Yay for Geminis!! We rock! :carrot:

ggmugsy - Aren't we always? lol!

sally's back! I still think of you as skull monkey (even though I know what it really is, lol!)

ceegee- of course i'm back :D i've got another like 30some pounds to lose :D why not have the help of the challenge :D

and of course Gemini's rock!!

Good Morning Everyone!
How is everyone doing today! I am ok, really starting off slow this morning, wanting to stay in bed. I had a 3 day weekend so I was not ready for Monday! LOL Hope everyone has a great day!

Yes we do :) I'm on june 4th..

Man, this board moves fast. Going to have to spring for the professional level DSL to keep up!

My goal for this challenge is to stay on plan with both my exercise and my diet. I'd love to lose 100 lbs (like Ali!) on the challenge but my more reasonable goal is to get into new territory by losing 50 lbs and winding up less than 270 lbs.

This morning, I got up at 4:30 a.m. and went to the Y for 45 minutes of treadmill and 30 minutes of wieghts. We bought bicycles Saturday for the whole family so we can bike to the local park (Tower Grove) and play during the summer.

Morning team!
Thanks for the recipe Soulbliss. I'm going to try it, but I can honestly say I don't have very high hopes. Perhaps I'll make a tiny batch the first time. I have got to try to get more veggies into my diet, though, and veggie "chips" sound like a good way to start.
Anne - you're amazing.

how can i get more protein in my diet?

Accent: None. It's the rest of you that have accents!

Best Friend: Jesus

Chore I hate: anything involving cleaning.

Dad's name: Merit

Essential make-up product: foundation/coverup - I have freckles that make me look like I have a mustache

Favorite perfume: Sweet Pea

Gold or silver? Depends on mood

Hometown: San Diego

Interesting fact: I love bungee jumping.

Job title: Supervisor in a residential facility for the disabled

Kids: none

Living arrangements: I live with my mom

Mom's birthplace: San Diego

Number of apples eaten in the last week: Too many to count

Overnight hospital stays: none

Phobia: gnats - I'm afraid I will swallow one or it will fly in my ear

Question you ask yourself a lot: Uhhh... guess I need to do more self-examination

Religious affiliation: Christian

Siblings: 2 brothers, 5 sisters

Time I wake up: varies

Unnatural hair color: still a dirty blonde. Want to get a weave, though

Vegetable I refuse to eat: lima beans

Worst habit: inconsistent

X-tra info? I wear a lot of black, so this is the right team for me

Yummy food I make: I make a mean pot o' beans

Zodiac sign: Aquarius

The only key to getting more protein is to find foods that are high in it and focus on them instead of carb foods...I use chicken daily, it is packed with protein and without as much fat as in beef products. I use the chicken strips, chunks, etc. from the lunch meat section, they are great to put on a salad. I buy a ton of chicken breasts and whole chickens as well. oh, and the canned chicken is high in protein, low fat, and I just mix NSA sweet relish with it and eat like that, or make a sandwhich sometimes (open faced).

Have you tried special K protein water? They taste really good and make me feel full when I am at my calorie limit or just need something until I can get a meal. They are kind of pricey, but if you buy the packets and mix it into your own water it isn't bad, and those go on sale 2 boxes for $5 a lot.

You just have to find high protein foods you like and make sure to eat them. Plan your meals around the protein to make sure you get it.

That's about all i have...maybe others have some specific products or recipes.

Awesome! Thanks Purple!

How many cals are the protein water packets?

