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.

Being home makes it harder to not snack

I began working out this week. I'm doing a five factor fitness workout. However, I think I ate more than last week. It's harder when you're home more. I was off/technically unemployed on Thursday, and working from home as part of a business continuity test on Friday. It's easier to control my eating at work cause I only have what I brought with me, as long I don't go anywhere which I've resisted doing so far this year. Now after making those excuses, I still did alright and lost 3, just not as good as last week.

"Weak" Two

Well my results for this week were "weak". I thought for sure I would at least break the 5 pound mark again this week, however it was not the case. I only lost 3 pounds this week, however I am by no means disappointed knowing that slow and steady is the healthy way to lose weight. So that brings my total weight lose to 13 pounds so far. I must admit that despite the little weight this week, I feel much better (healthy) then I have in a long time. Good luck this week everyone.

Robyn - Week 2

Alright people!!! I didn't lose OR gain! But I am happy with it. All the men out there might want to close their eyes for a minute. I'M ON MY PERIOD!!!!!!! There, I said it. Atleast I didn't gain anything, right?? I think I did pretty good, because this is the week I would usually lose it and stop exercising and give in to all my cravings. But I still exercised and only gave in to most of my cravings. hahahahaha Happy day....right???

Jenni and Burke week 2

Jenni lost 4 big ones this week!!! I have to say I'm pretty excited about that!!! And 1/2 inch off of my belly. Hopefully I can keep it up this week since we have a birthday this week. That didn't stop Robyn and Steve though, so no excuses, right???

Burke stayed the same as last week. He worked out even more too, so I don't get that. Maybe his muscles are just getting so big he can't lose anymore!!! Mhm, that's it. :) He's fine with it though. I was trying to figure it out and he said "Jenni, it's fine. I don't mind that it's the same." Oh, yah he's not me. So... way to go BURKE!!! :)

Last Chance Workout!!!

Kaiya likes to workout with us. Well it starts out with all of them, but she lasts the longest. Have a GREAT LAST CHANCE WORKOUT today everyone!!!!

Lost It!

Hey, after all the high powered talk and throwing of gauntlets I don't think I can LOSE IT, I've LOST IT! Sorta like these two crazies - you just never know where photos are going to end up.

The Extra Help

So I wasn't satified with last weeks weight loss... I mean a meager 10 pounds. So we ventured out as a family and all of us jumped onto some workout equipment to test which would be best for all of us (including Kennedy). This seems to be the one the kids were on the most. The salesman even made a comment after 15 minutes that the kids were still going strong, and they were. They kept telling Juli and myself "this is easy". So we decided to buy it and see how easy it really was. Well it has been two days and I have decided it is not as easy as the kids made it look (could have something to do with no batteries at the time of purchase, therefore no resistance). So here we are, trying to cheat some more pounds away this week. So on top of a light P90X routine, sweating in a bullet proof jacket during work, this fine new piece of machinery, and my in house gourmet chef, I am anxious to see what my weight loss will be this week. Keep up the good work that I have been reading about.... I dare you to beat me, if you can.

I. HATE. YOGA.

That's all I have to say about that!

Erin and Ryan weightloss schtuff

So Erin lost 2 and a half. And in the end I only lost 2 pounds. Very cool to see all your losses, you all rock!
Oh and Dad! Could you post about sprouting?! I'd love to start doing that.

Ryan

Make Your Own "-ade" Drink

Here's a recipe I found for making your own Sports Drink. Stacy Sims is the inventor and is an environmental exercise physiologist that has been researching sports drinks for the last 8 years. She says that "over an hour of exercise, everyone requires higher sodium content and lower sugar content to facilitate the most efficient movement of liquid from your stomach to your blood, and none of the current drinks on the market contains those correct amounts." She tested her product against the leading brands by having subjects drink from unlabeled water bottles while running for 30 minutes; the testers then did a one-kilometer race. Subjects that had drunk her recipe ran 15 to 20 percent faster!

The Sims Drink

• 32 oz water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 sachets of Emergen-C (effervescent vitamin c packets found at any store)
• 1/2 packet of unsweetened Kool-Aid powder for flavoring

Well....................

Anyways........ Reporting for BO n' GO here; we just bought our scales Saturday, learned how to use them, then weighed in this morning (Sunday). With our weigh-in last week on "foreign" scales, we're not going to report any weight loss/gain for the week, but we will settle for a big FAT zilch, zero, +/- nuttin' weight differential. We figured we need to give yawl a little head start, because now we know where we're really at - so weight watchers everywhere better get ready for a battle.

