Age: 23
Location: Finland
Most Recent NSV: jogged over 6K without walking!
Goals for the Challenge: lose 10 lb, jog 8K without walking
Battle Plan for Reaching BL Challenge Goal: Keep tabs on what I'm eating and jog, jog, jog.
Particular Challenges/Upcoming Temptations that You are Working to/or Planning to Overcome: Winter weather and shorter days (sunlight-wise) make it more difficult to motivate myself to work out outside. I need to buy warmer jogging clothes and winter running shoes. If that fails, I guess I'll join a gym.

Anything Else You Would Like to Share About Yourself:
I graduated from college this summer and am now teaching English at a primary school in Finland. Completely unrelated to my studies, but I tend to make major choices based on whims. Surprisingly, it works out pretty well for me!

I became overweight after I graduated high school and moved back to the States, partially because I was horribly homesick and was comfort eating and partially because I was just less active. Fastforward a few crazy years (four moves, a broken engagement, and the deaths of my four grandparents in the course of a year), and things had gotten ever so slightly out of control. Fortunately, I have the most supportive family ever, I've now moved to a place with a strong emphasis on fitness, and my recent love affair with jogging is making me healthier, physically and mentally. Things are looking up, and I'm definitely looking forward to this challenge!

Ooh, in answer to today's question -

I love me some cheesy mashed potatoes with slices upon slices of cheesy bread toast. (Yeah, I like cheese.) I now make my mashed potatoes with lots of other vegetables thrown into the mix (cauliflower, carrots, onions, broccoli, corn, peas, radishes, and whatever else happens to be laying around). This adds enough flavor that I don't feel the need to add tons of cheese, and it also has more nutritional value. I then put a small amount of my yummy yummy mashed goo on top of a bed of kale and spinach. Unfortunately, I don't have a substitute for the bread. I really just can't keep it in the house; it's not worth the temptation.

Today's Question~ What's your favorite comfort food and what healthier version/food have you replaced it with?

Hmm, mine is DEFINITELY Pizza! In order to make this work I KNEW I could NOT give it up completely, so instead of forcing myself to do something I can not, I found Lean Cuisine pizza's!
Of course I don't eat these everyday =) I eat one every two weeks. Satisfies my craving and makes me very very happy =)

Anything with CHEESE! oh man, cheese was a big one for me, and my diet has strict restrictions on cheese. I was a cheeseaholic, pizza, cheese bread, chips and cheese, anything XD oh it was horrible! I've replaced it with whole grain cheerios, not top notch but it definitely gets me through my "I'm so hungry, I'm so mad I must eat something" moments XD And I satisfy my cheese craving with Fat Free Odyssey Feta =) best brand there is!

@Kim: My sinuses were acting up bad at the start of this week, I've about got it under control right now, so hopefully come Monday I'll be back to normal!

Age:22

Location: Arizona

Most Recent NSV: I got my body fat measured at the gym and was at 17.5%

Weight Lose Goal for the Challenge: 5 lbs

Battle Plan for Reaching BL Challenge Goal: Eating right and working out at least 5x a week

Particular Challenges/Upcoming Temptations that You are Working to/or Planning to Overcome: Just got into a relationship, so my eating is kind of off and I would like to get it back on track.

Anything Else You Would Like to Share About Yourself: My highest weight that I know of was 285 lbs. I have Been on this journey for for a little over a year and have lost around 130 lbs. I am looking to maybe lose about 10-15 lbs more but I trying to focus on how I look in the mirror rather than the number on the scale.

Thanks Kim!! I am hoping to do well at this challenge again. Not sure if I can lose that much per week again but hopefully I will put up some big #s to help the team.

I think it is pretty funny that although I ended up being the overall biggest loser for the last challange, I was never a weekly Biggest loser for team Athena. That just shows how strong the team was and how hard everyone worked!! I hope we are as dedicated a team this time! I know I am! Bring on the first week

Go Team Phoenix!!!!!!!!

I bought those lemonade flavor packs that you can put into your water from Walmart in order to help me. I figured it would help me consume more water and at the same time curb my cravings if i feel the need to have a taste of something. It worked last night for me and i'm hoping it'll curb all of my future cravings somewhat.

Ugh, I've had the flu now for five days! I'm afraid it's turning into bronchitis. Yuck. I really want it gone so I can start exercising again.

KimL1214: I'm trying to focus more on health this time and thinking as food as fuel instead of a friend. I know it will be a process though.

southernbelle102: Congratulations on winning the last challenge!

Today's Question: I've always been a big potato chip person. I love to sit and snack on them while I watch tv or use the computer. Instead of going through half a bag of potato chips I buy pre-sliced apples at Costco. They're nice and crunchy and I can eat a whole pouch without feeling guilty. A lot less calories and much healthier.

