Hey all - if anyone wants to share/use the spreadsheet I'm using to keep track of us all, it's on Google Docs here. If the forums remove the link, I can PM it or something. It's all just info that was in this thread, so if people posted intros in the all teams thread, I missed it.

Hope that helps!

Does anyone know?
 

Today I did 50 minutes on the treadmill....I decided about 3/4 of the way through to try something I'd seen on TBL. I was walking at 3.7 fast and turned it right down to 2.5 and turned around and walked backwards...

First of all, what a weird feeling!! Second of all, after just a minute I broke out in a huge sweat...I stayed on for about 5 minutes like that and then turned around.

So my question is: what muscles does that work?? Is it doing anything productive or is it just some fancy TV thing and I shouldn't follow what they are doing...I know they do extreme things because it's a major competition...just wondering if anyone knows.

Thanks!
Ginger

Hello all,

Thanks to all of you for the well wishes. I have only had to take the pain meds once today. I am having trouble eating and can't open my jaw very much. The swelling seems to be getting better. I got on the scale this morning and it says that I have lost weight. Go figure. I keep asking myself how do you lose weight eating ice cream. Well, I guess I will find out about the weight loss when I get to WI. I will try to check back in later.

Hi. I'm so excited about doing this challenge. It's my first one and I'm going to lose weight this year. I haven't gotten to read this whole thread yet (didn't get any internet time yesterday and can't believe how long it is) but will introduce myself as I try to get through it.

1. What do you prefer we call you? Melissa

2. What weightloss plan are you using? Weight Watchers Core (I think...I'm still trying to figure out what works for me)

3. What is your favorite exercise? Chasing my daughter around

4. What is one area that you struggle? I have little to no self control and so if I slip I have a hard time getting back to doing the right thing. Chocolate is my downfall.

5. What is one area of your weightloss journey that you excel at? I have never excelled. I hope I can answer this by the end of the challenge.

6. What is your short term goal? I'd love to lose 30 pounds during this challenge.

7. What will you reward yourself with when you reach that goal? A pair of earrings.

8. Best weight loss tip?

9. Bob or Jillian? Bob

10. Tell us about yourself! I am a 30 year old SAHM of my 3 year old daughter. She has a feeding tube due to feeding issues and my whole day revolves around food (tying to get her to eat, fighting with her over food, keeping track of how much she eats/doesn't eat, putting food/liquid in her tube, and waking up in the middle of the night if there is a problem with her feeding tube/pump) and I have put myself in last place trying to get her to be healthy. I finally feel like we are at a place where I can focus on myself some and am excited about that.

Okay, I backtracked and read the entire thread starting from page 1. I am officially caught up!

The entire time I was reading I kept thinking - "please don't go to page 9, please don't go to page 9." Halfway through I clicked to the next page and the last page went from 8 to 9. Uuugh. You guys were posting faster than I was reading, haha.

So, with that. . . I will, for the first time ever, do a few personals.

Chellez - Very nice banner. I am sure that took some time. Thank-you, yet again, for taking the time out to set up this challenge. I have been looking forward to this one for a few weeks now. The weight lost during this challenge will be attributed to you! Btw, you're going to have a good week because of all the exercise one gets from moving. Take it from a girl that has moved 14 times in her lifetime. It's hard work.

Chellez Again - World of Warcraft!!! I have a level 70 human warlock on the Drenden server "Zamura". Haha, I had to quit the game in August. She was overtaking my life. I think I gained 20 lbs. from playing WoW.

Vix - Congrats on your NSV! It feels so good to have people notice.

Vanessa - You're lucky that it's summer for you right now. It has got to be so much easier to get out and do things when the weather is nice. We're expecting a high of 8 degrees F on Saturday here in Chicago. Once you factor in the windy city's wind chill it is going to be MISERABLE!! I actually DRIVE from my condo to the gym in this weather because it's parking garage to parking garage. Total drive length? 2 blocks. No, it's not lazy, it's intollerence to cold.