We spent our time last week discussing the best approach, dabbling with a bit of exercise here and there (Gazelle vs painting), eating the left-over peanut clusters from the Ottley Family party, and trying to tempt some of you with foodstuffs. We served-up Chicken Chili tonight, with Ding Dong's for desert; now we know who the weak links are in the crowd - everyone, except a certain fellow that will take a bit of finagling to deal with.

We're now going to give you little losers a run for the pork-belly's - the BIG losers are ready to rock. Some contestants are trying to size-up others and calculate their % loss to determine current standings, but if you don't shoot for a 10% reduction, you just as well give up now.

Sounds mean, huh! Just little ol' BO n GO, so don't worry too much! See yawl next week!

Arik's weigh-in - week 1

It has been one heck of a week. When my wife said she was putting me on a diet, I knew I was going to die of malnutrition. But, the sugar must have gotten to my head, 'cause it's not true! I ate really good this week. And I upped my meals from 3 to 5 a day, with smaller portion sizes. On top of the changes in my diet, I've been exercising to P90X. Although, I can't keep up with these people, or do half the stuff they do (basically sitting on the couch watching), I work up a sweat. Well, altogether & all in all, I was fortunate when i jumped on the scale, it said "you lost 10 big ones Arik!" 10 lbs ;) Today is a new day that begins a new week. Re-commit, set some goals, and let's go. I DARE YOU to beat me!

Tepanyaki = overeating

I lost 5. Mostly from just eating less and cutting out sugary foods. Can't say I've really been exercising much. I'm going to be starting the 5 factor fitness exercise program on Monday. I had lost 6 as of Saturday morning, but then Tepanyaki and some cake and ice cream happened. I do believe that is my favorite restaurant.

Burke - Week 1

I lost 3 lbs. Insanity kicked my butt, but was a lot of fun. My goal is too not gain too much muscle so I can beat all you suckas! but I'm not sure if that will happen with Shaun T as my trainer. Oh, by the way who are your trainers? Mine is Shaun T (aka Will Smith). At the end of these 3 months I'll probably be approached by some Hollywood agent to be a model or a stunt double because of my hot bod!

I had a great last chance workout yesterday. I did a cardio and upper body workout from insanity and a Jillian with Jenni to end the day. I am sore today! So I deserve this banana bread this morning (with coconut and chocolate chips), estimated at 160? calories a slice! I guess I turned it more into cake by adding the secret ingredients.

Robyn - Week 1

Hello there!! I lost 4 lbs!!! I must be doing something right. I haven't been measuring because I'm lazy. Here's hoping I won't get sick of this healthy eating stuff. Now I REALLY don't feel bad about eating that Ding Dong. haha

Jenni - Week 1

I lost 2 pounds this week and 1 inch off the belly - Wahoo!!! To be honest, I wanted more - of course, but earlier in the week my friend told me that she read 2 pounds a week is a healthy weight loss. So I am happy with it. Here's to healthy weight loss! Now if I can just keep that up each week I'll be really happy!

Healthy Recipes

I love this Recipe website called Real Mom Kitchen. She just put up a post of healthy recipes. I'm so excited. I'm getting a bit bored with the same ol' stuff we've had this week. Let us know if you try any and enjoy it, and I'll do the same.

HEALTHY RECIPES FROM REAL MOM KITCHEN.

LAST CHANCE WORKOUT PEOPLE!!!!

This is it until the first weigh in tomorrow!!! Make it good! Hahaha!!!!!!!! See you then. Well, if we all had web cams we could weigh in together. That would be sweet. OK, so after you weigh in tomorrow morning come and put up your own post stating how much lost - or gained - (hopefully not) - SCARY!!! But fun. :)

Ding Dong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I had a 1/2 piece of cake today. It was yummy. And I told myself no more, that was my treat. And then it happened!!! I opened the cupboard to get the peanut butter for Emily's sandwich and.......I saw the box of Ding Dongs!! Emily was incharge of bringing a treat to preschool yesterday and I had to get two boxes because there are 16 kids but there are 12 Ding Dongs in a box. So I was left with almost a full box of Ding Dongs. Well, I forgot about them until NOW! I already had a 1/2 piece of cake. I tried to get my mind off of them. I realized that I was hungry so I ate a salad and a handful of pasta with sweet n' sour sauce from last night. It was very tastey and I was full. My mind went back to the Ding Dongs in the cupboard. I was literally going crazy for a Ding Dong. Can you believe it??? I thought, "I hate eating healthy, it's no fun!!!" And then I had the thought to just eat the darn thing and get it over with, then you'll feel sick and you'll regret it. Well......I would LOVE to tell you that I feet sick....I would LOVE to tell you that I feel guilty.....but....I DON'T!!! hahahaha This is hard!! Happy self-control everyone!!

