Hey black broke it first!!! LOL! I dont mind one bit if you "borrow" our travel idea!

Here's how to do plank

1. Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.
2. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows.
3. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.
4. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air.
5. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

It doesn't have to so so elaborate. Simple is great!

Depending on how my chest cold goes (I'm pretty tight and wheezy right now) I want to add 20 minutes of physical activity each day - on top of what I normally do. I'm going to do go a dvd right now and then do an additional 20 min of lower body stuff.

Elizabeth - to be honest I feel the same way!!:hug: So many times my posts end a thread as well. But someones has to!!;) Plus, I'm not usually the first or second person to post on any threads either, and often it's "already been said". This is a pretty new thread/challenge, so I feel like I'm still getting to know everyone. There is a lot of leaving your thoughts and comments and then no responses to your post in particular. I read everything, just don't have time to comment on it all. We're a team and I think that when we all put what we can on the table, others can take it or leave it, learn something new or just feel encouraged! We don't have to acknowledge everything, KWIM? Plus it's just good for me to type my thoughts down here for my own sake - whether it means anything to anyone else.

Elizabeth...good to see you posting! I sort of feel the same way at times so you are not alone. :hug: WTG on the pound! A pound is a good loss so keep up the good work! I know we all want to see a big loss but all those 1 pounders add up in the end so...you are doing great! And WTG on giving up beef! Wish I could do that! I am a meat lover, probably eat too much.

Chelle...got the one put up after I resized it. But it wouldn't let me put both :(

Melissa...thanks, I think it will kill me but I will try it at least once, lol!

Good day ladies!

Wow I am excited to watch the show tonight now!! I may have to leave class early to get home by 8! I LOVE challenges!

Those of you who work out during the show, do you have a treadmill or something at home? I don't have anything here. And I don't think I can do crunches or jumping jacks for two hours. :)

But... maybe during all the commercial breaks? That'll keep me from raiding the fridge at least.

Heather - If I did jumping jacks for two hours my boobs would still be bouncing tomorrow. (Sorry John - that was probably TMI :D)

Elizabeth - No worries about ending a thread here - we lurve to talk. ;) Where you at in WI? I have an old boyfriend that lives in Racine now. I went up to visit during Summerfest in 2000 and darn near froze to death on the 4th of July. Don't smack me, but it's been upper 70's here this week. :cool:

OK, thank goodness you are calling for a flat plank and not a killer side plank! I will give it a whirl, plus the wall sit, and we'll see. No doubt i will choose the presidential update commercial break and be stuck in that position for 5 minutes!!!! lol

Yay, nice to hear from you folks! I'll post more often...this week is a little off emotionally for me, so it'll be good to be in generous company. I'm in La Crosse which is on the Mississippi river bordering Minnesota...freezing! I'm up for the plank...lord knows I need to keep moving so I don't let the winter doldrums get to me. I don't watch the biggest loser too often, but it looks like that's going to change. I really want to lose the weight this time, and it's nice to have a community. Thanks for the feedback on how I'm not alone feeling dorky with posting...I'll do more and jump in when I can. The 1 lb loss is okay, I'm just worried that it was water weight / hopefully not. GO BLUE!

Hooray for us! Congratulations, team, and Congratulations to our Biggest Loser!

Remarkably enough, it was 75 degrees here this afternoon! I left work early, grabbed my dog and went for a long walk in the park. But, it's supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow, and then the projected highs for the weekend are in the 30s. Bleaahhh...

For those of you in cold climates, here's a good soup recipe that I'm going to try this weekend to help me keep warm:

MEXICAN CHICKEN SOUP (4 servings)
5 white corn tortillas (6” diameter), sliced into ¼ inch strips
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 12 ounces), thinly sliced crosswise
½ canned chipotle chile pepper, sliced, or 2 tablespoons hot salsa
¾ cup halved grape tomatoes
¼ cup cilantro leaves

1. Scatter tortilla strips on toaster oven tray. Toast, turning strips occasionally, until aromatic and golden in spots, about 5 minutes. Remove tray from toaster oven and set tortilla strips aside.
2. Bring broth to a boil in large, heavy pot. Add chicken, chile pepper, and grape tomatoes and return to a boil. Immediately remove from heat.
3. To serve, divide tortilla strips and cilantro leaves among 4 bowls, mounding them in the center. Ladle hot soup into bowls and serve.

