes. You make good food choices, avoid temptations, and work out every morning only to find that on Friday or Saturday night, your willpower goes out the window. Somehow you begin noshing on chicken fingers and guzzling beer then snoozing through your Spinning class the next morning. Sound familiar?

1. Squeeze in a longer workout.
2. Eat like it's a weekday.
3. Stick to your usual sleep schedule.
4. Get outdoors.
5. Fuel yourself for weekday success.
6. Limit your drinks.
7. Plan for relaxation.
8. Break the on-again, off-again diet mentality.
9. Weigh in Monday morning.
10. Plan for the week ahead.

Here is the link to the entire article if you are interested. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1607

Which brings me to the QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

I've had a lot of fun coaching this week. Thanks for all the wonderful responses!

Have a great day all!

Lisa - let me add my voice to the others - thanks for coaching. Really great questions.

The answer to to QOTD is a resounding yes - I do, I have to. To me there is no good/bad foods or days.

I used to binge, starve and purge my way to wonderful weigh ins, each week, at WW, but I don't do that any more.

To keep my "lion" in check, I need to be consistent (or strive for it), daily.

But as I plan my meals to include a little of everything, I don't need to "cheat" - just plan.

I don't need a "last supper" whatever I want can be worked in. I do have lower/higher calorie days, but cannot "wait until tomorrow" anyday, because, for me, tomorrow never comes.

If "Scar" is in check, this works, if I let him out of the cage it doesn't, that simple.

Have a magical day folks. Scale in the morning - scary, but going to do it.

Training tonight.

Linda

 

[tigger813]

Found what I was looking for so I will post your first task for the week.

I am Tracey and I will be your coach this week! This is my 5th challenge. I was absent for most of the last challenge but I am here to work with you all and succeed!

You will be reading articles or part of articles on several areas related to weight loss (protein, metabolism, control, carbs, etc).

The first article I would like you to access is on the basics of weight loss. You may read the whole article when you have a chance or scroll to the section on Metabolism.

Go to www.weightlosschallenge.com
Select Course 3
Choose Week 2
username: wlc (all lowercase)
password: weightloss (no spaces, lowercase)

After reading, answer the following questions:
1) What things do you eat already that can help you speed up your metabolism?
2) Do you limit the foods/drinks that slow down your metabolism?
3) What new things did you learn from this article?

I am training on a new website to be an official weight loss coach. I should be able to invite people to this FREE site by the end of tomorrow. One thing I have had to do is log all the food I eat through the day, weigh in, record my exercise, and write a personal journal each day. I have been doing this for 10 days at this point. The Nutrition journal is so easy to use! It is like my fitness pal or pro according to a friend of mine.

If you are interested in checking out this FREE site, PM me with your email address and I will invite you to join me. The site is called iChange. There is no pressure to buy anything but you will learn about the products I use and I will do what I can to help you lose weight. Helping people get healthy has become a passion of mine for almost 3 years.

The WISH boards has been a big help and I have learned so much from everyone here.

Have a great evening! I will answer the question later tonight!

 

[tigger813]

Guess I will answer my question now since everyone else is busy doing something.

1) I drink lots of water everyday! I pay for it when I don't. Green tea is another must for me! Love Earl Grey Green Tea! I hope to have more soup this winter. I'm learning to love my crockpot again! I have discovered a cream of chicken soup that's protein based! I go through stages of eating grapefruit! I'm looking forward to my favorite apples: honey crisp, anytime now! I DESPISE broccoli! I can't stand the smell of it! I love Greek yogurt particularly!
We only buy lean turkey and I eat a lot of ground turkey. I like some oatmeal but it has to have flavor. And lastly, I love spicy food, especially chipotle peppers!

2) I have tried cutting down my sugar intake. I only drink diet soda when I drink it at all. We only buy potato bread now! I do sometimes make bread in the bread maker that is white. I have cut way down on my fried foods! One week a month I always crave it! I've been working hard to get that under control! I have also cut way down on the processed foods. I usually only drink on weekends: raspberry white Russians, margaritas, and some drinks that I make with rum and Crystal light or diet Sprite.

