Team Donald – Biggest Loser “No Excuses” 2012 Challenge

[SettinSail]

Lindsay, I am glad to read your Nana is still here. Earlier I posted about her, I thought that was the grandma you lost recently but it must be your other grandma. Well, this is not coming out right, but I hope you know what I mean

I'm also glad you commented about Kathy's story about Michael waking her up - somehow I missed that the first time I read this morning - HILARIOUS Kathy, Maybe you will win some $$$ from that video

Steph, sorry about your fall and hope you are feeling less sore soon. We enjoy quinoa in place of any dish you would use rice in, like a bean and rice dish or a rice and veggie salad, etc. It's not very good on its own, IMO. I usually google for a recipe with black beans, corn, lime juice, cilantro and quinoa. Delicious!

Pooh, I am curious if you typically would weigh yourself in pounds or kilograms? I know people in England use stones. Just curious

I have taken down all the Christmas decorations and have them consolidated in 2 rooms. It seemed to go much faster this year for some reason. Now comes the hard part of wrapping them all up and getting them back in the storage boxes and back in the attic. DH actually did not want to bring down my largest storage box, he asked that I take everything that goes into that box into the attic (several trips). I said NO WAY!!

I had an ingenous idea and put a hook over each door leading into the kitchen eating area. There are 2 doors side by side that open up into that area. DH & DS never make it all the way to the coat closet and they just throw their jackets down over the chairs, drives me crazy! I went over the new hooks carefully, showed them which one was theirs and asked that all coats and scarves, etc be hung up there instead of thrown over the chairs.
They seemed very onboard and thought it was a good idea
Already feeling more organized this year

Well, enough of a break, back to packing ornaments.....

 

[SettinSail]

Trina, you look great

 

[6Smiles]

Happy New Year Team Donald!

Hi I'm Kris married for over 17 years and mother of 4 DD's 7, 10, 14 and 16 and will be turning the big 40 this year. I start nursing school on the 10th of January and will be attaining my Bachelor's degree over the next 20 months.

I already submitted my weigh in and realized I have toppled over 200 pounds for the first time in my life at 208.8. I've had a good cry and now am ready to get to work. My goal weight is 135 and while weight is important I am thinking that in this challenge my goals will center on developing good lifelong habits and making healthier decisions. Taking several nutrition courses has taught me what to do and not to do, though application of this knowledge is where I seem to stumble. I have a bad habit of skipping meals and then overindulging at dinner - so eating consistently is one of my goals.

My Action Plan:

1. Drink 72oz of water daily
2. Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day (no seconds)
3. 30 minutes of exercise daily
4. PM my weight each Friday.
5. Participate in HH each week.
6. Participate in WIN.

Life is a journey and the only way to make it through is to put one foot in front of the other. Today is the first step to a healthier Team Donald.

 

[akhaloha]

QOTD - January 1, 2012 - What action plan do you have in place to help you to achieve your goals for this challenge??

Happy New Year Team Donald!

1. Send my weight in every week to Dvccruiser76.
2. Keep my food jounal and drink all my water everyday.
3. Exercise... Exercise...Exercise!
4. Wear my Bodybugg everyday - it helps keep me motivated to get in my calorie burn.
5. Plan my weekly menus.
6. Keep a positive attitude!

 

[jenanderson]

I am home from the race and will post about that after I finish with all my replies.

Jen good luck with your race tomorrow. I know that not only will you rock it but you will look fabulous too!

Thanks Lisa! My outfit was not exactly as I wanted because it was so cold outside but I still felt great!

I'd like to get back to running. I've tried C25K twice and had to stop due to injuries. This past summer I got to week 7 before I had a calf strain and then a "bone injury" (they originally thought it was a stress fracture).

Welcome Reenie! I am sorry to read that you have had injuries. I know that I chose the C25K program because it was the most recommended with the fewest injuries. Hopefully you will eventually get strong enough to make it past week 7!

My biggest challenge is exercise. I have never done well with it. I do have the Zumba DVDs and will give it a try and I want to get a tread mill or elliptical for the house. I am going to look into possibly joining a gym to help me decide which piece of equipment to invest in for the house. My DH is ready to get healthy also.

