Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer Challenge

[pjlla]

QOTD for Thursday August 32, 2012:

Guess I'll answer my own QOTD!

What are the TWO biggest changes you have made to your eating (maybe something you gave up, something you added, whatever!)? Do you see being able to keep up those changes for the rest of your life???


I have made so many changes, it is hard to pinpoint just two...but the first things that came to mind were giving up unhealthy fats like mayo, butter, and coffee cream and adding lots more veggies (I eat about 4-10 servings of veggies every day). I DO think I can keep it up, as I have kept up these changes pretty consistently over the past 3-4 years.

FLUFF QUESTION: What was the BEST book you ever read? Why? When did you first read it? How many times have you re-read it?? Do you like other things by that author?

I am a huge fan of the Little House book series. I started reading them in 1st grade. I can't even imagine how many times I've read these books. I keep them on a bookshelf next to my bed and I reread them every few months...not necessarily in order...just randomly. I've read everything she has written. My DD was named for Laura Ingalls.?......P

 

[Disneywedding2010]

What are the TWO biggest changes you have made to your eating (maybe something you gave up, something you added, whatever!)? Do you see being able to keep up those changes for the rest of your life???

95% of the time I don't have soda in my diet. I'll have it on occasion if we go out to eat or if I get a craving for it. Which is hardly ever now.

I workout anywhere from 4 to 6 days a week anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Last summer I wasn't doing that.

I could see myself sticking with both of these things for the rest of my life. Now will I actually do it? Well, that remains to be seen.

 

[pjlla]

Here is the "crafty" project I finished for DS's room this week. Just basic wooden letters from Michael's, sprayed black, mounted straight on the wall, surrounded by a frame from the Goodwill, also painted black. Not sure if you can tell, his wall is lime green. He loves his room color.... 3 walls of "twist of lime" and one wall of "pumpkin".

..........................P

 

[pjlla]

And here are the vegetable trivets I bought at the yard sale this weekend (before I cleaned them up). Still thinking about what to do with them, but they are really cute!

.......................P

 

[pjlla]

And last but not least, here is a picture of DD with Olympian Elizabeth Beisel from the Pawsox game last week.

.....................P

 

[lisah0711]

QOTD for Thursday August 32, 2012:

What are the TWO biggest changes you have made to your eating (maybe something you gave up, something you added, whatever!)? Do you see being able to keep up those changes for the rest of your life???


FLUFF QUESTION: What was the BEST book you ever read? Why? When did you first read it? How many times have you re-read it?? Do you like other things by that author?

Pamela, thanks so much for coaching this week! You've done a great job!

One big eating change for me was making sure that I have protein at breakfast every day. I was a faithful bagel and cream cheese girl and that was not cutting it calorically or nutritutionally. I think I can keep this change because I don't get so hungry later in the morning so I know it works.

Another eating change is not eating anything that doesn't really taste delicious. It's not worth the calories. This one is a little harder and I have only been doing it for awhile and sometimes my great plans get derailed by things out of my control. We will see how this change holds on.

Favorite book of all time . . . boy that is a toughie! I have several that I read pretty much every year that I've read for years.

I, too, absolutely love Laura Ingalls Wilder, especially These Happy Golden Years and The First Four Years. I have to admit though as an adult I have to think Laura Ingalls was probably NOT so dang good all the time like she remembered. Just think Pamela it would be like your daughter getting ready to go sleep on Brewster's couch this fall instead of going to school. I do read all the books at least once a year.

Your daughter looks lovely, BTW. She has her mamma's pretty smile.

I also read Gone With the Wind about once a year as well as Jane Austen once a year. I have to go with Pride and Prejudice as my all time favorite. I really like the snappy and witty dialogue -- probably because I can only thing of really good stuff to say after I've thought about it for awhile!

Weren't you the one who did the Mad Hatter's Tea Party kitchen redo? Maybe you could paint them (your trivets in case you can't read my mind) some bright colors and work them in with what you put up for that?

I have a big Minecraft player, too, it is a very natural progression for those Lego maniacs. It is amazing what they do with those Minecraft worlds! I've seen pianos that really play, fabulous worlds, even Hogwarts. DS even had his own server for awhile until he figured out he was spending all his time being the admin and had no time to play. The computer time will be much less once school starts on Monday.

Lunch break is over so I need to get back to work instead of just thinking about all I need to do.

Have a great day all!

 

[pjlla]

Pamela, thanks so much for coaching this week! You've done a great job!

Thanks.... guess it was meant to be, since this was probably the LEAST busy week I've had all summer!

One big eating change for me was making sure that I have protein at breakfast every day. I was a faithful bagel and cream cheese girl and that was not cutting it calorically or nutritutionally. I think I can keep this change because I don't get so hungry later in the morning so I know it works.

Another eating change is not eating anything that doesn't really taste delicious. It's not worth the calories. This one is a little harder and I have only been doing it for awhile and sometimes my great plans get derailed by things out of my control. We will see how this change holds on.

Great changes!

Favorite book of all time . . . boy that is a toughie! I have several that I read pretty much every year that I've read for years.

I, too, absolutely love Laura Ingalls Wilder, especially These Happy Golden Years and The First Four Years. I have to admit though as an adult I have to think Laura Ingalls was probably NOT so dang good all the time like she remembered. Just think Pamela it would be like your daughter getting ready to go sleep on Brewster's couch this fall instead of going to school. I do read all the books at least once a year.


I know. Laura I. was SO YOUNG when she was away from home teaching. Makes me grateful that my DD don't have to do that. My favorite from the series are The Long Winter and.... not sure what comes in #2.... maybe Farmer Boy? They talk a lot about food in that book!

