Red Team-Biggest Loser Challenge- Week 1

[MelanieC]

Hey everyone,

Welcome to the Red Team's "official thread".

I'm guessing how this will work is that after we all weighed in last night we will post what we "lost" next Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.

After watching the show last night, I am so motivated. Its amazing to look at the contestants and know that their lives are going to be altered so much by the show. Did you see the pictures from last year's top 3. They looked so good!! They did fantastic at keeping it off. That is something I really want to work on this time. I was doing well till the beginning of July and had 3 trips since then. I've managed to gain 15lbs since then. I just don't understand how it happens so fast. That's basically what I lost from the marathon till the end of July. Why does it take 2 months to gain what it took me 6 months to lose. So my goal is to try to learn why I let vacations mean I can blow it all and why I feel its all or nothing. I've battled getting back to my goal weight since July 2004 when I reached my WW goal. I'm hoping this contest gives me the inspiration to not only get back to my WW goal, but to get to my Personal goal so I can have a few pounds to play with when I do go on vacations.

I also am going to use this to get back to my love of exercising. I did so well before doing two half marathons in 4 months. The injury to my foot caused me to stop exercising and I'm having a hard time getting back into it. I love exercising. I love the way it makes me feel. I love feeling strong and healthy. It causes me to eat healthier which then causes me to want to work out more. Exercise and eating right is a nice balance. I'm feeling the pressure to get going again on my exercise if I want to be able to race again in January.

So please, lets get to know each other. Tell us about yourself. What are your goals, your inspirations, etc. We can do this together.
WISH is the best thing that ever happened to me. I thank Kelsey so much for that . I really don't think I could just do it with Weight Watchers alone. It really has been WISH that changed my life. Heck, I never would have did a half Marathon or contemplated planning for a full Marathon without WISH.

There are still so many people joining. I'll post the list here and I'll edit it as Kelsie assigns people to the team.

Team RED

MelanieC (Captain)
lizdotcom99
MyKelogan
pearlieq
kaf7878
Monte
nursetink
DoomBuggyBabe
Guangs
WebmasterKelsie

 

[kaf7878]

Hi Team!!

Mel, thanks for being captain--you're awesome!

I loved the show last year and I think this year will be even better! Two years ago I lost 70 lbs. I have since gained 10 back. I want to lose those 10 plus 20 more (so 30 total!). Losing that weight changed my life! I feel a million times better about myself and I look a million times better too!

I lost the weight following WW as well as running (ran the WDW half in January). I am training for the full marathon but am also recovering from a calf injury so my running is kind of side-lined right now. I'm still doing tons of exercise though in the form of yoga, elliptical, bike and weights. Exercise is definately not a problem for me. I do an hour at least per day 6 x a week. Food is my issue! I really love sweets--doughnuts, ice cream, etc.

The show definately motivated me. I'm going to increase the intensity of my workouts and throw some new things in there. And decrease my food intake, of course.

Can't wait to "meet" everyone!

Kelly

 

[luvmydogs]

Hi Mel!

I just wanted to wish you and your team lots & lots of luck in your upcoming challenge! I can't wait to see how well everyone does--I'm so excited for you all!

Go get 'em, Mel!

GO BIG RED!!!

 

[nursetink]

Hello Red team.

Melanie, I too would like to thank you for being our captain.

OK here is my story. I lost 30 pounds three years ago after the birth of my second child. I have been able to maintain the loss and even lose another five pounds. I just can not get motivated again. I accomplished the loss with WW and exercise.

I want to lose 30 more pounds. Last nights show was really great. I hope this will help with my determination, and I just returned home from the gym.

Good luck to all. :thewave:

 

[Mykelogan]

Hi Melanie & all!!

Glad to be aboard the Red Team! I am excited for this challenge. I am not sure if I will get to actually see the show this year at all as it is opposite one of my new "must watch" shows on Tuesdays, and my staff meeting is Tuesdays at 8pm too! So we will see! hehe