Purplefly - I hear you about posting of the photos. I think the problem is that all of us have an idea in our head of how we want our body to look and those photos are reminders to ourselves that we're not there yet. (Or, *sigh* may never be there.) If anything, it's great motivation. I will be mortified if I don't have any change between now and the end of the challenge.

Victoria - I studied opera from Mara Rice back when I was in high school. Mara toured Europe for a while and put out a couple of records. I actually took the voice lessons for musical stage theatre. I have't professionally sang in over a decade, though. I have to say, every once in a while I miss my "ya yas". What shool are you attending?

Zinke - Ha-ha, I love how you worded your introduction. I have issues, too. ;) I'm always telling my fiance that when he asks me how in the world I just ate 4 string cheese, a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and three skinny cow ice cream sundae cones. I. . . have . . . issues.

FrouFrou - You and I both have the same 12 pound goal! I already fear I won't be able to do it. Isn't that sad? I need more faith in myself.

Rosalie - Inhibitions are certainly lose when drinking, aren't they? My fiance and I went to Target last night after sharing a bottle of wine. Let me tell you, we came home with half the store. You all would fall over if you knew how much we spent.

Blue apples - The Packers? Ewwww. Booooo-hissssss. ;)

Practice - I hear you on the bat wings. That's why I made sure to include my arm making the muscle motion in my before picture. I want to have nice toned arms by the end of this challenge.

Aileen - You and I have the same career. I keep an eye on the newbies here at the firm when they get hired. 75% of them gain around 30 lbs or more within the first year. What is it about our job that makes us all fat asses? As an unrelated heads up, check the $1 area of Target for scrapbooking supplies. I was looking through yesterday and they had a bunch of bins for V'day scrapbooking supplies AS WELL AS New Year's resolutions & weight loss bits.

krjpy - Weighted hula hoop? Never heard of it. Is that a good abs workout? Where could I get one if I were interested?

Ferrari - Bummer about the wisdom teeth. I had that done 2 years ago and it was very painful. In fact, it actually hurt more than I expected it to hurt. I hope you're feeling better!

Ginger - I hear you about the nighttime cravings. That's what gets me every time, too. I can't figure out how to get around them. I'm beginning to think that I'll just go home after the gym and go to bed to avoid them. The tea would work if I liked hot tea. . . See above where I talked to Aileen about the scrapbooking materials in the Target $1 bins. No clue about the walking backwards on the treadmill. I can't see how it would be bad for you, though.

Soon - Oh my gosh, you are such an inspiration. I love that you're a foster mom. I would love to do that, but I live in a studio, so, ya know. . . You're incredibly inspiring and so positive. Those kids are very lucky.

John - YES, we have a guy on our team! I expect big weight loss from you buddy. Guys can shed the weight so much faster. So, ya know, no pressure or anything. ;)

HH - I have a pair of skinny jeans that I really want to fit me. Well, they sorta do already fit. That's a new development. However, they leave seam lines on my skin so they don't fit as well as they should.

Rhonda - Congrats on the treadmill!!! Yay! Keep up the good work. I'm proud of you. I did leg weights last night, too. I woke up to a very sore butt, ha-ha. TMI!! My favorite BL team is the orange team. I think that's because they're from Chi-town.

ckatgo - what is stash? Where can I get it? That sounds amazing.

Pam - Congrats on the good day. I always find that a really good day is motivation for the next day being a good one, too. :)

sportmom - I was still reading! I read the entire thing. I will just wait to "find out", though. :)

onthetee - I LOVE doing jigsaw puzzles. My fiance and I like to watch a movie while we piece them together. For Valentine's Day this year I think I'm going to get our very first puzzle professionally framed. (It's currently glued together under our bed.) We're buying our first condo this fall and I'd like to be able to hang it somewhere in our new home. :)

kgood - did you get your little one down for a nap this morning? I hope so for your sake. Good sleep promotes weight loss.

Sara - I'll cross my fingers for your weigh-in tomorrow.

