I am a black team fan as well, Jillian! She is very hard on them, but I listen to her radio program as well and she talks a lot about what goes on off camera with them, and a lot of her questions and yelling during the workouts is her trying to get them to think about issues they need to work on if they are to actually keep the weight off after the show. She talks about them making break throughs where they finally "get it" and what a difference it makes in their attitude toward food and exercise in the end. So, I believe there is much more to her yelling than we see.

I was also SO SO disgusted watching them on the luxury challenge. It made no sense them saying "we're dominating, we win everything" and going wild. I really wanted them to lose so they would face the consequences...but what the heck happened to the blue team? Total shock there. I expected them to kill the slacking black team this week.

What got me about Phililpe was that he went over to Bob saying "it's all about the game" on the black side, but he was playing the game just as hard as everyone else. I just feel he is avoiding confronting his own behavior by blaming everything on the trainer. If he keeps that up he won't keep it off after the ranch when Jillian is no longer there to blame.

Let's guarantee...if he had stepped on that scale and dropped 10 pounds he would have been saying "see, i did it all on my won, I don't need her." He only takes credit for the good that he does, anything bad is someone else's fault.

And this all applies to us here in real life as well. We have no one to blame for our actions--good or bad--other than ourselves. If we eat bad it isn't our MIL's fault for suggesting that restaruant or hubby's fault for cooking the bad food. WE choose what goes into our mouth, nobody else! I really learned that from this weeks show.

Purple - I LOVE what you said - "We have no one to blame for our actions--good or bad--other than ourselves." and "WE choose what goes into our mouth, nobody else!" It is EXACTLY the lessons that we need to learn! If we are to lose the weight, and KEEP IT OFF - then it is a CONSTANT battle. You CANNOT award a ON PLAN week with a binge weekend - IT DOESN'T WORK!!! Imagine what would happen if we all ate on plan EVERY DAY for a MONTH! Whatever plan that it is for you... I think we'd AMAZE ourselves!!!

This is all so RIGHT! I think we are ALL so quick to point fingers. I am the WORLD's worst.....lets see...when I worked at McDonald's I blamed "WORK"

This morning I was blaming "not having anyone to work out with" and "not having anything to motivate me"

Why? If losing weight is REALLY important to us......why don't we just do it? I mean yeah...it is hard....but if we really wanted it we would go get it, and we only have ourselves to blame for the decisions we make that go against what we "want"!


And I second what Purple and Eny are saying.........No one can LEARN something for us....No one can DO something for us.....and NO one can WANT something for us....we have to do it ourself! We DO choose if we get what we want or not....

ENY - THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for pointing out that you can't reward an ON PLAN WEEK with a binge! YOU CAN'T EVER EVER DO THIS!

You can reward an on plan week with a new hair do, a massage, going tanning, getting pampered.....and yes even eating at a new restaurant or something like that (or trying a new healthy dish or something)....

FOOD is FOOD it is something that is there to nourish and fuel our bodies.....it isn't a reward....it isn't a friend....it isn't something our lives should be centered around and it shouldn't have control over our lives.....It is just FOOD!

Eny~~thanks for the new quote for my sig! I have got to pull myself out of this funk and think about every single thing I put in my mouth, every single thing I do. Unhealthy eating has become habit. Just like TBL black team showed last night, that habit, that instant gratification, that complacency is deadly for weight loss. I admit, I am there. Feeling sorry for myself~~get something to eat. Celebrating~~get something to eat. Lonely~~eat. Stressed~~eat. You get the picture. Not only do I need to change the fact that I turn to food at these times, I need to change the type of food I turn to.

Why, why, WHY do I turn to food? The results just make me feel worse about myself, more depressed, more sluggish, more lonely. And then what do I do because I feel that way? I eat?!?! How sick is that?

What can I do when I am feeling ways that normally would send me to food?
*Get on here and post
*Take a walk
*Play in the yard with the kids and dog
*Call a friend
*FB a friend
*Write about what I'm really feeling and figure out WHY I'm feeling that way. This one should probably be at the top of my list. First, and foremost, THINK why do I want to reach for that cookie/chip/candy/whatever? WHY? Will eating take care of it? Will it make me feel less stressed, less lonely, less bored, less fat, less depressed. Heck, NO! So why do it? Don't. Change the thinking. Change the action. Change the result.

Any other ideas for things we can do instead of returning to the destructive habit of eating when we are having uncomfortable or painful feelings?

I'm really angry with myself. This is my fault. I am in the situation I am in because of me. I need to change. Now.

How about:

* read a book
* scrapbook or other crafts
* clean the house
* go out to run errands
* sew, knit, etc.
* exercise
* take a long, hot bath and think
* take a nap

I think it is endless and will be personalized to each person's lifestyle, interests, etc. The problem for me is actually doing those things instead of eating. Food is my addiction, I feel I need it to survive. Changing that thinking is my issue right now.

