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

[liesel]

Cam-I've used wonton wrappers to make ravioli, I'll track down a recipe. Congrats on the half! I read your race report, it sounded pretty brutal but I am so glad you finished and had a wonderful weekend with fellow WISHers.

Tracey- How awful for that family. Its so nice of you to pitch in and help out.


DisneyWedding2010- I can't imagine your pain. Grief can come at us in waves out of nowhere and its ok to let it wash over you. You don't have to be strong all the time.


The day has gotten away from me, my first kid free day. I did my run and went to help the first graders have lunch at school for the first time. They were so unbelieveably cute, especially my little DD, who is growing up so fast. Its almost time to go get them, I'll check in soon.

 

[my3princes]

Hi all,

Been a very sad day in our little town today. A 10 year old girl got run over in her driveway by her mother last night. She was lying in the driveway looking at the stars and her mother pulled in their curvy driveway and didn't see her. She was going to be on Ash's soccer team this fall though she had been moved to another team last night. Brian recognized the name immediately. She went to a local private school so Ash didn't know her though I recognized the name. She has an older sibling in high school. Ash was pretty upset that something like that could've happened.

We're starting to gather food and other items for the family. I'm going to make some brownies and chop suey tonight and deliver it to them tomorrow. It's just so awful.

Heading over to tennis lessons in a few minutes and to pick up a few more things at the library. While the kids have lessons I'm going to run to the grocery store to pick up a container for the chop suey so it can be frozen if necessary.

Hug your kids extra tight today!

That is horrific. I cannot imagine what that family is going through. I hope the mother is getting psychiatric help as there is no way she can ever get through that without it.

The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions for me. Sunday night a traumatic event left me reliving the night my husband & daughter were killed by a drunk driver.

Alan was working this weekend on getting the garage organized and figuring out what we were keeping and what we were getting rid of. He was going through boxes and such and came across one that was on the top shelf (we have shelves in our garage on one side). He went to open the box and found something that he forgot we even had (I knew nothing about it).

He came inside and I knew something was wrong when he had this serious look on his face and he kind of stammered trying to come up with the right words, "Um, honey I found something and I'm not sure what to do with it." Puzzled I asked him what he was talking about. He asked me to follow him to the garage, so I did. He pulled the plastic bag out of the box and said "I found this. I forgot it was here." I took the bag from him and upon seeing the label that said "ME's office" I instantly got lightheaded, dizzy, and thought I was going to pass out.

"OMG"...

I walked into the house and sat down in the middle of the living room floor, Alan followed me. I opened up the bag and took out the shredded up bloody clothes. Upon inspection I realized they were mine. The only reason I knew was because the label was on the jeans and I only wore one brand of jeans back then. Then I pulled out a peice of sweatshirt that had blood on it. I didn't recognize it as something of mine so I'm assuming it was Josh's.

I put everything in the bag and just sat there in shock and before I knew it the tears started to flow uncontrollably to the point to where I was sobbing. After somewhat composing myself I got up and went out to the garage with the bag in my hand. The knee jerk reaction was to throw it away, I couldn't. I couldn't get myself to do it. Alan asked me if I wanted to throw them away and all I could manage to do was shake my head no.

He pulled up a chair and I sat down and started crying harder. I started rambling about how I know my mom has Josh and Maddie's clothes from that night because she had told me over a year ago. Then I told him how my dad wouldn't ever go to the cemetary to see them because he was the one who had to identify them that night. I can imagine that haunts him and understandably so.

After sitting outside for a few minutes I went in and sat at my desk. It was around 10pm TX time and I started to panic. I needed to talk to someone, anyone. Then I realized it was to late to call any of my friends so I did the only thing I could, I called my mom.

She answered the phone and as soon as she said hello I just lost it and started sobbing all over again. Bless her heart luckily she was able to figure out what I was saying between my uncontrollable sobs. Once i had caught my breathe and was able to take a few deep breaths I could hear her crying on the other end. "I'm so sorry honey. You weren't suppose to find those. Alan was suppose to put all of that away somewhere that you wouldn't find it." I told her it wasn't Alan's fault. He had hid them a way pretty darn well (on a shelf way above my 4'11 head). I told her they would of never been uncovered had we not been in the process of getting ready to move. They could of stayed on that shelf forever and I would of never known.