Bren - Where was your before picture taken? The scenery is BEAUTIFUL.

I read a reeeally interesting article online while I ate my lunch. It was written by Michael Pollan, the guy who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma and a few other books about food in North America, and said "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." The article was about the shift from food to "nutrients" and "food products" in modern time, and it's fascinating. It's on the New York Times online, and the article is called "Unhappy Meals" if anyone wants to read it.

Melissa - Welcome to 3FC and the challenge! I'm confident you'll find an answer to the excelling question during the challenge. I'm glad you feel ready and able to put some focus back onto yourself!

Dionne - How do you lose weight eating ice cream? Only when you are sick/had surgery! ;) Are you making sure to eat some soup, too? Your body is going to need some vitamins, minerals and other nutrients the ice cream can't provide as it heals!

Ginger - I would *guess* that the walking backwards works the same muscles as walking forward, but that it uses them differently, if that makes sense. The ones that are normally pushing will be pulling, and vice versa. Plus, if it made you work harder, then it's just good for your heart and lungs! Also - I'm so glad there's another BC gal on here! I live in Vancouver. :D

Shay - I looove the bad American Idol auditions - they're the only ones I watch! But... if they are up against TBL, I won't watch 'em.

Nadalie - Aww I hope your little one is feeling better soon. Sounds like she must be feeling a little better to be building a fort! How fun!

I think is works on the abs pretty good. I won't ever have 6 pack abs, but I do get an hourglass shape, so I like it.

http://www.sports-hoop.com/

I would imagine your quads are working more while walking backwards compared to forwards. Plus it would help your balance so much too...since it's not something "normal", kwim? I know I've heard that the muscle activity that happens when you walk backward is totally different from what happens when you walk straight. I've even seen people put the incline way up walking backwards and even walking "sideways" Sort of like when you're walking up a hill in skiis. WTG!

Bren - your pic is gorgeous!

Congrats, Vicki! I'm sure that song is special to you.

I have to get DH to take a pic of me this week and post it. I posted my impressive starting numbers. There's a whole bunch of me, that's for sure!

I've posted this fun tidbit a few times, but I will share again for my blue team. :)

For those of you that are insured with Blue Cross, Blue Shield there is a program called "Blue Points." It is amazing for this weightloss challenge. They have a fitness tracker that also gives you workout suggestions. There is a nutrition area where you fill in everything you ate that day and it will calculate not only your calories, but whether you had enough veggies, dairy, meats, whole grains, etc. If you type the brand name of the item, it will pull that food item up, give you reasons why you should eat that food, and it lists the ideal serving size. There is a lifestyle section that gives you tips on being more positive, or how to get more sleep, or how to handle your finances.

It has articles that I find INCREDIBLY information. For example, there is an article there that I reach which quoted a study finding that those that eat six smaller meals a day in the end consume more calories than those that eat 3 meals. Further, metabolsim actually burns higher for the 3 meals people. But, the articles cover every aspect of life from child rearing to finding the perfect vacation location.

Anyway. . . you get points every time you visit the website and use these tools. You can earn up to 1,000 points a week. You then turn the points in for prizes. I'm going for 50,000 points which will get me a $250 gift certificate to Target. :)

Like I said, if you have BCBS, check it out.

Gah, those hoops cost more than I would have expected. I'll have to work hard to convince my fiance into letting me get one. I've already convinced him into the gym membership, the polar watch, the DDR for Wii, the Pilates video with ball, the Pilates classes and the resistance band.

Wow! You're a really good negotiator! ;)

Hello ladies, and Gent!

Whew...took me forever to get thru all those pages...you guys have definitely been busy little bees with the posting! Of course I did take a break from the reading long enough to get in 50 minutes of walking on the treadmill. Doing better today with it, not as embarrassing as yesterdays walk. I was going to do 60 minutes but decided to up it to 75 so will post that later on this evening.

Okay, now I will attempt individuals! Pleas forgive me if I forget someone, or get things a little mixed up, it is not intentional. It will probably take a little while to get to know everyone.

