[mpayne]

Good idea on the audio books! I have a small tv set up in front of my treadmill, as well. I rarely have time to watch tv, so it's a nice "treat" to be able to while I exercise. Plus, it's a built-in timer - I can turn on a 30 minute show or an hour or whatever and just walk until it's over.

Congrats, patbruck! You did great!!!

[mpayne]

twinners lost 2% of her starting weight!!!

[xmaspickle]

sounds like you guys are all modifying your habits..that's a good thing...I gave myself permission to have an eating holiday on the eve/day..cooked healthy but also baked a ton of cookies which I hadn't touched all month so it was a party in my mouth...then went to resume my weighing/measuring and logging all foods..but headed to DC with my niece & family and of course, ate out more, someone had eaten my apples I brought up..and left me the almonds

so all in all it was a 2# weight gain from last tuesday to this tuesday (that's when my group on Biggestloserclub records)..hopefully, it's just from excess food/fluids and will pop right off again when I get back in my good habits..and I pinched a nerve in my back (god knows how) over the weekend..I don't know if it was sleeping in different beds or what as friday/saturday we walked all over..saturday evening spent 2 hours ice skating at the national mall adjacent to the smithsonians..no falls..and I woke up sunday hardly able to move..did my neighborhood walk yesterday..once walking I wasn't in too much pain..it's the sitting or raising my right leg up stairs that's a killer...I love middle age!

anyway..I'm not in your little group...but from the outside..I'd say you guys all had a practice shake down run...and now you start the new year..start the rest of your life, etc..now is the time to grab your weight watchers book, a recipe site online, cooking lite, clean eating magazine or whatever..and plan out your next week's menus..snacks too..write up a shopping list and make sure you have everything you need in the house...and time to give away the last of the cheese ball, the last of the cookies, the half box of chocolates..go give them to your skinny girlfriend..the neighbor down the street that lives alone..the family that you know that is struggling to make ends meet....so your cupboards have only good stuff so you have a great chance of succeeding...

and ALL of you that have attempted to put more exercise in, who changed one high fat calorie thing for a piece of fruit, for someone who tried a new food, learned how to cook a favorite in a healthy way...read an article about taking care of yourself..decided you're just as important as the kids and husband you take care of ....YOU ARE A WINNER BROILED CHICKEN DINNER!!!

THERE IS ONLY ONE OF YOU..YOU ARE A ONE OF A KIND SPECIMEN OF HIGH AND RARE VALUE...YOU ARE WORTH TAKING CARE OF..YOU ARE WORTH BUYING A FRESH MORE EXPENSIVE INGREDIENT FOR..YOU ARE WORTH INVESTING TIME TO EXERCISE IN...I PROMISE THE HOUSEWORK, THE BILLS, THE KIDS, THE DISHES WILL ALL WAIT...YOUR HEALTH WILL NOT..IT NEEDS A DAILY INVESTMENT ....BUT YOU HAVING MORE ENERGY, HAVING A HEALTHY GLOW IN YOUR SKIN, HAVING BETTER SELF ESTEEM (AS YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT OF YOUR LIFE & FOOD CHOICES), AND BEING IN THE SIZED BODY YOU SHOULD BE IS SOOOOO WORTH IT...DON'T LOOK BACK..ONLY FORWARD..ONLY FORWARD..ERASE THE NEGATIVE TAPES, ERASE OTHER PEOPLE'S COMMENTS, DO WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE TRUE..BE TRUE TO YOURSELF...AND GO FIND OUT WHO YOU REALLY ARE ON THE INSIDE...FIND YOUR POWER AND STRENGTH..AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN YOUR LIFE WILL ALIGN IN THAT!

[danielephant]

holy cow 4.4% I am glad you are good at math cause i am NOT...


Love this short term goal thing. It really helped me alot and i like being able to share and discuss the whole weight loss thing with someone other than my hubby who really does not care...don't get me wrong he cares but he does not get my frustration...

[xmaspickle]

New Years Day I was at 150.5..which is 16.6% weight loss from 9/21/08 when I started the biggestloserclub...from a size 14 and presently in a solid 8...but those 6s and the 140s are calling my name...my goal is to be a size 2/4 and around 125-130 around mid april when my birthday is...that is where I ended up 10 years ago or so when I lost weight..and stayed in that range for years...