Hi Kristy - Getting start with exercising can be a challenge. I suggest finding something you like and making sure you do it every day at first so that you build the habit. It will help that your DH is going to do it with you. I bet if the two of you start scheduling exercise into your day and do it every day you will find it just gets easier.

Hi Donald teammates!! I have read all 4 pages and love the enthusiasm!!

I'm Stephanie, 41, married for 13 yrs, mom of 3 - DD17, DD11, & DS9. I have wanted to lose a few pounds for years and the amount of pounds I want to lose keeps creeping up! I have decided that I have to make it a priority or it'll never happen. 30 pounds would put me at my ideal weight but I'm aiming for 20 to be realistic about what I think I can keep off. We'll see! DD graduates at the end of May and my bday is just around the end of the challenge so great timing to meet some goals!

We joined the Y in August and I am the only family member who has not really used it at all & I want to change that. DS is there every Thursday for class so I really have no excuse not to work out while he's there anyway. DD takes dance on Tuesdays that is just past the Y, no excuse that night either! I used to do WW and will probably follow the old points system along the way.

I teach 3rd grade and really need to eat/work out for more energy in addition to wanting to look better. DH lost about 35 lbs a few years ago by working out during lunch at his office gym. He looks great & I would like to look/feel great too.

Welcome Stephanie! It looks like you have things in place but just need to develop a plan and stick with it. I know that for me, I have to put my workouts on the calendar. I also am a teacher and even though time is tight at school, I plan on walking 10 minutes at the start of my lunch each day and then eating the last part. When times are busy...but I know I have to really be sure I exercise every single day...I have to take advantage of every possible moment!

I'm going to try and get my friend to take updated pics of me once I've lost the weight, especially to keep me focused on once I get the weight off to keep it off.

Ashley - Thanks for sharing the photos! I think it is a great idea to plan for new photos after you have lost some weight. Photos are very motivating to me.

My name is Karen. I am 48 years old. My DH and I have 3 children. I would like to lose 30 pounds. This is my first BL Challenge. I am really excited to get started.

Welcome to the group Karen!

 

[klmrph]

Happy 2012!

My goals
1. PM weight weekly
2. Participate in HH
3. Start a consistent exercise routine
4. Journal food intake
5. Plan meals and cook on my days off and shorter days (I work some 12 hour days)
6. Limit myself to one Dt. Coke per day and drink lots of water

 

[belledreamer]

QOTD - January 1, 2012 - What action plan do you have in place to help you to achieve your goals for this challenge??

My plans are:

1) To drink my full 64oz of water every day
2) To devote at least 1 hour a day to exercising (30 minutes walking and 30 playing Just Dance 3)
3) To eat more fruits and veggies
4) To keep up with writing down how much I eat
5) To remember not to eat my food like a ravenous wolf...

 

[jenanderson]

QOTD - January 1, 2012 - What action plan do you have in place to help you to achieve your goals for this challenge??

Here is my action plan:

1. Plan meals out and stick to eating within my WW points range. This means that I will need to measure my food.

2. Exercise on a regular basis. I need to put my running training plan on the calendar and not skip the cross training activities. I will exercise everyday.

3. Not let my job get in the way of my health. I will schedule my time carefully so that I have more of a balance with work time, family time, time to work out, time for friends, time for the computer and time for relaxing.

Janis - I love your plan of working your way to WDW with your steps! I have seen others do it and always think it would be a cool idea. I might try it with my running!

Hello Team Donald!! I have read the Dis Boards forever it seems, but I just registered tonight. (So please be patient as I learn my way around this thing!!) My name is Lynda, I'm 40 and I am absolutely determined to get healthy now. When I came across this challenge, I knew I had to take part, it's like it was meant to be! I am really looking forward to getting healthy with all of you!

Welcome Lynda! Feel free to ask if you have questions about posting but since you have been reading on the DIS...I am sure you will pick it all up soon! I am so glad that you came across the thread and here is to a healthy challenge for all of us!

I like it - right now I'm only able to do about 12 minutes at a time. My plan for the new year is to try to do that at least 3 times a day until I am able to stay on it for a full 30 minutes.

Laura - I bet you will be up to 30 minutes in no time!

Deb, ask away! I'll do my best to answer your questions. I haven't been to the Aulani yet (even though it's right down the street from my house). Between work and dd13's activites we don't get out much!