CHELLE...enjoy all the painting and fixing up your house! Ha! I bet the player left those letters there on purpose.

MARIANNE...I tried your link and you have to sign in. But...I have basically done the same thing...well, I put the blue teams usernames and names so I can figure out who is who. Woohoo to the new toys! Let me know how you like your NB's. I bought a pair a while back, not the same ones but they are the same as what I had before. Although, they changed the look a little and they actually fit different which is weird. I'm not 100% pleased with them though. I put a lot of miles on my last pair and will be more on these. I love the shoes some of the ladies use on the turbo jam dvds...they look springy!

NADALIE...glad you had flex points for the day! And...glad your daughter doesn't have strep. Hope she gets to feeling better.

AMBERELISE...I have faith that you will make your goal! :hug: And thanks for the info...we do have BC and I will definitely be checking that out.

:welcome: MELISSA & BEV!

DIONNE...hope you feel better soon! MMmmm, ice cream sounds so good!

VIXJEAN...love the words to that song! And CONGRAT'S on being clean & sober! :congrats:

DIXIE...ha! I did the same thing while sitting here making notes to update.

SARA...WTG on the workout! :carrot: And good luck on you WI tomorrow!

BREN...GREAT pic! Thanks for sharing...looks like a peaceful place.

ANNA...good for you for getting back on plan...none of us are perfect-we are only human.

RHONDA...I am ready for tonights TBL! Idon't think I have a fav yet...I think I am kinda leaning towards the blue team or the orange...we'll see as it goes on.

ALANA...good for you getting the workout and eating better! :carrot:

VANESSA...WTG on the 4 lbs. lady! :woohoo: and the added miles! You are doing GREAT!

PAM...WTG on staying within your points and the exercise...brag away, you have ever right to! :bravo:

AMBERD...thanks for your story, it's nice reading everyones and seeing where we all are at and have been with the weight loss.

ZINKEMOM...woohoo to winning the WATP! :carrot: How the heck did you manage that? I love them...I have the 1, 2, 3 & 4 mile ones and the 2.5 mile walk & jog one, and hope to add more.

SELINA...I am in awe of you. I very much admire people who foster and adopt. It is such a blessing. WTG on day 141 of your challenge. :carrot:

PURPLE...to tackle eating at night I eat dinner at a later hour. I started this a while back. Used to always want something after dinner so changed dinner time to between 6:30 and 7:30, and it's working. But if for some reason it doesn't I will get on the computer or read. And sometimes just getting into a good movie keeps me out of the kitchen.

JOHN...I agree, you are a brave soul! :) Glad to have you here though. And WTG on your workout! :carrot:

Okay, I hope I got everyone. Of course there are probably a dozen more posts while I was typing this, lol. Oh well...there's always tonight! I think I got a workout though just from all the typing...does that count? :lol:

Ran some errands this morning then got in some computer time and some laundry done. Going to do a little bit of reading and folding my clothes now until time to cook dinner and watch TBL! Chat with ya's later :wave:

WOW! We have BCBS and I knew about the program, but did not realize you could get great gifts like that. I will checkit out tonight.

Hello everyone :waves: Its Wednesday morning here and I am hoping to have another to PLAN day. How do you start your day off? Do you have a standard breakfast or do you mix and match?

My standard breakfast is weetbix with bran, low fat milk and some tin fruit drained. It fills me up and keeps me satisfied until its time for lunch. Plus its high in fibre.

I will catch up with the personals when it is night here - that's when my little monster is in bed and I can have "me" time again.

Glad to see everyone here sounds like they are on track.

Chelle--This is the first time hubby has been out this long, and we are both not happy about it! He normally is home every weekend, and then usually one night during the week. We both like having our space and it has worked out really well for us. Sometimes I can't wait for him to leave...but I ALWAYS can't wait for him to come home.

onthetee--Let us know how you did the rest of the day. It's great that you can slip up and immediately get it under control.