Your daughter looks lovely, BTW. She has her mamma's pretty smile.

AwWW.... THANKS!

I also read Gone With the Wind about once a year as well as Jane Austen once a year. I have to go with Pride and Prejudice as my all time favorite. I really like the snappy and witty dialogue -- probably because I can only thing of really good stuff to say after I've thought about it for awhile!


God bless you.... I've tried to read P&P many, many times and just could NOT get into it!

Weren't you the one who did the Mad Hatter's Tea Party kitchen redo? Maybe you could paint them (your trivets in case you can't read my mind) some bright colors and work them in with what you put up for that?

The oversized tea cups and bright colors and such just were NOT cutting it for me. Toning it down and going back to the grapevine roping and such that I had up there before. oh well.

I have a big Minecraft player, too, it is a very natural progression for those Lego maniacs. It is amazing what they do with those Minecraft worlds! I've seen pianos that really play, fabulous worlds, even Hogwarts. DS even had his own server for awhile until he figured out he was spending all his time being the admin and had no time to play. The computer time will be much less once school starts on Monday.

Not sure exactly what it is about MC, but they certainly love it! I have to constantly remind DS to get OFF the computer and do something else for a while.... like shower and eat!

Lunch break is over so I need to get back to work instead of just thinking about all I need to do.

Have a great day all!

I'm very good at making LISTS of what needs to be done... not so good about completing what is on the lists... so I know what you mean!

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

Well... off to take DD's friend home and drive her to dive class tonight. I'm hanging around for class to see the diving and take some pictures. She will need them for her portfolio (since this is for her senior project).

I stripped the kids beds today, washed and hung out everything, and the beds are remade and neat. Also folded and put away another three loads that had been piling up and have one more to get off the line before I head out.

TTYL.........................P

 

[jillbur]

QOTD for Thursday August 32, 2012:

What are the TWO biggest changes you have made to your eating (maybe something you gave up, something you added, whatever!)? Do you see being able to keep up those changes for the rest of your life???


FLUFF QUESTION: What was the BEST book you ever read? Why? When did you first read it? How many times have you re-read it?? Do you like other things by that author?

My first big change is drinking less soda & mainly drinking water. I was not a big water drinker before. And I do have a Diet Coke a couple times a week. Sometimes I just need that flavor. Second would have to be cutting out fast food. We try not to eat out at all & we cook every night, even weekends Occasionally, we do run for fast food & I get a grilled chicken salad & dip into the dressing. It kills me to smell Wendy's fries, though. They are my fave & sometimes sneak a couple from the kids. But, only a couple!

I honestly don't have a favorite book. I love to read & love to read all kinds of books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel like I was productive today. We went to the dollar store, Staples, and Petco all before noon. I came home, loaded the dishwasher & ran it, washed things that I don't put in the dishwasher, did 3 loads of laundry, made spinach dip for DH for school tomorrow, made a menu for dinners through next Saturday, made a grocery list, and went to the gym (although class got cancelled so I did my own shorter circuit). Whew...just call me pjlla

I am going to get a few new, different things for the kids lunches & try them out this weekend. My kids aren't big fans of wraps, but I'm going to try again. I'm also going to try different veggies with dip (I'm going to try to get them to eat hummus). My problem is one kid likes cold veggies & one likes hot lol. I might try mini bagels with ham or turkey on them also. They usually take a sandwich, fruit, Graham crackers, yogurt, and a cookie. I'm really trying for different ideas. I am totally ready to have all lunches packed the night before. I've been looking online for ideas & some people are so creative, especially with those bento boxes! If you have some extra time, search for bento lunch ideas. It will blow your mind!

I'm off to find DS6 (outside playing) and remind him that he didn't do his dining room chore yet. He has to sweep after dinner. He doesn't do it too good yet, but he's learning. In fact, this summer the boys started making their own beds, putting all dirty clothes down the chute, putting clean clothes away, feeding the pets, helping with the recycling, and sweeping the dining room. So far it's going good. I hope we can remember to keep it up once school starts. I kind of started chores late with my boys since they are 9 & 6. But, better late than never, right?!?!

Have a good night & I'll check in tomorrow...hopefully down at least 0.6 pounds

Jill

 

[dvccruiser76]

Here we celebrate our progress and recognize our superstars.

Reminders:
-after 3 weeks of no reporting, you are dropped from the challenge & can re-start at any time, though
-if anybody knows they will miss weighing in, just PM and let me know and you'll be marked excused


First some stats

MAINTAINERS:
(staying within 2 lbs of their maintain weight is successfully maintaining!)
# of Maintainers Reporting In & Successfully Maintaining: 4
Congratulations jillbur, KDIPIAZZ, myweegirls & Rose&Mike!!!

LOSERS:
Current Participants-------------38!
not reporting in for 1 week-----10
not reporting in for 2 weeks----6
not reporting in for 3 weeks----5
Excused--------------------------1
weigh ins-------------------------16
gains-----------------------------3
maintains------------------------4
losses----------------------------9
new or returning members ----0


Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer Challenge Week 11!
This week’s group loss = 7.3 pounds
Average percentage of weight lost 0.29 %
Total group weight loss so far 242.6 pounds!

AWESOME!

Retention Rate (compared to the 58 participants we had sign up for our start week on June 1st)
36% (this includes the Losers, Maintainers and Excused people!). Let's keep sending those weights people!


