Red Team 2012 Fall Back To Basics CHAT Thread Week 1 (08/27-09/02)
 

Hello Red Team & welcome to week 1 of the Fall Back to Basics Challenge.
This is where we can chat & encourage each other during the week.

A little bit about me:
My name is Mel, an American living in Canada. I have 3 kids ages:12, 10 & 8.
I started my lifestyle change in Jan 2009. I lost 60+ pounds at one point, reaching a weight of 147 in April 2011. Since then I've been battling the same 10 lbs!
This is my 4th challenge as Red Team Leader & I've lost count of how many challenges I've participated in.

Share as much or as little about yourself as you would like.

Remember this is a positive, supportive, environment.

You must participate in the weekly chat thread to be named the weekly biggest loser.

Our weekly weigh in thread is located here. You may weigh in (and post your weight) on whatever day of the week works best for you. Just be sure to post your weight before 6pm central time on Sundays (starting September 2nd).
Your starting weight is the weight you posted in the sign up thread- please do not edit your starting weight.


We have 2 other Red Team threads that you may participate in:

Red Team Exercise thread

Red Team Nutrition thread


Looking forward to getting to know you all! Let's get this Challenge Started!

:cheer2: LET'S GO RED TEAM!! :cheer2:

its good to be back....i was away for a few challenges so back to hang tough with the reds!!!

we can do it!!

great to see familiar names as well as new names!!!

:welcome: welcome everyone :grouphug:

Hello all! I'm so excited to get started!
I'm Angie and I'm a new mama. I had lost about 30lbs right before I got pregnant last Oct. now that my wonderful little man is here, I'm ready to lose the rest of the weight and finally reach my goal weight!

So part of me is glad I've got this new challenge to keep me accountable, but the rest of me is going WAAAAAAAH that summer's over! :stress::stress::stress::stress::stress::stress:

Erg. I'm up from my starting weight already. I know it's not fat gain, but not sure if it's water or muscle. I did eat some baked beans and cake last weekend, but I also took a couple hot yoga classes for the first time. So back on the stick all week, and hope the scale cooperates.

Let's go red team! We are awesome!

:cheer:YAYYYYYYYYYYYY RED TEAM!!! :cheer:

WOW, "official" feels great Mel!!!

I'm Elizabeth, and I'm 58, and I live in California. I have a DH, a DS (grown), and a cat and dog. I work nights and sleep days so I will be posting at odd hours. I like to post on the thread -- that's part of the fun! It's going to be a challenge for me to be consistent with food, exercise, and also work nights, and get enough rest, but I'm going to make this challenge time a priority because I believe this is KEY to my success to be a healthier and happier mom, worker, friend, wife, sister, me, etc.

My goals during the the Fall Back to Basics Challenge are:

1. Lose 30 pounds during this time. That would put me down into some new numbers and be very encouraging to me.
2. Eat consistently around 1,700 calories per day.
3. Be consistent when getting some healthy exercise. I enjoy working out in a gym, and I have the Kettlebell exercise videos here to use when I can't get to a gym.
4. To have fun while I participate in this challenge.....my BFF is also on Red Team (Dahlia), and we both have been planning how we will be successful during this Challenge. It should be a lot of fun sharing this with online friends (old and new) and sharing this with her also. The potential reward is better health, flexibility, attitude, confidence, and NEW CLOTHES!! lol

Riddy -- Hi Gal -- good to see you back....I just believe you're going to do great in this challenge.

Mel -- Hi Mel -- I thought you were Canadian, and today i learned you are American-Canadian. Also, with 3 children those ages, I'd imagine you are very very busy. Thanks for continuing to lead our team. And I wish you the best for continuing toward the finish line with your weight loss goal. Go Mel!

Mamamia -- Hi and Welcome to Red Team. Congratulations on your baby boy -- my "baby" is grown, but I did have so much fun raising a boy. You sound very determined to continue your successful weight journey....glad you're here. Go Mamamia!

Rainbowsmiles -- Hi, and Welcome to Red Team. It is nice to meet you, and looking forward to getting to know you. Go Rainbo

Well everyone, here we go! My hope for our team (besides winning of course) is that we will all "hang tough" together as Rainbowsmiles said, and have a successful and fun Challenge together.