Ginger--I think walking backward works different muscles, and as someone else said is not common to everyday life. If you immediately got that worked up, it is doing something for you, even if just shocking your body, it will burn some calories for you. I wish I had a treadmill to try it out!

Dionne--You can lose eating ice cream if you are burning off more calories than you are taking in. You must be :)

Melissa--I know it must be a lot harder when you have a little one who needs extra focus. It is great when they get a bit bigger and you can focus on yourself, isn't it? Mine are finally to the ages they understand mommy needs to do some things for herself, and I am so thankful.

Amber--You are so right! I have this idea of who I am in my head, but when I look in the mirror that is NOT it! I am really striving to be on the outside what I feel I am on the inside. It's strange the way that can be so off. I am sure you will see your change by the end of this...just hang in there :)

I haven't had time to exercise today and I am itching to move! I am going to workout while BL is on as always...but might try to get something else in with the on demand channel before. TOM hit today and I am cramping and just kind of low energy. Pam came over and we spent the afternoon scrapbooking and talking...it was SO fun, but we didn't have time to exercise as we wanted to do...next time!

I am right at my calorie limit right now, but the exercise I plan to do will keep me from even thinking about snacking!

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions on avoiding evening munchies. I am more the night time binger when emotions are high, and so far serious exercise, steaming hot baths, and making myself stay in the bed has worked the best. I tried scapbooking one night, but I was up until 4AM so that didn't work :lol:

I know it, I hear that all the time...lol I am seeing more and more Michele's spelled with only one "L".

Amber, thanks, you get the prize for making it thru to the end!!!

Kissinger - I don't know about the walking backward thing. I tend to stay away from things that aren't natural movements. I feel I'll be more prone to injury and then I can just see myself telling the doc, "Well, you see,....I was walking backward on the treadmill...." that might qualify me more for a 5150 hold than an ortho referral. (Britney reference there for you non-hollywood gossip types!)

Chelle & John - thanks for the clarification on the John from the show. My bad, I knew it was the south, and Tn and Kentucky are all so close.

Chelle - you should take a moment to jot the history of this challenge before it's forgotten. Who knows! You might be famous for it some day. Didn't you come in and rescue us from one or two people who tried to start it and then left us high and dry without a challenge?? it was quite amazing.

SO WHO'S JOINING ME IN WORKING OUT TONITE DURING THE AIRING OF TBL??? 8 PM eastern! 1 hrs tonite or 2, I'm not sure, but I'll be doing weight lifting, how about you?!?!

Y'all I had totally forgotten that I have to go to a meeting tonight... right before TBL starts. :( I was sooo looking forward to it, but this meeting has to happen. I guess it's good, because it's just close enough for me to feel bad asking DBF for a ride, and just far enough of a walk to "count" as exercise. I'm trying to think of this as a positive, that I get to exercise and break in my new shoes, but I'm still bummed!

Fran - :rofl: at the Britney reference! I have to go to a meeting at 7:30 tonight, and depending on how long it is, I might miss TBL! :( TBL's 2 hours tonight, though, so I should be home for at least the last 30-60minutes, in which case I am IN for working out!

Michele - Heehee at the missing L comment. My name was constantly misspelled when I was a child, but it seems more people know the "right" ;) spelling these days.

Theresa - Hmmm... I wonder if there's a way to scrapbook AND exercise? ;) Good on you for planning the exercise tonight to keep the munchies away.

Vanessa - I can't have the same thing for breakfast for more than say... 3 days in a row, or I get bored with it and end up eating something random. I just plan to have a variety of healthy options to choose from. Usually it's some combo of fruit, dairy or soy (for protein), and whole grains. PB&B sandwiches, yogurt with cut fruit and granola, etc.

Cristina - If you were exercising, then you are excused from being overwhelmed by the thread! ;) I kid, I kid - we'll all just do the best we can to keep up! I'm surprised the link didn't work - it should have, but who knows! If you really want to see it, send me a PM with your email address, and I can "add" you to the SS that way. I :val1: my NB's already, but I'll let you know how they go when they're broken in.