Right. It is so mindless to go and get something to eat. It's the path of least resistance, trod many times. To stop and think goes against the grain, is hard, takes work and time. It all starts in the mind--our thinking is the issue. I'm with you. That's where it needs to start with me. To try and change the behavior (the action) without changing the thinking is like trying to plug the leak in the Titanic with chewing gum. I'm convinced the thinking has to change first.

ok, so I'm around. I'm staying on plan. I was downsized today, so I'm now looking for a job. Gonna survive the pity party without overeating and do something productive, at least try.

I'm so sorry to hear that Tessa. Was it a surprise, or did you know it may be coming?

I knew it was a possibility, this is the 4th round of layoff's my office has had, so I would be kidding myself if I had thought I was immune. I worked at a civil engineering firm in downtown Charlotte that focused in land development, so as the market has tanked they've gone from a staff of about 200 employees to after today probably 60. I had already spent time polishing my resume, so now I've started the job hunt. The difficult thing is that I will have to switch my focus around a little because all the firms in land development are downsizing.

I'm in a much better mood after my nap. I think it's time for some lunch.

Tessa - Sorry about your job I'm glad you aren't letting it get you down!


JennyRaye and Purple - GOOD JOB on the list of ideas for things to do instead of eating! I'm glad to see you being PROACTIVE!

Thanks for sharing

Melissa---I just realized you have a picture now! Nice to put a face to your name.

Tessa--I'm glad you at least had some warning to get things together. Maybe you'll be quicker at applying for other jobs than some of the others laid off with you. Such a sad thing to have to worry about though. I hope you find something soon. Have you thought about writing about some of your work related topics at www.associatedcontent.com? In your field I'm sure you have lots of topics people would be interested to learn about, and you can take in some money while you job hunt. Just a thought!

I am making homemade veggie noodle soup and it smells SO SO yummy! I can't wait for supper time.

I Agree with Eny. Mel maybe that could be an up coming challenge. One month on program challenge. I think we would amaze ourselves.

Sparkle~sorry about your job. It sucks!

Monday night our dragon laid 17 eggs. Not one of them is good. Thought I would be grandma, but not this time. We have another dragon that is pending motherhood. I hope her eggs are good!!~~~still feel like crap, but a little more energy today. I am doing laundry and light clean up. I need to get more decongestant. ugh!! Catch ya all later Pat

Hon I'm sorry that you're going through this! Things are tough right now... remember i was let go early last month due to downsizing too. Just stay strong and positive!!!

There's something I want to address... food IS something that you need to survive... to remain healthy, strong, and to nurish your body. It is NOT something that you need to cure problems in life, stress, happiness etc. Remember "EAT TO LIVE NOT LIVE TO EAT" Seriously... it's slow steps that we always go over and over... and I think we've all made progress. I know that now when I binge is not nearly as bad as it once was... but it's still not good.

I know that sometimes it's easier to run through the drive through instead of going home and making dinner. It's quicker to grab a bag of chips at the gas station then make a salad. And let's face it - most of the time, because of the addicition and negitive relationship that we have aquired with food that we have tricked ourselves to believe that "it tastes better". I know that Melissa has given us challenges to find something new to try - a healthy dish, fruit, veggie etc. She does this to help us to rethink our relationships with food. I've the BIGGEST ice cream lover IN THE WORLD... but frozen yogurt really tastes just as good... and my family hasn't noticed a difference in yogut shakes over ice cream ones. It's little changes - WITH OUT GOING BACK that will make the difference.

I have been "chubby" all of my life... and now isn't ANY different. Honestly, I'm bummed right now that I once again won't hit my ultimate goal this year. I understand why - losing #60 while pregnant, isn't healthy. I've talked to my Dr. - we've discussed the options. I hate that I'm tired all the time, but it's getting better... and even if I can only do a 1 mile Leslie video - I'm as least doing something.

When are we going to stop making excuses?

I think you are doing extremely well to exercise at all. Most people use pregnancy as a reason they can eat whatever they want and move as little as possible. I really applaud you for not doing that and trying no matter how miserable you feel

Everything you said is so true! I struggle now because I am very aware of when I am going to binge and I kind of argue with myself, back and forth over whether I am going to do it or not. Sometimes I do and sometimes I can talk myself out of it. I guess it's good because I am no longer eating on autopilot without thought, but bad that I have to actually have conversations with myself, basically figting over whether emotions or rationality will win out.

Now I sound like a crazy person with all this self talk but, I am the absolute worst at making my own little excuses and I know it's BS but I let myself fall for it. When I heard some of the things Philipe said on BL at first I wanted to smack him and thought "he makes no sense, how stupid! He did it to himself!" but then I realized how I sound just as stupid all the time when I decide to blame someone else or make excuses to binge or not exercise. I thought, wow, that's how I sound! And I don't want to sound that way anymore.

Tessa, so sorry to hear about your job Hope you find something sooner than later and something that you want to do.

Excuses well there are many of them and I to am one that will tell myself no then come up with an excuse and do it anyways......I need that self control back and hopefully soon.....

Hope everybody is have a great Wednesday