Before the weekly superstar list comes the disclaimer. I am human and I make mistakes. If you have any questions please contact me. For your reference this is the magic percentage of weight lost formula - weight loss for the week divided by weight for last week times 100, that gives us the percentage. Now let me test that with my numbers for week 1, click, click, click goes the calculator. Yes, that agrees with the percentage on the magic spreadsheet. (btw if its been more than 1 week between weigh-ins, then the % loss is divided by the number of weeks, to keep everybody on the same basis)

Now let's get to the good stuff. Who were our superstars of week 11?

The WISH Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer 2012 Challenge Week 11 Superstars!!
#10 - N/A
#9 - 0.11% - mommyof2Pirates
#8 - 0.31% - tiki23
#7 - 0.44% - Bethislucy
#6 - 0.50% - glss1/2fll
#5 - 0.62% - dvccruiser76
#4 - 0.71% - Octoberbride03
#3 - 0.79% - 6ofus2
#2 - 1.13% - lmhall2000
and now
The WISH Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer 2012 Challenge Week 11
Biggest Loser is:
#1 - 1.23% - disappearing otter

Quote from Dare2Dream: How is your week going? Are you OP (on program)? Are you exercising? Drinking that water? You know what to do to make the magic happen. Get on the wagon. We are all here to help you on the journey. We can do this one day at a time. One bite at a time.

Have a healthy day! Congratulations disappearing otter!!!
What a great week you had. Keep up the good work. We have a very special clippie reserved for our weekly Biggest Loser. Wear it with pride this week! :

This is our weekly reigning Biggest Loser clippie. We have the large version

or use this
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/31040weeklyBLsmall1.jpg
followed by

or we have a medium version

or use this
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/31040weeklyBLmed.jpg
followed by

and we have a small version

or use
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/31040weeklyBLsm.jpg
followed by


Thanks to ohMom-Molli for these clippies. They were used for a previous BL but we can recycle. Don't they look great!

 

[dvccruiser76]

NOW FOR THOSE OF US WHO SET A GOAL FOR THE CHALLENGE!!!

NOTE: This list includes participants who have reported in within the last 3 weeks, once someone misses 3 weigh-ins they are dropped from this report.

How this works: You set your goal for what you want to lose in the challenge. Then I calculate your weight loss in the challenge divided by your goal to get a % to goal.

Anybody can change their goal at anytime (or add a goal) – all you have to do is send me a PM.

Since the goals are an individual thing, the list is just in alphabetical order to make it easier for everybody to find their own name. If there are any questions or suggestions please let me know.

We have done 11 out of 13 weeks, so the challenge is 85% complete.



6ofus2 - 109.76
AliceNWonderland - 43.64
bigsis1970 - 0.00
bungle - 8.47
camnham - 30.85
ChelleyB - 36.92
Chicago262 - 80.95
disappearing otter - 89.78
Disneywedding2010 - 33.85
dvccruiser76 - 0.00
kollerbear - 51.43
lmhall2000 - 66.00
mackeysmom - 18.75
Mary.Poppins - 0.00
MickeyMagic - 17.76
mommyof2Pirates - 52.50
Octoberbride03 - 25.00
ougrad86 - 5.56
sissy ib - 87.06
tigger813 - 68.00
tiki23 - 30.67
Zoesmama03 - 16.52



I find everybody on the list an inspiration and everybody who participates in this challenge is an inspiration in and of themselves. Whether you post, lurk or just pm your weight and check results on Tuesdays, you have made a commitment to yourself. And that is the biggest inspiration of all!BY Octoberbride03

 

[cclovesdis]

Healthy Habits The Finale: Wishes

"May all your 'WISHes' come true." Another week of some of the best strategies to achieve your dreams!

Mini-Challenge #1: Drink 64 oz. of water on 5/7 days.

Mini-Challenge #2: Eat a total of 5 servings of fruits and veggies on 5/7 days.

Mini-Challenge #3: Stick to your exercise plan.

Mini-Challenge #4: Find a way to fit a treat/dessert into your plan on one day this week.

Mini-Challenge #5: 3 times this week, write a goal for the next day before you go to bed.

 

[pjlla]

My first big change is drinking less soda & mainly drinking water. I was not a big water drinker before. And I do have a Diet Coke a couple times a week. Sometimes I just need that flavor. Second would have to be cutting out fast food. We try not to eat out at all & we cook every night, even weekends Occasionally, we do run for fast food & I get a grilled chicken salad & dip into the dressing. It kills me to smell Wendy's fries, though. They are my fave & sometimes sneak a couple from the kids. But, only a couple!

I honestly don't have a favorite book. I love to read & love to read all kinds of books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I feel like I was productive today. We went to the dollar store, Staples, and Petco all before noon. I came home, loaded the dishwasher & ran it, washed things that I don't put in the dishwasher, did 3 loads of laundry, made spinach dip for DH for school tomorrow, made a menu for dinners through next Saturday, made a grocery list, and went to the gym (although class got cancelled so I did my own shorter circuit). Whew...just call me pjlla

I am going to get a few new, different things for the kids lunches & try them out this weekend. My kids aren't big fans of wraps, but I'm going to try again. I'm also going to try different veggies with dip (I'm going to try to get them to eat hummus). My problem is one kid likes cold veggies & one likes hot lol. I might try mini bagels with ham or turkey on them also. They usually take a sandwich, fruit, Graham crackers, yogurt, and a cookie. I'm really trying for different ideas. I am totally ready to have all lunches packed the night before. I've been looking online for ideas & some people are so creative, especially with those bento boxes! If you have some extra time, search for bento lunch ideas. It will blow your mind!

I'm off to find DS6 (outside playing) and remind him that he didn't do his dining room chore yet. He has to sweep after dinner. He doesn't do it too good yet, but he's learning. In fact, this summer the boys started making their own beds, putting all dirty clothes down the chute, putting clean clothes away, feeding the pets, helping with the recycling, and sweeping the dining room. So far it's going good. I hope we can remember to keep it up once school starts. I kind of started chores late with my boys since they are 9 & 6. But, better late than never, right?!?!

