:wave: I'm here.

I'm still in a funk and lurking. I've already had about 1600 calories today and I still feel hungry, but I'm to the point where I can't tell if it's a physical hunger or an emotional one.

I'm at work today, so not able to be on so much.

Dee - I have days like that too. At least it's dinnertime for you. I just had lunch here! Drink some water and see if that helps. Also sometimes when I'm "hungry" if I eat a small amount and then go workout it goes away.

Hey, Bluesers.....we need a challenge to keep us motivated. Any ideas or suggestions?

BTW, Amberelise....where in the heck are you? Come out of hiding and talk to us!

Everyone has a hard time sometimes. You're not letting anyone down if you are doing what you can. Sometimes it seems like our bodies just hate us. Just keep at it and don't give up. :hug:

Good morning, Bluesers! It is getting very very quiet around here. That makes me very nervous. What can we do to keep everyone excited about losing this weight and motivated to be a winning team? I'm thinking we need our own challenge. Any suggestions? Maybe we can try for seven on-plan days?...how about a committment to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day? What about a committment to come here every day for a week and post something positive about yourself? Come one Bluesers! Let's come up with a plan!

Dee - Keep going! Don't give up on yourself. We're not giving up on you!

I got a big surprise yesterday. Like Beverly's Hubby, I will be moving to a different position within my company. They are restructuring and I will be getting a new boss, new co-workers and focusing on special projects only. The move is not technically a promotion as I will stay at the same grade level, however, my current boss did tell me that I will be getting a raise that will "pleasantly surprise" me. Wow! That will be very nice. Now, I'm on pins and needles with waiting to hear the actual number. And, I have butterflies about the position. The position will mean a bit more stress and juggling more hats and I still have a ton to learn, however, I do still get to telecommute from home.

Yesterday, I stayed on-plan and tracked my calories, but I didn't get any exercise. I ended up fighting a migraine and an upset stomach. The headache is gone...Thank God!..but, my stomach is still giving me some problems. Hopefully, it will clear up today so I can get on the treadmill. Yesterday's weekly weigh-in was great for me however, I know that I need to invest in some sweat equity to keep the scales moving.

Have a great on-plan day. GO BLUE!

Wow, I love going to the gym now. I know its only been 2 weeks but I was trying to figure out a way to go to the gym everyday but I just can't afford it I think. I would have to pay extra to the babysitter. On weeks like this one I am paying her for 3 full days and a half just for work. I don't know maybe I'll pay her the extra 5 dollars for her to watch him tomorrow morning. I'm afraid I could become addicted to going to the gym. Maybe I'll go after Keith gets home from work tomorrow but I'm afraid of going in the evening if its busy. Hey do we all live in the same or close timezones or something. It seems like all the chatter stops at night here or is that a coincidence?

Tuesday's Question of the Day:
When your motivation is flagging and you feel like quitting, what keeps you going on this journey?

My Dad was a career military man (Go Air Force!) and I served 6 years in the Air Force after graduation. When I feel myself slipping, I channel my inner drill instructor :drill: "QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION!!" Seriously, I will not allow myself to quit. I will not give up on myself yet again. I don't care how long this takes me to get it right, I will keep trying. So far, I've been working on this for 13 months. Its taking me a while, but I'm still trying. Quitting really is not an option.

I am still around, but I have a sick child and have been feeling kinda worn out. I'm struggling this week big time, but trying not to give up. I am getting whatever it is my son has now, woke up coughing with a stuffy nose. He goes to the doctor at 4:30 today because he is starting to sound like he has trouble breathing and that worries me. I wanted to take him earlier but there is a chance my daughter will be calling to come home early today and I need to be able to get her if that does happen.

Anyway, I will try to check in more but right now things are just hectic around our house and I'm not online as much.

Rhonda, I am very happy to see your ticker has moved :bravo:

QOTD

Its kind of hard to say since I only just started a few weeks ago after stopping for many many months. I haven't had that problem yet but this time I'll probably think of the new jeans I just bought that don't fit yet but will. We'll have to see. This time I want to make it.

QOTD: I am at a low point right now and this is where I have quit in the past, but I am still focused and just know i"m not going to quit. I think it's because this time I made life changes that are permanant, but before it was just a "diet." I am struggling right now but my whole life and what I do every day is different now so quitting just isn't in my head. It's hard to quit your life, and the changes I've made feel like normal life now, even when they are hard.

OMG!