Kristina - We were planning on going to Aulani with some friends in 2013 but it is just looking like we won't go because of the cost. I would love to visit Hawaii some day though because the beaches always look so beautiful!

I will say it was more than a wee bit scary standing on those scales this morning and for a brief moment I thought about pluckinking my eyebrows, trimming my nails and even an early haircut to lessen the pain
I took a deep breath and did it though so its all good from here right?

I weighed 167lbs and ideally Iwould like to be 133lbs but as long as I'm losing I'm not going to panic about how long that takes (if that makes sense).
I'd like to lose 20 lbs by end of May.

I laughed so hard at this. Seriously as I weighed myself today I stripped down, took off all my jewelry, took out my hair clips (because we all know how much they weigh) and still was not pleased! Oh well....at least we are all doing it and owning up to where we are at. The only place to go from here is down!

I have been up for a while and worked out for my 20 minutes.

Dona - Great job to get up and get your work out done right away! With all that you have going on in the next day or so you will be busy! Good luck getting DS off!

Hi! I'm a new member. I'm Sandy and I started working out 4x a week in Sept, but that dropped off three weeks ago. Back to the grind now! i am also working with a holistic nutritionist to start eating better foor all around. In the past two months I have become hooked on quinoa. Looking forward to getting to know you. I have 100 pounds to lose, but my goal for the end of May is 30 pounds.

Welcome Sandy! I think you have set a really good, realistic goal to get going. With exercise and eating healthy....I am sure you will find success!

Happy New Year, Jen!! I hope the weathermen were wrong and it's a calm and balmy 30 degrees for your race. Your outfit sounds great, can't wait to see a picture.

My motto is to NEVER GIVE UP!! Real life stresses might get in the way of our goals, we may stray off our healthy paths completely but you can always come back. This is a lifetime commitment, and we may not always feel the scale is recognizing our hard work, but every day we eat healthier, every day we get some exercise, we are doing our bodies good, and we must NEVER GIVE UP!!

Thanks for the warm wishes Kathy! It wasn't really calm and balmy but it was good to get the 1st race of the year done!

I LOVE what you say about never giving up! This is so totally true. I struggle at times but giving up is NOT an option. You did a great job of putting it into words!

I weighed myself this morning and am up 1.5 pounds since the end of the fall challenge. I'm ok with that, since I really didn't try to hard to eat healthy over my 11 day vacation. And, if you haven't heard...I love Christmas cookies! Luckily, I have none out right now. They are all frozen and every once in awhile we will pull some out for a treat.

Jill - I think it is great that you only gained 1.5 pounds during the holiday season. It is hard when you love Christmas cookies! Great job getting the rest of them put in the freezer for when you need that little treat! Have a great day today!

Jen - I hope the race is going well for you. The winds are gusting here in Indiana too.... blowing in a cold front.

My mom always fixes a "traditional" New Year's dinner.... pork loin, mashed potatoes, cabbage, and black eyed peas. It is one of my favorites. I am being careful with breakfast and lunch today, and then won't go totally overboard with dinner tonight.

Michelle - Thanks for the race wishes. We had the cold front blowing - that is for sure!

Sounds like you have planned for your traditional dinner tonight and that is half the battle. Enjoy the meal!

Jen, Good luck with your race today

I am up almost 5 pounds after careless Holiday eating so I need to get that off first and then move on to losing new pounds.

Shawn - Thanks for the good luck race wishes!

I bet those 5 pounds will come off quickly as we all really focus and get going on our challenge. It is so hard to eat carefully in the holidays and I know that I have to think about that for next year.

Jen - good luck on the race!

I fell down about half a flight of steps last night so I'm a little sore this am. I was not drinking or anything exciting, just stupid slipping.

Stephanie - Thanks for the race wishes!

I am so sorry to read that you fell down the steps last night! I have done that before and it hurt so badly. Be sure that even though you want to get your exercising in that you take it easy and don't hurt anything. I hope you will be feeling as good as new soon!

 

[jenanderson]

I have run 2 half marathons and many 5K's and I am starting to train again from scratch to run a half on 4/29th. I am very goal oriented so when I complete my goals I tend to get lazy. I think I have just realized I always need some kind of goal that will challenge me.