Have a good night & I'll check in tomorrow...hopefully down at least 0.6 pounds

Jill

Great productive day! Lucky to get all those errands done so early. Sounds like you made the most of your last vacation day.

You will come up with some lunch ideas that the kids will love. Several years ago when DS was younger, I created my own "lunchables" for him. I did them in bulk, tossed them in the freezer and pulled them out as needed. Much healthier and cheaper then the real ones and much less trash created! It was a win-win!

He liked the taco Lunchables, so that is what I made him. I cooked up a bunch of lean organic beef and seasoned it for tacos. Then I divided it into small individual containers ( just a few TB were enough for him at that age... maybe 1/4 C). In a slightly larger square plastic freezer container ( cause they were the right size and what I had plenty of on hand) I placed a high fiber tortilla cut into quarters, then put in the container of meat, and then on top of that I put a snack size zip top bag of shredded cheese. Secure the lid, label it "Lucas' lunchables" and pop them in the freezer until needed.

Pull from the freezer the night before (or even a few nights before) and defrost in the fridge overnight. My DS didn't mind eating them room temp/cold from his lunch box but a quick zap in a microwave for the meat would be nice.

Here we celebrate our progress and recognize our superstars.

Reminders:
-after 3 weeks of no reporting, you are dropped from the challenge & can re-start at any time, though
-if anybody knows they will miss weighing in, just PM and let me know and you'll be marked excused


First some stats

MAINTAINERS:
(staying within 2 lbs of their maintain weight is successfully maintaining!)
# of Maintainers Reporting In & Successfully Maintaining: 4
Congratulations jillbur, KDIPIAZZ, myweegirls & Rose&Mike!!!

LOSERS:
Current Participants-------------38!
not reporting in for 1 week-----10
not reporting in for 2 weeks----6
not reporting in for 3 weeks----5
Excused--------------------------1
weigh ins-------------------------16
gains-----------------------------3
maintains------------------------4
losses----------------------------9
new or returning members ----0


Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer Challenge Week 11!
This week’s group loss = 7.3 pounds
Average percentage of weight lost 0.29 %
Total group weight loss so far 242.6 pounds!

AWESOME!

Retention Rate (compared to the 58 participants we had sign up for our start week on June 1st)
36% (this includes the Losers, Maintainers and Excused people!). Let's keep sending those weights people!


Before the weekly superstar list comes the disclaimer. I am human and I make mistakes. If you have any questions please contact me. For your reference this is the magic percentage of weight lost formula - weight loss for the week divided by weight for last week times 100, that gives us the percentage. Now let me test that with my numbers for week 1, click, click, click goes the calculator. Yes, that agrees with the percentage on the magic spreadsheet. (btw if its been more than 1 week between weigh-ins, then the % loss is divided by the number of weeks, to keep everybody on the same basis)

Now let's get to the good stuff. Who were our superstars of week 11?

The WISH Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer 2012 Challenge Week 11 Superstars!!
#10 - N/A
#9 - 0.11% - mommyof2Pirates
#8 - 0.31% - tiki23
#7 - 0.44% - Bethislucy
#6 - 0.50% - glss1/2fll
#5 - 0.62% - dvccruiser76
#4 - 0.71% - Octoberbride03
#3 - 0.79% - 6ofus2
#2 - 1.13% - lmhall2000
and now
The WISH Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer 2012 Challenge Week 11
Biggest Loser is:
#1 - 1.23% - disappearing otter

Quote from Dare2Dream: How is your week going? Are you OP (on program)? Are you exercising? Drinking that water? You know what to do to make the magic happen. Get on the wagon. We are all here to help you on the journey. We can do this one day at a time. One bite at a time.

Have a healthy day! Congratulations disappearing otter!!!
What a great week you had. Keep up the good work. We have a very special clippie reserved for our weekly Biggest Loser. Wear it with pride this week! :

This is our weekly reigning Biggest Loser clippie. We have the large version

or use this
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/31040weeklyBLsmall1.jpg
followed by

or we have a medium version

or use this
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/31040weeklyBLmed.jpg
followed by

and we have a small version

or use
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/31040weeklyBLsm.jpg
followed by


Thanks to ohMom-Molli for these clippies. They were used for a previous BL but we can recycle. Don't they look great!

Woohoo to everyone who made the list! Great job!

Healthy Habits The Finale: Wishes

"May all your 'WISHes' come true." Another week of some of the best strategies to achieve your dreams!

Mini-Challenge #1: Drink 64 oz. of water on 5/7 days.

Mini-Challenge #2: Eat a total of 5 servings of fruits and veggies on 5/7 days.

Mini-Challenge #3: Stick to your exercise plan.

Mini-Challenge #4: Find a way to fit a treat/dessert into your plan on one day this week.

Mini-Challenge #5: 3 times this week, write a goal for the next day before you go to bed.

Thanks for this! How are you feeling on your new eating plan??

**********

Evening all! Hope you had a great day! Last weekend of summer vacation is upon us. It goes by too fast!

See you tomorrow! ..........P

 

[Octoberbride03]

What a week!

Do we want to hear about my week?

I'm sorry was that a NO? Too bad, cause I'm telling you anyway

This seems to have been my week for fighting. Seems like everything involves a fight this week.

