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

[Rose&Mike]

then it's my birthday Sunday. Turning 52, can't believe I'm that old. LOL Just picked up my new glasses today - finally had to get "progressive" lenses. These are going to take some getting used to. No big plans for the birthday. I think I just want to stick around the house and finish our vacation plans. Go to Butcher Boy in Andover after I visit my Father, get some really nice steaks for DH to grill. Stop at Damici's bakery in my town, they have little cakes, etc - I want one of their fruit tarts as my birthday cake. DH and DS and pick out what they want - DH will pick Carrot Cake and DS will pick Boston Cream Pie. I will take pictures of them - they are the cutest and very very tasty. Have some friends/neighbors over for a few cocktails - it wil be a perfect day!!!

Janis

Have a super birthday!

 

[bellebookworm9]

QOTD Saturday August 6
This qotd is inspired by all of you who have posted pictures of your pets.
Do you have a pet? If so, please post your favorite pet pic or share a favorite pet story!

We have a dog and a cat. (Both of these pictures are at least two years old-I would take new ones but Dryfuss is terrified of the camera).

This is Dryfuss. He is a 12 year old Golden Retriever, St. Bernard mix. We got him from a shelter when he was about a year old. He is the only dog I'm not afraid of, and he is generally very friendly, but also an excellent guard dog.

This is Miss Kitty. We adopted her two years ago, at the age of two, from the SPCA inside the local mall. She is now a little bigger and has much more hair. She is really entertaining, and loves to chase things and pounce on them, especially late at night.

I want to know how everyone manages to get in their 64oz of water a day. It is a chore to me to remember. I don't drink soda anymore, so I am not substituting anything for water, I just don't drink that much in a day. I have one skinny vanilla latte from Starbucks most days, but other than water that is it. Does anyone have any tricks to get yourself to remember to drink your water?

Also, is it really that important? On Web MD yesterday they posted that drinking more water to help with losing weight is a myth.

I take two 16-20 oz bottles with me to work, and make a point to try and drink one throughout the work day and the other during lunch. When I come home, I keep a 1 liter bottle with me at all times, and sip from it. Voila, 64 oz of water. I, like you, have the problem of drinking water or nothing. But yes, it is important. It's not so much to help you lose weight as it is a better alternative to sodas and juices that are full of sugar, and it is especially important to help keep you hydrated when the temperatures are this warm.

********************************
Good morning everyone! Yesterday was overall pretty on plan. I even went to two grocery stores and bought about $30 worth of produce: cherries, blueberries, oranges, bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, and celery. I was thinking "Hey I'll go shopping on a Friday night, it will be dead!". Yeah, not so much. There was a concert/carnival happening in the plaza where one of the stores was. So I parked a bit away and walked.

Yesterday and today my throat really hurts, just on the right side, and it feels swollen. I just sneezed and nearly screamed from the pain. So today I will be taking motrin like it's my job. I have a 5 page paper to write, and then I am done with classes for a few weeks. Mom and I discussed my personal statement last night and I have a better idea where I'm going with it now. Hope everyone has a great OP day!

 

[liesel]

Here is Molly the wonder dog. She's out for a run with DH right now, she loves to go and whines at us every morning until she gets to go. No sleeping in for DH!

Here she is as a puppy:

Here she is all grown up and in need of a haircut-we now keep her hair shorter than this:

I forgot to mention my eating yesterday. Luckily Water World allows you to bring in your own food, so I had a tuna kit, hummus, string cheese, and triscuts for lunch. You should see the massive coolers people bring to this place, there's no size restriction like WDW and DLR and they can be hard sided. Yes, Kathy, I had a small scoop of ice cream as my afternoon snack, but at least it was tiny and I definitely burned those calories yesterday! Dinner was leftovers from Thursday: grilled salmon and pesto pasta with zucchini and tomatoes.

Today I am making one of my salad recipes for lunch: goat cheese salad. You take a 1" slice of goat cheese and dip it in a little bit of egg and bread crumbs (G-F you could sub a little parmesan for the bread crumbs) and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees to a nice golden brown. You serve it on a mixed green salad with walnuts, pear (or apple, depending on what's good at the grocery store), and homemade balsamic vinagrette. Calories per serving: 370 and so yummy!