I sent my weight to Sue this morning and I was actually up 3lbs from yesterday so I know I had way to much salt over the past day or so.

Lindsay - You and I are so similar! I have to have a goal to keep on running. When I finished my marathon in October, there were not other races on my calendar and so I just stopped running. I was totally beat up, injured and just tired of running. The truth was, I should have had another race to train for and I would have recovered better and not been starting over like you are. DH and I talked about that today and both know that after we run our next full marathon in June that we have to have another race for later in the summer that gets us moving again.

I also weighed 3 more pounds today! Lots of water to flush out all that salt!

For this challenege, I really feel like i'm hitting the home stretch. I have 18lbs to go before I hit my goal of 125. I would also like to really tone up because we have a cruise in may, and also my 25th trip to disney world, and my best friend is getting married in september and im in the wedding party with a bunch of skinny minnies. Yes, I want to look awesome, I'm vain and i'm not afraid of that. Right now, although I feel better about myself, I still wouldn't feel comfortable in a bikini. My stomach is the bane of my exsistance, I literally walk around with it sucked in all the time and just in general hate it. I'd like to find some ab workouts that don't bore me that will help tone up my stomach. I'd also like to get more into strength training, but I find it very confusing.

Hi Trina! Sounds like you will be making it to your goal weight soon and have many things to motivate you! Nothing wrong with being vain...it motivates many of us!

As for your stomach...I had a trainer earlier this year and he really helped me with mine (can you say 2 c-sections and totally flabby???). If you want to know what I did to tone it all up, let me know and I can type it all out and send it to you. It had a lot of planks, push ups, squats and lunges. I also was very confused by strength training but the trainer really helped with it.

DH & DS never make it all the way to the coat closet and they just throw their jackets down over the chairs, drives me crazy! I went over the new hooks carefully, showed them which one was theirs and asked that all coats and scarves, etc be hung up there instead of thrown over the chairs.
They seemed very onboard and thought it was a good idea
Already feeling more organized this year

Shawn - Way to go getting the hooks and making DH and DS participate in hanging their coats! I need to continue to work on organizing my house and you guys are all motivating me to get at it!

I already submitted my weigh in and realized I have toppled over 200 pounds for the first time in my life at 208.8. I've had a good cry and now am ready to get to work.

Life is a journey and the only way to make it through is to put one foot in front of the other. Today is the first step to a healthier Team Donald.

Kris - When I started the WISH challenge 2 years ago I did the same thing...weighed myself and then had a good cry. I like what you say about life being a journey though. If you just keep putting one foot in front of the other you can meet your goals!

5) To remember not to eat my food like a ravenous wolf...

I need to add this to my list as well! Love this goal!

 

[jenanderson]

Well, I am finally caught up! Lots of people joining in and posting which is great! I thought I would share a bit about my race this morning for all the runners out there.

Background Information: I started running 2 years ago. I have run many 1/2 marathons, 5Ks, 7Ks and 10Ks. I have also run a mud run 2 years in a row (imagine hills covered in mud with a military style obstacle course mixed in). I am not fast and believe that slow and stead wins the race! DH and I ran our first full marathon in October. I finished in 5 hours and was totally beat up when I was done. My knees and shin splints were in a bad place at that point so I just quit for a while. I know better - I should have dealt with the injuries and got back at it. DH and I decided we were not done running and so we have filled the 2012 calendar with races again and I am ready to start over.

Conditions Today: 22°F with wind blowing over 20 mph (gusting in the range of 40 mph). The wind chill temperature was 10°. We had a couple of inches of snow yesterday but most of the course was clear.

My Outfit: Well, I wanted to be cute in my new yellow running hoodie but my goal of staying comfortable won over. I still wore my hoodie but had many things on that were not all matching. I did get way too hot while running and stripped off most of the extra things by the end so I did get to enjoy my matching bright yellow fingernails!