247 calories
27 g protein
19 g carbohydrates (2 g fiber)
6 g fat (1 g saturated)
81 mg cholesterol
286 mg sodium

That recipe sounds great. Can't wait to try it!

dixie, I hear ya. :) I could give myself black eyes if I tried that!

If anyone is interested in my weird little experiment, look at my blog. I posted pictures of every single thing I ate today (well, my snack for later I PLAN to eat and I won't eat anything but!). I think I like this. My husband says it's also a good idea because when it comes time to plan meals for the week & make a grocery list, we can never think of what sounds good. If we have pictures, maybe we'll remember stuff we liked.

:?:Did not lose nothing. Mad but proud of the rest of you guys.
When you count calories isthat all you count no carbs.:(im so sorry i let you guys down. try to do better WILL do better next time.go blue team

I also try to maintain a balance with carbs, fats and protein. I try to hit 30 grams of fiber a day, and I never eat less than 24.

I have internet!

Because we are so short on time tonight at my house the hubby is ordering pizza. I'm only eating one slice with a huge side of broccoli! :crossed: that I'll behave!

What did you find out, Anna?

I posted a recap of my trip to the doc on my blog:

http://lifewithanna.blogspot.com/200...tor-today.html

I jump on my little trampoline or just walk/jog in place. If you get going at a good fast pace you can get pretty sweaty just walking and jogging in your living room! I sometimes step up and down on my step as well, and like to jog circles around my house during commercial breaks. You can also get a set of hand weights (they are cheap and take little space :) and then you can do all kinds of strength exercises while watching.

Hi Bluezers! Drinking more water and eating right lately. So feeling better. Lots going on so no time to stay but miss being here so hope to get things back to normal this next week! :dance:

Rhonda, I love all your questions, I hate I'm missing out on them all. I just barely even get to read them much less answer. :(

Chelle, I would say that painting and all that do count for lotsa movement! Sounds like you're staying very busy. Smart, u'll lose much faster than me!

Hiya to practice, onthetee, sweetpeamom, sport, purple, kris, scgirl, heather, missrocky, blue apples, dixie, bradleysmom, frou and everyone else here. Miss all of you lots. I need to be here and should be able to next week finalllly.

Have a good week, see u soon!

Hugs, Selina :hug:

Oh and omg I'm so goofy today. Congratulations Blue Team on winning this week!!! :congrat: I sure wish I could say I helped that happen! It's great!! You all are really stepping up and dropping pounds!!! It's exciting, isn't it? :dancer:

I'm proud to be on our team. :hug:

K, nite nite!!

Hi all - PLEASE keep my school in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. There was a threat that caused a lockdown last week, and the same threat has been received this week. I've graduated now, but I'm scared for my friends who are still there. More info is on the school's website.

:(

Marianne...scary stuff for sure.

Ellie...I think we all have had weeks like that, just hang in there. We are all in this together! :hug:

Just dropping by to say Hi. I had been going to bed early the last few nights only to wake up at 2:30-3:30'ish so thought I would stay up later, and hopefully sleep thru the night, we'll see. On top of it I am catching a cold.

Have a good evening

Throwing good thoughts your way practice.

I'm in the funk club this week too. Stupid TOM. I really, really wanted to go get a blueberry paczki but I ate pineapple instead. I haven't been working out hardly at all. DH is driving me crazy and I am getting very worried about him. I really need to get to bed so that I can wake up early and work out but I don't think I can sleep as my mind is racing.