I'm so sorry I couldn't get online yesterday! Work has been having problems with their internet and telephone so I didn't get a chance to get online... even after I got home I was busy!

We are in the middle of a tax audit and it's going pretty smooth other than these technical issues. I expect her to be here another 2 days at most.

I'll be back in a few minutes... I need to go get all the numbers and post results! :carrot:

QOTD: I remember that I don't want to be a diabetic or have heart disease.

Is my math right? have we lost almost 1000 pound as a team?

We've lost teammates so I think that makes the total look higher. I think its more like 230 we would have all had to lose an avg higher than 20 lbs each to make it 1000.

Hi blue team! Congratulations to everyone on winning last week! YAY!!! :) So proud of all of us.

I have been away & had to use a freebie for this past week's weigh in, I had surgery, my mom came to visit, brought doughnuts, I couldn't exercise... it was one roadblock after another. I'm back on track today! Feels good.

I have a crazy, maybe not so crazy, idea for today. I'm photographing everything I eat before I eat it. Tonight I'll upload all the pictures to my 3FC diet blog and then figure my calories in fitday.

I've had a cancer scare recently (I'm 29) and I want to be here for my kids. I do not want to die before they are adults. I want to see them grow up and I want for THEM to have a mother. If I keep living the way I was, I will end up diabetic, having a heart attack, or getting cancer. That's my motivation

We lost 3 people this week which dropped us 651.5 lbs then we lost 53.8 on our own.

But guess what!

We are the Biggest Losers for Week 3 and we have the Biggest Loser! :celebrate:

I'm going to work on some banners for us and Frou. This week I want us all to wear them proudly cause we did great in the face of the evil Super Bowl parties! :carrot:

If everyone could please take a look at this thread

The Biggest Loser Title Information

It's concerning participation and being recognized as the Biggest Loser.

I just want to make sure everyone is aware of the new rule before I hear any whining! :lol3:

Karen - I'm on the West Coast - not sure if anyone else is? Don't think so. I don't get on the internet so much in the evenings though. I love going to the gym also! Does your gym provide childcare? It costs me $2/2hours per girl. So I pay $4 each time I go. I actually pay way more for childcare than my membership dues! And then add in the personal training...:p

Theresa - Sorry you are sick there.

Erin - I've been meaning to ask you how long you've been losing and how you've been doing it?! You're one of my heros!

We have the crud here also. Both girls work up during the night with copious amounts of snot on the front of their faces.:( My DH has had it for a few days and now I feel that my chest is tight this morning and I'm coughing. That means no gym workouts during the day for me. Got to call Josh and cancel tomorrows training session.

QOTD: I share Rhonda sentiments on quiting. It's not an option. I'm committed. I don't always do it right and I don't expect perfection, I'm learning. My binging and food addictions are things I'm willing to work through and resolve. This weight is a huge burden - and not just literally! Everthing improves as I lose weight...my emotions, sex life, appearance and physical abilities...there's not 1 negative side effect of losing weight. Thankfully my DH is just as committed to being healthy as I am...maybe moreso (?) since he was diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago and has been controlling it by diet and exercise ever since. He was about 20 pounds overweight at the time he was diagnosed, so not a huge factor. Mostly genetics. He is the 4th kid out of 9 to be diagnosed with it. Plus a couple of his sisters have GD it when they are pregnant.

Well, I've got to go get my morning coffee going. (Is that an addiction I need to deal with.:o)

WE DID IT!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS ALL AROUND!!!! We can do it again this week!!

Thanks everyone for the encouragement yesterday. I'm less funkified today, but I have to confess to eating a bag of m&ms yesterday. I think I might need to kick up the food journaling a little, I seem to have disordered eating unless I'm very structured.

Karen - I'm on Central Time. I know that some days I go home and don't check in. (Like last night, I decided to lay in bed and watch 6 episodes of Tivo'd NCIS. A Gibbs-a-thon was just what I needed.) On the days that I'm not busy at work I check in like every 15 minutes, but I don't post that often, or it would quickly become a monologue.

Tuesday's Question of the Day:
When your motivation is flagging and you feel like quitting, what keeps you going on this journey?

I don't know. This is the most sucessful I've ever been on a diet/lifestyle change. This morning on the treadmill I was thinking "what if"...