We are gong to a Rockies game tonight, where you can also bring your own food. We'll be stopping at a favorite deli on the way and picking up sandwiches. We'll bring our own water, peanuts, and cracker jacks. The kids insist on having both peanuts and cracker jacks at the old ball game because of the song "take me out to the ball game." I'll try to keep the snacking to a minumim.

For all of you Red Sox fans out there, we did attend game 3 of the 2007 World Series (the Rockies first world series game!) and had a blast. It was too bad the Rockies couldn't win at least 1 game against them. There were many Red Sox fans there who had flown in for the game, since it was easier to get tickets here than in Boston. Crazy!

Have a great day losers, its almost time for my very late long run!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Today I am making one of my salad recipes for lunch: goat cheese salad. You take a 1" slice of goat cheese and dip it in a little bit of egg and bread crumbs (G-F you could sub a little parmesan for the bread crumbs) and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees to a nice golden brown. You serve it on a mixed green salad with walnuts, pear (or apple, depending on what's good at the grocery store), and homemade balsamic vinagrette. Calories per serving: 370 and so yummy!

That salad sounds great! I might have to try that. Thanks for the g-f idea. I don't know if I would have thought of that, but it's a great idea. You can also make bread crumbs from udi's bread--which I keep in the freezer. I bet the salad would be great with spinach and raspberries. I make really easy candied nuts that aren't too high in calories. Toast your pecans or walnuts in a skillet until they are nice and warm and add a tablespoon (or two ) of real maple syrup. A little bit goes a long way. My family loves them. So often candied nuts have gluten (or other garbage) in them so this way I can eat them without worrying.

I'm impressed that the Rockies let you bring food in. I think the Reds do, too. Our MiLB team will only let you bring water in, which is so annoying. Unless you have a diaper bag or you are a man with big cargo short pockets. Not that we have ever done that or anything....We did see someone sneak beer in once, which I thought was pushing it a bit, plus I'm guessing it was warm. Anyhow, have a great time at the game!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

kathy i don't think any of us would be here if we were THAT obsessed with lettuce!!! one can dream though, right?? i love fredward! so cute!

sacha i keep trying to get my 64oz in. it's hard! it was much easier to do it when i worked. we had free water bottles. when i got to the office i'd take 4 and tell myself i couldn't leave for the day til i finished all of them. didn't help when i finished them all at 10:30am and still coudn't leave though i like to drink seltzer. they have flavored ones too. i prefer just plain but the lemon lime schweppes is pretty good as a "treat."

QOTD: DH has worked in the pet business for the last 12 or so years so i'm pretty sure we'll always have a pet. i love my bulldog fiona but sometimes i want to open the door and let her run away! she's so spiteful lately! she's not happy that we have a kid! lol! she's in for it when another comes along. it may put her over the edge! i took this picture of her last year. DH and i started a consulting business called bulldog marketing and sales and we put an ad in pet product news a few months ago - this was the picture we used. it's really the face only a mother could love

have a great day everyone! we're back at home from dropping the dog at petco for grooming and spending the morning at the bronx zoo. later we're heading to the beach club for a seafood fest. lobster....mmmm....

 

[donac]

Good Saturday afternoon everyone.

Just finished doing all the little chores that dh does on Saturday morning. I didn't want him to have to do them this weekend after he comes home from Virginia.

He called yesterday afternoon. He told me I would have hated the trip because of all the bears they saw. I have a couple of fears. I am not comfortable in very fast water, I don't want to do any whitewater rafting. I will also not camp near bears.

It is quiet here at the house. I am leaving in an hour to go see a show. A couple of my students are in it. The show is playing this weekend in arts center here. Next weekend they are going to an off broadway theater in NYC.

Dh will be home late this afternoon. He is going to be upset since he has lost 3 wonderful days to paint the house. The weather here in jersey has been wonderful the last couple of days even at night.

QOTD We have all sorts of pets since we got married in 1978. We have always have cats. We got one the week after we got back from our honeymoon. We have had fish, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters and newts. Right now we have two cats. They are sisters one is skinny and one is fat. We also have my son's dog which is a yellow lab. It was a college graduation present from his gf. THey did ask us if it was okay to get the dog. (They told us on graduation day that they had something they wanted to talk to us about at dinner. They had been dating for 3 years so we thought it could be the engagement thing. We were relieved when they asked about the dog)

If I get a chance I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Have a happy and healthy day..

