Weekly Weigh In

I lost another 2 lbs. this week.  Wahooo!  It is amazing.  During our last challenge I worked out twice a day, every day, except for Sundays.  This week I worked out 3, maybe 4 days and just once each of those days!  This Green Smoothie business is working.  I don't feel as hungry and when I do and I drink my drink and try to eat more raw things, I lose weight.  It just happens.  I still ate what we ate at Bunko and things like that.  Anyway, I'm just really enjoying learning about what good food can do for the body, my body.  It is a fun journey!

I'm back

OK, so I'm starting this up again myself. It's embarrasing, but since we stopped this thing in April I gained 9 pounds!!! That is not good. We traveled a lot during the summer and had a lot of yummy things to eat, especially in San Diego, it was worth it - I have to say! BUT August 11th I started doing the Green Smoothie thing and started losing 2 lbs a week, except for this week, (so that's 4 gone) but that's ok. I didn't exercise well this week and ate more than I should have. I'm getting better at listening to my body and feel the pains when I eat something I shouldn't. The green smoothies have given me a new energy that I haven't had in a long time. It's really been a blessing. I'm hopeful it will take away a lot of my health problems.

Dwaawdwgl

My Turn

So, I've lost 22 lbs of the 26 that I gained from pregnancy. I have 11 lbs to go to get to my goal weight. The past few days I've been wanting to eat healthier even though I can't fully exercise. I want to start walking, as soon as it stops raining. I really just want to be healthy and break bad habits. My worst habit is eating some of the food I'm baking, making for dinner, or getting for my kids for their snack when i already had mine. How do I stop picking? I made cookies for FHE yesterday & ate alot of cookie dough, then had some cookies when they were done! I'm fine with a taste of cookie dough, but not 3-4 cookies worth!!! How do I stop?

Up and Down

Since we ended this thing it's been harder to stay focused to lose more of the weight. I've been staying within 4 pounds - up one week - lose it again the next. I need to FOCUS! I did do something that made me feel better though. I made a new highest weight for myself. Instead of thinking about my past high weight. So I don't think "well I used to be such and such pounds" because I don't ever want to get to that weight again. So I made a new lower highest weight for me. It's been the number I keep going up to, but I still feel ok. When I get to that # I remember I need to watch what I eat that week. Then I won't get too high again. And it will be easier when I try to get to my official goal, then to start ALL over!

That's all! :)

YO!

Hey y'all!
No pics from me. Sorry. I have many excuses, none of them good, but I didn't do so well in this competition. I started at 227, ended at 225. 2 pounds since the beginning of the year! yeah, not so great. I'm not dead yet though, so this competition aint over. I want to get back down to 210 where I was last year, and work on this aging body! Warmer weather means I can walk to work everyday. And do the Elliptical everyday as well. Thanks for everyone's inspiration.
Now let's give Erik his cash so he can buy a pretty new dress.

Ryan

Robina!!

Well, here I am in all my fat glory. I felt really stupid in these tight clothes. hahaha This is me at 157 lbs


Ta-da!!! This is me 7 lbs later, weighing in at 150 lbs. yay! I wasn't comfortable enough to show you the end result because I just didn't try hard enough and I just don't think my "success", if you can call it that, is worth showing.

Juli's before & after!

This was taken at 24 weeks.

And here I am at 35 weeks!

I have only gained half of what I normally do so far (usually 35-40, I've gained 20lbs!). I have a Dr. appt on Tues, so I'm sure it'll be more, but I'm pretty proud so far! I hope I'll be motivated like all of you to lose the baby weight. You have all done so amazing, thanks for the healthy changes in our family!

GO n' BO Before & After

Before: 152 After: 143 Difference: 5.8% Inches: Waist -4"
Still beautiful.......................
Before: 181 After: 170 Difference: 6.1% Inches: Waist -3"
Still crazy.......................

Lookin' forward to seeing what's left of yawl today - the beginning of "Lose It - to be continued..."; no Steve, it's not over now.... FYI - pictures don't really do justice, so you'll have to see the real thing when you arrive! Love to all of you! It's been fun - let's do it again, and again, and again!

It's over?

So I basically haven't been trying for the last month. Eating whatever I wanted, and not exercising or weighing. When I weighed this morning, I'm up 3 from the last time I weighed in, making my total weight loss 12 lbs.
Original weight: 208

Notice the exaggerated double chin.

New weight: 196

Arik- Before and After

Before: 283 Pounds

After: I don't know yet it is 5 in the morning.... let you know later last week I was at 235.

Jenni: Before and After

I gained a pound this week. I would say it's a pound of STRESS because I worked out super hard this week and ate well, so whatever! My total weight loss is 17 pounds, I dropped two pant sizes and 5 inches off my belly. I'm still working towards my goal weight. I'll get there! Thanks for all of the help!

(I put this post together during the week since we were leaving out of town and just saved it - so that's why it doesn't say todays date.)

I normally would NOT show pictures like this to ANYONE...so feel - whatever you want. Hahaha! Here are my BEFORE pics:

Starting weight 172

Before side view:

Before front view:
Current weight 155 - I haven't been in the 150's for so long. It feels great!
After front view: (yah, I know my mouth is funny. I was talking to Burke as he took this! - oops)

I wore the same workout outfit to compare.

After side view:

It's a NEW me!!! I feel GREAT!!!

BRONZE IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!

I read an article once, entitled "I Am Third", and I like the sound of that more and more; what with Burke giving up and others drifting into forbidden paths, or reporting fuzzy numbers (like me). It appears Gail is now my only competition - as of today, she is about four-tenths of a percentage ahead of me in weight lost, so I have my work cut out for me this week. I'm just glad that it is the responsibility of the "host city" to provide the medals.... That Green River has lots of gold and silver in that waterway. Anyways, I'm sure there may be a sleeper out there, but at this point it appears I still have a chance at b-r-o-n-z-e!!! Jenni and Arik (not necessarily in that order) appear to be clear contenders for the gold and silver; but I can picture myself now, standing on the podium accepting the bronz metal! Hey, it's up for grabs for the rest of us scavengers, so why not dream - I'm throwing down the gauntlet for the only metal now in our reach. A fight to the finish - FOR BONZE! I'm not yet conceding gold or silver yet - hey with a few M&M's or peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, we could tip the scales in our favor, if you know what I mean - send 'em now! We're at FINALS WEEK! We look forward to seeing what's left of yawl on Sunday!

Burke Richard Simmons

Well, what a challenge! Give it up to Jenni for creating this program and promoting healthy lifestyle change. She deserves credit for pushing everyone to join this challenge and causing all these lost pounds. I therefore give all my lost pounds to her as a token of my appreciation. (Just kidding, I know that won't fly by the the judge panel) Well, like I said last week, nothing has really changed much in my desire to compete and so I guess I'm happy that I only gained a 1/2 instead of 2 or 3. So instead of transforming into Burke Horton like I had originally planned I sort of just feel like my super distant relative Richard Simmons.

Arik's Results

Well I wouldn't say it was the best week that I have had... I was only able to do my workout three times this week. The days that I did miss was Monday when I took my wife to Chili's and we enjoyed a movie. The other two days I didn't exercise, I spent time (all day) outside working on my vinyl fence, which is finally done. Then of course my wife decides on Friday, which is about the norm every Friday to make some delicious cookies. Peanut Butter with chocolate all over them mmmmmmmm. Then Saturday she again decides to make a yummy treat. I think someone must have bribed her to sabotage me from losing weight this week. Well I have news for you... I lost weight this week, in fact I reached my goal weight that I was aiming for. I lost 4 pounds this week and am very excited about the lose, and reaching the goal I had set. It is strange to be at my goal and to see that I am still in need of more weight lose. I will continue even after this week to get were I don't have more weight to lose. I figure I have made it this far, I can continue and get the goal body I want. Thanks for the push and motivation you each have given me. Lets have an awesome last week. Thanks everyone.

Jenni

I lost 3 pounds this week! :) Probably could have been more, but lets just say there were some M&M's to blame! But I worked out like a mad women when I could, so I'm feelin' good. ONE MORE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, this went by pretty quickly.