I will keep doing what I'm doing...I eat in the 1,200 -1,400 cal range..exercise 6 days a week..that ranges from 3 days of walking 4.26 miles with the neighbors, one day doing something with my husband (last week it was 2 hours of ice skating at the national mall in Washington), maybe running on the treadmill for a 5K, kayaking, exercise DVDS, etc....

I'm eating 99% whole grains..you know whole wheat, whole(not enriched) corn meal products, oats, brown rice, quinoa, barley, teff, etc...lean meats (and portions around 2-3 oz.), lean fishes, all veggies, all fruits, mostly natural sugars with occasional artificial sweetener, less than a soda week, low fat dairy...i"m pulling recipes from biggestloserclub.com, bestlifediet.com, eatingwell, clean eating, cookbook authors sandra woodruff, joanna m. lund, betty crocker's low fat chinese cooking, etc..from many varied places..as long as it is supporting the food choices above...I'm cooking the same thing for the entire family as I'm eating real stuff not prepackaged stuff...I'm avoiding anything processed like the plaque...with the exception of maybe a can of progresso soup occasionally for lunch.....

and the cals via biggestloser..wherever you're at..they divide by basically 4ths..with 1/3 for each meal..and the last 4ths divided for snacks...and 2 of the snacks are 1/2 serving of protein with either a fruit one time and a veggie the next..and the last snack a bit of happiness..maybe a dark chocolate, last night for me it was a cup of hungrygirl.com hazelnut hot chocolate (114 cals and looks like a party in a cup), maybe 1/2 cup low sugar low fat icecream..sometimes with a diet rootbeer for a float, a baked apple (no fat recipe), baked banana (if you haven't tried those broiled with a bit of vanilla you are missing one of the best 120 cal desserts), a yogurt, etc..something that is still healthy but doesn't feel like you're missing your favorites...

and that in a nutshell is what I'm doing (I added this as I've had a lot of my friends around here ask me what the heck I'm doing..heck I even had a stranger ask me what I do as my skin and self look so healthy..and I'm nearing 50 and think I look really average)...so that is what I'm doing...I'm not hungry..I do not in the least feel deprived...my whole family is eating everything..so I know over the course of the day..they are getting their servings of dairy, veggies and such.......and I plan my meals for a week (or two/payday to payday) at a time so it's a one master list..see what I have on my shelf, freezer, pantry, see what is on sale, and do a one fell swoop at costco for bulk veggies, and then hit kroger, trader joes, whole foods, and then of course, the freebies at the drug stores....

Here's hoping all of those of you that still want to lose weight for whatever reason will find the path that is correct for you...and that you trust the process enough you avoid the weird starvation ones..or the ones that are earning money off of your process..you know the ones that make you buy a pill, a meal, a shake or something that isn't normal for a lifetime.....

[twinners]

Just wondering how many of us are still going on with this weight loss? I know the challenge is over, but I hope everyone will continue working out and eating healthy. I know I am going to! I have to do this for me

Congrats to everyone that lost weight!!!!

[xmaspickle]

I'm hoping everyone used that as a jumpstart to better choices..that's for a lifetime..not something you do for X amount of time and then regress to your previous habits..if we had awesome habits to begin with you wouldn't try to lose weight..it would be naturally within a normal range...

if you haven't already done so..everyone check their BMI (there are online sites that will do it for you..and let you know what is a healthy weight range for your size)...also, go check (again online..cheap & easy) to see where your blood pressure is at (the cuffs can be found at most drug stores/some grocery pharmacies..at the red cross when you donate blood, usually at your doc..sometimes at your dentist)..and find out whether you're high...those kind of actual numbers can encourage you to keep doing what you're doing..and/or kick you in the hinnie to make healthy choices..

realage.com also has a fairly comprehensive health evaluation (you have to be honest in your answers or you'll circumvent your results) and it will give you real moves you can make to up your health..it's about the whole body..not just a size or a slim you..you can be skinny..eat garbage, smoke like a chimney, never exercise, etc..and be grossly unhealthy..so it's not just a size..it's the whole caboodle.....

