TEAM MICKEY--Biggest Loser 11 Spring Team Challenge!

[tigger813]

Hi all!

Time to introduce myself!

I'm Tracey and I'm 40 years old. I am a wife to Brian (doconeill) and Mom to Ashleigh and Elizabeth. I am also a licensed massage therapist and soon to be wellness coach and Herbalife consultant. I am also your weightkeeper!

This is my 4th challenge ( I think). I have done well over the last year on the challenges. In 2 years of my weightloss journey I have lost about 55 pounds (give or take a few due to the holidays). Last challenge I reached my goal! Though I am setting a new goal for myself as I get rid of the holiday pounds.

You will hear some refer to me as the Energizer bunny as once I get working out I can't stop! I use the elliptical and do Walk Away the Pounds and Biggest Loser workouts. I also just got the EA Sports Active 2 workout for Christmas and plan on starting it tomorrow.

I recently won the weight loss challenge at my local wellness center losing 16.2 pounds in 12 weeks and 15.5 inches! 10.2% of my body weight. $250 a few days before Christmas was quite nice! The leader of the wellness center has approached me about becoming a wellness coach so I will start that later in the week.

We just went on a family trip to Disney a month ago and I already miss it! Our next planned Disney trip is the PCC3.0 in June 2012. Gotta get saving for that starting now!

Back to check on more weigh ins! We're over 52 right now! Keep 'em coming!

TTFN

 

[Rose&Mike]

I never answered the QOTD.

I am Rose, 43, married, with a 19yo college sophomore. He goes to school 500 miles away. It's been a huge adjustment becoming empty nesters, but I think we are getting the hang of it.

Fall of 09 I went back to work and I currently work part-time for a non-profit as the development admin. I really like my job. It is very flexible and I am learning so much. This year we begin beta testing some new software, so that is going to be interesting!

I have struggled with weight and eating for as long as I can remember. Even when I was thin, I thought I was fat. I am hoping I have finally broken through the weight barrier, and will keep it off for good this time. I have found that weight, and food, and health are all so tied up to everything in life. Like how I handle meal planning ties back into a messy house, ties back into general disorganization. I don't know if that makes sense--it's something that is still floating around in my brain.

I also had a very minor health scare last spring--I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat--it's very manageable, and as long as I take care of myself it is no big deal--but it really was a kick in the pants. I pretty much eliminated caffeine from my diet, have to watch the stress and have to be careful about which medications I take. Really no big deal, but very scary none the less.


I joined BL last January. Here is what I looked like on our wdw trip last December:

I went to maintain in September. I still would like to lose, maybe 5 more pounds, but I am going to stay a maintainer, because I really am ok if this is where I stay. Here's a picture from our trip this December:

I like to "process" things, so you will probably know more about me than you want to.

Goal for this week: plan my meals for the week, start 8 minute meditation (again!)

this month: stick with 8 minute meditation, make my exercise goal for the month (which I still have to set!)

this challenge: stick with 8 minute meditation daily!, 10 full pushups (I have had this goal for a while and just can't get 10 good ones in!), to see 139--don't know if I can maintain there, but I would like to see it!!!

Welcome to everyone! I hope you get as much out of the challenge as I have!

 

[ReAnSt]

Hi my name is Becky. I am 28 and live in PA. I have struggled with weight my whole life. I did a few of these challenges a few years ago. I lost a large amount of weight a few years ago and was training for a half marathon. I managed to break my foot in 2008 and was not allowed to put weight on it for almost 4 months. So it was about 6-8 months before I could walk without limping, etc.

It totally threw me for a loop and I started to gain. Part of the gain was caused by a huge cyst which I ended up having removed this past summer. It was about the size of a watermelon and they removed 2 1/2 gallons of fluid from it. I am very lucky as it was not cancerous and they were able to remove it with 5 small incisions rather then 1 large. I am hoping for a clean bill of health as I just had a follow up ultrasound a few days and there had been an issue on a previous one a few months ago.

My goals are to drink 6-8 glasses of water each day. Reduce soda consumption to cutting it out of diet. Exercise 30 minutes at least 3 days a week to start. Eat at least 3 servings of fruits/veggies each day. Cut out/reduce junk food. I want to weigh 200 pounds for my cruise at the end of April.