And to top it off I was able to post a one pound loss for week three but when I got on the scale it was back plus he brought one of his friends. I am hoping it is just water weight as I haven't been to horrible with my calories.

Blue Rocks! Blue Rules!
 

:carrot:CONGRATULATIONS Blue Team! Great job everyone!:carrot:

Wish I had contributed to the weight loss number this week instead of stealing 1/2lb, but you all did it nonetheless. :congrat:
So, the day after I posted my weigh-in, the day after I whined about being stuck at 244lbs for 3 days straight, my morning weigh-in showed me at 241.5lbs! Evil, evil :devil: scale to hold out on me like that. Of course, now I'll just have to make sure to carry that loss (plus a little extra maybe) into this week's weigh-in. I only change my ticker once a week, so it'll be wrong for a few more days.
For all of you who are "funkified": put on some funky music, do the funky chicken, go buy yourself a funky new hat, pair of gloves or socks and chase the bad funk away. Being a December baby, I love the short days, cold weather and rainy mornings the season has to offer. I know, I know. That's just more proof that I'm a little weird.
:snowglo:

QOTD: When my motivation flags, I remember going to Urgent Care and having a doctor tell me that I was going to die if I didn't start taking care of myself. Yes, he was that blunt, and that's exactly what I needed / wanted to hear. I'm a workaholic and I often forget to eat or even take a break from work. Before when I got that busy, I'd eat whatever was handy and lots of it to make up for the missed meal(s). Now, I remember Dr. Taylor. I remember that my dad died the day before his 41st birthday from heart disease almost 30 years ago. I remember that somewhere nearby, there's a good food choice.

Hey Bluesies, Bluesers, Bluesters, let's see if we can take week 4!
Chelle, how do I get that :cool: blue team banner for week 3?


- Sonja

Yay. Go Blue Team

The gym I'm trying out right now doesn't have one. I'm trying to decide if I want to stay with that one or try the one out that is closer. I originally thought the closer one would be more inconvenient because I would have to bring Aiden to the sitters and drive back toward my house (the sitter is 15 min away and the closer gym is about 500 feet away) but I have been having DH bring him to the sitters anyway so that's not a problem. The closer one costs a bit more though. But I could shower at home after. On the other hand I have a friend at the other gym. So it is a hard choice. Oh yeah, I don't think the gym with daycare has it as early as I need it. And thats still extra. I think I'll probably stay with the original one. I like having someone there I'm not afraid to ask questions of.

Right click the banner and "Copy Image Location"

Then go to where you edit your signature and click the little image button and paste the copied location in the popup box and press ok.

Make sure you preview your signature before you save! :D

Good morning winners! My son is almost better and should be back to school tomorrow...but my daughter is looking like she's coming down with it and will probably be home tomorrow. I feel like I'm starting to get it as well but am trying to prevent it :crossed: I did some exercise last night but it's like I'm faking it, hoping to cross in to the "making it" side soon. I will be hitting it hard today because tomorrow is weigh in and I don't think I'm going to lose anything this week. I am the same this AM as last Thursday :( but, at least it's not a gain.

I'm down one pound this week. Slow and steady wins the race, right?!?

Good morning, Week 3 Winners! Congratulations, Christina...you Big Loser!:D

Today is just a regular day for me. I'll have a typical busy day of telecommuting, motherly and wifely duties. I do hope to get my butt on the treadmill for a good solid hour of fat burning cardio exercise. I tried yesterday, but my stomach problems kept interrupting me. The exercise seemed to make the bathroom visits come a little more frequently! (TMI?) I may have managed to get 15 minutes of sweat equity. Hopefully, today will be a better workout. My stomach seems to have settled down. Not sure what is causing the problem...I need to take a serious look at what I'm eating.

Please remember....even if your posts don't get a personal response, many of us read each and every post and are interested in what is going on with our team members. Doing daily personals is extremely time consuming and adds unnecessary stress. I do try to do them two or three times a week, but I just can't do them daily. Please keep posting. We do want to hear from you!