[danielephant]

oh i am in it for the long haul i am afraid twinners, I have 15 more lbs to lose and i will be happy with my 160...I would love to get down to 140 which is the "proper" weight for someone that is 5 4" but i don't think that will happen...i just want to see what i would look like...but i think i would look really unhealthy at that weight, so that is not my ideal goal

[patbruck]

Originally Posted by twinners

Just wondering how many of us are still going on with this weight loss? I know the challenge is over, but I hope everyone will continue working out and eating healthy. I know I am going to! I have to do this for me

Congrats to everyone that lost weight!!!!

absolutely still continuing with it! since I was able to come close to the ten pound mark in 4 wks of December (and over Christmas at that!) I set a 15-lb personal goal for the next six weeks. I found an old pair of Express jeans that I haven't work in like 7 years and told DH I am going to wear them out for his bday (2/5). I can get them on but they don't button, LOL!

[grace.maddie]

Originally Posted by patbruck

absolutely still continuing with it! since I was able to come close to the ten pound mark in 4 wks of December (and over Christmas at that!) I set a 15-lb personal goal for the next six weeks. I found an old pair of Express jeans that I haven't work in like 7 years and told DH I am going to wear them out for his bday (2/5). I can get them on but they don't button, LOL!

ohhh...we should be weigh in buddies pat! i have a pair of jean i really want to look "hot" in by valentines day!

xmaspickle, you are on top of it!! its all about getting healthy the right way. looking good is just an added bonus if you are doing what you are suppose to. i thik you have a lot of great advice for ppl. i saw your post on the nutrisystem thread the other day but i couldn't get the rep button to work!

[mpayne]

I'm still trying... Maybe now that the new year is here, I'll actually lose some!

Do you all want me to keep tracking our weight? If you do, just PM me your weight each Monday. If not, that's fine too.

[patbruck]

I'll keep pm'ing my weight, if you still want to track it, mpayne. having to officially weigh in actually helps keep me accountable, kwim?

[patbruck]

Originally Posted by grace.maddie

ohhh...we should be weigh in buddies pat! i have a pair of jean i really want to look "hot" in by valentines day!

yeah I know I can do it, sometimes I feel like I need a big push. am kind of frustrated now - am soooo close to the 200 lb mark but not under it yet and running is basically going like crap lately. I run for a mile and feel like death. then I read my journals from 2 months ago and I was feeling sooo awesome (and running farther, go figure). every day I hit the gym I think "ok today is the day I'm going to hit my stride" and one of these days it better just happen. I think I lost some steam over the holidays - when I'm not as careful with my food intake, my workouts aren't as impressive. when my workouts are lousy, I find myself more likely to be grouchy and overeat. must...break...the cycle!!!

[xmaspickle]

well, if running isn't feeling so good..how about walking??? I started by walking an hour slow w/the dog..then walking faster and faster..of course, I have experienced neighbor ladies setting the pace...that's 3 times a week..and 3 days I figure out something on my own..1 of those I do something with my husband over the weekend..and one day I take off...for your own self esteem/feel of having some control over your life (especially with young children in the house-so you don't lose who you are/ask me how I figured that one out?)...please, please give yourself one hour a day..to exercise..to read some uplifting thing..bible reading, nutrition reading, chicken soup reading..whatever..just don't do all reading and no sweating..it's not an intellectual process..if we could "think" it through we would of already done that...

and find some great resources and menu plan...on Frugal Recipes and Low Cost Meals | Hillbilly Housewife she has a link in her mix to a menu plan outline...print it off..fill it in...grocery shop to fill in what you need...

ideas for food can come from so many sources that don't have anything to do with you plunking down cash...

clean eating books and magazine

cooking light magazine/books from the library/online recipes

eatbetteramerica.com

bob greene's books and diet plan all have recipes

biggest loser club has a resource of recipes..but I think at least online it costs $$-but they have cookbooks out that would be easy to locat

good ole Richard simmons has several cookbooks out..goofy but his food is good

betty crocker has a series of cookbooks that are great..I love chinese..and things like egg rolls/sweet & sour and such..well, their low fat chinese cookbook tells you how to make all those yummies in a healthy way..and they are WONDERFUL

hungrygirl.com has an entire website dedicated to finding low fat, low cal ways to make things, what to eat out in the real world, what to avoid...and new products on the shelves to look for

sandra woodruff..nutritionist/cookbook author has wonderful ideas for incorporating whole grains, less sugar, salt, fat..and the recipes are great..my whole family will take you down for some of her things..yesterday it was whole wheat orange marmalade muffins/with blueberries..and they were 126 cals a piece, high fiber, less than a gram of fat..and snagged quickly in my houseful of wolverines

joanna m. lund is another fun cookbook author..she's more folksy food..you know gravy on biscuits, frog eye salads, cream pies...but so low in calories you can have a serving of just about anything and still be under your cals for a day...I mix her in as she isn't as healthified as the others..but having ambrosia salad thrown in the mix gives me the feeling I'm not really dieting...