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

hello everyone!!!! Gosh its been weeks since I have been on these boards. I have read when I can but just had no time to reply or post.

I browsed a few pages back so I felt like I can start fresh again. I hope all is well with everyone. I have been maintaining for the past few weeks but thats not the goal here. Last night while eating my horrible dinner from mcdonalds. I made a goal for myself to loose 4 lbs a month every month from now until next june. That would put me at my goal weight by july. We are planning a beach trip in july so that is going to be my motivation. Now I just have to get my butt in gear to do it. I am going to try to come up with an eating plan for this week. I should have some time tomorrow to do this.

My life has been beyond busy so its nice to finally have some extra time this weekend to relax and catch up on the computer.

I love all the pet pics.

Kathy- Fredward???? thats quite a name. and hes a redsox fan too.

Nancy- I love your dog fiona. Dh loves bulldogs and often tries to talk me into getting one someday. I am sticking to my guns....with a big Capital Letter NO!

Lisa- Your dog is so beautiful and such a cute puppy she was.

Belle- What a looking dog and kitty. Golden Retrievers are so loyal and friendly.

Well here is my dog. He is a Chocolate Lab and just turned 8 years old last week. He was quite a terror as a puppy well even until he turned about 5yr. He chewed everything. We even had to replace our sofa. Now he is the greatest dog one could have. So great with the boys, perfect gaurd dog, and always is by my side.

Oh and his name is Donovan. We got him when Donovan Mcnabb was the shining Eagles Quarterback and thats why we gave him that name. We are very big Eagles Fans. Last year Mcnabb was trade to the redskins so now its just a name.

 

[satorifound]

kathy i

QOTD: DH has worked in the pet business for the last 12 or so years so i'm pretty sure we'll always have a pet. i love my bulldog fiona but sometimes i want to open the door and let her run away! she's so spiteful lately! she's not happy that we have a kid! lol! she's in for it when another comes along. it may put her over the edge! i took this picture of her last year. DH and i started a consulting business called bulldog marketing and sales and we put an ad in pet product news a few months ago - this was the picture we used. it's really the face only a mother could love

....

She is SOOO cute. Bulldog is on our short list of the dog we want.

 

[JacksLilWench]

QOTD Saturday August 6
This qotd is inspired by all of you who have posted pictures of your pets.
Do you have a pet? If so, please post your favorite pet pic or share a favorite pet story!

We don't have a pet anymore. Unfortunately, she passed away in January of last year, but she was the best dog. She was a black lab named Jasmine (we didn't name her, she came to us with her Princess name!), and she was so smart and sweet. I would love to get another dog. but nobody is really home enough to make it fair to any animal we were to get. Hopefully someday soon, though!

*************
Whoo!! I'm finally down this week!! After a yucky gain at my family reunion that hung around for two weeks, I'm finally sliding down again, and I love it. I'm really getting motivated the closer our trip gets...we're down to only 43 days!!!!

 

[tigger813]

Evening all,

Been a quiet day here for the most part. Girls and I worked on the walls for about 2 hours and then Ash and I walked to the library and the convenience store. Didn't do much of anything else the rest of the day except read and I did play Lego Harry Potter for a little bit. Brian and I also watched Hot Tub Time Machine.

I just finished Hunger Games and was mixed on the ending. Then I looked up on Wikipedia about the other books in the trilogy and decided that I want to read them as well. I won't give anything away.

Brian has to do work at 2am. Not sure if it will take 1 hour or 4 hours. Taking the girls to Build A Bear to get some outfits tomorrow and also to Barnes and Noble to get some more of the books in the Princess Diaries series for Ash. Also picking up another book for her that she needs to read before school starts. I also hope to get a Disney Cruise Line book to start some of our planning. Girls are I will also pick up some lunch at Bertuccis on our way home.

Ash is coming down with a bad cold. She's been sneezing the last two days and today started feeling lousy. Good thing we have no plans for Monday. I also have gotten a sore throat this afternoon.

Have a good night.