After getting off the phone with her a texted awhile with a friend and then went to bed. I didn't wake up til almost 3pm yesterday and honestly just didn't care. I spent the whole day in a fog and zombie like state. I was in that I don't care about anything or anyone and for once in my life I'm going to worry about me and no one else. Every time I get in an emotional funk I always "jump out" of it so to speak in order to be there for friends and family. Well screw it for once I was only thinking about me.

I started feeling somewhat better around 11 last night. I told Alan I wanted to go to wal-mart and drown my sorrows in Blue Bell ice cream. So we went up there and I stocked up on pints of ice cream, lunchables, and Gatorade.

Just when I think I can bury the events of what happened that night they always find a way to sneak up on me and knock me on my butt.

I cried with you as I read this. i think you've done as well as you possibly can dealing with this. I'm glad that your mother and Alan were there for you. Alan seems like an exceptional man.

 

[liesel]

Here is my wonton wrapper recipe, if anyone is interested. It makes 24 ravioli, 4 servings (6 per serving). Its on the high range of my recipe list, 510 calories per serving, but 6 raviolis is very filling.

3 cheese ravioli with cherry tomatoes

1 cup part skim ricotta
1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella (or regular part skim)
2 Tbsp grated parmesan plus more for garnish
48 wonton wrappers
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 pints cherry tomatoes (you can use a combination of red and yellow)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

1. bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Mix the three cheeses together. Working on a clean floured surface, lay down a single wonton wrapper and place a spoonful of the cheese mixture in the center, being careful not to overstuff. Paint the edges of the wrappers with egg whites, then top with another wonton wrapper. Press firmly around the edges to secure the filling inside the ravioli. Repeat to create 24 ravioli.

2. heat the oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Cook the tomatoes and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes until the tomatoes are lightly cooked on the outside and about to burst. Use a fork to lightly crush a few tomatoes to give this a more saucelike quality. Add the basil and remove from heat.

3. salt the boiling water and turn down the heat to medium so that it is gently boiling. Carefully drop in the ravioli and cook for 3 minutes, then drain. Divide the ravioli among 4 warm plates or bowls, then top each with the tomatoes. Top with grated or shaved Parmesan and more fresh basil.

from "Cook This, Not That"

they also have some more suggestions for ravioli fillings and sauce:

ricotta cheese filling with bolognese sauce

shredded chicken and roasted red peppers with pesto

fresh goat cheese with fresh tomato sauce

peas pureed with mint filling with olive oil and parmesan sauce


*********

Tonight I am making a pasta recipe with chicken sausage and broccoli. The sauce has a little bit of olive oil and some chicken broth. Have a good dinner everyone!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Good evening everyone!

To help us ease into the week, I'll post another summer QOTD.

QOTD Tuesday August 9
Do you have a favorite beach? Describe your perfect day there.

This is a toss-up, but I think my favorite beach is Magen's Bay in St. Thomas. Really beautiful, and I could just lay there, occasionally dip in the water, and drink rum punch all day My other favorite is Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. Ironic because I don't think I could get dh to the Caribbean again, when we want to cruise somewhere warm he is all about Bermuda -- we get off the ship and we're five minutes from home...

I am so sorry for those having a tough time right now

Maria

 

[tigger813]

DisneyWedding2010- I'm crying with you right now! I have been close to tears all day anyways! Lots of hugs to you! You are in my thoughts tonight!

It's been a stressful day here! I will probably have a good cry after the kids go to bed! I hate to cry in front of them. Ash has been pretty upset today and Brian has been in shock since he found out. Several of the girls on his soccer team played with the little girl so he is going to talk to one of the parents and the head of the league about helping the girls to deal with this terrible tragedy. We got an email from the superintendent of schools. They are having counseling available the next two days for those kids who need it. Even though she didn't go to our school she was quite active in sports in town. There are some vigils planned and I hope we are able to attend one as I think it will help us all deal with this. There are no photos of the girl being released to the media and they have asked that no photos be posted on FB. I broke my rule and had a drink tonight as I'm just so sad.

I think I will go clean up from dinner and start the chop suey and brownies so they will be ready tomorrow to deliver.