OK - so remember, next week in the morning weigh-in, post your weight loss for the week and your total weight loss along with before and after pics. THEN do your math: divide your total weight loss with your beginning weight, move the decimal over twice and there is your percentage lost. Write that down and bring it with you to dads for the award ceremony (as dad is calling it) haha! This is so much fun! Until then...eat healthy and sweat a lot!!!!! :) bye

Zip n' Two

Well, those are the numbers for BO n' GO - you'll have to guess who lost what. We're closing in on 50% of our goal weight, so we'll have to fast the next two weeks! See you next week at FINALS week!

up and down, up and down

By body can't figure out whats going on. I really have not been trying consistently to eat healthy and exercise so my body weight has been fluctuating quite a bit. I lost 1.5 pounds last week and have no idea how. I guess I wasn't as strong as I thought I could be in this challenge. I'm not concerned with the pounds lost, I'm concerned with not having the mental strength to continue with better eating habits and exercise. I am glad though that I started the challenge with everyone and worked hard the first month, but after that I guess I just quit. Time to find another challenge! I am really proud of Arik and Jenni. They have really stuck to their guns and have kept pushing for a healthier lifestyle. Good job! The rest of us can only look on and admire you two for your example!

Arik

Ok, this is Juli, he's working & we'll be leaving soon after he gets home to go on our early anniversary getaway!!! Anyway, he did weigh-in & was surprised about the loss of 4 lbs! He hasn't worked out that much this week because of getting the fence done, and has been busy outside so he'd take whatever food people brought.....like Arby's. But he didn't overeat & still ate healthy snacks....and I'm sure all that work was still exercise enough. Way to go Arik! 2 weeks to go! Good luck everyone! Hit it hard this week!

Jenni - week 9

I gained 1 pound...blech. BUT I looked back through out the weeks and there were two other times that I gained 1 pound (all three at the same time of the month - hmmmm - yah, you get it) and the next week I lost 3 or 4...so watch out for next week!!! Hope it goes as planned. :) I did eat some things I shouldn't have this week - not too much, but did a lot of good exercise, so I can't complain. I still feel good. So until next week! Two more weigh-in's - holy moly!!!!!

Holding On

I think our bodies may sense that the end is near, and that this 'temporary lifestyle change' may be over soon; of course, the hints of returning to 'old ways' may be confusing to our bodies also. During the next few weeks we need to put something into our heads that gives our bodies a strong message that a new challenge is on the horizon - hurry, think of something!

Let's continue on with Lose It II, and think of new areas for healthful development and strengthening; maybe we could continue with strengthening and toning exercises, and plan a 50 mile hike or bike trek, or something that requires us to continue good habits. Bring your ideas to the weigh-in, so we know how Jenni needs to modify the blog heading.

BO n' GO flat-lined this week, seeking a lower watermark through this next week. I'm finally at the end of my cold (feed a cold, ya know), and Gail is mid-point, so this next week should be interesting. We love you, and are glad we can share in your little successes, and not so successes. Til' We Meet Again at the Scales Next Sunday (Juli, write a country western song about that), aloha!

Gained 2

I'll be honest. I'm getting tired of posting my gains and/or losses each week but "I respect the game" too much not to post. (The quote is from the craziest Survivor player who just got kicked off last week! Russell) I had some great workouts Friday and Saturday at the Marriott Courtyard in Grand Junction. (Sounds fancy huh? They had the best orange water ever. It's like lemon water but with oranges.) Running on the treadmill and lifting weights. It was a nice change from Insanity which I have despised since I got sick and quit for a week a month ago. My biggest problem has been eating unhealthy foods in excess. Just what we talked about in church today. Hmmm. It's human nature though, right? To eat too much of things that we think taste so good? I'll bet if I was a pioneer I wouldn't go through all the trouble to grow my own sugar cane and turn it into sugar, cacao tree beans and extract cocoa, milk my cow and churn it into butter, grow my wheat then peal off all the outside stuff so I could grind white flour, then heat my outdoor brick oven to 350 to bake my chocolate chip cookies that probably wouldn't turn out that great with my pioneer methods and ways. I tell you, we have been spoiled in this age of technology. Life is so easy and so it is so easy to eat whatever we want, whenever we want it.

Week 9

Well except for the fact that I missed my workout yesterday due to tooooo much work in the yard, I had a pretty good week. I did all my normal exercises and even got a real run in on Thursday afternoon. The one bad thing this week is that my wife decided to make no bake cookies and leave them out on the counter. Drivers me crazy.... because I couldn't stop at just one... two... three... four cookies later I had to hide them in the fridge. Thank goodness for good workouts I still lost 2 pounds for the week. I am closing in on my goal. Two more weigh days before the final weigh in. That isn't much time we can all get a few more pounds. So until later.... laters.

Yo

Welp, I have been maintaining these past couple of weeks. But that finally broke with a 1 pound gain. I went to a scrapbooking night at a little scrapbook/quilting store with some friends in my ward on Friday night. We got there about 5:30pm and went and got dinner at Schlotskey's and brought it back to the store and ate and talked and they scrapbooked while I cross-stitched. Then we walked over to the gas station and got treats. We stayed at this place until mid-night. It was a really fun time but a lot of binging. YUMMO!

HI

Ryan here! I've gained weight. Not sure how much. But it's not good. I went to a Seattle convention and even though I ate mostly healthy stuff, I ate too much of it. I love seafood, and I went a little nuts. There's my confession, I will go and sin no more. (Until my next convention in San Fran. Sigh.)

I have noticed getting on my elliptical everyday DOES help me quite a lot recently. A convention always ruins the momentum, so now I need to get back on that horse and go for it. *whip crack*

Ryan

Jenni - week 9

Yes, I know it's early. Well it's 7 now, but really six - right? Didn't sleep well, I've been up for a couple hours. It's gonna be a long day. Oh well, naps for everyone! Luckily the kids are still asleep. Burke left an hour ago to his first HC meeting. So enough with the rambling and onto what you really want to know - I lost 1 pound and I am SO relieved!!!!!!!!!! It was our #10 anniversary this week. I say week, because we tend to celebrate things on and off through the week. It makes life fun, but also adds extra calories, blech! Mom stayed with the kids and we headed off to Grand Junction Friday and Saturday. Our food choices were good...and bad - Burke helps out well with that last one. :) But for our movie we went and bought almonds and fruit at the store, stuffed it in my bag and ate those during the movie instead of buying a huge tub of popcorn. I felt great about that. And when we ate out we shared a plate instead of getting our own since it's so much, BUT sweet Burke needed some appetizers too, ouch! At the hotel we used their exercise room in the evening and in the morning, so heck, that was great. I really thought I would stand on that scale and it was going to yell a "gain 4" or something crazy at me. But alas, it noticed that I really try to made good choices amongst all the bad ones and worked out like a crazy woman. So there ya have it. I'm hoping for a healthier eating week and more pounds shed next week. Until then, Happy and Healthy eating to you!!! :)

Times a Tickin'

Have you noticed our little celery ticker over to the right??? It says we only have 3 weeks and 5 days left until our final weigh in for this Lose It! challenge!!!!! This has gone pretty quick. We can't give up yet though. 3 1/2 weeks is plenty of time to still lose some more of those pesky pounds people!!!! :) About our final weigh in day, April 3rd - it is General Conference and we will be meeting at BO and GO's for the 2nd session. So how about we still weigh ourselves in the morning as usual, then figure out your % lost - put it on a piece of paper. Then when we get to dads we can reveal what the %'s are and award Arik, I mean whoever has lost the highest percentage, the money. :) So exciting!!!!! :) LET'S DO THIS!

Holding steady

So lately my motivation to eat good and exercise has only lasted for a few hours at a time about once or twice a day. As a result, I haven't lost anything, but I also haven't gained anything back so I'll consider it a minor victory. Robyn reminded me of some promises in my Patriarchal blessing regarding following the precepts of the Word of Wisdom, and for the first time I saw it as not only a promise, but also a warning. This week I'm planning to go to bed at a decent hour, (my largest Word of Wisdom infraction), then get up earlier so I can exercise before work. I had been working out on lunch break with a coworker, but we've both gotten so sick of it that we've been taking turns making excuses to skip it. Maybe morning workouts will work better and motivate to eat well the rest of the day too.