What if I don't lose anymore weight...I've still got my BMI down from obese.
I've still eliminated 95% of the pain and mood swings of PMS through regular exercise. I'm still able to fit into non-plus size clothing. I can still run for up to 4 minutes at a time, walk for hours at a time. I've still lost 20 inches in 13 months. My allergies/IBS/depression have all but dissappeared. My risk for heart disease has decreased (Dad died at 53 of a heart attack). My "health age" according to one website is now 21.

But if I don't keep going I could lose/reverse all of those things. So if this is as thin as I get, so what. No one is looking at me and saying "OMG, what a disgusting cow". That's all in my head. I need to put my darned vanity aside and concentrate on being the healthiest me I can be.

Stepping off my soapbox and going to work now...

CONGRATS Blue Team!!!!! :congrat: Great job this week! Bob would be so proud! :D

Ok they are working on my telephone lines now so I'll post these before I get knocked off the internet. I'll try to be back later!

For Cristina

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8...hreeBanner.jpg

For The Blue Team! :yay:

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c8...TeamBanner.jpg

Hi everyone,

I only posted a .5 weight loss last week, but my previous weeks were pretty strong. Guess it's just my body saying "whoa!". Hopefully I will see a better week next week.

I am so proud we won biggest loser this week!! How exciting.!

Cheers, Ginger

My DS, I just look at him and remember that for those times I can't do this for me (which seem to be few) I know I have to do it for him.

Off to the doc to see if he has any insight on why I have stalled for a year. I can accept that 'plateaus happen', but this is ridiculous!

Rhonda - I forgot to congratulate you on the promotion (that is not technically a promotion!). More $ is always better, whatever it's called!

As far as challenges. I'm up for anything. Exercise is not a problem for me - so that would be an easy challenge. Most of my problems revolve around food/journal/calories... But I'm up for anything.

GL at the docs, Anna. I'm interested to see what he says.

WOO HOO Go blue!!! Well done all! Lets keep it going for Week 4 too!

Sorry I've not been around much the last few days. I've been in a funk, too, with all this ugly weather (first snow, then rain, then rain and snow, and today we're supposed to have snow, rain AND wind!). I'm also TOMing right now, which always brings me down emotionally.

I'm really ready for Lent to start tomorrow. For the first time ever, I'm really feeling a spiritual and emotional NEED for it. In the past, it's been a reason to give something up, and maybe pray a little more. This year, I feel like I need these coming 40-odd days to dedicate myself to an act of sacrifice, a challenge, and a lot of personal and spiritual reflection. I've decided to give up gossip this year - no Perez or MamaPop, no Us Weekly or People, etc. - because I spend far too much time and energy on following the lives of people I don't even know. I'm also going to add in yoga - I'm going to do it 3 days a week. It should help with the weight loss, and will certainly help get me through the winter blues and focus inwards.

As for Rhonda's QOTD: I try to remember that I want to become healthier and fitter so that I can live a long and healthy life with DBF (who will hopefully one day be DH?), eventually have kiddos and then be a healthy mama who sets a good example. If I want to do those things, I need to change my habits NOW!

Hopefully I'll get the chance to come back on later today to give you all some personal attention. :hug: to all, especially those in The Big Funk with me.

Good morning everyone,

It's Mardi Gras Day here. So, my DS is out of school. I only have a minute.

But, CONGRATULATIONS everyone on being the winning team this week.

I had a bad night last night. My friend called to tell me that her husband didn't want us talking anymore. It is a long story. But, I got really depressed and on top of that my husband left yesterday and will be gone all week on a business trip. So, before I knew it I was eating a stupid Moon Pie and little debbie cake. Yes, you heard me right I didn't stop at one I ate both. Oh yea, it doesn't help either that TOM is here and all I want is chocolate. I am better this morning. My friend messaged me to say that her and her husband came to a compromise and we can talk just not as often. She lives far away so we only get to talk via telephone or computer. So, I guess we'll talk whenever.

I am determined to stay on plan today and not let anything get me down. I really would like to see 175 by the WI on Friday. I get to change plans when I reach 175. Not to mention that would mean 26lbs gone.

Thanks for reading about my horrible night and I will try to get to some personals later.

Again, CONGRATS everyone.

Wow, a lot of us have been fighting the blues lately. I was looking on-line and found some great tips for fighting the blues. The article is kinda lengthy, so I'll just post one tip each day. Hopefully, this information will be useful for all of us who just aren't feeling very cheerful. :hug:

Beat the Blues
10 Cool Ways to Beat the Winter Blues and Keep Your Mood Adjusted
Written by Nicole Nichols
Winter is in full force. As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, even the best of us can get a little down. The "winter blues" are characterized by the mild depression, lack of motivation, and low energy that many people experience during this cold season. Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to both prevent the blues from coming on and get yourself back to normal if they’re already here.