Rhonda - How ya feeling girl?

Amber - :devil: You sound like me with rationalising the $$ fitness stuff to DBF. Mine couldn't believe I spent over $200 on stuff this weekend, but it'll last for a long time, and it will get me healthier and fitter. And fitter = feeling better about myself, which will pay off for him in the long run.... ;)

Nori - Wow, I've never seen people go sideways on the treadmill... I would fall on my butt so fast!

Kelly - those sport hoops are really interesting! Very different from what I had imagined.

Purple - I scrapbook too, oh how I wish I were there!!!!!!!!! I am going on a scrapbooking weekend away in February and my goal is to be lighter by 15 pounds by then.

Thanks everyone for your insights on walking backwards...I'll do it occasionally to "spice things up" and since it did make me break out in a sweat, I guess it can't be bad for me.

Cheers, Ginger

Evening all! I've barely had time to say hi but with a 4 and 3 year old it's been busy! Just wanted to say in honor of this great team hubby and I joined a gym yesterday and we went today and sweated it out.. my head was saying GO BLUE GO.. so I'm going to do my best to help us rock this challenge. I came in second for the blue team last year and hope to move that ticker again wayyyyy to the right!
Keep up the great work!

I really like it! Leo is my first one, and I've been told that giving up the first one is the hardest and it gets easier after that. I do love the little guy though, he's just blossoming in to the sweetest cat, so much better than the little ball of terror that I first got.


Amberelise - What a BEAUTIFUL name you have :D Hope we don't confuse people too much with our names.


I did really well eating today. And today was day two of waking up 4:50 for exercising :) I'm trying to form a habit.

And to all the World of Warcrafters out there UGH!!!! WOW stole my BF and I want him back! :p

Hope everyone had a great day!

Yesterday, I was on the treadmill for 35 minutes, and I did the cardio setting! *phew* but it was cool.
Today, I didn't get much sleep...I'm a bit depressed I guess. I know it'll be tomorrow though. I only got two hours of sleep, I should get to bed. I barely ate too...dunno, I guess stuff was just very overwhelming. :(

Weight loss for me or him? He's perfect. Not to chubby not too skinny. It even looks like he has some muscle already. He's such a sturdy little fellow.


I never did get Aiden to go to sleep. He had a short nap while we drove to go shopping. For a kid that usually sleeps 3 hours that really wasn't enough. He's sleeping right now and we have to try to get him to wake up or he won't sleep all night. Since I can now here him snoring I'm betting this is also a lost cause. At least I'm not working.

Here's a little picture of my little guy.
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...enupload-1.jpg
Just yell at me if we're not supposed to put up pictures. This is my first one.

How often does a new thread get started? Weekly? It's Tuesday and we're on what, close to page 10 already????? :) Is there a weekly thread?

I was happy to wake up with sore muscles today! :) The 35 minutes I worked out yesterday must have done something! I didn't get a real workout today but it's our long/hard day on Tues & Thurs so I wasn't expecting to. Tomorrow morning, 5:30 a.m., I'm at it again. I resisted the urge to weigh myself this morning too.

kgood, how old is he? My oldest is nearly five and never naps any more. But I let her play computer games on pbskids.org (or something with no ads!) if I need to exercise in the afternoon while the babies are napping. She's pretty good about giving me a half hour to myself!

He's gonna be 2 this Sunday. I so miss when he was little but he is more fun now when he's not cranky. He's at a stage where if he's awake he has to be underfoot.

Hello my dear chatty blue team! I have really enjoyed catching up on this thread (though I am quite frustrated that I have only been able to correlate the real names to user names of 35 people). I guess time will make it easier to keep everyone straight.