Lost 2?

I have no idea how I lost 2.5 lbs. I got back on soda off and on since the dreaded Super Bowl. This last week I was drinking soda every day as my water (I know, gross). And therefore had no motivation to workout and so I didn't. I think I only worked out on Monday. Friday I did do a lot of garden work and Saturday I did garden work and built shelves for our shed. But 2.5 lbs for that? I guess I should count my blessings! This week, no more soda and more exercise, and even if I gain weight I'll feel better about my choices!

S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D ! ! ! ! !

Well, the week started out STRESSED (for BO anyway); see the wonderfully "scary eye shot", and the "twisted mouth movie" below! BO's week began with a cold that mushroomed, and GO was relieved by beginning with the successful completion of teaching her Gospel Doctrine lesson (she does such a wonderful job). GO held even for weight loss and BO lost a bit over a pound. We both struggled to bridle our appetites, and structured exercise routines were foiled, but we made it through relatively unscathed. We're just proud to report that we made it to the "final four" weeks of this enjoyable season; can't wait for the next season to begin...!

Jenni - week 8

Hello my sweet family! It's great to read about your week, each week. I'm going to miss that next month! Maybe we should start some other challenge, or discussion blog so we can keep in touch still. I love it. I lost another 2 pounds this week. I'm up to 15!!!!! That's a good number. Hoping to keep it up. And it's been cool measuring my waist each week also. I've lost 5 inches so far since we started. I feel great. I can't really remember the week, it went by so fast, yet slow. I can't really describe it. But I did still exercise and made good eating choices. We even took our Laurel's to Richfield to watch the boys B-ball at state. I brought some jolly ranchers and carrots to share. It was so funny. I passed back the jolly ranchers and everyone took one and then a while later I passed around the carrots, and I got "the look". Then one girl decided to join me. And we ate at Wingers, and I chose a salad with grilled chicken instead of the desired wings with ranch. And I was still full and it was great. I'm cheating a little today by eating a few bites here and there since Burke's parents are here. But not too much that I feel bad. That's the key for me - not to eat a bunch, just enough to taste and actually enjoy it. Burke's dad made him a High Priest today. So it was his first day in class with the "old guys". Someone mentioned it was good to have another young one in there so that someone would be listening to the lesson instead of sleeping. So funny! It was a neat day. ....and I'm rambling - ok I'm done. :) bye

A new life

Here I am again. I must admit I have been motivated all week to lose some more weight. Last weekend me and Juli started back checking some blogs to see what some of the total weight loss was at for everyone. It is very encouraging and motivating for me to see people working there guts off to be healthy. Thanks for being a motivator for me. I consider this a life saver for me, and look forward to the extra years this will bring for me and my family (excluding professional hazards). Hopefully a number of health problems, such as diabetes can be avoided. That is one of those that seems to run deep in my family. Both my grandpas had it, and my grandma Hancock. My mom has the first step of diabetes. My aunt died this last week of complications of the same. I hope by being healthy I will never have to deal with these types of complications. Back to this week. I lost 6 pounds this week. I am feeling great and enjoying this new life. Thanks everyone.

Whew!

I have not done well at all for the past 2 weeks. I've just been stressed about school, girls camp, and all the other stresses life brings. I just haven't put my health first. I know we are doing this to lose weight but also to learn how to live healthy. I am making a goal to do better this week; eat more fruit and veggies and exercise. I am very happy to report that in spite of my lack of healthy living, I haven't gained anything. I'm the same as the last time I weighed, which was 2 Sundays ago.

Boston Arik

At my last Dr visit almost 2 weeks ago, this little boy gained almost 2 lbs!!! He's got the Beesley cheeks! I have another appt in just over a week, I'm excited to see how much he's grown since. April 28th is the official date to have him delivered. After that, I will be joining my own Biggest Loser club. LOVE YOU!

Nothing

Didn't lose anything. Didn't eat well. Didn't exercise.

I'm feeling more motivated at the moment though, so perhaps this next week will be better.

Win SOME, Lose SOME!

We lost some - a pound each; but compliments of a party for a perky little 4 year old, we probably won some tonight! It sure was fun to see what was left of yawl; we forgot our camera, so the Simmons will just have to use their imaginations - it was an emaciated site to behold!

Those now pushin' or beyond the 10% mark are probably dreaming about how t0 spend the cash, but don't dream too big my friends, because there are sleeping giants all around you. Be careful of the big toes, the verbose trickery, and loose loss language, because you may witness 'shock and awe' when April rolls around.

Til' we meet 'round the scales again next Sunday, we remain truly yours,
BO n' GO

Plateau?????

I think that I have hit the bottom for the type of exercises I have been doing. I guess it is time for me to change up the training I have been doing. Oh I lost a very minimal amount, enough that I am not even going to consider it a weight loss. This week I am going to do some different exercises to see if I can trick my body and get some results. We will see... late.

Lost 2

I wish they were coming out with a Lost 2. Was anyone a die-hard fan of Lost? I didn't get into until the 3rd or even 4th season and watched all the previous ones on DVD. Then the last season was so fun and confusing, I loved being "lost" every week, but the last episode screwed me over. It was trying to be too deep and have this really cool message/meaning and I just hated. So I guess I'm not too sure that I would be all that excited for a Lost 2.

Jenni - week 8

I lost 3 pounds this week - and again for the record, it's really 2 hence the 1 pound gainage last week. Enough with the fluctuation already! I guess that's normal though, so it's ok. It feels SO GOOD to be getting closer and closer to my goal weight! I appreciate everyone doing this together! Really, it's such a motivation to me to keep going. Thanks so much you guys. I fit into another skirt yesterday that I haven't been able to wear, it was so nice. I feel like I have a new wardrobe to wear again. :) This week I hurt my big toe. I can barely walk on it today. I don't even know what I did! Kind of frustrating. It hurt a bit while I was exercising yesterday. And now today it's bad. I hope it will heal up soon so I can be active again. Maybe I should just do the bike this week to let it heal? We'll see. Love you all! :)

BY THE INCH, IT'S A CINCH!

Late reporting due to trip south - "tending" a parent and grand-kids; it was a treat being around both ends of life's spectrum. We also got a look at some of the competition - Mr. Burke Horton, and Jenni Craig - they're looking greaaaaaaaaaat, so watch out all you wanna be Lose It winners!

As for the BOGO team: a tad plus for GO, and a tad minus for BO! In other words, a WASH for our team.... GO won't stand still long enough for measurements, but appearances tell the story--she's goin' down! She maintains a healthy attitude toward her teammate and still feeds him well, but smaller portions - we have a rule that one cannot lick their plate anymore!

BO is tracking many things, including water percentage; thought I was retaining water for some reason. It appears that an obese individual can have as little as 45% water; my percentage is increasing each week as I moved out of the obese body fat category. Around 55% water is normal for men, and around 51% for women due to higher "acceptable" body fat levels. I have now arrived in the "acceptable" level for body fat - under 25%. Also, my waist is almost true to the pant size I have been wearing for years; no more lying pants!

We get a kick out of reading your reports, knowing that your struggles and sorrows will be rewarded with joy, even though it may not be until the next life. Love to you all! BO n' GO

Food Journal

So I got this food journal/calorie counter app last week. I've tried using these things before with online programs, but needed to have a computer handy always ended up being an inconvenience that ended the tracking within a couple days. Now I've got the application in my pocket and I actually use it. As a result I actually stayed nearly within a calorie limit that's supposed to make me lose two pounds on average per week. Even on the day a coworker brought in donuts, and I had two of them. I just ended up being hungry most of the day.
I lost one pound this week. It may take me till around June to reach my target, but I intend to get there. I just wish my other New Years goals were going as well as this one.