QOTD:Our only pet right now is a Dwarf African frog that currently lives on the kitchen breakfast bar as his tank or he was making a buzzing sound that was keeping Ash up at night. We have had fish in the past. Brian is allergic to animals and we don't have time to take care of them.

Have a great night!

TTFN

 

[DopeyDame]

We have an awesome mutt of a dog named Spikey. He's the most scardy-cat dog you've ever met, so Spike doesn't really fit him, but it's the name he came with from the shelter, so we just decided to keep it.

Unfortunately, I'm having trouble posting the picture, but trust me - he's adorable and fun and gentle and fantastic. He's my first pet, except for a gold fish my roommate gave me in college. The goldfish lasted 36 hours. Fortunately Spikey seems to have much better longevity!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Unfortunately, I'm having trouble posting the picture, but trust me - he's adorable and fun and gentle and fantastic. He's my first pet, except for a gold fish my roommate gave me in college. The goldfish lasted 36 hours. Fortunately Spikey seems to have much better longevity!

This reminds me of some of my guy friends at school. They bought 20-30 goldfish in September. I think there were 4 of them left around Christmas. These 4 must have been mutant ninja fish or something, because they got left at school over winter break in an unplugged tank with no food, and were still alive when we came back. I think they actually made it through til May, but I have no idea what happened to them after that. I have other friends who have Beta Fish, and they seem to be a pretty hearty, sturdy type of fish!

 

[mackeysmom]

QOTD:

This is my 3 year old Blackie - I got him when he was a feral kitten. I cage-trained him for six months, and now he is the sweetest little thing.

This is Sunny Doodle - he is 4 years old, but I only got him about four months ago. He is a rescue who was dumped, caught, adopted and then returned. (He's been since diagnosed with major intestinal issues - which is probably why he was dumped twice - but I've ((hopefully) got him on the way to a full recovery.

My avatar is my sweet Mackey (RIP) - he died earlier this year just a few weeks shy of his 15th birthday.

- Laura

 

[glss1/2fll]

Sacha-for drinking water I keep a glass on the kitchen counter and pretty much take a sip each and every time I am in the kitchen. Since that room separates the rest of the house (and bathroom!) from the family room where we spend all our time, I pass through a lot.

QOTD: I finally caved after 13 years of DH, "please, please, please can we get a dog?" But he is our first and last pet. We have an 11.5 year old black standard poodle named Louis. He's fantastic but definitely my dog. Something DH isn't thrilled about. very aloof--wants to be in the same room with everybody but not by anybody. He thinks every time the phone rings in the evening it means we're going for a walk. He whines in the morning when I'm getting ready for my run. Then he goes outside and whines by the back gate until I open it--then he yips and jumps. very weird

Not the day we had planned. The kids had told us they were in an out of town basketball tournament--we thought: couple games and we'll go home. Oh no. It's another 3 on 3 tournament. All day, outside. Games at 10:30 (which was really 10-oops), 11, 11:30, 12, 2, 5, 5:30. ugh I was frantically making PBJ this morning and shoving some watermelon and water in a cooler as the eldest is yelling at us all to hurry up. But that's over and tomorrow they only have 2 games each. If they lose the first one we can go home early!! The cute part was when we had lunch. Opened up the back of our car and brought out the chairs and circled them up. Felt like we were camping--all we needed was a campfire!

Getting close to my bedtime. Can't remember who had the sore throat, but I hope it's feeling better now.

Stay on plan!

 

[liesel]

Hey everyone, I am loving the pet pics! Another incredibly busy day. Did my long run, meal planning and shopping for the week, and went to the Rockies game. We had an amazing time! On our way to our nosebleed discount seats we were told that we were chosen to be the family of the day and we were upgraded down to the first level! They gave us a backpack full of goodies to enjoy, tshirts, hats, and we were featured on the jumbotron! Of course I opted not to bring a camera to this game, but we did take a couple of pictures on our lousy phones. Anyway, it is late, I am tired, so I'll put up tomorrow's QOTD and head to bed. I'm sorry I'm not able to reply nearly as much as I would like-its been a crazy busy weekend. Tomorrow we are marching in our county fair parade with DS's cub scout pack and attending a neighborhood BBQ. I will definitely be around more starting Monday.