:broc: :broc: GO RED TEAM! :broc: :broc:

Hi everyone! This is my first challenge here and I'm quite looking forward to it already! I'm 24, from Toronto, Canada and going into my last year of school. I only started my new lifestyle this summer, but so far so good! This is the first time I haven't been pressured into it, so it feels a lot better and more natural. I have one very floofy cat. She may have as much fur as I do fat, but she certainly keeps me laughing!

Every December I go to Mexico for Christmas (my parents retired there) so I am definitely focused on these next 3 months. I don't even care about bathing suits and all that, because I'd wear 'em anyways, but I'd love to not be a constantly sweaty mess!

Hello everyone. My name is Rosa and I live in Victoria, BC, Canada. I am a 30 year old youth counselor with a wonderful fiance and a feisty 4 year old daughter.

I am fairly new to 3FC and officially started my lifestyle change on June 19, 2012. I have always wanted to be a runner, so that is what I am doing. I run at least three times per week. When I started I could only run for 30 seconds at a time and today I ran 8k!

I am really excited about the challenge and getting to know you all!

Burg, I hear you. I've always been the sweltering one. FWIW, last summer when I was down 25-50 pounds, I could tolerate the heat better than the year before. This summer, it's gotten even better for me. I've even taken a couple hot yoga classes - I never would have considered that even last summer. So there's hope your Mexican vaca will be less sweaty this year! :p

Hi, I'm Antonia. I'm 26, and I live with my dog Sydney (18mo lab/spaniel mix) and my cats Alexei & Lyla (18mo brother/sister American Shorthair silver tabbies) in Arkansas. I've been working on this weightloss thing for 5 years now...got down to 155 (so close) but had a little familial upset that set me all the way back. :( But this time I'm determined to make it stick.

My goals for this challenge
1. Lose 26lbs
2. Keep my eating between 1200-1600 calories per day
3. Exercise 5-6x a week
4. Get back into running

Hi (and hi again) to everyone!

I'm Shana, 31. I'm a writer.

I got diagnosed with hypertension a year ago and joined WW the next day. I've lost 37 lbs to date, but even better, my BP is down into normal levels.

I'm currently on deadline, so I'm about to stab my eyes out with a fork. But come 9/1, I will be free, free, FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Good morning everyone. I hope your week has started off well.
I have a busy day at work today, so this is just a quick fly by to remind everyone to drink their water! Your body needs it, so drink it at every opportunity.

I am terrible at responding individually to everyone- but I'll try my best.

Antonia- I love that you put goals down for this challenge.
I always have trouble goal setting.
For this challenge I am trying to break my scale habit. I am addicted to seeing the number on the scale. I will weigh myself sometimes multiple time a day. So my self- challenge is to weigh once a week and that's it!

Okayy- back to work- i'll check back in later tonight!

I'm Velvet and I am from Maine. I have lost around 60 lbs so far, but have gained 5 back since I quit smoking 7 weeks ago. I just need to exercise more and stop eating whatever I want....lol. I am also insulin resistant so that makes losing weight difficult. Excited to be part of this challenge and starting next week once the kids are back in school and my routine even outs, I will most likely start incorporating better exercise. Oh yeah...I am also a full time student, work part-time, have 3 kids, ages 10, 11, & 16, and a husband.

Oops, just realized I never really introduced myself, just started chatting away. :o

I'm Kris. I live in Upstate NY with my 2 corgis. I'm 39, and I'm doing all this with hypothyroidism, ACL repair in 1 knee, chondromalacia in the other, and plantar fasciitis in both feet. Yet I'm doing hot yoga, working the couch to 5K running program, and I've lost 102 pounds on Medifast since 4/16/11! :D

My last straw was unexpectedly being asked to be a friend's maid of honor. I did NOT want to be the morbidly obese bridesmaid in her wedding photos. Unfortunately it wasn't til 10 months after she asked me, when we went dress shopping, that I finally did something about it. The store was going to have to order the biggest size the dress came in (28) when I was only wearing size 20-22 jeans, and then alter it to drape properly over my big belly. I lost 50 pounds by the wedding, and they had to take 4 inches out of that dress! :D

I don't do well with weight loss on a deadline, so my goal for the challenge is to lose weight and exercise every day. I'm in week 8 of couch to 5k (but only running about 2 miles), so I want to enter a 5K and run the whole thing before this challenge ends, too.