Good Week

Well I had another week of weight loss. This week I lost THREE pounds. I am happy with the results. I have been doing the same routine for 3 weeks in a row now. It is starting to pay off in the body shaping. The weight is coming off, but I have notice improvements in the muscle definition and tone. I will keep this up another week and see how things go. I am 2 pounds from a milestone. I hope I can keep this up until the end and get myself to the point I was hoping to get at. I will admit my will power this week was "weak", but all in all I was able to accomplish all that I set to do. Juli failed me and made some delicious eats and I couldn't resist. Then she brought home a gallon of pudding from an activity she did and that wasn't good either. Every time the fridge door is open there is pudding sitting there, and I promise there is a neon sign blinking on it.... "eat me chubby". That sign almost convinces me every time.

I learned something in Sunday School today. We talked about the miracles that Jesus did while here on earth. When we read the definition of Miracles in the Bible dictionary, it made me think about what we are doing to get weight loss and control. In the definition it states "Miracles should not be regarded as deviations from the ordinary course of nature so much as manifestations of divine or spiritual power. Some lower law was in each case superseded by the action of a higher (law)." Do you know what this mean? It means that with Heavenly Fathers help, all of us can get that "divine and spiritual power" to superseded the lower law we are use to and have miracles in our own lives. We all need to be in control our wants and desires, this is the higher law. When Jesus performed miracles, he didn't change the elements from one to another, he just had control of the elements he used to create miracles. Lets get more control over the elements we control and make a difference that makes us feel better everyday.

Just know one day you will be able to control the fat and tell it to leave, but until then lets do what we can do to get rid of the chub. Lets all kick butt this week. Arik

NO COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!

Need Help!

So, I have had a hard week with this pregnancy, just keep contracting if I stand too much & it hurts my back, and I'm tired. I need easy recipes, I've lost the desire to cook, especially anything healthy 'cause it requires too much thinking. I've just wanted to have mac n cheese with hotdogs & chili in it, or make creamy enchiladas, you know, all the WRONG things to eat. Any ideas, I miss casseroles & the frugality of it all, I don't like eating a lot of meat, so to sit & eat a whole peice of chicken everyday is not fun for me, I like a little bit, mixed in with something yummo. Let me know if you have any ideas. LOVE YOU!

+1

It was a rough week. No desire to eat healthy or work out. What can I say?

Jenni - week 7

Well, I gained a pound this week. I was expecting too because it's that time of the month. I know that may be too much information for everyone, but for me it's good to remember that tidbit of information to explain the gain. I feel fine with it and know it will come off this week. I was a bit worried because I treated myself to sweets on Valentines day and had a bit too much bread on Tuesday at our Relief Society bread making night. But I did really well at Bunko again and made good choices. We went to Aurora over the weekend and stayed with Grandma. It was really fun to see her and talk with her. Dad and Gail watched our kids on Saturday so that we could go to the Temple - it was really nice. (THANKS again!!!) It was fun to see them too, they're looking great! With all of the traveling it was a bit difficult to eat well, but I think I did pretty good and ordered small things, or a salad. So all in all it was a pretty good week. I'm excited for this week, I'd like to do more running along with my workouts. Hope you all have a healthy and happy week!!!!! :)

Struggling

I've had a rough couple of weeks. Ever since the superbowl. I got sick and did nothing last week and still haven't got any energy yet this week. The last two nights all I could think about during my workouts was "for what reason?" Why am I doing this? Why did I want to push my body to get into better shape? I'm not on any sports team. Jenni will still love me even if I don't lose my gut. So this is my soul searching question I'm asking myself. Why am I doing this challenge? Here is a face swap I did with Tony Horton. Since I think he's in great shape at 46 yrs old in this picture? He doesn't eat too many sweets or fats which is something normal people like me crave all the time. I don't understand it, but get the idea that I'd feel better about myself if I didn't eat so much crap or when I did eat crap just not so much?

Robbed by a Nut!

Reporting "alive" here in West Valley City!

Gailena results were stable, with a ZERO weight gain/loss; in actuality she lost 0.2% fat, but experienced a 0.2% higher water retention, so still on the downward trend. Her exercise routine was marginal, and she enjoyed a bit of chocolate and nuts in her diet. Life is good!!!!

Bratley lost that pound that Burke found. During weigh-in routine each morning of the past week, it appeared that a two pound weight loss would be realized. BUT the Brat inherited some pistachio nuts from his father-in-law, and the subtle saline coating reduced the expected results by a pound. Daily exercise was hampered by pain in the achilles tendon, but on the mend now.

One little square of Royal Dark, Cadbury Chocolate daily sometimes turns into two - it sure is yummy though; and it seems a fair trade for the high-levels of a sugary substance that used to run through our veins. Life is GOOD!!!!

Carry-on, little friends, in building better bodies; the trek to Missouri will be more enjoyable now! See ya 'round the bend!

Renewed drive

So I started the week off with Super Bowl food on Sunday, followed by Sophie making brownies on Monday and me eating about 5-6. Going out for Sushi, Ice cream dots, and a Jazz game on Wednesday. Kind of cool we happened to be there for what turned out to be Sloan's last game with the Jazz. Then on Thursday I went to a graveside ceremony for my mom's aunt, followed by a trip to a Chinese Buffet with my mom, some of her siblings, and my grandparents. I weighed myself Friday morning and I was up 2 lbs. Well I didn't want to report a weight gain today, so I controlled myself much better Friday and Saturday and upon weighing in this morning, found I'd not only managed to lose the two I'd gained, but one more along with them. So I lost 1 pound for the week.

It's Back

I gained my 0.8 last week's loss back. I continued my Super Bowl binge this whole last week and with getting sick and not working out the last 4 days I'm surprised I didn't gain more.

Super Bowl Results....

Well I don't know if I would call them "Super" but they were results. This week I worked out every single day like I have been from the beginning. I started my week off with a Super Celebration and enjoyed eating whatever I wanted to for one day. It was great. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I did my normal circuit training (sit ups, push up, curls and elliptical) for a total of six rotations. On Tuesday and Thursday and did my normal elliptical 30 minutes. Yesterday I thought it would be nice to go outside and do some running. I shaved 2 minutes off my 1.5 mile time from the last time I ran it three weeks ago. That is awesome. I was hoping for some awesome results this morning, however only came in with a 2 pound weight reduction. I am actually very happy about it. I am at a total of 28 pound right now which is very nice. The best part however is when I was running yesterday, it almost felt effortless when it came to recovery. With that said I have realized that the elliptical is a heaven sent piece of equipment because of the low impact it provides my knees. Today I am feeling aches from yesterdays run.

My plan this week is the same, I am actually going to up my reps on circuit days and try and go to muscle failure on each thing, each set. I am hoping for some big returns this week. That sounds like I am investing money into a high yield bank account for some big financial returns. Instead however, I will invest good eating habits and exercise for a longer healthier life. The returns I have already seen have been great results but the long term will be outstanding. I have a challenge for everyone... Invest in good food and exercise this week, and we will see the results next Sunday... and 50 years from now hopefully.

Robina

Welp, I gained a pound. I didn't really try very hard this week. I tend to eat crummier when I have added stress (girls camp, yes already) and I have a Human Biology mid-term test coming up next Thursday. I have SOOooooo much to study. Here's hopin' I can keep my eating to a minimum on the junk food this week. Wish me luck.

Jenni - week 6

Well hello there, fello weight losers. I am VERY proud to report a loss of 4 pounds this week, but for the record it's really 3 since I gained a big'n last week. I have to say I was really stressed about weighing in this week - well, I am every week - so that's not new, I guess. Our whole little town is sick right now and we've all got the bug. Strep, flu, and I had some of that fun bronchitis coughing going on that I had last year at this time! So, we're all on medicine and the kids have been home all week except for Friday. It's been a great little vacation (yah right) but now we're ready for life to get back to normal. So for exercise this week I would wait for Burke to get home and then I'd go running, so I could get out of the house. But then the bug caught up with me for the weekend and I couldn't do much again. SO sick of being sick. BUT yesterday I slept a lot, so that counts as losing some calories, right? Whatever. Do you guys ever get scared once you get to a certain number that it won't stick or you wonder if you can get below that for sure??? I'm at that point. Because I still have a ways to go, but this is about where I've gotten in the past. I can get past this, right???!!! Right! Let's do this!!!!! :) Oh, one more bit of rambling - ya know how I've been craving cookie dough??? Well, I walk into the kitchen on Friday night and there Burke is making chocolate chip cookies?!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was a bit taken back, what to do. So I ate some and some cookies. It's like it relieved stress from my body! It was good. Who knows though, it may catch up to me next week. EEEEKKKK! Good luck on V-day tomorrow! AND we have Kaleb's b-day the next day. We're doomed this week. Bah!