The Run: DH and I have run this course before (we did the 10K last year). This year we only registered for the 5K. There were tons of people and the start was really difficult to work our way through all the slower runners. I really wish there was a way to tell people who plan on walking to line up further back for a 5K. Even though I am not super fast, I hate how hard it is to get going at times. The first mile of the course is all up and down fairly steep hills. With the crowds and the hills, DH and I hit the first mile at 11:22. The crowd was starting to spread out at that point and so we picked up our pace. The rest of the course is also pretty hilly but we were able to run all the hills which made me happy. We felt pretty good today so we really picked up the pace once we finished the steepest hills. Towards the end I felt like I was struggling because our pace was faster then we had been running. Our final time was 31 minutes which means our overall time was 10:00 min/miles. I was really happy with this time and felt good about how we did.

Here is the photo:

Alright, it is time for a quick nap and then a bit of work! Later!
Jen

 

[GoofyPredsFan]

Kris--I just turned 40, and it has been a great motivator for me! Like you said, it's more than just losing weight, but about making it a lifestyle change. I have noticed changes in my body and I know that if I don't start making a change now, it'll just get harder as time goes on. Good luck to you!!
--Lynda

 

[mrsxsparrow]

Okay, time for a plan of action!

1) No more soda! I can't tell you how many times I've stopped drinking soda. I'm pretty much addicted but when I break the habit and replace with water or even unsweetened iced tea I always feel soooo much better, no matter what else I've changed/haven't changed. So that's step one.

2) Start journaling. I sometime keep track of what I eat online, but I prefer writing in a journal so I can put down any other information I feel is important, like cclovesdis said.

3) Be active every day. I do really well on days I meet with my trainer at the gym. She's awesome – I pay for one, one hour session each week, but she has me come in almost everyday for "mini" sessions. They started at half an hour, but now they're usually a full hour. But on days I don't see her I hardly ever do anything. So now I want to do something each day – even if it's just taking a short walk or playing some Wii.

4) Know that I don't have to be perfect. I'm definitely one of those all or nothing types. I'll be totally good for a few days, then maybe have a hamburger, and am completely off the wagon for a month. Now I want to be okay with a small slip-up, write it down, move past it, and get back on track.

5) Keep the house – and mostly my room and the bathroom – clean and uncluttered. Don't get me wrong, I clean. But I'm a messy person by nature. There's stuff all over my desk and clothes on my floor. I know I feel better and work better in a visually clean and uncluttered environment. So one of my main goals is to keep my life uncluttered.

Okay, so I just have to say, I'm pretty proud of my weight this week. It's a scary number, but with a story attached. I started Weight Watchers again a few months ago. Like beginning of October. Even though I joined, I didn't change anything else I did, and I just kept gaining weight. 5 weeks ago I realized that was dumb and started really paying attention. Since then, I've only lost or maintained, no gaining. And this week, after three months of going to WW, I'm FINALLY under the weight I originally started at

jenanderson – Congrats on your race!! A 31 minute 5k and 5 hour marathon are so not slow! As someone who finished her last half marathon is just under four hours (Who, me? ) I think you're pretty gosh darn amazing

 

[donac]

Good afternoon everyone.

Glad to see the thread moving so well today.

Thanks Shawn for the offer of the calender. I needed a special one for the kitchen. we put everything on it so it is very important. I got it yesterday.

I may not be on here tomorrow morning. since I have to leave about 7 with my son.

My son is an engineering major. He has been involved with his school;s chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Two years ago inthe beginning of Dec we got a call. EWB is going to Gambia and want to know if I can go/ He had no passport, shots or visa. By Dec 31 he had everything and on the 3rd he left for a 10 day trip to Gambia and back. He helped to teach villagers how to take care of their road and helped a group teach about villagers about caring for horses and donkeys. On this trip he is working with a group about setting up pumps for the villages. He will be back on the 13th, just in time to get ready to go back to school.

I have to get over to Shop Rite and get some milk and rolls for dinner. I haven't had much to eat today because I have been sewing. I haven't finished the top yet but I only have the borders to put on. I won't do that today or tomorrow since I have to finish knitting a pair of socks for a friend.

Off to Shop Rite

Have a happy and healthy day.

 

[trinaweena]

Trina, you look great

Thank you! Some days I agree with that..others not so much!

Hi Trina! Sounds like you will be making it to your goal weight soon and have many things to motivate you! Nothing wrong with being vain...it motivates many of us!

As for your stomach...I had a trainer earlier this year and he really helped me with mine (can you say 2 c-sections and totally flabby???). If you want to know what I did to tone it all up, let me know and I can type it all out and send it to you. It had a lot of planks, push ups, squats and lunges. I also was very confused by strength training but the trainer really helped with it.