Hi everyone! This is my first challenge and I am SO excited! I've been slacking for the past couple weeks and have been looking forward to this challenge as I know I am more likely to follow a plan when a bit of competition is involved :)
So I started my new job today (in the same school I have been working in, but much more pay) and discovered that my new lunch mates are really going to help me stick with eating healthy. All four of them eat small, healthy lunches, which will make me want to do the same. My previous lunch mates loved fries, burgers, pizza, etc. which always made me crave the same for lunch! I had a delicious salad with romaine, pea pods, carrots, radishes, cucumbers and light blue cheese dressing and one serving of tortilla chips with salsa for lunch today. I'm snacking on carrots as we speak.
I should probably mention that I have a serious obsession with food, actually one that I am currently seeking professional help for. I think about food 24/7, including in my sleep, I am a horrible food-sneaker/hider and have very little control when it comes to portion size. This is why dinner is my worst meal. I have very little time to eat breakfast in the morning, so I usually can only manage one bowl of cereal, and I portion out my lunch (which is great as long as I stay away from the lunch room). My boyfriend is one of those tall, thin guys who can eat basically anything, gain a little weight, but lose it in one week. So, our apartment has lots of junk food which I am drawn to the moment I get home. Yes, I am rambling...
Okay, so my goal for this challenge is to lose a minimum of 25 pounds and drastically increase my physical activity, since I currently am inactive.

Accent: Vermont hick, we don't enunciate our "T's"
Best Friend: My Boyfriend
Chore I hate: Sweeping
Dad's name: Albert
Essential make-up product: none
Favorite perfume: Shania
Gold or silver? Silver
Hometown: Bristol
Interesting fact: I've been skydiving twice.
Job title: Reading Specialist
Kids: None yet.
Living arrangements: My boyfriend and I in an apartment.
Mom's birthplace: Chicago, Il
Number of apples eaten in the last week: 1
Overnight hospital stays: 1
Phobia: Claustrophobic
Question you ask yourself a lot: What food can I eat today?
Religious affiliation: Christian
Siblings: 2 half sisters, 1 brother
Time I wake up: 7am on weekdays
Unnatural hair color: Blonde High lights (natural~ Dirty blonde in fall and winter, auburn in spring and summer (sun))
Vegetable I refuse to eat: brussel sprouts
Worst habit: Overeating and compulsive eating
X-tra info? I love coaching (I currently am coaching AAU basketball, and Varsity Track & Field and have coached Middle School Basketball and Soccer)!
Yummy food I make: Macaroni & Cheese (so bad for me, but SOOO good)
Zodiac sign: Sagitarrius

I learned this from the Biggest Loser book: When planning meals and snacks, always include a protein and make it the biggest part of your calories. Snacks should also include a protein.

Types of snacks I pack for the day are:

yogurt with a fruit
apple with cheese cubes
banana with almonds or walnuts
apple with peanut butter
turkey roll-ups with cream cheese
veggies with a boiled egg

I've also switched to a high protein cereal for breakfast. Kashi's are my fav's.

I use the 100 calorie snacks foods as a dessert only since they are more sugary/carby and not really satisfying for afternoon hungries.

DH had made turkey burgers on the George Foreman grill. They make a great lunch staple to add to a salad or veggies.

Portion control is important but I find myself far more successful at not starving when I have several protein intakes a day.

Let's ROCK BLACK!

As far as my goals for this challenge, I have basically two. I want to get under 240 and to be able to do 30 minutes on the elliptical without dying. Right now I can do 16 with the last two minutes my life flashing before my eyes. :rolleyes: I'm going get there by going to the fitness center three times a week and using the spinner or airdyne stationary bikes at home. I've finally accepted that the doctor could be right with having to do 60 plus minutes of cardio in order to lose weight. So that's what I'm gonna do.

What's everyone's favorite workout music? I downloaded Meatloaf for the Ipod. Rockin' treadmill music! Anyone accidentally sing while at the fitness center and forget that others can't hear the music??? :lol:

ggmgsy-my goal is to burn 3500 calories/week too- I am at 519 for this week so far!! we'll sweat out those pounds together.

SB- thanks for that recipie, we always gets tons of kale from our CSA- I love it and make this kale soup all the time but it gets old- I am going to save that recipie and make some!

My goals- are to fit into my seven jeans. those suckers are expensive, and they almost fit- I can get them up but they don't look good at all. I want to run my 3 miles in 30 minutes at the end, and I want to really quit the midless eating. I am not going to make a weight goal I am trying not to let the weight control me.