Cookies for Jenni

HA, here's a great cookie recipe with NO sugar or butter! I tweaked it, and it worked, the kids didn't go for them as much, but I thought they were great, like a breakfast type cookie. I halved the recipe because nobody needs a bazillion cookies. So, here's what I came up with:

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/2 c applesauce
1/3 c honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 c wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c raisins

Heat oven at 350. Mix applesauce, honey, egg, and vanilla; mix well. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Finally mix in oats and raisins. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet & bake 10 min ('til golden brown). Super yummy. Or you can make bar cookies in an 8x8 pan, baking 30 min. I think I figured it to be about 80 cal per cookie. Anyway, hope this satisfies some cravings. Love you all.

Pizzzzzzzzzzzzza

What a great day it was today. Me and Juli enjoyed a pizza together tonight for dinner. It was a large and between the two of us, we ate the entire thing... I'm not even joking. It was sooooooooooo good. I thought maybe I would try Steve's strategy of eat whatever you want and still lose three pounds. I guess Sunday will be the judge. It is weird, there is some guilt that came along with eating that much pizza, but I LOVED IT. I think I forgot to mention what was on the pizza.... It was loaded with mushrooms, pineapple, tons of spinach, red peppers and onions. The crust was very thin and made with 50% ground wheat, and then sprinkled with some cheese. So actually I don't feel one bit guilty. I love eating yummy food.

Just a side note I was doing some research the other day and they talked about drinking your 64 oz of water per day. They said in doing just that, your body will burn an extra 500 calories in just drinking per week. Food for thought. Happy being healthy everyone. Later

0.2 +2.0 FOR GO N' BO

LITTLE LATE SIGNING IN, BUT WE HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE HOW YOU ARE DOING BEFORE WE DARE REPORT! GO WAS SURPRISED, AND EXCITED, TO SEE SHE HAD LOST 2 POUNDS OVER THE PAST WEEK. BO WAS SURPRISED, AND NOT REALLY EXCITED TO SEE HE HAD LOST 0.2 POUNDS OVER THE PAST WEEK. WE'RE KEEPING ON TRACK WITH THE DOWNWARD TREND AND GIVING ALL OF YOU A HEADSTART, BUT AFTER SEEING ARIK'S RESULTS SUNDAY NIGHT, DECIDED WE NEED TO GIVE HIM A LITTLE MORE COMPETITION. DON'T WORRY (TOO MUCH), WE'RE JUST HARMLESS LITTLE OLD PEOPLE, WHO ARE TRYING TO BE YOUNGER (LOOKING / FEELING).

WE'RE SORRY TO HEAR OF DISCOURAGING RESULTS - KEEP ON GOING, SAID THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD, AS HE CHUGGED UP THE HILL.... LOVE AND SUCCESS TO YOU ALL THIS WEEK; AND IT APPEARS THE BY WORD IS "LISTEN TO YOUR BODY" THIS WEEK.

I Am Not an Advocate for Diet Soda (just the real stuff with all the High Fructose Corn Syrup)

I just want everyone to understand that I was just joking when I made my post (and still am in the title). As much as I do love soda (especially Mt. Dew and I will admit for the higher caffeine content) I don't think that drinking diet/regular soda everyday (and certainly not every 2-3 hours) is a healthy choice. I was just trying to support Steve in saying what the article said that a diet drink every once in a blue moon as a special treat is nothing to beat yourself up about. I'm sure there is something that everyone in this challenge eats occasionally that is just as bad health wise for you as a diet soda. And there is a zero calorie beverage that is very good for you: water.

That being said I'd like to share with you a rebuttal that one of my volleyball players (who is addicted to soda and doesn't yet know it) shot at me when I challenged all my girls to a no carbonated/caffeinated beverage policy for this last season. She told me vaguely that soda is used by athletes and she needed it too. She felt that she would not be as energetic without it on the court. She is my best athlete but I still feel she would be just as good without soda. I had already read a brief synopsis about what she was referring to that cyclists use soda to refuel themselves on their last few minutes of a long race. I found an article (or one that is more in depth) about this study and don't expect any of you to read the whole thing, but it is very interesting. These cyclists drink coke, sometimes "de-fizzed" or mixed with a sport drink, for an energy boost. The caffeine helps and the carbonation does nothing to their blood acidity. While exercising caffeine is only mildly diuretic. That being said I still do not think any soda (cola or MT DEW) is a good idea during exercise because I am not an athlete and definitely not a cyclist (I would hate to wear full body spandex).

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/sports-nutrition-is-coca-cola-an-effective-sports-drink-713

Here is an interesting article that says that sports, juices, and non-cola beverages can cause 3-11 times greater enamel damage on teeth.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/262925-relationship-between-sport-drinks-dental-erosion/

And lastly a blog I came across that seems to have a lot of articles warning us to be cautious of all the studies that are done on health. It seems science keeps changing it mind. Just read an article in Newsweek last week about this cycle of science saying "this is how it is" and then recanting "never-mind". Check this out if you have some spare time (Jenni seems to think I've got too much!)

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com

I AM NOW A MAN!

I am now a real man. I watched the Super Bowl for the 1st time in my life and actually enjoyed it! My co-worker (also the mayor) invited the faculty over and I hesitated at first but then thought about all the food and said ok. Jenni stayed home with Kaleb :( and I took the girls. It was a lot of fun and I ate enough to last me till tomorrow night. I rooted for the Packers cause that's who they were rooting for and that made the night because my team won! Don't lose too much fat this week, in fact, I won't mind a bit if any of you gain, ahem Arik. Lets try to keep this biggest loser contest a close game huh?!

0.8 (I love the tenths digit)

I lost 8 pounds this last week. I'm happy because I felt like I was going to gain weight. I ate a horse and sat on my butt 24/7!?! Just kidding. I really did have some days that I ate a lot more than I've been eating (portion size) and this was my rest week which meant I didn't lose a gallon of sweat every time I worked out. It was hard to work out to the same routine for 6 days in a row and by Saturday I was really sick of looking at the same people doing the same thing while I mimicked them. So I was surprised and happy when I got on the scale and weighed 0.8 pounds. \

Okay, for all of you who are still confused, I only lost 0.8 lbs. That's almost one whole pound.

This next week's workouts are gonna suck! I'm into "max" training DVDs now that I've graduated from the regular stuff.

Congrats to all you who are still hanging in the challenge and working for it!

Absence makes the food taste better

I lost 3 pounds this week. A little surprising considering how the week went. I usually work out with one of my coworkers before lunch, but he was sick this week. I opted to do the work outs at home, ended up skipping two days, and riding an exercise bike is a lot less exertion than an elliptical. I don't feel like I ate especially well, and on Friday I had a diet Mt. Dew. Not just a can, but the 52 oz. mug I've been filling with water every work day this year, was full of that sweet, yellow, questionably poisonous liquid. I couldn't believe how good it tasted. Go without pop for a month then have it again, and its amazing. I also had an Apollo burger and fries earlier in the week. Looking forward to this evening and some more indulgence.