3) I've read this article many times and it makes me look at what I've been putting in my body every time I read it.

I hope you find this interesting and helpful in your road to a healthier lifestyle!

TTFN

 

[my3princes]

QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other


I really try to commit to healthy habits on the weekends, but sometimes I do get off track. So I guess my answer will be "Not always." This weekend I am going to try very hard. Although, with my DS8 and I running/walking a 5k on Sunday (his first) I may take him out to celebrate and treat myself also

Not always. Some weekends are great, others not so much. I am definitely more active on the weekends.




Kitty Litter Cake: Looks gross, but is yummy and NOT diet friendly

Recipe: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/kitty-litter-cake-for-halloween

 

[akhaloha]

Which brings me to the QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

Unfortunately I do not always commit to healthy habits on the weekends. I am so diligent during the week that sometimes I end up going crazy on the weekends. Keeping my food journal really helps though. If I have to write it down I am less likely to eat it (if it's bad for me).

 

[tigger813]

Which brings me to the QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

Unfortunately I do not always commit to healthy habits on the weekends. I am so diligent during the week that sometimes I end up going crazy on the weekends. Keeping my food journal really helps though. If I have to write it down I am less likely to eat it (if it's bad for me).

I'm right there with you!


Dinner is made for tomorrow night! I made a batch of homemade mac and cheese. All we will have to do is reheat it to eat! Ash is dancing at a school tomorrow afternoon so I thought I would make life easier and just get dinner done! I used skim milk and some extra sharp cheddar, a bit of orange cheddar and some Mexican cheese. I was out of butter so I had to use Country Crock light. I'll have to pick up butter on my way home tomorrow.

Going to get up and work out tomorrow morning no matter what! I want to have some type of loss for the week! I will have a shake for breakfast and one for lunch as well. I will also drink lots of water and tea during the day. I want to be able to have a drink with my husband tomorrow night when I get home, hopefully by 5.

Saturday is 2 soccer games and then I have to go help sell Usborne books at a Fall festival with my super for a few hours and then help her pack up for Sunday. I will be with her all day on Sunday. It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend with cool temps so we're hoping to sell a lot.

Have a great night! Need to make sure the kids are in bed reading and ready to go to sleep!

TTFN

 

[kollerbear]

Kitty Litter Cake: Looks gross, but is yummy and NOT diet friendly

Recipe: http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/kitty-litter-cake-for-halloween

OH MAN THIS IS SO FUNNY!!!!

The worst part is that we use pine litter, and when it disintegrates it looks EXACTLY like the white cookie crumbles on top, and then our "foster" (i.e. essentially our new adopted) cat uses the regular stuff, which looks like the stuff underneath... My god this is so gross and amazing. What an amazing sense of humor you have, I love this. Who did you make this for???

 

[JacksLilWench]

Let's talk for a minute about the week-ends. Do you sometimes find it is harder to stay on track on the week-ends than it is during the week? Here is a little excerpt from an article from sparkpeople.com called "10 Tips for a Healthier Week-end."

We all know how it goes. You make good food choices, avoid temptations, and work out every morning only to find that on Friday or Saturday night, your willpower goes out the window. Somehow you begin noshing on chicken fingers and guzzling beer then snoozing through your Spinning class the next morning. Sound familiar?

1. Squeeze in a longer workout.
2. Eat like it's a weekday.
3. Stick to your usual sleep schedule.
4. Get outdoors.
5. Fuel yourself for weekday success.
6. Limit your drinks.
7. Plan for relaxation.
8. Break the on-again, off-again diet mentality.
9. Weigh in Monday morning.
10. Plan for the week ahead.

Here is the link to the entire article if you are interested. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1607

Which brings me to the QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

I've had a lot of fun coaching this week. Thanks for all the wonderful responses!

Have a great day all!