That's always been my big thing. I would buy a 3.99 big back of doritos and could eat them all in one sitting. No bs. Or, I would THINK I was eating healthy, go to subway, get TWO bags of chips with my sandwich and down em.

The pre sliced apples have TRULY been a lifesaver here. I haven't missed chips at ALL! So funny you mention it because I was just having this convo w/ my boyfriend. I was like, "How come you NEVER said, wow honey umm you're being pretty disgusting eating a WHOLE ENTIRE bag of chips in one sitting"...and he just looked at me and said because he never really thought about it lol. I guess it's better that he didn't. lol

Today's Question~ What's your favorite comfort food and what healthier version/food have you replaced it with?

mine has to be anything with carbs in.. potatos pasta rice... love the sstuff!! i try and have brown pasta and rice but insted of fillin up on potatos i use sweet potatos or non at all :P
i also love chips (erm fries) so insted of deep far frying them i oven them

how are you all today. ive been busy this week from gym to going to my moms painting walls and moving boxs full of stuff and going to zumba.. im hoping to have lost some lbs this week.. to start with a new number

KimL - Today will be Week 4 Day 3...Ahhh! I'm kind of nervous to move on to week 5, but I'm nervous EVERY week to move on to the next and I always end up completing it! Without (too much..) trouble. I'm amazed to continue to find out what my body is capable of that I never thought it was.

I don't think I have one particular comfort food...I just like FOOD. in mass quantities. But my top few are pasta (haven't really found a great substitute. We eat the Bertolli frozen meals when we need a pasta fix), steak (I like lean cuts anyway! and as little as I actually eat it, cholesterol isn't an issue). ANYTHING I can dip something else into. I LOVE dips and sauces. Hahaha. My boyfriend has been making Bearnaise sauce from the Knorr packet with I can't Believe It's Not Butter spread and 1% milk. It's not as good as Kirby's Steakhouse, but MAN it's a good substitute.


Morning, bbg! Let us know if you've lost something. You did have a busy week going on! Have you noticed it becoming hard to just sit still? I was kind of ADD before starting all this, but now it's worse. I just feel like, "Why sit still when I could go DO something?" And the weather is beautiful in North Texas right now, so I want to take advantage of that too.

We went to the Rangers vs Yankees game last night. I was too busy at work to eat any lunch, so I had most of my calories left when we went, so I just kind of ate what I want. The only calories I "drank" was one Michelob Ultra and a Malibu and diet coke. Psh! I think I burned it off standing up the whole time, screaming my head off for the Rangers. I guess it paid off!

KimL1214- I'm not sure when I'm running my 5k. There's one near me on December 4th but I have to march in the parade a couple hours after that, so I'm not sure I'll be able to do it. It depends on when I have to meet with my marching band. If I don't do that one, I'll find another one hopefully.

Today's question: My comfort food used to be chocolate. Lately, as I've been trying to eat healthier, I've found that if I just sit and think for a while, I decide that I don't really want the chocolate, and seeing the numbers on the scale go down is way more enjoyable than chocolate. So I guess I haven't really replaced it, I've just found a way to avoid it. If I really REALLY can't resist, I have a bag of dark chocolate in the back of my pantry I bought like three months ago. It's barely halfway gone, so I feel like that's an accomplishment in itself. This time last year, that bag might have lasted a couple of weeks.

Age: 25
Location: Corsicana, TX (hour south of Dallas)
Most Recent NSV: *editted 10.25.10* Able to button up some REALLY old (skater-style/cargo) pants (owned since middleschool)
Goals for the Challenge: 120 lbs (goal weight) and to re-gain some self confidence
Battle Plan for Reaching BL Challenge Goal: zumba! maybe some pole fitness and walking with ferrets (all done at home)
Particular Challenges/Upcoming Temptations that You are Working to/or Planning to Overcome: always a challenge to stay away from fast food, but I'm seeing results so this helps me stay away. also a challenge to keep up with exercise, but again, with the results, I'm likely to keep it up
Anything Else You Would Like to Share About Yourself: *editted 10.25.10* About me? Secretary/computer drafter (so I sit at a desk 9-5), 1 son in kindergarden, 2 ferrets (Weasel and Snowball). I love music, concerts and reading. I'll probably be doing mostly zumba and some ferret walking for primary exercise.

And... for first question of the day.. not sure if I really have a "comfort food". One thing I absolutely cannot give up is coffee. But I've made it slightly "healthier" (less bad) by only adding one packet of brown/cane sugar and using 2% milk (and less of it than before) now.

Good luck to all teamates on our challenge. We got a tough one, with the "eating holidays" around the corner (and 3 in a row, aw man!). We'll do fine if we remember "Moderation" and "Exercise" Y'all take care!