Sundays are Heavenly

The day you don't have to exersice, which is okay with me. This week I did cardio one day and then I would do a circuit the next day to include cardio, sit-ups, push-ups and some band. It was great and felt really good. I am amazing myself at how well I have been able to do on my workouts. I was very lucky this week and lost another 3 pounds. I figure if I can keep this up, I will be about to my goal by the end of March. Then after March it is just all about maintaining and staying healthy. I appreciate everyones posts this last week. There is a healthy body fat percentage for everyone, I did figure mine out at the begin of this whole thing and it was in the obese range. I think I will try and find it out again maybe today. Keep up the good work. Arik

Jenni - week 5

I gained a pound this week. Stupid. It was just a hard week emotionally and physically. I felt like I still ate healthy - except for Wednesday I ate too many carbs - yah, I think I blame it all on WEDNESDAY! It was a hard day - I felt stressed and overloaded with stuff. Because of all of that I had another flare up. After YW that night I had a lupus rash thing on my feet and they hurt pretty bad. BUT I still needed to work out, so somehow I did. It was a dumb choice because I was weak and still pushed myself. So now I've hurt my knee's because I worked out when I shouldn't have. SO I couldn't work out at all yesterday. I'm glad it's Sunday and I can just relax. Kaleb is sick, so I'll stay home with him today. This next week will be a better week...it better be. :)

Robyn -

Well, as you all know, I was doing the juicing. It was supposed to last 8 days but I only lasted 5. I am really done with this "juice fast" program. I haven't been following it anymore but I have been making healthier choices. Steve made the kids french toast last night for dinner and I really wanted some but I didn't, I am very proud. Instead, I made me some wheat spaghetti and I threw in a bunch of veggies into the sauce. Amberly and Jared ate that with me and we all enjoyed it. I am very proud to say that I lost 4 lbs. I feel very happy with that.

What Does "Weight Loss" Really Mean?

I've been wondering what a good percentage of body fat would be, so checked out this website and found the following interesting information - thought I'd share:

Body fat measurements and the measuring tape are recognized as superior methods for measuring "weight loss". When one declares that they want to "lose weight", what they often mean is that they want to lose fat. So, now that you've had your body fat percentage measured, what does the number really mean?

First, your body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your body contains. If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it means that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else).

A certain amount of fat is essential to bodily functions. Fat regulates body temperature, cushions and insulates organs and tissues and is the main form of the body's energy storage. The following table describes body fat ranges and their associated categories:

*General Body Fat Percentage Categories

*American Council on Exercise

Classification	Women (% fat)	Men (% fat)
Essential Fat	10-12%	2-4%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-25%
Obese	32% plus	25% plus

Knowing your body fat percentage can also help you determine if your weight loss goals are realistic. Remember, weight loss doesn't always mean fat loss. For example:

Let's say you're a 130# woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to "lose 20 pounds":

Initial body fat: 130# x 0.23 fat = 30 # body fat

Lean body mass: 130# total - 30# fat = 100# lean body mass (bones, organs and all else)

Goal: 130# - 20# = 110 pounds

As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or healthy. At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100# of lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10#, or only 9% body fat. From the chart above, you can see that this is a dangerously low percentage.

A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat from 23% to 18%. In this case:

130# x 0.18 = 23 # body fat

100# lean body mass + 23 # = 123# goal weight

So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from her current 130 pounds to 123 pounds. Losing more than 7 pounds means losing lean body mass (usually metabolically-active muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.

So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and body fat. Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat.

Here's the URL, in case you want to check it out. Love yawl - see you tomorrow!

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/bodyfat.htm

Our Deepest Fear

I read this on my friends blog the other day. I've read it before, but I just really love it and it gives me strength to continue to try and be my best me.

"Our Deepest Fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

-Marianne Williamson

EQUALITY ACHIEVED

Hi, yawl! The oldies here! We both lost a couple pounds last week, but for me the most amazing thing was to see that my chest measurement increased, and met my waist measurement. Or was it my waist measurement that decreased - anyway, I've lost an inch and a half on my waist and gained an inch and a half on my chest; both measure the same now!

We get a kick out of you all; your little and big challenges, as well as the determination you have to overcome. That's what it's all about you know; if you don't know, just read the Book of Revelations - it'll tell you. Anyway, keep on keepin' on, and you're rewards will come. We're not in it for the money, but it's great to see the competition.

Burke, how much are you willing to pay us to allow you to claim our losses as your own? Maybe we can make a deal! TYW, we'll probably be in Aurora Feb 12th, but are seeing if we can trade for the 19th; so not sure yet. We'll let you know, Simmons - Manti is about 40 minutes from Aurora. If it's the 12th, Gail probably won't be there, since Beehive is making them work two Saturday's in February and March. Anyways, the 3 Simmoneers are welcome to hangout, when we findout when we will be there.

Love yawl! Ryan/Erin, get well, and get goin' - you don't want to lag behind with us, unless you have a little engine that can. Burke/Jenni, you are goers and inspire us all - thanks for putting together this fun for a bunch of Losers. Arik/Juli, it appears Arik's going to give anyone who wants to step-up a run for the money, and Juli is a great cheerleader. Steve/Robyn, so glad to see you pushing along with teeth gritted (sp?), and you merrily roll along on your way to meet the challenge. Randy/Tiff, the skinny guy ain't even in the runnin', and the skinny gal is fighting another battle, but so glad they're lending their encouragement also.

Bless all you're big hearts and little bodies! We love you! BO n' GO

Recipe

Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup applesauce or oil

3 cups oatmeal

1 cup milk

1 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup honey)

1/2 cup flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon (I used 2)

1 tsp maple flavoring (optional - I didn't use this)

Mix all together, pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Cook for one hour in a 350 degree oven. Serve warm or cold.

For the kids pieces I sprinkled brown sugar on top and told them it was oatmeal cake. They loved it! It's good for breakfast or a yummy treat.

Hmmp.

So I gained 3 pounds. Bah! No, I'm actually ok with it. My measurements are EXACTLY the same as last week and everything fits exactly the same as well. I just think going from juices only, back to some solids probably makes a difference. I'm on the whole 10 day of 75% raw and 25% cooked part of this 21 day-cycle and this part is actually way trickier to me than the juice fast! Crazy as that sounds. I have 7 days left of it so wish me luck! Then from there I'm just gonna eat healthy, more fish than any other protein, since that's the best for my joints, raw nuts, lots of fruits and veggies, good whole grains and the snacky stuff in moderation! My goal this week is to start working out. Just typing out that idea makes me tired! Ha. Today is my "yucky" day. I'm up to the 6 pills and this is the week I really get why they call it your "yucky" day. I've been nauseous, dizzy and tired all day and can't even imagine going on a stroll at the moment, but hopefully I feel back to normal (whatever that is!) by morning and can go to the gym even just to walk on the treadmill or do the elliptical. I would really love to learn how to lap swim, it's such a good workout (so I hear) and I think it'd be awesome to do...now I just need to learn how to swim good enough to make it one lap! Ha. Who's with me!?!

Nice article on myths of dieting

Forgot to post this article that Jenni found last week and I thought was really interesting. Science doesn't always have the correct answers even if they say they do. Link.

Determination Nation!

Firstly, I'm not a "commenter" so congrats to everyone, especially to Eric for being the biggest loser so far and having such a positive attitude and influence on everyone. Having everyone continue with this challenge, from Tiff and Robyn with their liquid diet, to Steve with his realization that stay-at-home moms have a hard time with food being so close within reach at any moment, to Ryan's re-commitment to exercise and eating better, helps me to continue and want to keep going even though I did not lose even 0.1 pounds this week! Seriously, I've been using a digital scale and keeping track of the tenth position on my weight and what's weird is it was exactly the same as last Sunday. This happened two Sundays ago also. So my body's got this schedule of lose one week, stay the same the next. I'm okay with it though, even if my goal is to have a body that looks like Tony Horton and be able to dunk like Mugsy Bogues, because I did workout very hard everyday this last week, with 2 workouts on both Friday and Saturday. I am drinking lots of my Sims drink during workouts to replace the gallons of sweat that I lose and also a pre-workout and post-workout recovery drink that equals about 400 calories! So what's the name of the game in losing weight? Expend more calories than you consume. I may just have equaled out perfectly this last week.