I would have to say Not Always. I always have good intentions, but I don't always follow through with them It's so tempting to sleep in and go out Saturday nights, regardless of the diet you're supposed to be on!

Found what I was looking for so I will post your first task for the week.

I am Tracey and I will be your coach this week! This is my 5th challenge. I was absent for most of the last challenge but I am here to work with you all and succeed!

You will be reading articles or part of articles on several areas related to weight loss (protein, metabolism, control, carbs, etc).

The first article I would like you to access is on the basics of weight loss. You may read the whole article when you have a chance or scroll to the section on Metabolism.

Go to www.weightlosschallenge.com
Select Course 3
Choose Week 2
username: wlc (all lowercase)
password: weightloss (no spaces, lowercase)

After reading, answer the following questions:
1) What things do you eat already that can help you speed up your metabolism?
2) Do you limit the foods/drinks that slow down your metabolism?
3) What new things did you learn from this article?

I am training on a new website to be an official weight loss coach. I should be able to invite people to this FREE site by the end of tomorrow. One thing I have had to do is log all the food I eat through the day, weigh in, record my exercise, and write a personal journal each day. I have been doing this for 10 days at this point. The Nutrition journal is so easy to use! It is like my fitness pal or pro according to a friend of mine.

If you are interested in checking out this FREE site, PM me with your email address and I will invite you to join me. The site is called iChange. There is no pressure to buy anything but you will learn about the products I use and I will do what I can to help you lose weight. Helping people get healthy has become a passion of mine for almost 3 years.

The WISH boards has been a big help and I have learned so much from everyone here.

Have a great evening! I will answer the question later tonight!

Evening Tracey! I'll definitely give this article a look and respond in the morning- I'm about to fall over at the computer from being so tired! My DM and I went to the Southern Women's Show today and walked almost solidly from about 11am to 6pm-it was crazy! But I will definitely be on in the morning to read that article and respond

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

QOTD Wednesday, September 14, 2011: Happy Woo Hoo Wednesday! Let's celebrate those Woo Hoo moments (big or small) for the week!

Wow, I thought I answered this questions.

Now I forget what my woohoo was, but tonight I was hottie mom instead of PTO mom. We had open house and I dressed in nicer jeans, a nice shirt and heels. I got loads of compliments. Would have looked a little better if I had a smaller belly but whatever, the jeans were tight enough that I didn't want to eat! LOL
Oh I remember my woohoo, I signed up for My Fitness Pal.

Hi I was wondering if I ca join this thread. I lost 10 pounds and still have another 60 to go.

Anyone can join at any time, just PM your weight to dvccruiser76

WOOHOO to DS! I know DD texted him to see how it went.

DS still doesn't have his phone back, long story, but I'll send on the message. We have the first really big meet Saturday!

Which brings me to the QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

Other, the road is paved with the best of intentions. I do try but sometimes I just don't plan well enough or DH or the kids change the plans.

Kitty Litter Cake: Looks gross, but is yummy and NOT diet friendly

OK, can't copy that, it's so gross!!!!!!!!

 

[cclovesdis]

Welcome to Healthy Habits!

My name is CC (like see-see), which is short for Christina. No one has time to say 3 syllables so, it’s been shortened to my initials.

This is my 3rd time coaching Healthy Habits (HH) and I absolutely love it! I started a new job right after Thanksgiving and HH have been so important to me. I would like to give a shout out to donac and jenanderson who showed me the ropes coaching previous challenges.

For the WISH Biggest Loser 12 Challenge, I am revamping Healthy Habits. Each week will have a theme, and each theme will be a Disney movie. I will be using various components of the movie to determine each week’s daily habits and the 2 mini-challenges.

Every week you will have 4 “Habits” to do each day. There will also be 2 Mini-Challenges. These will be something like “Exercise for 45 minutes simultaneously once during the week.” The “Habits” will be things that are essential for good “Health.” One might be “Drink 6 8 oz. glasses of water per day.” I will be very clear about which 4 are for all 7 days and which 2 are the Mini-Challenges.