Dee - That is awesome you are starting the C25k plan. I have never done it but have only heard good things about it. As far as advice, the best thing is just be consistent. Dedicate the 30 minutes 3 times a week (I think that is what the plan entails) and you will be amazed at your progress. Also, I have heard a few people say that the plan was either too fast or slow for them. Keeping that in mind, don't hesitate to tailor it to meet your needs. If it seems really easy that skip ahead a week or two and, likewise, if a certain week is really hard than do it again the next week. I hope you enjoy it.

Nori - The Jordan plan is great ( I think!). I have an always growing list of "meals" that I like that fall between 150 and 300 calories. Each day I chose everything that I eat from my list. If I crave something in particular I can try to figure out a way to make it for less than 300 calories, and if I succeed, it then becomes another choice on the list. My weight loss weakness is that, if given the opportunity to make a really bad food choice, I usually do. But as long as I am only picking off my list it is impossible to mess up! It would undoubtedly be a harder method of eating for you as you have a husband and children, but maybe it will give you some ideas.

Vixjean - Congratulations on 16 months, that is great.

Rhonda - You sore?

Victoria - Get some sleep, girl! I hope tomorrow is a better day.

Karen - he is one cute kid!



I hope everyone else is doing well. Thank you to all who had the courage to post pictures in the other thread. I'm still being a chicken but I am so excited to see the progress everyone makes.

Good evening, Blues! Love seeing so much chatting here on our thread. I really do need to make a spreadsheet to keep up with everyone. My memory ain't what it used ta be! The support and encouragement is incredible. We are gonna take off some serious weight in the next 12 weeks! Also, love seeing so much "sweat" equity on our team. The workouts are going to insure us of a victory on this challenge!

I'm not working out during the BL. This afternoon, I did 60 minutes on the treadmill and upper body weights. I'm not sore yet, but my legs did feel a little bit weaker than they did yesterday. So, now I can sit on the couch with my on-plan 5 ounces of red wine and watch a little tube. Speaking of tube, we have a dilemma here in our household this evening. American Idol and BL are going head-to-head and Hubby wants to watch American Idol. He's not a BL fan(say what?!:dizzy:) Guess who's gonna win this round, folks!:D

Marianne - Yes, this time we're going to rock this challenge and lose some serious poundage! (To my fellow 80's bluesers, yes, I am channeling Pauly Shore:D) And, we're going to make sure the rest of our team is rocking with us!


Hi Vanessa. I have 1/2 cup of steelcut oatmeal and two slices of turkey bacon with a cup of coffee....every single morning. I'm usually a bit brain dead in the morning, so a standard breakfast keeps me from having to think!

Ayumi - when I'm tired, I get depressed. Get some sleep, Hon. Things will probably look a little brighter when you're more rested.
Dionne - Glad you're able to cut back on the pain meds. Enjoy some ice cream for us.....its sugar-free, I'm sure.;)
Amberelise - Yay, green veggies! That is great news! :broc:
Tee - Sorry to hear that you had a rough morning. How did you do with the rest of your day? Pick yourself back up and keep going! I know you can do this.
To all of you with sick little ones - Hope they get well soon....and don't pass it on to you!

And, to everyone I didn't respond to personally.....sending on-plan vibes your way and wishing you a great evening.

Well its 10 pm here. Gotta get going to bed. Night Blue Team.

1. What do you prefer we call you? Cuppa

2. What weightloss plan are you using? Nutrisystem
3. What is your favorite exercise? exercise bike/exercise videos/weights

4. What is one area that you struggle? Night time eating

5. What is one area of your weightloss journey that you excel at? Enthusiasm!

6. What is your short term goal? I want to lose 20 lbs. by the end of the challenge. That would put me at 120.

7. What will you reward yourself with when you reach that goal? Still thinking about that one!

8. Best weight loss tip? From Jillian: "Sweetheart--DON'T drink your calories!"

9. Bob or Jillian? Jillian!

10. Tell us about yourself : I WANT this BAAAAD!

Cuppajoe :cheer2:

I can't believe it is only Tuesday and we are already on page 11. We are one chatty group aren't we. Well I got my cardio in today. Pure cardio is something I have to force myself to do. I prefer cardio and weights mixed together. My eatting was ok today.