Hello!

I am SO proud of ALL of you!!! I have sucked so far and really I could make excuses, like how Prednisone makes me crave JUNK!...but dang it, someone else here's doing it, eating healthy and taking alot more blasted Prednisone than I am, so that excuse is shot. What's another good one then? Bahaha. I did some crunches last night so that's good!...but can't do much in way of cardio since my joints suck and I have NO extra energy in me at the moment. I finally have an appointment to see an Internal Medicine doctor tomorrow though so it's looking up! Blue skies, nothing but blue skies...lalalalalala. Haha. Keep up the awesome work kids! You inspire me! I love you and am excited to see what the scales present to you come Sunday. Woot woot! Are we wearing our hot pants and sports bras to Dad's house and weighing there? I can bring a CD of suspenseful music so we all are super nervous as we wait to see our final number on the scale! Good idea? Ha! What about before pics? Did everyone take theirs? My camera can do black and white shots! And Jenni has an awesome 80's leotard she wanted to wear for her before pic, right Jenni!? Hahaha! I crack myself up, with all of my own inside jokes. I really should go to bed. SLEEP! That truly is important, to get enough sleep while trying to lose weight. For real, look it up. You burn more calories sleeping than you do sitting on the couch watching TV. Is that crazy or what!?! Ok, maybe I really am gonna go to bed now. G'night!

Just some stuff

Soooo, I've been pretty excited to do this biggest loser thing with all of you.....until it started. I've been pretty negative and it hasn't gone very well. I've had a difficult time exercising because I can't breathe that well. Jenni warned me that I should buy an inhaler but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I am just beginning to see the brighter side of things. I turned on Tiff's Jillian Michaels 30 day shred this morning and thought I'd give it another try. I tried it out on Monday but was only able to do about 10 minutes, if that. I had a really hard time. But this morning I did about 15 minutes. One thing Tiff and Jenni taught me is to eat a banana after you exercise. Tiff told me a really good thing to eat after you exercise is a banana with cottage cheese and walnuts. It is sooooo good and it is filling. Anyway, that's all.

Harvard Food Pyramid

Robyn has been reminding me that this blog is for me too, and telling me I need to post something. So I thought I'd write something about the Harvard Food Pyramid. I was reading about it a few weeks ago, and it seems to be a food guide based on actual nutrition science rather than political pressure from the meat and dairy industry. Take a look if you're interested.

Harvard Food Pyramid

Do's & Don'ts

I need to know what is ok, and what is NOT ok:
Is steak ok? We only have Elk steak, so it's pretty lean.
Tiff informed me that yams are great, but potatoes are best if used Yukon Gold's.
Cheese - mainly limited mozzerella & parmesan? Or don't include it? It's still healthy right?
Are eggs included in meat group, or are we ok eating full servings of meat AND eggs?
Popcorn - as a treat/snack, maybe use butter spray to eliminate the fat?
Drinks - juice, hot chocolate, even sugar free wylers drink - should these be eliminated & just drink water? Is it considered a treat?

Lots of questions. So, if you have any input on these, please let me know & include any I may be missing. LOVE YOU!

Healthy Snacks!

OK, so I've heard a couple of you (Ryan and Robyn - hahhehehehaaaaaa!) are having a hard time in the sweets department! I think we all need to make a post about some yummy snacks or sweets that are low calorie and still good.

One thing I count as a "treat" for me is yogurt. Sounds boring, but when you're trying to make healthy choices, it's really good! And Burke found these Fiber Plus Antioxidant bars at Sams Club. They have 130 calories in one, 35% of daily fiber and they're yummy. I count it as a bread and two fats on my little chart I'm using. Anyway, that's just a couple of things, so there ya go! What are some good HEALTHY snacks you guys like?

Finding your weight loss %

In order to find this you take the weight you've lost and divide it by your starting weight, or the previous weeks weight - if you're doing it weekly.

EXAMPLE:

If your starting weight was 200 lbs. and you lost 5 pounds that week, you would divide 5 by 200 and it would equal 0.025, then you move the decimal over two and you find that your weight loss % for that week is 2.5%.