better homes & gardens has a series of "new dieters" cookbooks..these are older but great..each page has a picture of what you're creating...all the nutrition counts, easy ingredients and I've used these books for years and haven't found a recipe yet that hasn't turned out great...

many of the older cookbooks come up on paperbackswap.com so they don't have to cost you "real" money if you happen to have books to swap yourself...i often check the reviews on amazon.com and see which ones sound good..and then either just swap online or if there aren't any available put them on my wish list....

and if you don't already have them....a digital kitchen scale, a calorie count book, some notebook/diary/online source to journal so you keep track what you've eaten, whether you've taken your vitamins, what you weigh, whether you've drank your water, how you feel that day..you know depressed, hungry, stressed, got your period, etc..after a while you can usually pick up on what presses your buttons and you stress eat, or get hungry and no longer care what you put in your mouth, etc...and then find a way around those problems..make a cup of tea..take a bath, call a friend, have healthy snacks around..whatever it takes...also, a pedometer..get in minimum 10,000 steps a day...that can be housework, walking, your workout, whatever you do at work, etc..it pushes you to take the stairs, park further out somewhere, anything to get those steps in...

things I can't live without: non stick fry pan, spray pam or some such, refrigerated butter spray, whole grain flours, swiss miss no sugar cocoa/got hooked on the 114 cal hazelnut cocoa that replicates starbucks on hungrygirl, sugar free yogurts, 75% reduced fat cabot cheeses...boy, they taste great and the cals are loooooow....ground turkey BREAST...nearly fat free...96% lean ground beef, textured vegetable protein (TVP-found dry in healthy sections of the store)/I reconstititute and put in casseroles, burritos, tacos, stuffed peppers and such..either by itself or with part burger..really cuts the cost, the cals, the cholesterol, etc, wild salmon fillets...geez, they keep telling me they're healthy and our family keeps eating them up....my favorite way is joan lunden's salmon in foil recipe (joan lunden cookbook)..basically veggies/potato/seasonings/salmon pouched in a foil and baked...doesn't taste diet to me..in fact I've served to company...frozen berries from costco...read smoothies, in yogurt, on hot whole grain cereals, whirled with a bit of juice to make a sorbet/sprinkle grape nuts on it for a sundae-and it's just berries, put over low sugar/low fat ice cream..you get the picture..its a flavor bomb in your mouth....baked bananas..split lengthwise..drizzle just a sprinkle of vanilla..broil until soft..eat plain..or add cool whip, frozen yogurt or whatever...

okay..I really could go on and on..I'm fairly chatty ...but I wanted to express..just like if you were my best girlfriend who lived next door..how I'm doing it..without a lot of money/we've had paycuts and are living on a shoestring...without going hungry..I have platesful of food and snacks up the wazoo (just chosen correctly)..and how I make my hour appt. every day to value myself..women especially, are such givers..we think if we sacrifice that hour we can somehow be better mothers, wives, breadwinners, church volunteers, etc...but it isn't true...you need to give your hour to God, an hour to yourself..and the rest you can parcel out how you'd like or need to...but that hour for yourself is going to give you back You..the one you had as a child before you were a wife & mother...the one who still has hopes, dreams, and aspirations..and one who doesn't need to be lugging around extra weight...

truly, truly if I can do it so can you..I'm as average as they get...and I want all of you to do it this year also...it will be your little stand against the negativity of the world, go against all the bad stuff we hear on the news, all the financial pinches we are getting hit with from every direction..you can't control a lot of that..but you can control how well you take care of yourself and your family....