Remember this is a journey and not a race, take each day as it comes. If you mess up hop right back on board making healthy choices. I look forward to getting to know all of you.

 

[KristiMc]

What a great team we have! It's so motivating reading everyone's stories.

Kelli - I see you are in Shaker Heights - I live in Twinsburg.

Rose - You look great - way to go.

I need to bring a notepad with me to the computer to keep track of everyone so I can respond.

Off to take the Christmas tree down and watch the HGTV Dream Home show.

Kristi

 

[BELLE1109]

Hi All!
I'm Reilly. I'm an HR manager for a biotech company in Boston. I'm 26 and have been happily married to my DH for 2 years. We have 2 dogs no kids (although I* consider them my kids lol) My ultimate goal is to lose 30 lbs and to do the princess 1/2 next year
My goal for this week is to follow the HHs for the week. 3 servings of veggies, 6 bottles of water and 20 mins of exercise per day.

 

[liesel]

Hi everyone! My name is Lisa, I am 35, married for 13 years and a SAHM with two kids, 9 and 5. In my former (and will be again someday) life I went to culinary school and worked as a cook. So obivously I like food. Most of my weight gain occured the year after I finished college. Transitioning to a desk job and fast food lunches with coworkers was not good for me. I have always thought of myself as fat. However, I recently looked at some pictures of myself from high school and discovered that I wasn't actually fat (my friends tried to tell me this but I didn't believe them). So I will have to keep in touch with my body image on this journey. This is my second challenge. In 2010 I lost 23 pounds, which I keep telling myself is a good number, even though so many did so much better. I also started thyroid medication in June.

My goal for the challenge is just 10 pounds, I'm trying to keep it small and more attainable. My goal for the year is to lose 27 pounds, to make it an even 50. I am still deciding my fitness goals. I'd like to try a new class that I haven't done before, like yoga (only done on Wii Fit in the past) or spin. I would also like to do a 5K this year. That's all for now, I'll try to catch up with reading and replies later. Happy New Year!

 

[Disney Yooper]

My name is Vicki. I'm 49 years old. I've been married to the most wonderful man for 28 years and we have two beautiful DDs, 25 & 22. I'm at IT Manager overseeing the support of 55,000 computers statewide. It is a very sedentary job.

Four years ago, I lost 25 pounds just by healthier habits - parking farther from the door, eating breakfast every day, and drinking water. I lost 12-15 pounds just by replacing my pepsi addiction with water. I maintained that loss for almost 2 years until I took a promotion which changed my lifestyle totally and I gained every pound back.

My goal for the month is just to follow the challenges Healthier Habits - drink 48 oz. water, 20 minutes of exercise, and 3 veggies per day.

My goal for the challenge is to lose 10 pounds.

My ultimate goal is to lose 30 pounds by the end of the year. At the same time, I am planning to run the January marathon in 2012. It will be 1-1/2 months after my 50th birthday. I want to prove to myself that 50 is just a number. I start the training for that today as well.

 

[KSH]

Hi Karen!
That’s a great attitude! A loss is a loss is a loss. What ½ are you running?

I'm doing the Publix 1/2 in Atlanta on March 20th. This is my 5th year in a row, and I did another Atlanta half that was on Thanksgiving for 5 years too, from 2005 - 2009. This year (I guess technically it is last year now!) they changed the course for that one, eliminated the marathon and added a 5k. So I just did the 5k this time, may go back to the half next year.

I've only done 5k's at Disney, a friend and I did the Expedition Everest Challenge the first two years. I'm still not sure I want to travel and do a longer run! I really like to nap afterward and think that would just feel like wasted time on a trip!

Your success is very impressive! It is great to hear from others who have been there. Thank you for running this challenge and the advice you share. I can already tell the support is awesome!

 

[tggrrstarr]

What a great team we have! It's so motivating reading everyone's stories.

Kelli - I see you are in Shaker Heights - I live in Twinsburg.

Kristi

OMG, I don't know how I didn't notice that! That is really cool.

 

[Alex&Evan'sMom]

Hi! My name is Ami and I'm 33 years old. I've been married 14 years to my amazing husband Gary and I have two wonderful boys, Alex(9) and Evan(6).