QUOTE]

That would be amazing! I would very much appreciate it!

---
I've done nothing today but that was my plan so, I'm not chuffed. I took today off a year ago cause i knew I just wanted to relax before I start my year. We had a low key night last night, my best friend was in town from tennesse and we went out with her and her fiance and sister and her boyfriend and a friend of hers, plus me and my boyfriend. We did hibachi then watched the ball drop then i went home to bed! I'm getting old apparently!

I really start my diet tomorrow, I know I know, its so bad to be like "well i'm starting tomorrow so today's fair game" but im feeling so lazy and i slept funky so i'm all sore. Waiting for my download of Sherlock of finish and then i'm going to watch that. Of course the day is moving by faster than I want it to...ugh

Can we just pause time for a few hours. I just need a few extra hours of nothing

 

[mackeysmom]

Laura - what type of exercises does Bob do on the BL workout you have?

The Boot Camp DVD has a little bit of everything on it - he switches back and forth from upper-body to lower-body (squats, lunges, push-ups, arm extentions, etc) alternating with and without hand weights. In between, he does these little bursts of energy moves - like jumping jacks to keep your heart rate up.

One thing I like - for the tougher moves, he has one of the people working out do a modified version of that move so you don't get discouraged, or overextend yourself past your fitness level.

Since he moves from one thing to another so quickly - even if it is an exercise you don't like, it is over within a minute or two.

- Laura

 

[Scraggy]

Hi! I just got assigned to Team Donald, and I caught up on reading all the threads.

My name is Elizabeth. I'm 42. I've been married for 22 years. We have an 18 year old son.

I'm overweight and want to lose 50 pounds. I started my weight loss on 12/31. I had planned to start on 1/1, but woke up on 12/31 knowing I had to start that day.

I wear a 1x in clothes. I am embarrassed of my size. My pics from our last Disney trip shows me being wider than Daisy Duck (no lie). My double chin really, really showed. All my fault though for making poor food choices.

I have 3 bulging discs in my lower back. I have MS. My husband has Parkinson's disease. We are both still very active. I guess I just felt like things were too much and turned to food. I put on weight very quickly.

Here is what I've eaten today..

B: 1/2 cup of quick cooking oats cooked with 1 c. of water and then 1 packet of Splenda on it
S: Chobani raspberry yogurt
L: Cream of chicken soup
S: Cheddar cheese with mustard on the side to dip it in
D: Green leaf lettuce, spinach, chicken, chick peas, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese and french dressing

I know that this is probably bad, but it's better than what I was eating before. I don't really like meat. I'm definitely a sugar and carb addict.

I'll pm my weight. I'll weigh in a little bit, then weigh in each Friday.

Anyway, glad to be here.

 

[Disneyluvr]

Hi there! My name is Donna and I'm also a teacher (kindergarten) and ready to loose this weight! I will turn 42 next week, I have been married to DH for almost 18 yrs and I have 2 teenagers, DS almost 17 and DD almost 15 (they both have b-days in Feb)

I joined the Biggest Loser challenge last year but ended up quitting because it all got too confusing and overwhelming for me! But I'm gonna try again with NO EXCUSES! I really need accountability and someone to push and motivate me and call me out!!

I would like to loose 30 lbs during this challenge. If I meet that goal my mom will pay for me to go to Disneyland with her, my DD and my 4 yr old niece! (they're taking a G-ma/G-DD trip)

I'm excited to get to know you all and help each other on this journey to a new healthier life!

 

[jenanderson]

Okay, so I just have to say, I'm pretty proud of my weight this week. It's a scary number, but with a story attached.

jenanderson – Congrats on your race!! A 31 minute 5k and 5 hour marathon are so not slow! As someone who finished her last half marathon is just under four hours (Who, me? ) I think you're pretty gosh darn amazing

Nicole - You have great goals! I keep seeing ones that other people have and think I need to adjust mine.

I LOVE that you are proud of your weight this week! Sometimes we get so hung up on not being proud of it when it is still a scary number but it is important that we celebrate all the successes we have!