As for who I am, I am of course a Disney fan who discovered the DIS after my first solo trip last February. And of course I avoided the WISH board like the plague if I could! I was not ready at that point to commit to helping myself, though I definitely needed it! In the spring I reached my highest weight ever of 500+ lbs. After my second Disney trip this year (in June) where I realized that rides were even tighter than they were in February, I made the decision to make myself healthier. So on June 20th, I started my new WOL and joined the WISH! hehe Since then I have lost about 68 lbs and feel GREAT!! I am not trying to get skinny, I am just trying to feel comfortable in my own skin again and not feel like each movement is a colossal undertaking. I have been following the Carb Addicts Lifespan Plan (aka CALP/CAD) for my eating plan and love it, it really controls my hunger/cravings and I still get to have what I want but now I naturally portion control because a 1/2 cup of ben n Jerrys satisfies me versus a whole pint! hehe The area I need the biggest kick in the pants is exercising. Walking & movement were not easy for me at my heaviest and things are not perfect now but are 100 times better! I want to get into a water aerobics class at the college I work at and see if I like that. I love swimming! hehe I also like to go on small walks with my latest toy, my iPod. Currently I want to definitely get my walking/cardio really going as I am planning to do my whole December Disney trip scooter free!

As for me as a person, I work at a college in the Residence Halls, living and laughing with the students, so I love my job but as you can imagine it can be demanding of my time and stressful! hehe!! I have a wacky & wild cat named Logan, who enjoys eating plastic (Kept me up all night last night sick! Boo!) and olive oil. I am an avid comic book fan and enjoy a good evening drama (aka LOST, Desparate Housewives, Alias).

Look forward to supporting everyone and seeing our team win!!!
Have a happy & healthy day!
Mike

 

[catherine]

I'm not involved in this challenge. Just want to WISH you all the best of luck!

 

[MelanieC]

Hi Red Team,

I'm planning on running tonight. Anyone want to join me. I challenge everyone to get some exercise in today or tomorrow. Unless of course its a rest day for you.

I may even set my alarm clock and get up tomorrow morning. That's a goal I want to work on. Anyone interested in forming a pack to do it and posting after we do as a motivator??

For those of you who are new to exercise. Try to think of fun ways to get moving more.

Great for beginners and those looking to increase movement:
Leslie Sansone video's - Walk away the pounds.
Walking outdoors or on treadmill
Swimming
parking the car further and walking
walking up stairs instead of taking elevators
Get a pedometer and shoot for 10,000 steps a day.
Stability Ball - Core secrets is great for beginners -you can do a LOT with a stability ball.

I also think lifting weights is great for weight loss. There are some great video's out there, possibly even check out FIT TV.

Anyone else have any ideas?

 

[lizdotcom99]

Hey Mel!

I will join you on a nice little walk tonight! Gonna shoot for 2 miles! I have to get new shoes....I think my last 1/2 marathon did mine in!

Any ideas you ask.......I was thinking we need Sunny as our fitness guru!

Enjoy your walk! I will check in much later when mine is done. I will have to go after work and dinner!!!





GO RED!!!!

 

[Kelsie]

Hi Team

My name is Kelsie and I have gained and lost 10,000 pounds during my life

I retired from Qwest 2 years ago and now work from home. Needless to say, since working at home I have gained everything back I lost a few years ago when WISH first started. I have a lot to lose and am FINALLY very motivated again.

I weighed last night and after I came to I was more determined than ever.

There is a bit of a delay getting the clipart but, I hope to have it soon!

Now, for those who remember me, I HATE EXERCISE and really need motivation.

 

[lizdotcom99]

Oppps! guess I forgot the "My Story" part!

Like Kelsey I have gained and lost 10,000 pounds in my life! As of late I was dangerously close to 300.....actually just 2 pounds shy. Got down to the 250's and am getting pretty darn close to my favorite hang out weight in the near 270 zone.

Of course when I finally made it to the 250's I swore I would NEVER see 260 again....well......guess what?

Anyway, I used to hate exercise too. I was inspired by a few WISHers to walk a half marathon! What the heck was I thinking? August 7th, I made my first attempt and got pretty darn close to the 13.1 mile finish. I made it 9 miles. Quite an accomplishment for me. Next year I will get that 13.1 in! I just know it!

When I do exercise I feel so MUCH better! I am somewhat limited in what I do as I have had 9 surgeries on my left ankle. Can't do a few things I would like to try.....but I have found that I DO enjoy walking and it is something I can do. So with that, I am off to get my work done, so I can get out of here, head home, grab a bite and go for a nice little walk this evening!


Thanks to all for the inspiration! I am off to be a LOSER now!!!

 

[monte]

Ok, my turn. I'm Monica, I live in the beautiful Colorado Rockies, where I've managed to gain 50 pounds in 5 years! I blame my weight gain on my husband since he is a wonderful cook and I'm not. ha,ha.