Thanks for keeping Bridgette's family in your prayers! There's another angel in heaven tonight!

 

[my3princes]

Since this year's vacation is over, we are now in planning mode for our Hawaii/California trip next summer. We are planning a week pre cruise, the weeklong cruise to 4 Islands followed by a day or two in Honolulu then a 4 day stay at DL. Packing will certainly be a challange at best especially since we will need to pay for checked luggage (most likely). In any event I am racking my brain for any space saving, travel friendly tips that you all might have. I'm really hoping to only have one checked bag and one carry on per person. I'm looking into dry shampoo bars instead of bottles of shampoo, what other things to you wear by?

 

[Disneywedding2010]

Thank you everyone..

tigger813

I've done pretty well today and have been focused on trying to get things situated before we leave Friday for FL. I was up til 3am getting laundry done. I got most of my bag packed and Alan started packing his earlier. I still need to put my tennis shoes and socks in my suitcase. I always wear my sandals going through security, its a lot easier on me. I also got on Owners Lockers website and set up drop off for our purple locker at the Contemporary. I'm excited because we've always stayed at BLT (our home resort). This will be my first time to not only stay at the Contemporary but also theme park view.

The cats are staying at the house. They should be okay. We have a multi day food and water bowls for them that last them almost a week. We'll refill them right before we leave Friday morning so they should be okay. They also have two litter boxes that they use. Alan is taking Lizzy to the pet hotel Thursday morning and dropping her off. We'll pick her back up Wednesday morning. They won't be open Tuesday night by the time we get home.

I need to call the power and water company in FL tomorrow and see if they can get our utilities hooked up while we're in town. It will be one less thing to worry about when we get there in October permanently.

We're going to try and get everything done on Friday that needs to be done regarding the house. Our car service is picking us up at 4:15am on Friday. Our flight leaves DFW around 9:55am. Then we're going to take the ME to the resort. Then have the Alamo shuttle pick us up and take us to get our rental car. Then we'll head to the house and do what needs to be done and then meet with the pool company that we want to have put a pool in. I believe we have a 930pm Ohanas reservation (Alan's only request for the trip ). MK has evening EMH on Sunday night and Hollywood Studios has them Monday night. So we'll get a little bit of Disney in during the trip.

 

[buzz5985]

Hi all,

Been a very sad day in our little town today. A 10 year old girl got run over in her driveway by her mother last night. She was lying in the driveway looking at the stars and her mother pulled in their curvy driveway and didn't see her. She was going to be on Ash's soccer team this fall though she had been moved to another team last night. Brian recognized the name immediately. She went to a local private school so Ash didn't know her though I recognized the name. She has an older sibling in high school. Ash was pretty upset that something like that could've happened.

We're starting to gather food and other items for the family. I'm going to make some brownies and chop suey tonight and deliver it to them tomorrow. It's just so awful.

Heading over to tennis lessons in a few minutes and to pick up a few more things at the library. While the kids have lessons I'm going to run to the grocery store to pick up a container for the chop suey so it can be frozen if necessary.

Hug your kids extra tight today!

So sorry to hear this. My poor DS 14 lost 2 friends in the past year. One fellow boy scout in a skiing accident 2 weeks before Christmas and then one of his classmates in an accident in his backyard, the week before school let out. He also had a classmate/teammate collapse on the ice at practice. Lucky they have the personnel and defribrilators (sp?) that saved his life. He now has a mini defribrilator inplanted in his chest - but he can't play any contact sports anymore. So long story short - our community used the website lotsa helping hands. You join a community on there, there is a calendar and you can coordinate bringing over food etc. That way the families weren't receiving 12 lasagnas one day. It was very helpful.

Janis

 

[SettinSail]

Hi all,

Been a very sad day in our little town today. A 10 year old girl got run over in her driveway by her mother last night. She was lying in the driveway looking at the stars and her mother pulled in their curvy driveway and didn't see her. She was going to be on Ash's soccer team this fall though she had been moved to another team last night. Brian recognized the name immediately. She went to a local private school so Ash didn't know her though I recognized the name. She has an older sibling in high school. Ash was pretty upset that something like that could've happened.