I am off to bed

Bev

OMG--(resisting the urge to pitch his cheeks). What a cutie!

Oh how cool a fellow hooper. How heavy is your hoop? I've made a bunch from irrigation pipping and colorful electrical tape for an American Cancer Society Walk-a-thon. I made up a poster called "Hoops for Hope" and raffled them off. It's a great work out, but I gotta try adding weight to the next one I make (maybe adding sand). You can definitely hoop on other parts of your body with a regular (non-weighted) adult hoop. I have managed to hoop on my neck and bring it down & hoop on my shoulders and then my waist. Still trying to work my way up from thighs to waist. Got a lot of 'lessons' from other hoopers on You Tube.

I've never knitted one of those! How big is your pooch? I'll research some patterns. Checked out your wedding pics---just beautiful! Congrats on your new home!

Just dropping by to say Hi...Was going to chat some but it is late now and I am getting sleepy. Did another 25 minutes of walking for a total of 75.

Night...

Hope everyone on the Blue team is doing great today! It was a busy day for me and I didn't get any exercise in :( I'm working half a day at home Wednesday, though, so that will definitely give me more opportunities to work out and catch up on posts.

Take care!

John

Hi everyone - I wanted to do personals but my son just went to bed with a temperature and I may be in for a rough night - so my plans are now for an early night, just in case I am up all through the night and hectic tomorrow! I managed to get in just under an hour "me" time today for exercise - and I feel great - It was hard to motivate myself to do housework and I am glad that I went to the gym cause my kitchen, bathroom are sparkling and the washing in finished, just got vacuuming and decluttering to do of the living areas, which is why I am going now! See you tomorrow!

Good morning, Blues! Everyone ready for a great on-plan day?

Vanessa, so sorry to hear that your son wasn't feeling well. Hope it wasn't too rough of a night for the two of you.

So, how about a question of the day?

On BL last night (no spoilers, please!) the following question came up, "Why are you fat?" Other than the most basic answers...overeating and not exercising...have you ever really given some thought to the reason you allowed yourself to get fat? For many of us, the reasons might be extremely personal and not something we want to share on an open forum...and that is perfectly understandable. But, for others, do you have some thoughts you wouldnt mind sharing with the team?

For me, I learned how to comfort myself with sugary carbs from my Mom. Not that I'm blaming her for my weight gain! As someone so wise recently said, I am an adult and must be accountable for my choices. But, Mom was frequently depressed and I inherited those tendencies from her. Cookies, cakes, doughnuts, candy all make me feel better....really, they do! In the book, You On a Diet, the doctors explain the reason why sugary carbs make a depressed person feel better. There really is a chemical reaction that takes place in our bodies...I won't bore everyone with the details.(Even thought I love the whole anatomy & physiology side of things!) Okay, so now I know why I head for those foods on very stressful days or days when I'm just feelilng very down, so it should be easy now, right? Wrong! Yesterday, I was stressed about one of my projects for work and I found myself wandering the kitchen and looking for something. Fortunately, I've made my kitchen a "safe zone" and there are no sugary snacks anywhere. My automatic tendency is to head for what I know will make me feel better. So, I have to build new habits.....like exercising to relieve my feelings. Not so easy. They say that exercise releases some of the same “feel good” hormones in our body that the sugary carbs release. Wouldn’t it be great to develop an exercise dependency? Have a tiff with Hubby?…run 5 miles. Kids whining and fighting…run 10 miles….etc etc etc. With all the stresses of life, I’d be thin in no time!

Well, speaking of work....I better get to it. I hope everyone has a great on-plan day.

:cheer::cheer::cheer: GO BLUE! :cheer::cheer::cheer:

I'm not sure why I'm fat yet other than you know the physical reasons of overeating and not enough exercise. But a couple days ago I did find that little voice in my head saying I should be eating right now even though I wasn't hungry and it wasn't time for a small snack. I didn't eat. Yay.