I did what I said I was going to do this last week and I did it. Right down to my determination to eat a piece of cake at my Grandpa's wedding luncheon. I even forced Jenni against her will, literally grabbed her by the arm and made her come to the dessert table, so she could pick me up another dessert. I did fail to eat one whole dessert though, eating only a few bites of both the Oreo Cream-cheese Cake and the Super Duper Extra Chocolaty Cake. So instead of consuming 500 calories I probably only got 300.

I'm pretty sure that I lost a little fat and gained a little muscle and so I'm happy with that. You guys have also given me a reason to stop drinking 4 cans of soda a day and that feels good. I'm also really pleased with how much Jenni has been trying to curb her eating habits towards more healthy ones. It's awesome! She ate low-fat PLAIN yogurt the other day and liked it. She also made 100% blender whole-wheat pancakes this morning and declared them to be good. I'm impressed with her taste bud changes. She also is an avid daily exerciser herself, sometimes doing two per day.

Good luck to everyone. We've survived a whole month. Some of us may not be in it for the money (I definitely am but have accepted the fact that I won't win it) and that's okay. Be in it for the change. A life change does not come overnight. It may not even come within a 3 month period. But it does come each day that we choose to do something good for our bodies because we know it will make us feel good.

Jenni - Week 4

Hello there folks. I didn't have time to post this morning before church, but it was fun coming home and finding all of these awesome posts! SO GREAT!!! The biggest thing it sounds like is we are taking control of our bodies and showing them whose boss! It feels AWESOME!!! I lost 2 pounds this week and I'm SO excited. It's averaged out to be 2 per week for me, so 8 total so far. I know that's not a ton, but I really feel a change - I lost another inch off of my belly also, a total so far of 3 inches during this four weeks. My "fat pants" are getting baggy and I'm able to fit in my "normal" pants now. I just really feel good. This journey has been really fun. I even turned down desert at a reception! It was a great week. :)

Weigh in for the odd ottleys

Well I lost a pound, I think Erin said she lost a pound too. That makes a total of 5 for me since we started. I ate good at the beginning of the week then as usual it tapers off at the end of the week into bad eating which leads to sabotage! So I need to eat good ALL week, that's all there is to it. I didn't exercise once this week, we've all been sick all week and I just wasn't up for it. Gonna start again tomorrow on the Elliptical and doing more smoothies. Hi five!

It was a ton of fun seeing the Simmons on Thursday and having them sleep over, they are dedicated, working out like crazy and even saying "NO" to Nelson's frozen custard! Are they crazy?! No, just strong. heh. I'm gonna ignore sugar this week, and work out.

Ryan

Book

Ok, so the book "As a Man Thinketh" that Dad gave us for Christmas has a chapter on page 24 called "Effect of Thought on Health and the Body". It's very interesting....the whole book is, but I thought I'd have you all read this chapter if you haven't read the book yet. On 25-26 it says, "Change of diet will not help a man who will not change his thoughts. When a man makes his thoughts pure, he no longer desires impure food." Is that true??? That's what I find myself asking on every single page of the book, HA! I guess we talked about that last week, if you feel crummy, you eat crummy. The chapter is short, but it's interesting on how they talk about how your attitude affects your health.

Not too bad

I lost 2 pounds this week, bringing me to a total of 10. Only took four weeks and I matched Arik's week one loss. Doesn't sound too good as far as winning a competition goes, but 10 pounds in a month is not bad. Keep that up for 3 months and I'll be pretty close to where I want to be, assuming I build some muscle on the way. I don't believe I've ever had a January where I ate this healthy and exercised this consistently. This is a competition where you win, even if you don't end up winning.

Another Week

Well I wouldn't say I had an awesome week for weight loss, but I feel really good health wise. I lost THREE pounds this week. I am very excited about the weight loss, but with all the exercise I was doing, I expected a little more. I think I have realized why I didn't "lose" weight, and I think it is because I did some weight lifting three times this week. So I believe it may have something to do with it.

I just want to add something about my thoughts of our past month of diet and exercise. I haven't felt so good in a very long time. In fact I think the last time I felt so good and healthy was when I returned home from my mission 10 1/2 years ago. Over the last month I have lost a total of 23 pounds, but that is just a number. The benefits I have received have been great. I used to get frequent headaches and found myself always looking for the aspirin. Since the beginning of this family fat fight, I haven't had a headache once, which is awesome. From day one when I started exercising, I noticed how hard my heart would pound and how hard it was to get my heart rate back to normal after getting it up... Well yesterday after my work out, my body recovered in one minute back to a good heart rate after my 30 minutes of exercise. Also I have noticed a change in my breathing. It used to be more frequent and I noticed just the other day how much less frequent it has become.

I am so excited about the results, besides just the weight loss. I feel great in body and spirit. Don't get me wrong, my body and mind are sometimes weak, but with just a little control I have been able to conquer the cravings that have been trying to swallow me up.

Keep up the good work everyone. There are more rewards than just weight loss that comes with doing your very best.

Juicin' along

Well folks, I was talking to Tiffany on Tuesday and the subject of juicing came up. She said "Robyn you could do it too." I had never thought of myself living off just juice for 8 whole days. But, when she said that, I couldn't get it off my mind. I thought about it, prayed about it and I woke up on Wednesday and poured my bowl of "Oh's" and it tasted BLAH. My body was actually craving the juicing idea. So I talked to Tiffany and told her I was going to start on Thursday and bought a bunch of veggies and fruit. And I actually did what I set out to do, which is unlike me. haha I started juicing on Thursday so I am on day 4 and I have had my ups and downs (even ask my poor kids). But I'm still chugging along. So, for this week I have lost 2 lbs. We'll see if I make it to Thursday. Last night I was SO emotional, all of the kids went to bed crying and so did I. I had a talk with Steve and he told me I had done enough and that I should think about stopping. I get VERY angry when I am hungry. If I was single and didn't have to get snacks and make meals for everyone, I think I'd do ok. But this is soooo hard. It's not for the weak, I promise you that. Wish me luck!

Hi

I always feel left out! So, I will have you know that I gained 4 lbs since my last dr's visit 6 weeks ago. Yay! I've only gained a total of 12 lbs - 3 months & 1 week to go! I'm hoping for an average of 4 lbs each month for these last 3 months. Then I'll have only gained 24 lbs instead of the normal 35 that I've gained with all of my other pregnancies! We'll see. Love you all!

Yummy Snack

Cut up a pear, put in a bowl. Put cottage cheese on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon, mix together. YUM!

PMS I just sure of it!

I'm a little cranky cranky, DON'T feel like getting on the scale, and when I did this morning I'm up 2 lbs! Send HAPPY thoughts to me please.

Notta

So I lost nothing last week. In the immortal words of, someone I won't bother looking up right now, "You are what you eat." Last week I was at least partially brownies, ice cream, and too much Chinese food. This week I'm going to try more of a oatmeal, fruit and veggies theme and see how that works since last week didn't seem to do anything other than taste good. On the plus side my arms and legs have been sore.

My Personal Trainer Has Died at AGE 96

An individual who was one of my teenage personal trainers (remote) just died at age 96. When you think about fitness through eating and exercise, and think that this "Lose it!" program ends in a couple months, you may want to remember a quote from Jack LaLanne -

"It's a lifestyle, it's something you do the rest of your life. How long are you going to keep breathing? How long do you keep eating? You just do it."

Make sure what you do can be maintained the rest of your life, especially, after you arrive at your GOAL weight. Here's a link to the news on MSN that may give you added encouragement:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41225595/ns/us_news-life/?gt1=43001

Happy WEEK 4! Love from WVC!

BO n' GO

Better "Weight" Than Never

Hey, it's the Ottley's from WVC! Gail's still hangin' around the same as last week, and I dropped another pound (unless you count my Friday results, but will save for later). We went on a weekend high council retreat to the Provo Marriott, and pigged out with the other Stake leaders, so didn't do as well. Gail is now focusing on reducing colesterol levels and exercise, and I am gradually increasing time on the beast (Gazell). We're getting our "old" muscles and tendons ready for some serious exercise (takes us oldies a bit longer than you young one's), but we're planning on a big loss mid-point, with a big finish. Love yawl, and you're always an inspiration in endurance; keep it up all through the rest of your young lives, and you'll do okay!