Good luck red team!

hi :wave:
i'm doing my first 5k next month!!!! won't be running the whole thing, but hope to run a little haha i'm on week 4 but still just walking mostly and running a little but i will get there!!

I am 38 y/o mom of 2 kids ages 10 and 7. Today was the first day back to school and i will go back to work part time this week. I am planning to stay consistent with the gym with cardio/weights and be more mindful of my eating. This is my first challenge.

You go, girl! :running::running::running::running:

I REALLY want to run ALL of my first race, so I'm holding out til I can. I'm thinking late September or early October, but if nothing else, I'm running the local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. :turkey:

It's great to see the boards hopping on day one!
Hope everyone drank their water.
I am wiped, so I'm heading to bed. Night all!

HI Red Team,
I'm Bette and I'm 53 years old, married, and the mother of 2. DD is 22 and spending the year in South Korea, DD mis 11 and in 6th grade. I live on a farm and love being in the country. I substitute teach in jr high and high school and just started as a representative for Signature Homestyles. If you are interested then pm me and I'll send you the link to my catalog.
I have a really hard time losing weight, but I need to get back at it after not even trying this summer. I'm looking forward to renewing friendships and making new friends during the challenge.
Have a great week everyone, I have my first sub day on wednesday, I'll be teaching Ag.

Bette K.

Hi Red Team! I am 55 and live in California. I had a really good first day on this journey. Ate wisely and on plan. Had some hunger here and there but responded by drinking more water and having planned snacks. Looking forward to a successful week of "in control" and responsible eating! One day at a time. Good luck everyone! :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:

Hello, my name is Rachel and I teach English in Japan. I just turned 24, am ridiculously obsessed with imgur and puppies, and miss the crap out of my boyfriend back in the states. I have hypothyroidism/PCOS/IR, but counter that with being extremely stubborn. Mulish even. I've pretty much been headbutting my way to a smaller size. Luckily (though it definitely doesn't feel that way most days), I live in the middle of nowhere and don't have a car or license in this country, so if I want to go somewhere I have to walk or ride my bike. I keep trying to convince myself that running is a good idea, but I find it horrendously boring if I don't have something tangible to chase.

While I joined the site in March, I actually started trying to lose weight in June after one of my 4th year students was kind enough to tell me in Japanese that I was much fatter than their last English teacher. At this point I have 20 lbs left until my goal, and would dearly like to have them gone in the next 13 weeks. I don't know how likely that is, but that's sure as H-e-double hockey sticks not going to stop me from trying.

Good luck everyone! GO TEAM.

Good morning team!

Rachel- I lived in Japan for 2 years, on the outskirts of Tokyo in a town called Higashi-Koanei. I was an English secretary for a professor & taught English on the side. Gambatte!

And lots of people running. Wow! Couch to 5k is a great program.

I'd like to know what people eat for breakfast. I usually start with coffee and then have yogurt with grape uts or a pancake or waffle with peanut butter. I find if I don't eat some carbs in the morning, I am famished in an hour or so and start digging into my lunch :|. What works for you??

I need protein in the morning or I get all weird. I have very low blood sugar, and without regular amounts of protein at the least I'll get insanely *****y, or worse, get dizzy and pass out. I usually have an egg sandwich kind of thing (bagel thin or english muffin, 1 egg, 1oz sausage, cheese) but I've been running late the past few days, so I've just been having PB on a bagel with a bit of milk to wash it down.

good morning RED TEAM!! :grouphug:

:wave: hi bette....good to be back on red with you!! :)

yes...i am excited that even at my weight i have been able to "run" 150 steps at a time!!! i will get there in the end!

i used to think that if i didn't have my carb for breakfast i'd go nuts!!...haha....now, i have found that when i eat carbs for breakfast, i CRAVE foods all day....so for the last 3-4 months have been starting my mornings with a protein drink...mostly an iced cold chocolate protein frappuccino and i love it. i've never been one to "drink" my calories...but i have found that the early morning protein truly helps and i feel pretty good all morning!!

i think i have just realized this too montecristo...i feel more alert and seem to have more energy for the day when i have about 25 grams of protein first thing!!