I've known for a long time that this weight had to go, but I always had excuses for not starting. Something was always more important than my health. Then last year I found out that my 52 year old Dad had a terminal illness brought on by not taking care of himself. He also has numerous other health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol due to his size. My mom is 10 years older and in better shape but still has some issues with her larger size. I decided for myself and my family(and sticking around for my kids) that it was now or never. I needed to start when I was still in decent shape.

I started in August and have lost 44 lbs. so far. I limit myself to a certain amount of calories and make sure I have plenty of fruits and vegetables. I also work out 3-4 days a week for 1 hour at a time. I'm a huge fan of Richard Simmons and I love his workouts. My husband and kids actually work out with me a lot and my boys got me another Richard Simmon's video for Christmas!

I know I've got a ways to go(my goal is 140) so I've got exactly 100 lbs. left. But I know I can do it this time. I've been averaging about 2 lbs. a week and hope to keep it up. I feel so much better and I'm starting to notice muscles I've never had before!

Finding a supportive group of people is really important to me. I've tried talking to some friends but they're either not interested or feel threatened by my progress. It's so nice to find like minded people! Well, I've yammered on long enough so I guess I'll go for now. Good luck everyone!

 

[mstinson14]

Hi! My name is Megan, and I am 14 years old. I have joined this challenge as I am a tad over 300 pounds, have battled being overweight ever since I can remember and would like to change. I look forward to accomplishing my goal, I just can't wait to be skinny!!

 

[tggrrstarr]

I started in August and have lost 44 lbs. so far. I limit myself to a certain amount of calories and make sure I have plenty of fruits and vegetables. I also work out 3-4 days a week for 1 hour at a time.

I know I've got a ways to go(my goal is 140) so I've got exactly 100 lbs. left. But I know I can do it this time. I've been averaging about 2 lbs. a week and hope to keep it up. I feel so much better and I'm starting to notice muscles I've never had before!

Finding a supportive group of people is really important to me. I've tried talking to some friends but they're either not interested or feel threatened by my progress. It's so nice to find like minded people! Well, I've yammered on long enough so I guess I'll go for now. Good luck everyone!

You are off to a great start! Looks like our plans and results are very similar. I totally know what you mean about knowing you need to lose but not being ready to act. That is how I was for almost 9 years. It finally clicked this past summer for me.

And the thing about your friends, ITA! I have people around me who seem jealous and want to lose, but don't want to put in the effort. Luckily my DH and my coworkers have been incredibly supportive. My family is good too, it helps you to keep going when you get great support. This challenge is perfect for that!

 

[tigger813]

Hi everyone!

I'll be your coach the rest of the week!

I usually post my QOTD the night before as I'm a planner by nature!

QOTD: Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011
This is kind of a sharing information and strategies question as we have a lot of newbies with us:
What types of exercise are you going to do or have been doing that can help others with this challenge?

Answer: As I said in my intro, I get hooked on working out! I use my elliptical several times a week. I try to do 2 miles most mornings. I am also a BL fan and love their workouts including Last Chance Workout and the new Power Walk. I have also used Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds religiously for the past 18 months. I love the 4 mile walk and any with hand weights. When I first started I used the Wii a lot and will be using it again. I got the EA Sports Active 2 from DH for Christmas and am really looking forward to doing it. I also walk outside whenever I can. Sometimes I walk to my local wellness center though the weather hasn't been helpful lately in that area.

During the last challenge I joined my local wellness center and starting using protein powder once or twice a day. That really helped me reach my goal weight and win $250 in their fall challenge! I've learned a lot from the classes I attended. Though I'm not doing their challenge I will share the readings from the classes that I took. I will share the username and passwords when the classes start up again next week. I go to the wellness center most mornings for a "healthy breakfast" and have made some great friends there. We started a walking group but when the cold weather hit people stopped going. Hopefully we can get it started again in the spring.

Going to try to workout tomorrow at some point, maybe when I get up. Patriots game is on at 1, I think and I love watching them play.

Done rambling. Hopefully some of what I shared will be helpful. These worked for me and if you need any more information, don't hesitate to ask!!!!