Ryan

I lost a pound. So since we've started I've lost 3 pounds. I'll find my groove sometime soon. We just got a juicer blender thing, gonna do what Tiffany did soon. Maybe I'll get down to a size 4 too!

Ryan

Woah! I wasn't expecting that!

As of Monday I have lost 6.6 pounds. Nice!

1/4 done

I have been reading everyones post... great job. Step by step is all it takes and we will all reach the goals we have set for ourselves. It is all a mind set and a "good healthy" competition. Well this week for me I did cardio only, except for Saturday I did some weights also. The results were awesome at 7 pounds. Myself and Juli seem to have the same mind set when it comes to food... stop thinking of the things you can't (shouldn't) eat, and start looking at all the good things you can eat. I seem to eat more now then I did, just the diffrence in food is all it is. Keep working everyone. To quit shouldn't be in your mind. In law enforcement we all have the same goal it seems. Live long enough to earn the retirement you worked for. Being healthy is the only way we can do that. Whatever motivates you, keep that in your mind. Laters.

3rd Week Done!

It seems like this Biggest Loser contest is going pretty slow. I didn't keep track as carefully of my eating last week but felt like my portion sizes were smaller than they used to be. I know some of you think I don't have anything to lose and feel like your hustling me out of my $15 dollars, but you haven't seen me naked! I've got weight to lose. I ate so much cake on Kaiya's birthday and felt sick afterwards and still managed to lose 2 lbs. My workouts have been harder the last week. I get tired easily towards the end of the workout and I'm sweating like crazy. It's awesome. It feels so good to push your body that much. Yesterday I did an upper body workout and pushed the weights up and I'm sore today and love the feeling. It doesn't make any sense but our bodies are designed to feel good while feeling sore from work?

Robyn - Week 3

Welp everyone, I haven't done very well these past 2 weeks. I've felt crummy so I ate crummy and therefore couldn't get myself up in the morning to exercise. I thought I gained all my weight back because I made the mistake of weighing myself on our new scale. But this morning I decided to use the old scale I was regularly weighing myself on and it looks as though I lost 2 pounds. I got on the new scale and it said I gained a pound. So I think I'll stick with the old scale. haha Jenni called me yesterday and gave me a good pep talk, I really needed that. Thanks Jenni!!!

Jenni - Week 3

I stayed the same this week. And really, I'm relieved! I was worried that I might gain. Now, if I am the same next week, I'll be ticked! Hahaha!!! But this week I wasn't feeling super awesome, I had a flare up in the beginning of the week and I couldn't even push myself to exercise, my body just feels exhausted and there's nothing I can do about it. So I let it run it's course, still ate healthy - made great choices at Bunko night even - I'm happy about that! I did eat cake for Kaiya's birthday, blah, but I feel like that's important to celebrate with them, so that was OK too. So by the end of the week I felt better and worked out really well. So hopefully this week I can get going again on the weight loss. :)

Science of Biggest Loser

I thought this was an interesting article about the show. Link.

Asparagus Turkey (Or Chicken) Stir-Fry

I used chicken for this recipe, and instead of pimientos, I used thinly sliced carrots. I do the Bountiful Baskets every week. So pretty much whatever I end up with, I look up new recipes for that vegetable instead of preparing it the same boring way.

2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 c chicken broth
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce
1 lb turkey breast, cut into strips (or chicken)
1 garlic clove (I used garlic powder)
2 T olive oil
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 in peices
1 jar sliced pimientos, drained (Or 1 carrot, thinly sliced, I also used about 1/4 c sliced green pepper)

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, broth, lemon juice and soy sauce; set aside. In large skillet, stir-fry turkey & garlic in 1 T until meat is no longer pink; remove & keep warm.
Stir-fry asparagus in remaining oil (and any other veggies you may have added) until crisp-tender. Add pimientos. Stir broth mixture into pan; cook and stir 1 min (or until becomes thick, mine took about 3 sec. HA! I even added some water because it got too thick). Return meat to pan.

We cut up some lettuce & put it on our plates, then topped it with 1 cup brown rice, then topped it with the stir-fry, VERY TASTY! Enjoy! If I were Jenni, I would've thought to take a pic. It was pretty.

The rest of the quotes

BECAUSE I CAN!

EXERCISE IN THE MORNING, before your brain figures out what you’re doing.

COMMIT TO BE FIT!

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF; TRUST THE PROCESS, CHANGE FOREVER. Bob

Do it, do it right, do it right now!

Because I am worth it!

Take in the fact that YOU JUST DID THAT! P90X

BRING IT!

I thought I'd just share the rest of the quotes that I found all in one post. I think the second one is funny.

Quote of the day

Unless you PUKE, FAINT, or DIE, KEEP GOING!!! Jillian Michaels

Hahahahaha! I love this one!

Butternut Turkey Chili

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic pwdr)
1/2 lb ground turkey (taco flavored kind is good)
1 1/2 - 2 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed (small cubes) butternut squash
1 cup chicken broth
1 can chopped green chilies (or 1-2 fresh, seeded & chopped)
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can white hominy, drained (or corn)
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 tsp garlic salt

Brown turkey in large pot, add onion and garlic (and fresh green chilies), saute with the turkey 'til translucent and turkey is cooked through. Stir in spices. Add the squash, broth, chilies, tomatoes, beans & tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to a med-low, cover, and simmer 'til squash is tender, about 20 min.


It's really yummy, the kids even ate it. Another idea for a snack that I just had is a wasa cracker with low fat cream cheese spread on it with cranberries sprinkled ontop. I was pleasantly surprised. Enjoy!

Quote of the day

Do YOUR best and forget the rest. P90X

This is a good one for me today. It's always good to remember that all of our "bests" are different. Just do the best for YOU. :)

No Complaining Allowed

So I just finished an entire day of juicing only...one day down, SEVEN to go. Yep, you read right, SEVEN. I'm on a juice "fast", if you will. A detox that's supposed to do wonders on my joints. So if you're sitting there eating your bland egg whites or your sugar free jello, wishing it was a big bowl of ice cream, think of me juicing away my carrots, celery, cucumbers and apples, alright!? Welcome the different flavors you get throughout an entire day. Welcome the texture of food in it's solid form. To chew! Ugh. Jealous. And might I add that although I may be doing this solely for health purposes, I better kick all ya'lls butts at the weigh-in this week or I will be BITTER! Ha. That's all.

Quote Week

Pain is temporary, QUITTING lasts forever!!!

Lance Armstrong

Go family GO!!! Week three here we come! We can do it!!!!!!

BAH FRIGGIN HUMBUG

Erin lost 2 pounds, I lost none. Yay.

Ryan

I've noticed that no one is reporting their results in terms of weight loss percentage.... Is that something that is on the non-disclosure list until April 3rd? Let us know if we are jeopardizing our chances of taking the grand prize by reporting in this manner.

Our results look pretty mediocre, since we don't know our weight at Jan 2nd; we've probably lost about 20 pounds already (maybe jointly, anywayssssss), so we've given you a one week handicap and calculated based on our Jan 9th weight. Don't laugh when you hear our percentages: Gail lost 1.4% of her starting weight, and Brad lost .8% of his.

Gail's success has come from limiting portions each meal and reducing treats to one per day, but shde struggles with including exercise in her daily routine; however, there have been sightings. Brad has made minor adjustments to sweets intake and is waiting for his body to say "stop it"; he has been able to increase his exercise (Gazelle) time from 15 to 35 minutes, with total rest on Sundays. Brad has experienced an awakening of the hair folicles on his legs beneath the calf, a reduction in scaling of skin on dark socks, a decrease in pain from movement, and a tightening of the stomach muscles.

We've chosen to follow the "locomotive method" of weight loss; you begin with "I Think I Can, I Think I Can"; checkout the Little Engine That Could from your local library if you have questions. We love all of you, and are glad you included us in the family funnnnnnnnnn! It's a treat to read your results columns.