Running has literally changed my life! I started running on June 19, 2012 and could only run for 30 second intervals. Now I can run 5k easily! Oh....and it has helped me lose 30 pounds!!!;) And the energy I have!!! oh my!

Before I started my lifestyle change I was a chronic breakfast skipper/binge around 11am person. I have found that having the same quick things for breakfast work for me and keep me full until lunch. I always have Vegan Proteins+ in 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and a banana. Love it!

Keep up the good work, Red Team!!

Hey all!

Im 30 years old, have an 18 month old and am a Canadian living in the US!

I used to LIVE on this website and lost 72 pounds! Then, got divorced... got pregnant and gained it all PLUS some back! Im finally back and realize I need to stay on here and get the support I need to get fit and healthy!
Im interested in eating as close to the eat as possible. Raise my own veggie and herb garden and have panic attacks in the grocery store over organic meat vs cheap! hehe I immerse myself in learning about sustainable living and living of the land and am a DIY obsessed mama!

I love these challenges and i'm so excited to get on here and meet all of you!!

I will list some goals of mine ASAP ( im horrible with those!)

Mel So interesting that you are an amercian in canada and i'm the opposite! Glad to meet you and hope to get to know you better!

riddy and rosaback when I had shaved off a bit more weight in the past, the C25K literally changed my life! it really does work and it ignited a love for running in me which i NEVER thought I woudl have! Right now after gaining 100 lbs back in just walking, but hope to get started back on the program in a couple months or so!!

bennaloe You are one busy lady! I don't know how you do it! I work full time and have only 1 child and i honestly cannot find time for ANYTHING! way to go, you!!

rachelI have been to fukuoka and osaka and few times but lived and taught english in Korea for threee years. I miss it dearly! I know what its like to be told how giant you are in asia! haha I am a lot bigger than you, so there was no hiding it! I did teach my students a lot about how everyone looks different but i also became a lot more conscience about my health!

just had a post written and lost it- grrr.

Happy Wednesday All!

Hope you are having a great day.

Are you finding it easy to stay on plan?
Remember making small changes and it will be easier to stay the course.

:wave: HI RED TEAM!! :cheer:

hope everyone is staying focused and making good choices!!

DRINK YOUR WATER!!!!!

have a great day!!!

Dropped a pound today! :woohoo:

Evening Red Team!

I've been stuck for the last couple of days (TOM is coming. Joy.) but I went for a nice 8k walk around the city. I haven't had the chance to do that for a while, so it was great! School is starting up again next week so there aren't many of those in my near future, but my program is very physical, so all of that exercise will be back into my life!

monte yay you!! way to go :)

I havn't had too much trouble lately... the days are fine, i enjoy my food and everything.. no problem. But then the baby goes to bed and it's time to chill before bed.. and that's when it's hard. Snacking in the evening is a hard habit to break. Have been guzzling water like a fool! Results in a million wake ups at night.. but the scale is happy that i'm not snacking. I'm hoping after a couple weeks it wont be as hard!

have a great nite everyone!!

CanadaMel: I'm out in Gunma...I hate the area, but I'm trying to keep positive and remind myself that if things were nice and conveniently close around here, I wouldn't burn nearly as many calories pedaling my little buns off day in and day out.

mountainmomma: I'd love to go to Korea...I'd be terrified to try though, since I speak absolutely no Korean...I taught myself to say hello and count to 10 for one of the units in the 5th grade textbook (it involved greetings and counting around the world) then promptly forgot it all. I envy all of the people who have the balls to just dive into a new place...I studied Japanese for 4 years and was still nervous getting a job here.

I've been going to onsens (bath houses) once or twice a week lately...initially the public nudity was terrifying and embarrassing, but it's starting to almost be reassuring now because all of the perfect-looking tiny Japanese girls...aren't actually as perfect and tiny when they take their clothes off. Most of the kids are actually really good about not being rude about the size difference between me and most of my coworkers (impressive since they're between 5 and 12), and some of my 6th graders even started complaining to me one day that they couldn't wait to have a 'woman shape' like I had. I was completely flabbergasted, as I don't think I have a very feminine shape at all.
They're pretty good with the concept of "everyone's different," surprisingly enough...a few of them had to be told before they realized that I wasn't Japanese because they thought that I'd somehow magicked my way to brown hair and big, hazel eyes with ridiculous long eyelashes. (I'm starting to get sick of people asking me where I "bought" my lashes because they "almost look natural!")

westcoastrosa: It's posts like that that make me want to run...I just don't think I have the attention span for it though. Maybe next time I have some spare cash, I'll invest in a smaller mp3 player, throw on some Apocalyptica, and try to motivate myself with some badassery on cellos...