I am participating in the Disney 1/2 marathon in Jan. and hope to loose, at least, 25 pds. by then. I just bought a new pair of walking shoes and am excitied about the "biggest loser" support group.

redGo Red Team!

 

[nursetink]

Count me in on the walk/run today. I walked 2 miles while my DD was in gymnastics this morning.

 

[MelanieC]

Hi everyone,

I'm glad everyone is checking in. Its so nice to meet everyone, although I know a few of you already.


Kelly- Congrats on loosing the 70lbs. Did you go to the dinner at Fort Wilderness last year?? I'm just wondering if I met you last year?


Kim & Catherine- Thanks for wishing us luck!!

Nursetink- You've done great at maintaining. I hope this challenge helps you reach your goals!! Great job on getting your walk/run in today!! Woohoo!!


Mike- I'm so glad your joining us. Congrats on your 68lbs!! Way to go! So are you just too excited about Lost next week???? I can't wait.


Liz- I think Sunny would be a fabulous fitness guru. Lets work on getting her on board. You did great on your Chicago marathon. I'm so proud of you!! Way to go!! Check in with us and let us know how your run tonight went.

Monica- My husband is a better cook than me too, but I can hold my own now. I blame it on the fact that my mom only had 2 of us and worked so we ate out a lot. DH was one of 8 kids and his dad was not around. They had to cook every meal because money was tight. I wonder if I wouldn't have gained if I stayed single, lol!

Well I got my walk/run in. I did 2 miles. Boy I'm not in shape like I was in April. I was able to run a 12 min miles every quarter mile so I did pretty good!! It felt really good.

Who's next??

 

[Mykelogan]

Hi all! Welcome aboard! It is very inspiring to read everyone's stories!

I have had a very long day that is finally over! I did squeeze in a quick walk, just about 15-20min but I wanted to make sure I did something today!
I also ordered one of Jorge Cruise's books, "8 Minutes in the Morning for Real Shapes, Real Sizes: Specifically Designed for People Who Want to Lose 30 Pounds or More." It was recommended to me by a friend and seems like a good one for me. Presents a very basic level to start building knowledge. And heck, we all know I have a lot more than 30lbs to lose! hehe Also, one of the buyer reviews on Amazon said "The perfect book for people in really bad shape" and that is me! I will let everyone know how it is when I get it and read it this weekend! If anyone else has an experience with it I would appreciate the advice too. Thanks!

Melanie, I am totally psyched for the new season of Lost to get started!! I cannot wait!!!

Have a happy & healthy night all! I am gonna finish my water and then head to bed!

Mike

 

[DoomBuggyBabe]

Salutations, teammates.
It is I, the token night owl of the family.
I'm just finishing up here at the newspaper, and I thought I'd quickly decloak and say hey before I head home and attempt to sleep. Now, "finishing up here at the newspaper" is a key phrase in my backstory. I have been a pro sportschick since 1989. This means lots of late-night drinking and eating. Gotta keep up with the manly men of the sports department, dontcha know.
I've gained and lost the same 30-35 pounds a number of times in the last 10 years. But for whatever reason, I really, really want to beat them off for good this time. I turn 35 on Halloween. I've got a bad back. I've got diabetes and heart disease coming at me from both sides of my family tree. So it's hit me that I am a herniated disc or diabetic coma or heart attack/stroke waiting to happen. And now that I'm finally happily wed (to SkipperBubba ), I guess I want to make sure I'm going to be hanging around for awhile.
I found this wonderful board at the end of August. (Somehow I never scrolled down from the regular forums!) And I decided to latch on to a few challenges to try and get myself started. I've walked 60 minutes a day, averaging 3.2-3.5 miles an hour, for 12 of the 14 days so far this month. Missed one for work and the other for a funeral on the other side of the state. I'm planning on making that 120 minutes up, though. I just hope I can keep motivated. It always seems as though whenever I've dieted/exercised in the past, I stick with it for a while, get down to around 205-210 and shut down. And bounce back up on the scale. But I feel so much better when I excerise. I don't want to recommit to a gym just yet, though. Not enough disposable buckos at the moment. Maybe after New Year's, if I've proven to myself I'm serious.
Eating has been, as it always is for me, a challenge. I've had my good days and bad days. So far the scale is down two pounds and the measurements are shrinking a bit. I'd like to make my mini-goal at least two pounds a week. If I can keep to that, I'll be at my first bigger goal, which is losing 10 percent of my body weight, the week before we next leave for WDW! (Side note to Mike: We'll be down when you're there! I saw the meet you're organizing, but unfortunately we'll be on Backstage Safari at AK while you're at the Earl. Bummer.)
I suppose in my wildest dreams I'd like to be in the 150-160 range. But it's been a "wildest dream" thing forever -- I can't say I've ever been anything but overweight -- so I don't know if I can say it'll happen. But I'd certainly like it to.
Gee, this is turning into an opus. What can I say? Nobody gave me an inch count.
Catch y'all later...
LauraQ

