:cheer3: Wow, congrats BLUE team! We did it! Whoo hoo! :cheer3:

And thanks to everybody who said nice things about my big long post and pictures! Ya'll are really TOO sweet, but I appreciated each and every comment. My hand keeps twitching wanting to delete the photos, but it is also good for me to see the difference so clearly. Keeps me motivated!

Hugs to everyone!

:cheer3:Way to go Blue Team!!:cheer3:

Josephine-I'm officially challenging myself to take away your Biggest Loser crown!!! You are awesome and I'm going to try my hardest to get a good weigh-in next week (Since you and I both weigh in on Mondays) :) Way to go girl you are an inspiration to all of us!

Jennifer awesome goal! She's like the Dan of last season! LOL!

Anna- I'm staying here: http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/inns/...ill/index.html
We'll that's what I was thinking, haven't set a weekend yet.

Any other places come to mind, PLEASE let me know =)

:carrot: Awesome!!! I love it! :carrot:

I am just going to try to be as tall as Josephine. :D

:lol: Great idea!

Vix-Thanks!!

I'll forgo the height for the weight. :o

I feel Jen breathing down my neck now so I swam an extra 100 yards in the pool today. Gotta really bust a hump now! Bring it ON, girl! :swim:

She and I are the same weight, it is just looks a lot different on a 5'5" frame!

Oh I'm going to be doing some extra jogging when I get home! I'm going to attempt C25K W5D1. :eek: Don't worry I'm going to bring it! The only bad part is because of the day that I weigh we will have to wait almost 2 weeks to see if I beat you :dizzy:

Height can make all the difference. That's one of the perks to being tall! ;)

Good morning, Bluesers!

My boss is already breathing down my neck, so I better keep this short and sweet. I've had my oatmeal and I'm working on cup #1 of the java. Feeling extremely optimistic and ready to do this. I'm also a Monday weigher, so I'll join Jennifer and Josephine for a shot at the weekly Biggest Loser. Who knows? :D

Anna, thanks for all of the information about vegetarianism. I talked with Hubby and didn't get the fight I was imagining. He said he's perfectly willing to start eating more vegetarian entrees as long as I provide a recipe. And, my DD was very excited and asked that we pack her lunch this year as there are virtually no vegetarian options in the school cafeteria. She made me laugh. I was talking to her about eating lots of beans, lentils, veggies and that it wasn't just about not eating meat. She told me, "Mom, you know, I've done a lot of research on this and I probably know more than you." :) Smarty pants!

So, last night, I bought an acorn squash and a mango. Never had either, but we're giving them a try.

Hope everyone has a great on-plan day.

:cheer3::cheer3::cheer3: GO BLUE! :cheer::cheer3::cheer3

I think I will get some mango at the store too! Smoothies...yum

This morning is a train wreck. DH was up all night working b/c the storms killed power at three of the hospitals and their wireless was all hosed up.

M came in at 7 to get into bed with me (DH slept in the office), which is when I had planned to get up to run. I thought, "I'll just get her back to sleep and then I can get up." Of course, I fell back to sleep, and no one got up until 8:30. Of course DH was scrambling to get to work, so no run.

Now I have to call the sitter, and have her come for an hour. So I can get on the road. The only positive is that at least is it not going to be 89 this afternoon, and I may not die.

And while I am *****ing.....I need new running shoes.

Wow--vegetarianism. Rhonda, your daughter is funny, but at least she's enthusiastically on board! I couldn't do it--I don't like enough veggies to go both vegetarian and low-carb.

Ooh, I am trying a new recipe tonight with spaghetti squash, though. I had always just used it as a spaghetti substitute, so I just had it with pasta sauce and cheese. Then last week, I found some recipes for spaghetti squash online, and a whole new world was opened up! I made spaghetti squash with bacon, butter, and parmesan cheese, and it was great! tonight, I'm trying this one from RecipeZaar:
1 large onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup apricot preserves
6 dried apricots (pitted and diced)
1/2 cup raisins
1 spaghetti squash
salt and pepper

I won't use the dried apricots, and I bought apricot preserves that have no sugar added. I think I'll go for golden raisins--I think it would look cool :p

Dangit! That's what I forgot at the grocery store last night, mango! :( I didn't think I liked mango until I had a real one for the first time a couple weeks ago. Apparently mangoes are like bananas for me - I like the real fruit but can't stand the flavor when added to things like yogurt, drinks, or bread. They are on sale right now and I meant to pick a couple up. Well, that goes on my list with Ezekiel bread to try for next time......

So starting today for the next seven days I'm going to try to eat vegan. For no real reason except curiosity. I was a vegetarian back in high school, and we eat vegetarian 3 or 4 nights per week (and actually, some of that might be vegan too, I never kept track) anyway, so I'm not expecting a huge challenge... But it's just something to shake up the routine, you know? I'm always better at staying on track when I have things to keep me focused and feeling creative. So trying new things in the kitchen is often the way to go.