QOTD Sunday August 7
Is there something you would like to do but your weight/current fitness level/body image/self doubt is holding you back?

Some examples of this could be: attending a gym class, trying a new sport, running in a race, going for that dream job, etc. Sometimes we let ourselves get in the way of the things we want to do, instead of finding a way to make it happen. I would encourage everyone to get out there and pursue the things you want to do, whether or not you are at your goal weight.

I have always been hesitant to try surfing, even when I was young, in shape, and living in southern California. I just figured I couldn't do it. My body image was distorted, I thought I was much bigger than I actually was. Well, we are going to Hawaii in September to celebrate DH, DS, and DD's birthdays and DS wants a surfing lesson for his birthday. So I am going to try it, even though I'm not nearly at my ideal weight. I have been exercising for quite a while and I'm going to go out there and give it my best.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[donac]

Good Sunday morning everyone.

Dh made it home around 6 last night. I spent the afternoon at a show. A couple of my students were in a newly written show at a local arts center. They will take the show to a small theater in NYC next weekend. It was a cute show with some new and some old music. It could very popular with small high schools or junior highs. It was mostly a female cast with lots of numbers for a lot of different people.

Dh had a great time. Did a lot of hiking and saw Lurray Caverns in Va.

QOTD Sunday August 7
Is there something you would like to do but your weight/current fitness level/body image/self doubt is holding you back?

I have always wanted to do a marathon and many of you have proven that your don't have to be a certain size to do it. BUT with the conditions of my feet, ankles and now my knee it is doubtful. I would love to lose some weight on the hope that it will ease the aches and pains but I hold out very little hope.

Well off to shower for church.

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[lisah0711]

Good morning all! Hope that everyone gets to do something fun and relaxing on this beautiful summer Sunday.

QOTD Saturday August 6
This qotd is inspired by all of you who have posted pictures of your pets.
Do you have a pet? If so, please post your favorite pet pic or share a favorite pet story!

We have a dog, a cat and a turtle. This is our second generation of pets -- each and every one is an important part of our family.

This is Sadie, who is 4

and Wally, who is 6

and Peple the party turtle -- named that because we always have holiday decorations by his tank

I loved seeing everyone's cutes pets! Great question, Lisa!

QOTD Sunday August 7
Is there something you would like to do but your weight/current fitness level/body image/self doubt is holding you back?

I'm getting much better at not letting things hold me back from what I would like to do. That said I would like to be more comfortable in those things that I do as well as not have the nagging thought that it would be better, easier, more fun, etc. if I did not weigh so much.

Had a very nice long run yesterday. It was hot so I went out and did 2 miles before meeting up with my training group. That helped a lot. I kept them in sight for more than half the run, which is a first for me. Only 19 more training runs until my half in September so time to move, move, move.

Another day of tracking every bite and of course those long runs rack up the fitness minutes. Today is a well deserved rest day.

Have a great day all!

 

[lisah0711]

Can't wait to hear how our RnR half marathoners are doing! I heard it is rainy but it would keep you cool.

 

[mikamah]

Good morning!

Love seeing everyone's pet pictures. They are all adorable. I miss having a cat since ds is allergic, and like someone else mentioned, we also are not home enough to have a dog, and I don't want the commitment of a dog right now.

Lisa- How exciting to be family of the day. Your kids must have been so excited to see themselves on the jumbo screen. So cool. And nice upgrade too!

QOTD Sunday August 7
Is there something you would like to do but your weight/current fitness level/body image/self doubt is holding you back?

I think getting out and dating. I'll look online occassionally, and think with ds there is just too much going on, and there isn't enough time to get out there, but honestly, I don't feel as good as I feel 20-30 pounds lighter. I've lost this weight before, and have noticed when I'm thinner, I'm more flirtatious, and more open to the possibility of meeting someone.

I had a nice relaxing day yesterday, sat on my porch for much of the day with a book. Then we met friends at panera and saw Smurfs. Other than the 16 point box of reeses pieces, I did ok yesterday. Oh well, that's what flex points are for, right? Did some watp exercise yesterday. It's raining, so I will skip my run today and do some wii fit this morning.

Have a nice sunday!!

 

[mikamah]

Lisah- Nice work on the long run!! You are going to be so ready for that half in september.