Thanks for your comments about the race. It is hard for me because I think I just always want to be a faster runner then I really am. Not only that, DH and I had been running faster (9:30 minute miles or so) but then I started with injuries and it just got slower and slower. I do try to keep in mind that at least I am out there doing it and that I am way better off then when I started and just getting around the block was a challenge. I don't know why I expect such "perfection" from my running. When we finished the marathon I should have been just so proud of the fact that I completed it but instead I was almost embarrassed if people asked me about it because I did not want to tell them my time. Part of my resolution this year should be to learn to be proud of my running.

That would be amazing! I would very much appreciate it!

Trina - I will type it all out for you this week (I have to find my notebook that has all the workout notes in it). If I forget...please remind me because I tend to be a bit forgetful!

I'm overweight and want to lose 50 pounds. I started my weight loss on 12/31. I had planned to start on 1/1, but woke up on 12/31 knowing I had to start that day.

I wear a 1x in clothes. I am embarrassed of my size. My pics from our last Disney trip shows me being wider than Daisy Duck (no lie). My double chin really, really showed. All my fault though for making poor food choices.

Welcome Elizabeth! It is great to have you on the team! I just have to say I was exactly like you 2 years ago and I DID lose all 50 pounds through hard work and the support of people on the WISH!

It is so hard when we have photos that we want to love and then feel embarrassed about them. We had a huge trip to WDW before I started and I hated all the photos. I now keep 2 photos up in my bathroom. One of them is of the pictures that I don't like before I started and the other is a photo from running the Princess 1/2 marathon where I look totally different and was so happy with how I looked. I hope that you will have the "after" photo that you want to see soon!

 

[mom2maggie]

Hi! I'm Kristi, and this is my first BL challenge here. I've been at this a while, though...it feels like forever! I have been overweight since elementary school. Shortly after my dad died (he was 44, I was 20) I decided I was done and began eating right and exercising - and lost 110lbs in a year. Woo! And then I met my husband and got married and pregnant and yadda, yadda, yadda - gained it all back. Plus some. I struggled with secondary infertility, and after finally having my 2nd daughter decided I needed to fix me! I was 302lbs (eeeek!) and so sick of being overweight. So in May 2010, I started eating right, exercising, and in a year I lost 120lbs! I was thrilled - and then my depression kicked in, and I had a bit of a bad spell...and since July 2011, I've gained back 40lbs. I'm SO upset with myself, but am determined now to get it back in control. I've done it before, I'll do it again!
I love working out (when I'm not hiding myself away in my house because of my depression), and my normal schedule was 5-6 times a week, 60-120 minutes a day. I'm trying to ease my way back into my workout routine which is Turbokick, Zumba, Hip Hop Hustle - lots of group exercise classes and strength classes too. I need to add in my strength training. I track my foods on livestrong.com and it has worked for me in the past, so I started back with it again today. I drink a lot of water, but lately I'd been drinking a lot of soda - I'm cutting that out!

QOTD - January 1, 2012 - What action plan do you have in place to help you to achieve your goals for this challenge??

1. Track food daily
2. Get back into my exercise routine
3. drink water, not soda!
4. Give myself a freaking break! No one is perfect, no one will have a perfect day, and its totally okay if I don't!
5. be more active in the house, getting stuff organized. I don't snack as much when I'm busy.

That's me in a nutshell. Thanks for letting me join in! I'm hoping to get back down under 200lbs by May - which is 23lbs.

 

[jenanderson]

Hi there! My name is Donna and I'm also a teacher (kindergarten) and ready to loose this weight!

I joined the Biggest Loser challenge last year but ended up quitting because it all got too confusing and overwhelming for me!

I would like to loose 30 lbs during this challenge. If I meet that goal my mom will pay for me to go to Disneyland with her, my DD and my 4 yr old niece! (they're taking a G-ma/G-DD trip)

Welcome Donna! Sometimes the thread does become overwhelming when it first starts up. When I have to start school again on Tuesday I know I will not be able to post as much and there may be days where I am just too busy to do more then just check in. I think the most important thing is to not let it get to you by realizing you can type/respond/chat as much or as little as you have time for. If you can only get on once and a while...still get on and check in when you can.

You have an incredible motivator for this challenge! I can't wait for you to lose the weight and get to plan that trip to Disneyland!!!!