Montecristo and Burg: Congrats to you both! Losses and awesomely long walks are both fantastic.

Hi guys...unfortunately the lovely packed trains in Tokyo gave me a nice little plague when I went there for training at the beginning of the week...I'm mostly over it now, but the scale and I aren't friends at the moment because this morning it decided to tell me exactly the same number it told me last time I was on it thanks to all of the carbs I ate (well, honestly, mostly drank...I went through 4L of various vitamin/mineral/ion supplement drinks because after one of my friends almost died from losing electrolytes, I'm super paranoid) trying to keep nutrients down for 2 days. I'll be working my butt off until bedtime so that I don't let you lovely ladies down come Sunday.

HI Red Team
It's nice getting to know everyone, I'm trying to get back into better habits one baby step at a time. I'm journaling my food again, and trying to get back into the exercise habit. But it's going slow.
Today I heard that the clinic where my whole family gets their medical care has been closed down. The hospital that owns it came in and said you're all fired. The patients haven't all been notified including us, but a relative was and she told me. Nowe I have to go through all the garbage of finding a new dr, and to top it off DD is sick. I guess if she doesn't feel better than it is the er for us. I'm going to make some calls tomorrow and see if we can't find a new place to go. I don' mean to complain, but it's nice sometimes to have someplace to go and talk things out.

Rainbow smiles Nice to see you back, you always give me a life with your colorful posts!

Mel, nice to see you back as our fearless leader (said in fake Russian accent)

Montecristo, Welcome back

Hotaruchan, mountain mama, Burg, westcoast rosa, Dahlia55, bennaloe, mamamiaa- Hi, it's nice to meet you.

Elizabeth 779 and Shanhat-It's nice seeing you again

And to anyone I missed sorry
Have a great weekend everyone
Bette K

Bette: good luck finding a new Dr! I know it can be such a huge pain in ding someone you like.

I'm doing good. We are visiting family with the new baby this week so I don't have access to my gym. I've been doing silly things around the house to make my own gym- like tricep dips off the back of the couch or pushups off the counter- basically anything to keep the fitness level up while we are out of town.

I love visiting family but I am excited to get home and get my workout routine back! Plus it's hard to say no to my mom's delicious carb heavy meals :)

Bleh...putting in my weight a little early because a bunch of things are closing for the summer this weekend and I doubt that I'll be in my apartment much, if at all. Not a great drop for the first "week" considering that it's really closer to 2, but any progress is good progress, right? Heh...man, I'm going to get kicked out so fast if this keeps up >.<

Keep working hard, ladies!

Bette: Ouch...finding a new doctor is always rough. I'm still fighting with my old insurance company over a walk-in clinic charge from last November when I was between doctors...Good luck to you.

mamamiaa: Kudos to you for being creative about keeping up with your workout routine. I need to start coming up with things to do for strength training that don't involve weights...the heaviest I've found so far are 2 kg (slightly less than 5 lbs), which will work for my 30 DS, but really are pretty useless to me outside of that. The only gym around is waaaay out of my budget (upwards of $120 with the current exchange rate).

I hope that everyone has a great weekend!! I have an extra long weekend (took today off and Monday is a stat holiday) and can't wait to get some rest and relaxation in (with exercise and healthy choices, of course...haha).

I'm feeling good about Sunday's weigh-in and I hope everyone else is too!! Go Red Team!!

Good morning everyone!
Hope you Friday has started off well.

Make choices throughout your day that will lead you towards whatever you ultimate goal is.

Depressing day shopping today! I haven't shopped since I was pregnant- except for maternity clothes.
I'm two sizes bigger than I was last year. I told my husband that I refuse to buy anything more until I lose the weight. I am not buying 16s! :)
It did end up motivating me more, but it was a rough trip.

HOtachuran: I am going to buy some 10lb weights and I think that will help a ton with my home workouts- I feel like I will get more done with them :)