 

[ohMom]

GO RED GO RED GO GO GO RED!!!

How awesome is this! i just LOVE to see something new to WISH that gets us excited!!!! this is going to be fun and i'm looking forward to tracking your progress!

 

[Kelsie]

Good Morning Red Team!

We have some new members.

Here is the list so far:

Team RED

MelanieC (Captain)
lizdotcom99
MyKelogan
pearlieq
kaf7878
Monte
nursetink
DoomBuggyBabe
Guangs
WebmasterKelsie
AntieM03
RoyalCinderella
TammyNC
mountaineer
agotta
ndscramper
jayna22

 

[agotta]

Hi Red Team!! Just wantd to stop in an introduce myself since I am now officially a member.

Well here is my story. Dh and I live in Norther VA (I don't reccommend it ) I work for a large real estate brokerage (not an agent ). Since 2001 when DH and I met, I have slowly gained around 30 lbs. Right now I am at my heaviest and the only good thing, is I am still realtively thin. The problem is I really want to drop some of this weight and get into shape. For my age and weight I shouldn't be tired all the time. DH and I signed up for the half marathon this January, but I decided that because of a busy new business at home and the fact that I have no endurance, that I would switch to the 5K. I think that is a more realistic goal for me but it still allows me to "train" with hubby!!

So onto better eating habits and more working out!!

I did pilates this morning, but I did the wrong one. Only 15 min instead of 30 so I figure I will go for a walk tonight. Yesterday was good food wise too.

Breakfast- Blueberry muffin
Lunch- Salad w/fat free dressing and a banana
Dinner-Grilled bbq chicken breast, carrots and garlic noodles
I had some teddy grahams for "dessert" relatively low in fat.

Ok red team...Your turn! How is it going today?

 

[mountaineer]

I'm happy to meet everyone. I am a SAHM. I have been happily married to my high school boyfriend for 13 years. I'll be 35 next month, but most of the time I feel a lot younger. I have one son who is almost 7, he's in 1st grade.

I've worked out most of my life, I really enjoy it. I've also enjoyed eating a little too much. It seems like my metabolism really slowed down after 30. I am working on losing 30 pounds. I'm just trying to eat less and choose to eat healthier foods. I want to be a good role model for my son. We don't buy much junk food anyway because I don't want him to think he has to have that all the time.

Right now I am doing the Firm DVD's. I just started those 3 x a week and I ride an exercise bike 3 x a week. I've only been doing that since the 1st of Sept but I feel so much better already.

Marty

forgot to add that today was a bike day for me and I rode for 47 min

 

[AuntieM03]

Hi there!!

Glad to be part of the team. My name is Michelle, I am 37 years old. I have been overweight since I was about 8. In 2001 I lost appx. 50lbs which I swore I would never gain back. I did gain it back In 2003 I joined a gym in order to lose weight for my WDW trip, I ended up losing and gaining the same 5lbs for most of the year. Last year I gained 15lbs between Sept and December. In January I decided I had to get back on track. I did Sommersize for about a month and then switched to South Beach. I lost about 26lbs, but stalled in June and have been stuck at the same weight since. I joined WW last saturday and I am going to be doing the Core plan. One of my main problems is consistency. I start diet/exercise programs, but have a really hard time staying with it. I am hoping the added motivation of this challenge will keep me going.

I usually go walking on my 2 breaks and take an evening walk (though I tend to go long periods where I get lazy). I need to challenge myself on the exercise. I usually make excuses on why I can't get up and get going. I need to add more intense workouts and get back to the weight training.

For anyone who wants to do a beginners light weight workout, Richard Simmons (can't help myself I like him ) has a pretty good DVD.