Funny thing is I'm having trouble planning out all my points for the day. Most veggies are free, fruit is super low, healthy grains are relatively low... So I have to eat more in order to get up to the same number of points. That's a good dillemma to have, imho. Since I'm going to end up way under today, I'm going to add a glass of red wine and an ounce of almonds. Not too shabby! :)

Jaime - I like your idea! I was a vegetarian for 7 years and I often think that it would be a good idea to go back to that or go vegan. DH is pretty cool about my non-meat suppers. As he says, if someone else cooks it and it tastes good he's happy. And he thinks way more things taste good than I do!

Anna - I hope your day starts looking up. There's nothing worse than a crappy start to mess up a day.

Rhonda - Your daughter sounds hilarious! When I went veggie in junior high I was dumb about it and just took the meat out of my meals. My mom was the one who did all the reading and started feeding me real meals. One of the most helpful things I found was making good use of the tofu meat-substitutes like the veggie dogs, veggie deli meats, and veggie ground beef. I could still make the same foods I was used to but just do the substitution.

So for myself I'm doing the happy dance this morning. On a whim I hopped on the scale this morning and saw that I'm down 2 lbs from Sunday! Holy crap!! :dizzy: I'm sitting at 201 now and so flipping close to Onederland that I can taste it. Anyone want to hold my hand so I can keep walking down this path instead of jumping off the side into a vat of ice cream as I usually do?

I went to my clinic last night and the lecture was about preparing for race day (what to pack, tapering your runs, where to place yourself at the start line, etc.) which was really cool. I've done two races before but I still learned lots. The group run was 5.5K and my leg pain was back with a vengence though it seems to be not so stiff this morning. I finally broke down and bought new shoes. My clinic instructor pointed out that I would have worn my old ones out with the distance we've put in since the start of the clinic and I'd been wearing them for a number of months before the start of the clinic! Here's hoping that this gets me out of this leg pain funk so that I can breeze through the last month of my training!

On that note, I need breakfast. And a coffee.

Congrats to the team and Josephine for being the Biggest Loser this week!

Kelly--I did 3.1 (5K) on my treadmill on Sunday with my HRM monitor on and it said I burned 718 calories. So I think 900 might be a decent estimate. I know you were going faster than me. My HR was within zone for all of the time too.

Jill--I used to say the same thing about running.

Talking about vegetarianism. I think I might be a flexitarian (sp?) but not purposefully. I have no interest in beef but I do eat fish, chicken, dairy, and eggs. I may cut out dairy and primarily go soy because as I get older my body tolerates dairy less and less. That has always been the case since I was a baby. My brother is fully lactose intolerant and me & my mom have to be very careful about dairy. I need to work on eating more fruits and veggies. Still working on not using convenience foods even if I get them from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.

I wanted to share with the group that I had a fantastic conversation with my brother on Monday night. He is currently home in Hawaii but will return back to Iraq this weekend for another 7 months. It was so good to hear his voice. It was also great to get more details about his situation there. Granted there is a war going on but I do feel better. I was also happy to learn that he is able to talk to his wife and 4 girls on a daily basis so he does have that connection with his family. He & I keep in touch through e-mail and letters. I have been so worried about him so I feel better.

Right now motivation for weight loss is not there. I am working on it though. I have 106 days binge free which is great but making better choices and getting off my a** needs to be done also.

spaghetti squash, mango, vegetarian ideas
 

here is another way for spaghetti squash to be cooked:
spaghetti squash with parsley walnut pesto

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb) spaghetti squash
1/4 cup walnuts (3/4 oz)
1/2 garlic clove
1 1/3 cups packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

Pierce squash all over with a sharp small knife. Cook in a microwave oven (see cooks' note, below) at high power (100 percent) 8 minutes, then turn over and microwave until squash gives when pressed gently, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool squash 5 minutes.
While squash is cooking, toast nuts in a dry small heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 6 minutes, then cool completely.

Pulse nuts and garlic in a food processor until finely ground.

Add parsley, oil, cheese, water, salt, pepper, and zest and pulse until parsley is coarsely chopped.


mango I like it fresh and cold or grilled with fish

Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian by Judy Krizmanic
this book was one that I found when a student wanted to do a research project - maybe this would be a good one for you and your daughter to use.

pleasant day today - keeping away from the refrigerator between meal times is what I hope to continue with today

Hiya team! Can't stay long, but I wanted to pop in to say hey and let you know I'm still here!

The week has been so-so plan-wise. Stress and tom are taking there toll, and I'm afraid I might actually see the scale go up this week. Foo. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't - hate to be a downer to the rest of y'alls numbers.

Nope ... I still want the weight, you are talking to the girl who is only about 1/2 to 1 inch taller than you and about 50 lbs heavier than you both ... I would love to be that weight right now:)

Flog me. I know I'm a bad team mate. I just had to run away for a while and stick my head in the sand. I was living in denial that this is going to have to be a life-long change for me. I've been ridiculously lax on the health front since late May, and it's showing. So I'm hopping back on the wagon. I will make better choices starting today.