We're starting to gather food and other items for the family. I'm going to make some brownies and chop suey tonight and deliver it to them tomorrow. It's just so awful.

Heading over to tennis lessons in a few minutes and to pick up a few more things at the library. While the kids have lessons I'm going to run to the grocery store to pick up a container for the chop suey so it can be frozen if necessary.

Hug your kids extra tight today!

Tracey, for you. Unfortunately, I have been through a similar situation. In 2006, our next door neighbor's 7 year old son was backed over and killed in the driveway across the street from our house. It was the most horrible thing I have ever experienced and for the first few weeks I did not think I would make it. I know it sounds strange but you know how you can really get close to your neighbors and their kids, esp when they are your own kids playmates. I had known Davis since the day he was born. I got better as more time went by but I still think about it almost every day. I think back to my pain and can only imagine what the Mom of this girl is going through.
I can feel a little of what you are going through

Christina, so sad for you to have to face that awful reminder of your family. I hope you have been able to put some more pleasant memories in your mind

Hello to everyone else! Work has gone well the past 2 days, eating has been OK, have not done any exercise but going to meet with a trainer at the YMCA tomorrow

I've only had time to read this page but I hope to get caught up soon and post some more!

Shawn

 

[liesel]

Thank you everyone..

tigger813

I've done pretty well today and have been focused on trying to get things situated before we leave Friday for FL. I was up til 3am getting laundry done. I got most of my bag packed and Alan started packing his earlier. I still need to put my tennis shoes and socks in my suitcase. I always wear my sandals going through security, its a lot easier on me. I also got on Owners Lockers website and set up drop off for our purple locker at the Contemporary. I'm excited because we've always stayed at BLT (our home resort). This will be my first time to not only stay at the Contemporary but also theme park view.

The cats are staying at the house. They should be okay. We have a multi day food and water bowls for them that last them almost a week. We'll refill them right before we leave Friday morning so they should be okay. They also have two litter boxes that they use. Alan is taking Lizzy to the pet hotel Thursday morning and dropping her off. We'll pick her back up Wednesday morning. They won't be open Tuesday night by the time we get home.

I need to call the power and water company in FL tomorrow and see if they can get our utilities hooked up while we're in town. It will be one less thing to worry about when we get there in October permanently.

We're going to try and get everything done on Friday that needs to be done regarding the house. Our car service is picking us up at 4:15am on Friday. Our flight leaves DFW around 9:55am. Then we're going to take the ME to the resort. Then have the Alamo shuttle pick us up and take us to get our rental car. Then we'll head to the house and do what needs to be done and then meet with the pool company that we want to have put a pool in. I believe we have a 930pm Ohanas reservation (Alan's only request for the trip ). MK has evening EMH on Sunday night and Hollywood Studios has them Monday night. So we'll get a little bit of Disney in during the trip.

I hope you have a great trip!

Since this year's vacation is over, we are now in planning mode for our Hawaii/California trip next summer. We are planning a week pre cruise, the weeklong cruise to 4 Islands followed by a day or two in Honolulu then a 4 day stay at DL. Packing will certainly be a challange at best especially since we will need to pay for checked luggage (most likely). In any event I am racking my brain for any space saving, travel friendly tips that you all might have. I'm really hoping to only have one checked bag and one carry on per person. I'm looking into dry shampoo bars instead of bottles of shampoo, what other things to you wear by?

We are going to Kauai next month. Its only an 8 day trip and we are going to check 2 bags and carry on 1 small suitcase and 2 backpacks for the 4 of us. Will you have access to laundry facilities, that could make things much easier.

So sorry to hear this. My poor DS 14 lost 2 friends in the past year. One fellow boy scout in a skiing accident 2 weeks before Christmas and then one of his classmates in an accident in his backyard, the week before school let out. He also had a classmate/teammate collapse on the ice at practice. Lucky they have the personnel and defribrilators (sp?) that saved his life. He now has a mini defribrilator inplanted in his chest - but he can't play any contact sports anymore. So long story short - our community used the website lotsa helping hands. You join a community on there, there is a calendar and you can coordinate bringing over food etc. That way the families weren't receiving 12 lasagnas one day. It was very helpful.