The Healthy Habits “week” is the same as for weigh-ins. A new “week” begins on Friday and ends on Thursday. At the end of each week, total your points and PM (private message) me them. Please list your total points in the subject of your PM. In the body of your PM, please separate each “Habit” and mini-challenge. Here is an example.
Habit #1: 5/7 days
Habit #2: 4/7 days
Habit #3: 7/7 days
Habit #4: 1/7 days
Mini-Challenge #1: Completed
Mini-Challenge #2: Not Completed

This will allow me to recognize participants who earned 7/7 for 1 or more “Habits.” It also gives me feedback for future weeks.

Please PM me your points by Tuesday at 5 PM Eastern Time. I will post the results as soon as possible after that. Everyone who participates will be entered into the “hat” for a chance at the prize. I have bought many of the prizes already and I think they are great!

It is optional to participate, but I know I do so much better when I participate.

Welcome to Healthy Habits Week 2: Toy Story

Buzz, Woody, and the gang have some great traits as they complete mission after mission. Week 2 on the show tends to be a difficult week. Well, we're not going to have that happen to us! Buzz, Woody, and the gang have persistence and so will we! They are also thinkers and planners. My favorite trait of them all though, is their happiness, which I believe comes from the bond they share with one another. That is something we have here and I know is "beyond" helpful for many, if not all, of us!

For All 7 Days:

Are you still using your journals? I hope so! No mission is successful without the proper fuel. So,

1. Your “Habit” is to drink 8 8 oz. glasses of water per day.

2. As you go about your day, write down everything you eat. This week, your “Habit” is to write down all the foods and caloric beverages you drink AND record one nutritional aspect of it (calories, fat, carbs, points, etc.).

3. Eat 2 servings of protein per day. (I'll let you decide what counts, but don't call your dairy serving your protein serving too.)

4. End your day with a mantra. A good one is "I am healthy." Remember, emotional health is essential too!

Now that we've got our fuel, we need our fitness.

Mini-Challenges:

1. Is your fitness plan ready for the month? Stick to it! If you complete all of your planned workouts, you completed this Mini-Challenge!

2. Did you include any strength training in your exercise plan? Include at least one strength training session during the week. Ten minutes is a great start!

Please, please feel free to ask any questions. You are welcome to PM me or post on the thread. I check my e-mail almost as soon as I get home from work and throughout the weekend.

Hope everyone has a great week!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Today did not go well today, I don't think I over ate but I didn't eat on plan. I got sucked into school drama that I don't want to be a part of. I need to figure out how to get out of it. And it's really bad, like people may lose their jobs bad.

Then we had open house #2 tonight, last night was DD's and DS9's. Today was DS10. That didn't go as planned, DS10 was getting on my nerves with his friends, DD was running around like crazy (I'd really like to keep them home in the future). I snapped at DH and the kids when I got home because they were all yelling at each other while I was on the phone, sadly it including cussing and I not happy. Not one of my finer moments.

Can I have a do over?

 

[ougrad86]

Which brings me to the QOTD Thursday, September 15, 2011: Do you commit to healthy habits on weekends?
* Yes
* No
* Not always
* Other

I would say Not Always. For instance, last weekend I was totally on track. This weekend, I am meeting friends at Olive Garden. I have looked up items and calculated points, but I will go over my points for the day. But I have been careful all week to enjoy this splurge. But after the meal, back on track.

I actually have two splurges this time though. My workplace has free lunch Friday, where they buy lunch for the employees every Friday. Tomorrow, Panera. Panera is one of my favorite places. So I will be eating the sandwich tomorrow (and possibly skipping dinner, since it will fill me up for awhile) and then hitting Olive Garden on Saturday. But I have 40 extra points, and will be walking the mall Saturday after the lunch and then whooping it up watching my football team in a big game. I usually don't sit much!

But I will be walking on Sunday, it should be nice and cool and continue with my diet and all my HH. It was the weekends that did me in before, I am planning much more carefully - controlled splurges.