Last Sat. I ordered an email gift card for my sister on Chamilia.com but it had no place to provide HER email address so it got sent to me. No big deal I thought. Copy the card link email it myself and have fun shopping. Only reason for Chamilia was I had friends pick something out for her birthday when they were on the Fantasy in June. I had gotten a bracelet for her from St. Thomas but it broke after 1 wearing so I felt bad and asked them to shop. They got the DCL bead from Chamilia, soooo now she needs a bracelet for the bead.

She lives 4 hours away and finding out her bracelet size was a no go, hence the card Well it turns out she could never open the link. Emailed and called the store number(which is only staffed 9-5 ) got new codes for the card but has to wait 2-3 hours to use it. So she waits and lo and behold, same frickin problem. Well now 5 whole days have gone by trying to get to work. We have now asked for a refund cause this site sucks! So now come Sept when I go to visit, hopefully she will be willing to go to a local store up there and get a bracelet.

Tues. night was first Parish Council meeting of the year and I'm on the council. On the agenda is listed a "Debt reduction Talk". So the parishioner giving the talk is not asking or giving advice on how to reduce the debt. He's relaying wild rumors about the money the church is supposed to earmark for that purpose Oh and I get to play secretary this year so i get to take all the notes for the meeting, wonderful.

The way the rumor plays out is this: Once a month we have a "debt reduction collection" that is earmarked for the Church mortgage. Well he's been told that we're actually throwing that money into the general fund and its being used for whatever we want And he's had the rumors confirmed by parish staff. So this goes on for a whole 45 minutes with the whole back and forth and apparently the fact that we got and passed an audit from the Diocese last spring is not proof enough for him. OY VEY! I had to start sucking on my pen, cause otherwise I was afraid of what I might say

And then there's work: For those who don't know I work at Target, and my daily job is a little mini-inventory type thing. Well God Forbid, I have working equipment to do my job every morning! We have to play find the most charged battery every morning and hope it lasts most of the day, but that's not likely to happen lately. And this morning my computer(PDA) would just randomly shut off and reboot in the middle of an aisle! Yeah, that's really gonna help me get my job done. Especially since we changed the whole stupid thing in the first place but still leave me the exact same amount of time to get it done. Can we tell I want a new job?

Oh, and THEN there's my husband's job

DH works on a contract for the Navy. Well some idiot has decided to split the disbursements on this particular contract. The Pentagon sends the check for the contract like clockwork. Then said idiot somewhere in frickin la la land out there portions the payment out in seemingly random intervals. Well, an entirely separate idiot receives the disbursements and LETS IT SIT ON THEIR DESK INSTEAD OF SIGNING IT AND PASSING IT TO PAYROLL SO PEOPLE CAN WORK! Cause 3 count em 1-2-3 times this summer my DH has had to use vacation time and stay home instead of work. The first time this happened he was home for the better part of 2 weeks. 2nd time was for 1 day and this week was time number 3 for 3 days. Why can't people understand that others in their company actually do need to work for a living and not use vacation time because you can't be bothered to sign the stupid check

So yeah, in all that mess my week went to hell and I expect the pound I lost will be on the scale once again. And I just don't care this week. People are lucky I don't own a gun cause I might actually shoot somebody if i did

And if y'all actually stuck through that then may God Bless You

 

[trinaweena]

Hello friends! I will be taking over as coach tomorrow, but I thought i would check in. I've been reading along with everyone, but haven't really had much to contribute. I'm in the midst of redoing my room, I think i mentioned, and I'm at the point of trying to find a desk and it's proving difficult! I think i've finally narrowed it down though.

We also had a bit of "drama" this week as the fish tank sprung a leak! At my tank as it turns out was discontinued! I ended up buying a smaller tank only to realize it looked really funny on my stand, and ended up buying the same tank i had which only came as a set with another stand...I made the best out of it though and now i have a brand new bedside table! I was previously using a tv tray. So my fish lived in a rubbermaid container for a few days, but are now enjoying their brand new tank. Alls well that ends well!

I've been doing my squats,lunges, crunches, tricep dips, etc every night but that's the most working out ive really done. I know I need to focus but ive found it hard while focusing on getting my room done before the semester

My friend, or well former friend, she kind of stopped talking to me when she left our work just joined my gym. I told her to join but i didnt think she would, and i am really glad she is making an effort but also worried. She is VERY overweight, so i'm very glad she is trying to be healthy thats great...but i think she's going to over do it. She's been going EVERY DAY and really pushing herself hard and i feel like she's going to injure herself. I gently reminded her not to push so hard but I know she won't listen. I'm supposed to go work out with her tomorrow, even though my hip is KILLING me so i will see what exactly she's been doing but its hard when you know someone is going to burn themselves out

I think its just about bedtime now. Like i said, my hip is acting up again, for no reason so i'm hoping some rest will help it feel better

 

[kollerbear]

Hi there again! I just got back from the grand old wedding tour of the Mid-west-- five people with 13 days worth of luggage in a Nissan Versa, traveling from NYC to Detroit to Cleveland to western NY to Buffalo and back to NYC again. We stayed with 4 different, very hospitable and wonderful families over the trip as well as at a rented lakehouse (that we affectionately nick-named the Hellmouth because the tap water reeked of sulfur), and we spent a lot of good quality time with friends. Plus, the weddings were really beautiful and I was so happy to get to be there for them.

That having been said, about half-way through the trip I started having dreams that I was in WDW. Not daydreams, actual dreams. I guess 13 days of sleeping in way late (my friends were stressed out by my urge to plan activities and sight-seeing, so I had to shut that down early in the trip), taking sulfurous showers, being polite to my friends' families who I didn't really know, and sleeping on weird mattresses, couches, and floors just made me wish I was somewhere else... I know I'll have these memories with my friends forever, but I hope I get to take a somewhat more indulgent vacation sometime in the not-too-distant future!!!