Janis

That is a lot of tragedy in one community, so sorry for your DS.


Trina and Nancy-Trina I loved your pet pictures (and so did my kids!)! I spotted the Dharma Initiative mousepad right away too. Another Lostie here. We lived on Oahu for 6 months, but unfortunately it was just before they started filming the series. We were there when they were making the pilot, we just didn't know it! A favorite part of the show for DH and I was recognizing some of the locations they used. A glimpse of our second home!

Nancy- Thanks for posting the beach pictures.


Thanks for all the beach responses, many different lovely places were mentioned. I realized I forgot to answer. I'd definitely pick the beaches of Hawaii, its really hard for me to pick a favorite from there.

I'm not sure I'll get on again tonight (so tired), so I'll go ahead and post tomorrow's QOTD.


QOTD Wednesday August 10
I've read that many nutritionists recommend following an 80/20 rule-eating healthy 80% of the time and enjoying your favorite treats in moderation 20% of the time. What would you say your percentage is? Do you plan for your "off plan" meals or treats?

I try to limit myself to one or two off plan meals per week, usually on the weekends. I have gotten better the last few months at not letting myself completely fall off the wagon on the weekends, but that is when all my off plan meals still happen. I have dessert very infrequently, but try to enjoy my favorite treats like ice cream in small amounts. And I don't keep it in the house!

 

[SettinSail]

Since this year's vacation is over, we are now in planning mode for our Hawaii/California trip next summer. We are planning a week pre cruise, the weeklong cruise to 4 Islands followed by a day or two in Honolulu then a 4 day stay at DL. Packing will certainly be a challange at best especially since we will need to pay for checked luggage (most likely). In any event I am racking my brain for any space saving, travel friendly tips that you all might have. I'm really hoping to only have one checked bag and one carry on per person. I'm looking into dry shampoo bars instead of bottles of shampoo, what other things to you wear by?

Do you have any of those space saver bags that you can vacuum all the air out of? You can pack alot into those and then they squish down to very thin. Limit the outfits and do laundry atleast once. Try to wear outfits more than once if possible. Limit of 2 prs shoes per person. Ship souveniers home. What about 1 set of toiletries the whole family will use--ie, one bar of soap, one bottle of shampoo, etc. Probably would not work with deodarant Luckily you don't have 3 daughters! Imagine all the clothes, toiletries, hair appliances, etc, etc, etc they would want to pack!
I think a guy would easily be able to do a 3 week vacation with just one checked bag and a carry-on. Just need to be able to do laundry along the way

Shawn

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

QOTD Monday August 8
Have you been to any of the water parks in Orlando (Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, Aquatica, Discovery Cove, etc.)? Do you have a favorite?

Its been awhile. I have been to BB in 98 and Typhoon Lagon in 96. I didnt really like TL but loved BB. We probably will go back there once the boys are older and can really enjoy it all. Im not sure at there age now that it is worth the extra money.

I posted a quick race report/review on the race thread, but it is HERE at post 99, if you want to read it.

I'll be back soon to catch up.

I read your TR. Sounds like a wonderful weekend with great company. You did so awesome and good for you for not hopping on that bus. You should be very proud of yourself.

QOTD Tuesday August 9
Do you have a favorite beach? Describe your perfect day there.

I have only been to the jersey shore and OC, MD but I am sure that if I ever get to hawaii or the islands they would out shine where I have been.

We recently went to ocean city, NJ and I really liked that beach and their boardwalk. I love ocean city, MD too because there is so much do off of the beach.

Here is a picture of my youngest son Nick from a few weeks ago at the jersey shore.

We've just gotten the all-clear after about 40 minutes of the tornado sirens going off and all sorts of interesting debris whipping around in the wind outside my 14th floor office windows. EEK!

oh gosh that is really scary. Glad everything was ok.

Been a very sad day in our little town today.

oh my that is so awful. There family and that mother is in my thoughts and prayers.

The last 48 hours have been a whirlwind of emotions for me. Sunday night a traumatic event left me reliving the night my husband & daughter were killed by a drunk driver.

I was in tears as you described your evening to us. It must be so hard for you to go through those memories. Im glad you had alan and your mom to be there for you.