Anna - I'm so excited for you! I hope this doctor brings some good answers for you. I've always loved the combination of conventional medicine and alternative medicine. A year ago, I first went to an alternative medicine doctor and I finally received some answers and was able to make some changes. Turns out, I was insulin resistant and had been battling adrenal fatigue. No wonder I gained 75 more pounds in under two years.:dizzy: Now, I'm 30 pounds lighter, no longer in adrenal fatigue and I've reversed my insulin resistance. I'm sure you wil have the same positive results for yourself.

Heather - Your food photography is a very creative plan! Please let us know how it works for you. I may need to pull out my camera and keep it in the kitchen!

Hope everyone has a great on-plan day! GO BLUE!

A really good site for food ideas and photos is vegan lunchbox:
http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/20...1_archive.html

She uses a lot of vegan substitutes, but if you aren't vegan, you can use the real stuff (like milk-based pudding instead of soy; real mayo, etc)

Now, I know what I call wifely duties.....I can only imagine what lunch break is like for two telecommuters.

Wednesday's Question of the Day:

What ficitional character would you choose to describe yourself?

Mine would probably be Wilma Flintstone. She takes care of her family and keeps her goofy husband in line. (and, she likes jewelry...notice that she's always wearing a necklace) Yep, just like me!

HA HA HA Jane Craig, the Holly Hunter character in Broadcast News.

Depending on the day, I am either Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer ... or Lucy Van Pelt from Peanuts.

BTW, I posted my weight loss for the week since Wednesday is my weigh-in day. I dropped 2.8. I know that is a good number, but another 1/2 lb and I would have hit a major Goal ... Half way too goal. I was really hoping for that 1/2 way this morning ... but almost 3 lbs is really good.

Not to much happening here. I did get in 45 minutes of very sweaty exercise while trying not to step on the kids. They have been doing WATP with me. They last about 20 minutes before they start going crazy and getting underfoot. I was trying to do it in the morning before they wake up but I think they need to see mommy exercising. We have been talking more about food and how the right foods keep you healthy and fuel your body. They are almost 3.5yo so I don't know how much they really understand but they parrot my pineapple keeps you healthy every time we eat it.

Gotta get the kids interested in something so I can sneak in a shower. Caillou anyone?

My son had severe food allergies when he was younger, and at 2.5, he could tell you in detail about food allergies and that high fructose corn syrup would give you diabetes. My current 3 yo has no clue about these things, and in some way that makes me happy for her. She has not had to question everything she puts in her mouth, and she knows the general ideas of what is and is not good for you.

I just realized that everything I eat for lunches is red. (see blog link) No kidding. Shrimp masala, my shrimp quesadilla uses cayenne pepper and seasonsed salt, all my soups have tomato, salads use red onion...I don't have a lot of variety for lunch, so I am off to think of what else to eat today.

Edit: settling for low-fat ramen; can you say SODIUM!

Goodmorning everyone!

Zinkemomx2- I tell my 3.5 years olds that certain foods are "grow foods" and others are not- they are treats or special foods and while we eat them and enjoy them, we don't eat them all the time. All the time now I get - is this a grow food mommy? They are very interested in getting bigger "like daddy" so this really helps when I put food in front of them to eat.

When I work out, and then need a shower the kids watch TV too :) it's the only way!

Cheers,
Ginger

Kelly and SCGirl :congrat: on your losses! Not quite getting that goal will give you something to strive for next week Kelly...you'll get there! Actually if you have my luck the scale will drop down there tomorrow and you'll wish you weighed in on Thursdays :lol:

Wednesday's Question of the Day:

What ficitional character would you choose to describe yourself?

I don't know who would best represent me, but this is who/what I'd want:

Lulu's body confidence (Stephanie Plum Series)
Buffy's ability to kick butt
Samantha Carter's brains (Stargate)
Penelope Garcia's sense of humor (Criminal Minds)
Trixie Belden's intuition