TTFN

 

[bethbuchall]

Hello! I'm already a day behind...story of my life.

I'm Beth, and I really need to lose weight. I'm 46 years old and have been happily married to a wonderful guy for over 22 years. I have three children--a 19-year old (sophomore in college) son, a 17-year old (senior in high school) daughter, and an 11-year old (6th grade) son.

This is my first Biggest Loser Challenge, but not the first time I've tried to lose weight. I went to Weight Watchers in September, 2001 and lost a lot of weight in about 10 months. I regret to say that I have found it all again (plus a bit more). I haven't successfully stuck with any plan since then. Hopefully, I have learned from some of my failures and can put it to good use to make the lifestyle changes that I need to now.

Goal for the week: Start making positive changes--getting all my water, eating vegetables and fruits instead of junk, and start exercising.

Goal for the month: Don't give up!

 

[bethbuchall]

Hi! My name is Megan, and I am 14 years old. I have joined this challenge as I am a tad over 300 pounds, have battled being overweight ever since I can remember and would like to change. I look forward to accomplishing my goal, I just can't wait to be skinny!!

I wish you the best!!! I know that I wish that I had taken control when I was as young as you are. I'm sure that you can do it!

 

[Rose&Mike]

Thank you so much Tracey for taking over as coach for the rest of the week. We had a very unexpected family emergency, so I will be in and out for the next several days.

 

[Cupcaker]

Happy new years everyone! My name is Jeanette. This is my second BL challenge. Im 28, about to be 29, newly engaged, full time job, PhD student, cupcake lover. I have lots going on, Im always super busy, but I have now made me one of my priorities. Wedding planning is definitely my number one priority right now My journey started last January when I was at my all time highest- 180, and Im barely 5'. So I plugged away, started eating right, exercising, joined BL, and have lost 55ish pounds so far. Im so happy to be in the 120s, I havent been here since high school. I plan on this being my last weight loss journey!

For this challenge, I would like to lose 10lbs more. Since I will be getting married this year, having lost the majority of my weight has definitely been a stress reliever. I will be going on a disney cruise in 18 days and am really looking forward to that.

My goals for this week and month are to get back into the swing of things. I have taken a few weeks off from the dedication I used to put into my weight loss.

Some advice for those new to this challenge: do the healthy habits, its so helpful in creating new habits and you get some great rewards from it; losing weight slowly is a good thing! dont get discouraged that others might lose weight quick. everyone's body is different and eventually you will catch up; find exercise that is fun. many of us dread exercise, but when its fun its much easier to do; journal your food. it helps keep you accountable. there are some great online resources for that and even smart phones have some cool apps. I use calorie counter on my android.

Im looking foward to sharing this journey will all of you and getting to know you all better!

Jeanette

 

[Cupcaker]

Thank you so much Tracey for taking over as coach for the rest of the week. We had a very unexpected family emergency, so I will be in and out for the next several days.

Rose I hope everything isnt too serious. Let me know if you need help with anything too.

 

[cclovesdis]

Evening!

No nap today-and I'm excited about that! I slept for almost 12 hours last night and I don't like to sleep too much. I am getting tired though.

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's goals. I know for me, it helps so much to write it out on paper, the DIS, etc. It holds me more accountable. I journaled again today! I ate 33 points, so 4 of my weeklies. I am very proud of myself. I feel like I am regaining some control over my eating. I am not so proud of my emotional eating.

Tomorrow should be a fairly relaxing day. I do need to clean up my bedroom and the living room. There is still stuff lying around from Christmas.

Have a great day tomorrow everyone!

Rose.

 

[jenjolt]

QOTD: Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011
This is kind of a sharing information and strategies question as we have a lot of newbies with us:
What types of exercise are you going to do or have been doing that can help others with this challenge?

I'm also a huge Leslie Sansone Walk Away The Pounds fan!! I have about 8 of her DVDs and I rotate through them weekly never doing the same workout back to back! I really enjoy her "boosted" walking ones and the ones involving weights! I also sporadically through in Jillian Michaels Shred workout and some of the FIRM DVDs which incoraporate Strength and Cardio together!!!!

I also am thinking of starting to jog with husband in the evenings!!