The day has gotten away from me, my first kid free day. I did my run and went to help the first graders have lunch at school for the first time. They were so unbelieveably cute, especially my little DD, who is growing up so fast. Its almost time to go get them, I'll check in soon.

Glad to hear the first day back to school was a success.

Not much to report here. Typical day today of work and football practice. Had some drama at football tonight with a few kids punching other kids. Luckily my son wasnt involved. When I read the rules at the beginning of the season I laughed at the one that said they will not tolerate punching or hitting. We are talking about 5-7 year olds so I found it funny that they would need to list this. But low and behold 2 wks into practice and 2 kids threw punches and another child told a few kids including my son that they were on his kill list. Ummmm nice.

Glad to be able to catch up here with you all. I have really missed being able to get on here. Im so happy to see the thread still buzzing even towards the end of the challenge.

 

[donac]

Biggest Loser Week 9 ResultsHere we celebrate our progress and recognize our superstars.

Reminder:
-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:1
Congrats Rose & Mike

LOSERS:
weigh ins----------------------- 23
gains----------------------------7
maintains------------------------2
losses-------------------------- 14
New members--------------------0


Biggest Loser Summer Challenge Week 9!
This week’s group loss is 6.85 lbs
For the challenge this week's group has lost 83 pounds


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 the week? This time I’ve done a TOP 10 LIST ! That criteria may change from week to week. Hey I'm in charge here and I get paid nothin' to do this so you better take what you can get! (and if there’s something you want to know, just ask me!)

The WISH Biggest Loser Summer Challenge Week 9
#10-cclovesdis .65 %
#9- jaelless .67%
#8- mvliimmex .784%
#7- keenercam .787%
#6- momofdjc .82%
#5- bellebookworm9 .84%
#4- disneyKim68 .928%
#3- JacksLilWench .929 %
#2- satorifound 1.07 %

and now
The WISH Biggest Loser Summer Challenge

Week 9 Biggest Loser is:
#1-pjstevens 1.40 %

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 happy and healthy day!


Congratulations pjstevens


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!

 

[bellebookworm9]

QOTD Wednesday August 10
I've read that many nutritionists recommend following an 80/20 rule-eating healthy 80% of the time and enjoying your favorite treats in moderation 20% of the time. What would you say your percentage is? Do you plan for your "off plan" meals or treats?

I've never heard this rule, but I'm definitely going to start trying to follow it. I have no idea what my percentage is, but it's probably not that good.

to all who need it, especially Tracey and family and disneywedding.

My plan to be OP yesterday did not go well at all. But I'm back on today. Just had two waffles with a bit of syrup and then a small banana, and am attempting to drink a bottle of water. For lunch, I have packed a majority of the fruit & veggies we have in the house, plus a low fat, sugar free yogurt. Perhaps will add in some cheese & crackers.

Yesterday at the doctors they couldn't find anything wrong with me. My throat was a little red, but since the swollen glands and pain had gone down a lot, they couldn't determine if it was viral or bacterial, and they also sent me to get tested for mono. I'm feeling better today, so heading back to work.

Last night was fun; Mom and I went to Target and I bought a bunch of stuff for the townhouse-only 2 weeks left until I go back!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

good morning losers!

QOTD: i haven't heard that breakdown before but it makes sense to me. i'm not going to answer what my current percentage is but i will try to think more about sticking to 80/20.

yesterday i did pretty good until the ten chips ahoy cookies i demolished IN BED while reading. even as i was doing it i was disgusted with myself. ah, well, at least the rest of the day was filled with fruits and veggies. made that summer squash and white bean sautee again and served it over couscous.

to everyone - so many sad stories yesterday and these things stick with us forever. and sometimes JUST when you think you are "over it" something will happen and you'll be reminded of it all over again. one of my best friends from high school committed suicide our senior year. it was almost 14 years ago but sometimes i feel like it was just yesterday. and it's SO hard not to turn to food when going through this stuff...or thinking about it...

let's move to a happier note. did YOU know that in one month and one day i'll be going to disney?! we're actually leaving on sept. 11 (wait, i thought this was supposed to be a happier note!). i'm actually ok with that. i don't really want to be in this neighborhood that day. it is too sad since we lost so many people - friends, family, etc. i almost thinks it's appropriate that i'll be on a plane at 8:46am that morning. it's my own way of giving the middle finger to the taliban.

anyway, i'm really looking forward to the trip. haven't stayed at BLT before and we'll be in a one bedroom. fancy! DS is obsessed with trains and i'll be 30 weeks pregnant so we plan on riding the choo choo train around and around the magic kingdom alot! sounds good to me!

ok, after that semi-sad and semi-happy post, i'm getting ready to go for a walk!