I figure in '09 we have a very high likelihood of my husband losing his job, we've already had big paycuts, half the company has been laid off and the forecast isn't good..a few years ago we went 10 1/2 months without work after 19 years of employment at the same company..it isn't pretty..in fact pretty darn ugly...but I have zero control over that..my husband is busting his hinny to make sure he is working up to par (that means vitamins, workouts, extra hours at work, reading self help books to double check if he's missed anything, etc)..and I can either stress eat or stress exercise...one way, I'll gain weight, self loathing, looking for work will be harder as I'll have low self esteem and not present a professional image..or I can feel top of my game, be cuter for my husband to come home to, present a more energetic front to search for jobs, do whatever needs to be done, sleep better at night as I'm well exercised, etc...

so girls..my hugs go out to you...find your pathway to what works for your family...don't make huge commitments that are impossible to achieve and then feel like a failure..strive for a new habit a week..you know..no more eating in the car..or eating while standing up...grab one new healthy product to try..walk just a little further on your way to something..ask the quiet neighbor down the street to walk dogs together...just one baby step at a time...about 1% a week of weight loss would be great....and don't look backwards..the past is the past..navigate the obstacles and head forward...

[xmaspickle]

oooh...forgot to mention..I'm back in the 140s...weighed in at 148.5 yesterday...that is 17.7% body weight loss since 9/21 and 64% to my goal weight....slow and steady girls..

[xmaspickle]

okay, spank me for being a thread stealer...but for season 7 of biggest loser..they are having a pound for pound challenge..where food is going to be donated to food banks in the same quantity that people who sign up lose...if any of you think that would be a good motivator then do it..doesn't hurt anything..and if you like the biggest loser will send you weekly motivating tips..etc...

at

Pound For Pound Challenge it has a place where you can set your goals between now and April/may to check back in..remember..be realistic..about 1% a week is normal...and have fun..see you at the finish line..wherever that may be!

[patbruck]

Originally Posted by xmaspickle

okay, spank me for being a thread stealer...but for season 7 of biggest loser..they are having a pound for pound challenge..where food is going to be donated to food banks in the same quantity that people who sign up lose...if any of you think that would be a good motivator then do it..doesn't hurt anything..and if you like the biggest loser will send you weekly motivating tips..etc...

at

Pound For Pound Challenge it has a place where you can set your goals between now and April/may to check back in..remember..be realistic..about 1% a week is normal...and have fun..see you at the finish line..wherever that may be!

cool! I pledged 30 pounds over the next 4 months.

[xmaspickle]

thatta girl! I figured that might just goad some of us into having one more incentive to work towards...and I see the site also links up to some healthy recipes, motivational emails, etc...might be just enough to turn the corner and get people moving...

and of course, people that don't have enough food will be the ones to benefit..

[twinners]

Originally Posted by mpayne

I'm still trying... Maybe now that the new year is here, I'll actually lose some!

Do you all want me to keep tracking our weight? If you do, just PM me your weight each Monday. If not, that's fine too.

Pm'd you

[xmaspickle]

in case I forgot and you'd like to plan your meals ahead.. Frugal Recipes and Low Cost Meals | Hillbilly Housewife has a menu planner that you can print out..I just planned my next two weeks and did all our shopping (with the exception of anything cheap/free at any store) yesterday so I'm ready to rock & roll...

and tomorrow starts the 7th season of biggest loser if you need to watch people nearly pass out to get you motivated.

[alice14523]

Originally Posted by mpayne

Alice, can you read on the treadmill? (some people can't) I do and so yes, it counts!!

Well, I took your advice and guess what? I can read and walk on the treadmill at the same time. I can't go very fast right now but maybe I'll get better as I go along. Thanks so much for asking. I finished reading "Twilight" and got in my exercise at the same time. I'm so proud!!!!

Now I can enjoy two things I love the most.

[xmaspickle]

that's awesome...I have progressive trifocals and have difficult enough time when I'm not moving to read..so don't even want to try..I do hook my ipod through the treadmill..and mine has capabilities to be hooked up to tv..had the satellite disconnected for frugal reasons..but hubby hasn't hooked up the local antenna to the screen..so I let my mind go blank, listen to music, download sermons from my brother (pastor) and my old pastor in Boise...

but I'm still eating healthy and exercising 6Xs a week..have not stopped...weight loss has slowed down..only 1/2 pound recently..but I think it's just a plateau since I had dropped every week for 14 weeks or something..

[mpayne]

patbruck has lost 14.2 lbs!!!! That's 6.5% of her starting weight!!! Let's give her a BIG hand!!!