Anyway, the eating went very poorly, which could have been expected to an extent. It's not a big deal, but now that I'm back I'm recommitting. Got to turn that "uber-planner" switch back on in my brain and get some meal plans ready! I hope everyone's summer is ending really nicely, I'm going to read a few pages back but otherwise I hope I'll just catch up as the week goes on. Thanks for coaching next week trinaweena!

 

[pjlla]

What a week!

Do we want to hear about my week?

I'm sorry was that a NO? Too bad, cause I'm telling you anyway

This seems to have been my week for fighting. Seems like everything involves a fight this week.

Last Sat. I ordered an email gift card for my sister on Chamilia.com but it had no place to provide HER email address so it got sent to me. No big deal I thought. Copy the card link email it myself and have fun shopping. Only reason for Chamilia was I had friends pick something out for her birthday when they were on the Fantasy in June. I had gotten a bracelet for her from St. Thomas but it broke after 1 wearing so I felt bad and asked them to shop. They got the DCL bead from Chamilia, soooo now she needs a bracelet for the bead.

She lives 4 hours away and finding out her bracelet size was a no go, hence the card Well it turns out she could never open the link. Emailed and called the store number(which is only staffed 9-5 ) got new codes for the card but has to wait 2-3 hours to use it. So she waits and lo and behold, same frickin problem. Well now 5 whole days have gone by trying to get to work. We have now asked for a refund cause this site sucks! So now come Sept when I go to visit, hopefully she will be willing to go to a local store up there and get a bracelet.

Tues. night was first Parish Council meeting of the year and I'm on the council. On the agenda is listed a "Debt reduction Talk". So the parishioner giving the talk is not asking or giving advice on how to reduce the debt. He's relaying wild rumors about the money the church is supposed to earmark for that purpose Oh and I get to play secretary this year so i get to take all the notes for the meeting, wonderful.

The way the rumor plays out is this: Once a month we have a "debt reduction collection" that is earmarked for the Church mortgage. Well he's been told that we're actually throwing that money into the general fund and its being used for whatever we want And he's had the rumors confirmed by parish staff. So this goes on for a whole 45 minutes with the whole back and forth and apparently the fact that we got and passed an audit from the Diocese last spring is not proof enough for him. OY VEY! I had to start sucking on my pen, cause otherwise I was afraid of what I might say

And then there's work: For those who don't know I work at Target, and my daily job is a little mini-inventory type thing. Well God Forbid, I have working equipment to do my job every morning! We have to play find the most charged battery every morning and hope it lasts most of the day, but that's not likely to happen lately. And this morning my computer(PDA) would just randomly shut off and reboot in the middle of an aisle! Yeah, that's really gonna help me get my job done. Especially since we changed the whole stupid thing in the first place but still leave me the exact same amount of time to get it done. Can we tell I want a new job?

Oh, and THEN there's my husband's job

DH works on a contract for the Navy. Well some idiot has decided to split the disbursements on this particular contract. The Pentagon sends the check for the contract like clockwork. Then said idiot somewhere in frickin la la land out there portions the payment out in seemingly random intervals. Well, an entirely separate idiot receives the disbursements and LETS IT SIT ON THEIR DESK INSTEAD OF SIGNING IT AND PASSING IT TO PAYROLL SO PEOPLE CAN WORK! Cause 3 count em 1-2-3 times this summer my DH has had to use vacation time and stay home instead of work. The first time this happened he was home for the better part of 2 weeks. 2nd time was for 1 day and this week was time number 3 for 3 days. Why can't people understand that others in their company actually do need to work for a living and not use vacation time because you can't be bothered to sign the stupid check

So yeah, in all that mess my week went to hell and I expect the pound I lost will be on the scale once again. And I just don't care this week. People are lucky I don't own a gun cause I might actually shoot somebody if i did

And if y'all actually stuck through that then may God Bless You

Oh my... So much stress! And so many things you can't control. So control what you can ( eating, exercise, things at home) and life will feel better! I'd be very disturbed about the church money situation. It doesn't seem ethical to take a collection ear-marked for debt reduction and then pour it into the general fund. I know as a parishioner I'd be upset to find out about this!

Anyhow, take care of yourself!

Hello friends! I will be taking over as coach tomorrow, but I thought i would check in. I've been reading along with everyone, but haven't really had much to contribute. I'm in the midst of redoing my room, I think i mentioned, and I'm at the point of trying to find a desk and it's proving difficult! I think i've finally narrowed it down though.

We also had a bit of "drama" this week as the fish tank sprung a leak! At my tank as it turns out was discontinued! I ended up buying a smaller tank only to realize it looked really funny on my stand, and ended up buying the same tank i had which only came as a set with another stand...I made the best out of it though and now i have a brand new bedside table! I was previously using a tv tray. So my fish lived in a rubbermaid container for a few days, but are now enjoying their brand new tank. Alls well that ends well!

I've been doing my squats,lunges, crunches, tricep dips, etc every night but that's the most working out ive really done. I know I need to focus but ive found it hard while focusing on getting my room done before the semester

My friend, or well former friend, she kind of stopped talking to me when she left our work just joined my gym. I told her to join but i didnt think she would, and i am really glad she is making an effort but also worried. She is VERY overweight, so i'm very glad she is trying to be healthy thats great...but i think she's going to over do it. She's been going EVERY DAY and really pushing herself hard and i feel like she's going to injure herself. I gently reminded her not to push so hard but I know she won't listen. I'm supposed to go work out with her tomorrow, even though my hip is KILLING me so i will see what exactly she's been doing but its hard when you know someone is going to burn themselves out

I think its just about bedtime now. Like i said, my hip is acting up again, for no reason so i'm hoping some rest will help it feel better

Looking forward to your week! And glad you saved the fish! Nice of you to try to help your friend. Some people need to learn the hard way though.