#1 Exercise
As if we needed another reason to get fit! Exercise isn’t only for maintaining your weight and staying healthy. It’s great for relieving the stresses of life. Plus, the effects of a good workout can last for several hours after you hit the showers. You’ll have more energy throughout the day, and your metabolism with stay elevated too. Exercise also helps your mind by releasing those "feel good chemicals" that improve your mood.

WOOHOO BLUE TEAM! Good job this week everyone! :bravo:

CHELLE...thanks for the banners! I am going to have to resize them...saved them but when I went to add them it said they exceed the forums limit so...I'll figure it out and get them in the siggy though.

RHONDAWTG on moving to a new postion in your company! :woohoo: Hope you are feeling better, migraines suck for sure!

MARIANNEsorry you are in a funk. :hug:

DIONNE...sorry about the drama with your friends hubby. Sounds like he has issues, maybe a little jealous of you and your friends relationship. Glad they compromised though.

KAREN...I think someone else mentioned this when I was making notes, but I too was wondering if the gym had daycare...seems like most do now days. Nothing wrong with getting addicted to going to the gym! Well, maybe one can, lol.

DIXIE...glad you are less funkified today. :hug: I like that word, lol...will have to use it.

HEATHER...sorry if I missed that you were having surgery. Hope all is well and you are recovering nicely. And I don't think your picture idea is crazy at all.

THERESA...hoping all goes well at the doctors today. Feel better soon and hang in there. :hug:

Hi to everyone else :wave:

QUESTION of THE DAY...when I feel like quitting and my motivation is flagging I hear my son say "You better not quit!" Also, I feel like i have come too far to quit now. I've not given up over the last few years and now that I am where I am there is no stopping me! But I started this for my health because I don't want anyone to have to care for me when I am older. I want to be able to take care of myself and be there for my kids and grandkids.

Anyway...I can't believe that I am the biggest loser for the week. :carrot: I think it has motivated me even more!

I got in 65 minutes of exercise so far for the day. Not going to try and kill myself but I have about 15-20 more minutes I want to get in. So still doing good with the eating and exercise!

Here's to another good losing week everyone! :cheers: :cheer:

Oh, I forgot...I am up for a challenge. Just not very creative in thinking of one but I will try. I like the one the red team (I think it was the red team) has going...maybe something similar :dunno:

Hey Blue team, I'm sneaking in to challenge you!!! During tonights show pick one or both:

1) workout during the show

2) assume the plank position for an entire commercial break! Its hard!!! go ahead and try!

Make sure you report back to your team if you tried and how far you got!! Good luck! I'm going to attempt chair (from last week) for a commercial break and plank for a commercial break! who is with me?

Awesome job Blue Team! We did it!

Okay, so maybe not we! I was a poor contributor with my -0.1! But I am down a pound today, and I am on a roll! Gotta get below 229 before Vday so dh has to take me out to eat wherever I choose! Thats the deal! My weight is the lowest today that it has been in 4 years!

So here goes week 4! Good luck everyone and push push push yourself! :) Have a great week!

:lol: Does moving furniture, installing shelves and painting count as a workout?

My treadmill is out of commission til I get my fitness room painted green. I need my chi to be right before I can exercise :exercise:

I will think of something tonight. Originally we weren't supposed to have an crazy side challenges just a one size fits all... but Melissa was a bad girl and broke a rule! :nono: :devil: :lol:

Now that we have a sub forum we can have them and not drowned out the Jillian girls stuff I was so worried about.

PS: Why haven't you put up your banner I made you missy!? :nono: :tantrum: :lol3:

OMG - I'd die holding it for the whole commercial break!:dizzy: I do them in sets of 3 and the first one I can only hold in proper form with butt really clenched for 1 minute, the 2nd one for about 45 sec and the last one for 30-45 seconds.

I aim on this week being my best weight loss week yet on the challenge - which means to lose more than 1.8 pounds. Unless TOM bites me on weigh in day. Knowing my pattern of weight loss I'm due for a big drop about now, followed by a few weeks of 1 pound losses.

CHELLE...trying to do the banner...it keeps telling me it is too big, ugh! Going to go try again and see what happens.

Okay, I know what the chair thing is but what is the plank thing? I've done my exercise for the day but will attempt one or both of those.