I really have missed you all.

Welcome back! :)

Hey blue team!!

You all seem so HAPPY!!! :)

I'm on the Black Team but it's VERY quiet over there and that just won't do for me today. I'm trying to avoid working out . . . how can I do that when there's no chatter???

GO WORK OUT!!! :yes::drill: I don't know about you but sometimes I need a kick in the butt every now and again. :) But feel free to join our chats, but don't use it as a reason not to work out ;)


Dee- Welcome back!! You CAN do it!!

Dee - great new photo! I just assumed you were still busy at work and not feeling well, just patiently waiting for your return! Glad you made it thru in one piece! Just in time for the finish line sprint of the last several weeks!

I definitely won't be coming here to look for a little fun again . . .

welcome back, more ideas on meals please
 

dixie dieter - hi there- this is the place to get your spirit soaring - so glad to see your input!

I haven't done my best lately either but this week I am trying to do a major push to balance out food in more interesting ways.

linda

:( I'm sorry I didn't mean for you not to come and have fun over here. I just know that sometimes when I don't want to workout I need a little pep talk from my ladies over here on the blue team. :hug: I'm sorry. Now I feel bad.


Dee- Love your new pic :)

YEAH - Dee is BACK!!!!! I have personally missed you :D

Mindy - I "Ditto" Jennifer's remarks. Feel free to join us chatting - the more the merrier - BUT ... we wouldn't let our Blue Team Members use us to escape working out, anymore than we will let you. SO ... Go workout, then come back and tell us all about it ;)

Hi everyone. i actually made it to the gym this morning. it really makes a big difference on how i feel throughout the day. I'm sleepy but I think its cuz my body got really relaxed over the weekend. This was the first time back at the gym since last thursday. I know I can get back on track. I need to.

Happy to see you and love the avi!

mmmmm...lo mein for dinner!

Hi everyone! I had today off w/ dh. We had a wonderful day! We slept in, did a few things around the house and then went shopping. I found two shirts that were on sale--didn't really need them, but they both looked really flattering so I bought them both! I can't wait to wear them! If I look at the day as a whole I did ok w/ food because breakfast and lunch were really light, but I definitely ate too much at dinner. The good new is, as soon as I realized I was starting to eat too much, I wrapped up my food (we had take out).


Ok, I really need to get my grocery list done! That's what I am supposed to be doing right now!

Oh, I almost forgot...I have a hair appt tomorrow. I am SO excited! I am getting hilights, cut, and my eye brows waxed. Not sure what I am going to do w/ my hair exactly....guess I better figure that out soon!

I have been slightly off plan this last week and it has left me feelign pretty crappy.. My cals were fine and i did plenty of exercise but it wasnt enough for me to shift any weight..

The food wasnt great .. we run out of most fruit and veg and i was stuck eating bread.. so i am constipated which wasnt making me feel any better either and atm im showing a gain.. Which i believe to be extra fluid and poop.. lol .

Then the kids are sick and its school holidays and the kids are both in my bed becuase they are sick.. lol .. yeah for me.. lol..

yesterday i got out of my slump.. ( of course money helps lol ) went grocery shopping yippee..got my elliptical .. woohooo.. and got on the beast for my first brilliant workout .. I couldnt be happier with it.. It changes the intesity as im working out.. and has 12 programme i can use .. atm im using the ones that give me around 30 seconds of easy with 15 seconds of hard.. .. wow what a great workout ..

So this morning i got up for my first ever early morning workout.( i usually workout mid morning and late afternoon). i was tired and only did 12 minutes before i was ready to give up.. i got off it had a drink and pee and then thought no way get your *** back on it..

and i did .. i did a total of 35 minutes 10 ks and had a heart rate that went between 130-150.. and didnt drop below that.. so now i know nothing about heart rates .. what should i be aiming at??

umm i hope you realise this means we wont photos of new doo dont you... cant tell us things like that and then not show..

Okay guys, BF laid off from work today. =(

just stopping in to say hello!! Hoping to see a loss this week after staying the same for 2 weeks..I have been OP the whole time..hoping this isnt a stall point!!
debi

Vixjean - :hug:

Amy - Someone else can probably give you better advice than I can about heart rates and exercising, but I do want to say CONGRATS on not only getting your workout in first thing but also for getting back on when you really didn't want to. It's easy to work out when you feel like it and pushing yourself is what gets you past the tough days. WTG!!

My quickie report for my hill training tonight was that it was great and it sucked at the same time. ;) My new shoes made a big difference in reducing my leg pain but I was still really darned sore by the time I got in the car to go home. One of the girls in the clinic thinks I might have shin splints due to my old crappy shoes. She suggested taking the rest of the week off so I'll see how I feel about it tomorrow. The great part was that I did 5 hills tonight (even though I came close to hurling my supper on hill 4!) and survived to tell about it. The total distance came out to 6.5K so it was a really good workout between the distance and the intensity of the hills.

And on that note, I'm done working for the night and dragging my tired butt into bed!