Hi there again! I just got back from the grand old wedding tour of the Mid-west-- five people with 13 days worth of luggage in a Nissan Versa, traveling from NYC to Detroit to Cleveland to western NY to Buffalo and back to NYC again. We stayed with 4 different, very hospitable and wonderful families over the trip as well as at a rented lakehouse (that we affectionately nick-named the Hellmouth because the tap water reeked of sulfur), and we spent a lot of good quality time with friends. Plus, the weddings were really beautiful and I was so happy to get to be there for them.

That having been said, about half-way through the trip I started having dreams that I was in WDW. Not daydreams, actual dreams. I guess 13 days of sleeping in way late (my friends were stressed out by my urge to plan activities and sight-seeing, so I had to shut that down early in the trip), taking sulfurous showers, being polite to my friends' families who I didn't really know, and sleeping on weird mattresses, couches, and floors just made me wish I was somewhere else... I know I'll have these memories with my friends forever, but I hope I get to take a somewhat more indulgent vacation sometime in the not-too-distant future!!!

Anyway, the eating went very poorly, which could have been expected to an extent. It's not a big deal, but now that I'm back I'm recommitting. Got to turn that "uber-planner" switch back on in my brain and get some meal plans ready! I hope everyone's summer is ending really nicely, I'm going to read a few pages back but otherwise I hope I'll just catch up as the week goes on. Thanks for coaching next week trinaweena!

Sounds like a really fun trip! You will talk about that adventure for years! I hope my kids can have fun crazy (safe, responsible) trips with friends like that in the future!


**************
Morning all. Woke with a headache. made homemade oatmeal scones for the kids for breakfast as a treat. I had a bagel thin with a bit of PB.....just wasn't in the mood to make myself anything special.

Gonna sit here and veg and nurse my coffee until my headache ebbs. TTYL..........P

 

[trinaweena]

HELLO EVERYONE!!!! My name is Katrina and I will be your coach for this week! This is my 3rd or 4th biggest loser challenge. I started with this challenege because my weight had gotten to a point where i truly hated myself, and everything in my life was suffering because of it. I started last year, and have lost 40lbs since then, bringing me down to 139lbs. I'm still not done though! I still have major body issues, which I work on everyday, and also getting into better eating habits, and work out habits! I look foward to being your coach this week, and hope I will see if as a way to get my own butt in gear

Question of the Day 8/24/2012: Today's question is about taking a look at who we are, and what makes us that way. Weight loss is really about knowing yourself. I work at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Museum in Hartford, CT and one of the messages we promote is over coming racism and inequality, and promoting an understanding of other people's beliefs, ethnicities, and cultural backround. I think this is important in today's world especially. During my weight loss journey, I have found that I've needed to look at myself and who I am and where I come from in order to truly appreciate the journey I've come on and the journey I'm taking.

So my question today has to do with your heritage! Tell us about your heritage, where you come from, where your family comes from? Do you see your heritage as a positive aspect to your journey or a negative one, or does it not really impact you at all. Are you proud of your heritage or do you not like to share it with people?

Bonus Question: many people suffer everyday because of their heritage, the color of their skin, their beliefs, and their culture? Are there any groups you work with or vounteere with that combat these types of prejudices? Are there any you wish you did work with?

Quote: "You should never be looking down at someone unless you're going to be helping them up. "

 

[pjlla]

HELLO EVERYONE!!!! My name is Katrina and I will be your coach for this week! This is my 3rd or 4th biggest loser challenge. I started with this challenege because my weight had gotten to a point where i truly hated myself, and everything in my life was suffering because of it. I started last year, and have lost 40lbs since then, bringing me down to 139lbs. I'm still not done though! I still have major body issues, which I work on everyday, and also getting into better eating habits, and work out habits! I look foward to being your coach this week, and hope I will see if as a way to get my own butt in gear

Thanks for sharing with us. It is so nice to know we aren't alone in our issues like this.

Question of the Day 8/24/2012: Today's question is about taking a look at who we are, and what makes us that way. Weight loss is really about knowing yourself. I work at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Museum in Hartford, CT and one of the messages we promote is over coming racism and inequality, and promoting an understanding of other people's beliefs, ethnicities, and cultural backround. I think this is important in today's world especially. During my weight loss journey, I have found that I've needed to look at myself and who I am and where I come from in order to truly appreciate the journey I've come on and the journey I'm taking.

So my question today has to do with your heritage! Tell us about your heritage, where you come from, where your family comes from? Do you see your heritage as a positive aspect to your journey or a negative one, or does it not really impact you at all. Are you proud of your heritage or do you not like to share it with people?

Bonus Question: many people suffer everyday because of their heritage, the color of their skin, their beliefs, and their culture? Are there any groups you work with or vounteere with that combat these types of prejudices? Are there any you wish you did work with?

Quote: "You should never be looking down at someone unless you're going to be helping them up. "

Could I love this question any more?????!! Love it!

My heritage is pretty "white bread". My Dad's family settled in MA a long time ago... in fact, there is actually an organization dedicated to one of the original members of the family (related to my Dad's mom's side of the family). I've been doing the family geneology (mostly on that particular side) and have researched that branch back over 200 years. English mostly. My Dad's father's side is Scotch, having arrived here in MA only about 3 generations ago (not including my generation). I've been too cheap to pay for International record access on Ancestry.com, so I've been stuck there for a while.