 

[tigger813]

So sorry to hear this. My poor DS 14 lost 2 friends in the past year. One fellow boy scout in a skiing accident 2 weeks before Christmas and then one of his classmates in an accident in his backyard, the week before school let out. He also had a classmate/teammate collapse on the ice at practice. Lucky they have the personnel and defribrilators (sp?) that saved his life. He now has a mini defribrilator inplanted in his chest - but he can't play any contact sports anymore. So long story short - our community used the website lotsa helping hands. You join a community on there, there is a calendar and you can coordinate bringing over food etc. That way the families weren't receiving 12 lasagnas one day. It was very helpful.

Janis

Janis- They are setting up the lotsahelpinghands site today. We used it a few years ago when a neighbor's husband died suddenly of a heart attack leaving 2 boys. I got the brownies and chop suey made last night. I had enough to make us a chop suey.

I had a horrible night's sleep with HORRIBLE dreams about little kids dying! It was also pouring around 5 this morning which woke me up and then I didn't wake up until 7:30. It was so dark that Brian overslept too!

Izzie developed a fever last night. Knew something was up when she was very cranky during and after tennis lessons. Then she asked me to turn off the fan in our bedroom and was under our comforter. She still has the fever but isn't grumpy. She's watching Pictureka and having a pop tart for breakfast. Hoping the fever breaks so she can do tennis later. Ash has an event at the library tonight so she's looking forward to that. Her cold seems much better.

Gotta go get the last of the laundry out of the dryer. I'll dump them on my bed so the girls can sort them and take care of their own. Ash also wants to get Izzie's pants done today. It's kind of a yucky day so a good day to be inside.

I need something to eat!

TTFN

 

[Rose&Mike]

Since this year's vacation is over, we are now in planning mode for our Hawaii/California trip next summer. We are planning a week pre cruise, the weeklong cruise to 4 Islands followed by a day or two in Honolulu then a 4 day stay at DL. Packing will certainly be a challange at best especially since we will need to pay for checked luggage (most likely). In any event I am racking my brain for any space saving, travel friendly tips that you all might have. I'm really hoping to only have one checked bag and one carry on per person. I'm looking into dry shampoo bars instead of bottles of shampoo, what other things to you wear by?

What about looking into shipping a box to the hotel at DL? We often ship to WDW just cause it's so much easier than dealing checked bags. It might even be cheaper/easier to buy some toiletries on the ship than deal with checked luggage.

I don't have the vacuum bags but I have found that gallon size zipper bags work great for things like undies and t-shirts and socks. You put them in and push the air out and they kind of work like a vacuum bag. You would be amazed at how much you can get in a gallon bag with the air sucked out. When we travel we each carry on a roller bag and a backpack. I can usually do a 5 day trip with this much luggage.

Biggest Loser Week 9 ResultsHere we celebrate our progress and recognize our superstars.

Reminder:
-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:1
Congrats Rose & Mike

LOSERS:
weigh ins----------------------- 23
gains----------------------------7
maintains------------------------2
losses-------------------------- 14
New members--------------------0


Biggest Loser Summer Challenge Week 9!
This week’s group loss is 6.85 lbs
For the challenge this week's group has lost 83 pounds


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 the week? This time I’ve done a TOP 10 LIST ! That criteria may change from week to week. Hey I'm in charge here and I get paid nothin' to do this so you better take what you can get! (and if there’s something you want to know, just ask me!)

The WISH Biggest Loser Summer Challenge Week 9
#10-cclovesdis .65 %
#9- jaelless .67%
#8- mvliimmex .784%
#7- keenercam .787%
#6- momofdjc .82%
#5- bellebookworm9 .84%
#4- disneyKim68 .928%
#3- JacksLilWench .929 %
#2- satorifound 1.07 %

and now
The WISH Biggest Loser Summer Challenge

Week 9 Biggest Loser is:
#1-pjstevens 1.40 %

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 happy and healthy day!