It has been a bit tougher to research my Mom's side, since they moved around a bit more. I haven't really gotten more than 2 generations back for either my maternal grandmother or grandfather. It does appear that they are English as well, although my grandmother did mention to me once that there was a bit of Irish somewhere. Someday when I have more money and more time lmao I'll get more done.

As you can tell, I will happily share my heritage with anyone who asks! I am proud of my Dad's side because they lived in the same town for many, many, many years (the town I grew up in). I feel VERY connected to that town and it makes me sad that I don't live nearer. In fact, my Dad has never lived anywhere else. I can't imagine that my kids will ever feel that same connection to this town, as we have no history here.

Of course my heritage impacts me, but I really don't know how. I know I am like my Dad and he was like his Dad, but I never met his Mom (she died when my dad was 15) and I've often wondered what character traits I might get from her. Girl babies are rare on my Dad's side of the family, so it was quite a celebration when I was born! My Dad (next youngest in his family) had 7 surviving brothers (2 brothers and a sister died in childhood), each of his older brothers had only boys (except for one girl to my Dad's oldest brother.... she is many years older than myself), so I was a big deal!! Then my uncle had to go and spoil the record and have two girls after I was born!

BONUS QOTD: I am a totally selfish person and right now I am not doing ANY type of volunteer work at all. I've had different periods of time in my life that I've done more, but nothing right now. I've been tempted to work on several different projects that have really spoken to me over the past year or so, but I just haven't felt like I had the time to dedicate to it properly. I think I got really burned (and burned out) directing VBS at our former church and it really made me reluctant to get "sucked into" a big volunteer project. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but I do. But thanks for making me think about it more.

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

Started scrubbing the gas grill.... EWWW! It was far ickier than I thought! Got it sitting with some degreaser spray on it right now. Will give it one more scrub on the inside, another wipe down on the outside, and call it good!

Fridge is down to nothing, so everyone is scrambling to find something for lunch. I had a few leftovers, DH had sardines.... the kids didn't like what I offered them so they are on their own.

I'm also simultaneously working on a small craft project that I do a bit as a time as I take breaks from other things. Hopefully it will be done by dinner time. Headache is better, thank goodness. Laundry is DONE cool1 and no where to go today (other than bringing DS to his friend's house for a sleepover). Maybe, just maybe I can find an hour to sit at my scrap table today!!!

TTYL..........................P

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Here we celebrate our progress and recognize our superstars.

Biggest Loser "Sizzlin' Hot" Summer Challenge Week 11!
This week’s group loss = 7.3 pounds
Average percentage of weight lost 0.29 %
Total group weight loss so far 242.6 pounds!

This isn't today's weigh in is it? OMG, I am so far out of the loop!!

So my question today has to do with your heritage! Tell us about your heritage, where you come from, where your family comes from? Do you see your heritage as a positive aspect to your journey or a negative one, or does it not really impact you at all. Are you proud of your heritage or do you not like to share it with people?

Bonus Question: many people suffer everyday because of their heritage, the color of their skin, their beliefs, and their culture? Are there any groups you work with or vounteere with that combat these types of prejudices? Are there any you wish you did work with?

Let's see. We are French, Irish, Native American Lenape tribe, Scottish, German, and English, mostly those (maybe some others tossed in there)

DH is Irish. If we can connect father and son Cobb's then we can trace our ancestry back to Knight's Templar on his side. I'm still trying to get 2 pieces of concrete info.

I would say on my side I'm most in touch with my French and Irish background. I am pretty vocal about my Native side sometimes but I try to hold my tongue when I can. I can get myself into some deep do-do with both sides of that fence.
My Irishness can get me into trouble with my temper but I try to keep it in check.

I don't really work with groups to combat differences. Oh, how do I put this..... In our family race, religion, sexual orientation doesn't really come into play at our house. People are people. I try to make it a non-issue.

The only time I spoke up recently about it was at a track meet. Our HS is pretty mixed with ethnic backgrounds, but the team we were racing was predominantly black. So, our 100 meter kids were warming up and an opposing player who was black came up and said "What up "N" (whole word) to our black teammates. Our team looked at him and shook their heads as I whip around and said "We DON'T say that here!"
We had just had a huge "Spread the Word, just don't say it" campaign the week before and all of our kids took a pledge to not use the R word, the N word, or the F word about kids with disabilities, blacks, and gays. (you can see our video on youtube)
So of course this is fresh in their minds. And to boot it was the opposing teams football coach who had come in to talk about not using the word and especially for other black kids to not use it towards each other.
Needless to say he kind of slunk away back to his team and our boys were rolling their eyes at him. I think they were kind of mad because we got a lecture by their coach but it seemed they were the ones that needed to lesson.

Wow, that was longer than I intended! LOL
Anyway we as a family try to treat all people equally. After all, we are all part of the Human Race.

 

[::Snow_White::]

Thanks for the ideas Pamela!!

QOTD: Honestly, it seems like my family does not care/known where we are from whatsoever. Strangely, everytime I ask, they say "America." Hey, we had to come from somewhere, c'mon. I know our family came from Germany, not sure when, but that's all I know from one side. I'm on a mission to find out more when I get older and can really dig into it.

---
I think I've come to the conclusion that I don't really need to lose anymore weight, I just need to start lifting and gaining more muscle. I have a little bit of fat all around but I think that if I start to do more weight training it'll change over to muscle and all will be good.

With that said I maintained this week. Obviously, okay with that, but annoyed this seems like the wall. Don't know whether or not I should break through it or not. My eating right now is around 1500-1700 calories a day and that leaves me satisfied and to have what I want, so...I guess we will see!

Have a good night!