Congratulations pjstevens


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!

Congrats to all the Losers!!!!

i almost thinks it's appropriate that i'll be on a plane at 8:46am that morning. it's my own way of giving the middle finger to the taliban.

I bet Thomas loves the monorail too! In the past there were transportation trading cards. I don't know if the drivers, etc still do that, but it might be cool to ask about. Oh, and you all should ride the boat from Magic Kingdom to WL/FW. Tom loved doing that when he was little. There are often ducks swimming in the pool at WL in the morning. You can walk from WL to FW--it's a really easy walk--and we have seen deer on the trail. I'm so excited for you!

Liesel (Lisa)--great job coaching this week! Thanks!

 

[keenercam]

Tracey – I don’t even know what to say. What a horrible thing to have happen. I can’t begin to imagine the pain that family is suffering. It is so good of you to help and to be there for them. I will keep them in my prayers.

Christina – I am so sorry for what you have suffered and for the fact that you will live with this forever. I can’t imagine the pain you feel each time something happens that makes you re-live that night and all you’ve been through since then.

Lisa – Thank you for posting the recipe. The ravioli recipe looks delicious. I can’t wait to try to make them.

Dona – You have so much on your plate now and I know the fall marking periods are going to be overwhelming. I am hoping it goes very smoothly for you.

Maria – I am with you on those beaches. Megan’s Bay in St. Thomas holds very happy memories for our family. Seven mile beach in Grand Cayman was so beautiful, too, though I think Howard and I would have enjoyed it more if we hadn’t let the taxi driver drop us off more than a mile away from where we ended up on the beach there and if we hadn’t gotten rooked for $20 for lounge chairs. LOL!

Deb – I used packing cubes and the shirt packets for our 15 days in Europe and they were so incredibly helpful. I’d been such a cynic about them and am a total convert now. You should google them and watch the videos. If you decide to buy them, check Bed Bath & Beyond – they were inexpensive there and if you have a store near you, the 20% coupons make them very affordable. I won’t travel without them every again. Howard loved his too.

I did a couple of very smart things for our trip: one pair of black dressy pants with several nice tops for dinners; a pair of black capris and khaki capris that I wore for casual evenings a night or two before wearing them for daytime walking tours, so that I got two uses out of them since you don’t wear them for long in the evening and you are using them for the indoor, non-sweaty use before wearing them out in the sun. I also bought a reversible dress; one side was solid black and the other was a black and white print. I took a couple of cute cardigans and scarves to give it a lot of different looks. I also limited shoes – cute dressy black sandals for evenings, neutral sandals for use with khakis and light colored sundresses, walking/hiking sandals and sneakers (we had 5 days of lots of walking and figured we’d switch off between hiking sandals and the sneakers), and very casual sandals/flip flops for going to the pool, walking around the ship, doing laundry, etc. For me, 5 pairs of shoes was the absolute minimum I could get by with considering all the different kinds of occasions we had to dress for.

Congratulations to all the losers this week and to everyone who keeps “showing up” even if you didn’t’ have a great week last week. HUGE KUDOS to my good friend, Patty (pjstevens) who did so great notwithstanding all the stress and time commitments in her life.

Nancy – I LOVE your signature. When did you do that? How did I miss it? I love that your Disney trip is so close. I love the trains in Disney. During the marathons, when you go through the backstage area of the Magic Kingdom, the train is right next to the course and CMs are there, cheering and blowing the train whistle. It is such a happy memory for me.

 

[pjstevens]

I'm so excited to finally see the pounds come off. It's back and forth so much and then finally a drop! Thanks for keeping me going on days it would be so easy to just eat 'junk'.

 

[pjstevens]

Congratulations to all the losers this week and to everyone who keeps “showing up” even if you didn’t’ have a great week last week. HUGE KUDOS to my good friend, Patty (pjstevens) who did so great notwithstanding all the stress and time commitments in her life.

Thank you my good friend! You keep me going many of days! Imagine the doc thought my head/ear pain this week was 'stress' related, can't figure that out, lol.