Yowzaa!!

I lost 6 lbs from last week. And I went out for dinner last night. Holy crap! This is awesome. I'm now down below my lowest weight by 1.9%. Beat that suckas!

New Member

Hi kids, new year, new member. My chubby cousin Sarah has decided to join us. She took her baseline weight on Thursday, and she'll be putting up her results with the rest of us on Thursday. Welcome Sarah!
PP was also supposed to join us this week, but she's full of excuses for why she can't. I guess she's chicken.
Happy dieting kids!
I'm still on track with my crazy hippy brown rice thingy.

Woo woo!

I lost 3 lbs. I'm still above my lowest weight. But since I only started the wacky hippy plan on Monday, and I ate my face off all weekend, that's a pretty big accomplishment.

New Plan... cause the old one's not working...

So, I didn't lose anything this week. Which is less of a dissapointment than last week because I've been at work a lot, and we had fewer practices this week, and I skipped one due to knee pain (hope I don't have to go back to physio!).
Howver, I was sitting in the lunch room today eating low fat black bean soup and a couple of the other girls came in and started talking about this diet they were planning on doing next week. It's a diet based around brown rice. I've heard about this before from other people. And it's something I'm interested to try. So here goes. This is the info the girls gave me:

Start every day with hot water and lemon, try to eat brown rice at as many meals as possible, and avoid all the following items:

Caffeine (sorry)
Alcohol
Sugar
Salt
Preservatives (no canned/packaged/frozen foods... and that means organic produce only)
Wheat
Dairy
Soy
Bananas
Peanuts
Oranges
Corn
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Eggs
Known allergens

Some of those things seem random, but it's because these foods (like corn and soy) are in EVERYTHING.

Here are some helpful tips:

Rice milk
Rice cakes
Almond butter
Wheat-free tamari sauce (to flavour your rice with! It's full of salt, but still on the approved list!)
Hummus (add it to everything!)
Dried fruit, specifically those fruit leather bars
Spelt and dark rye breads have no wheat, but you're still not supposed to eat them. Maybe bread in its entirety is out. But I say it's okay to have some when you get the bread craving... and you will.
Honey and maple syrup! Shelley had the vague feeling that these were wrong, but nowhere were they mentioned on the food list.
Lemon and pepper for flavouring.

Does that sound like fun or what?

I'll let you know how it goes. I'm starting Monday.

What to do what to do.....

So i was thinking of trying out Weight Watchers online. I actually have their point book from a friend who is a member, however i thought it might help to have something a little more structured. She attends the meetings which she figured were about $16 a week. I'd rather not dish out that much, however their online program is $85 for 3 months and just over $60 for one month (they have a silly $40 registration fee). I'm thinking about doing the 3 months.

Any thoughts on this?

Here's the site

A New Year is Upon Us...

Alright folks over the holiday's i gorged myself on Chinese Food and homemade Bailey's so needless to say i gained another pound. However, with the holiday's behind i was able to get back on track on tuesday as far as my healthy eating and exercising was concerned. It's only been 3 days so next week's weigh in should be much more promising.

I've been getting up a few minutes earlier and eating breakfast at home. That was a major problem for me over the past few months, i got into the habit of grabbing breaky on the road, bagels and cream cheese....not so healthy. I'm back to my egg whites and oatmeal. I even bought some weightwatchers bread incase i wanted a piece of toast.

As well i've decided to keep a food journal. I figure this will help me keep track of what i am actually putting into my body. I'm also following the weightwatchers points and i've purchased a few of their meals to leave in the freezer at work. I'll be less likely to go out and grab take out if i have something at work to eat when i am too rushed to make a meal.

I'm really excited about this new year!! I know we are only able to count weight lost from our lowest number (like if you gain 2 pounds and then lose those 2 pounds we don't count it as weight lost) are we starting over this year though and counting from our current weight? Or going from our lowest weight last year?

Congratulations Yrautca!

Yrautca has reached his target weight, and I'd like you all to join me in congratulating him.
It's actually perfect timing since the weightloss season is upon us. And we're all making our resolutions for weightloss, crowding to the gym diply cheek to saggy jowl with all the other fatties who have been neglecting their physiques over the holidays.
I want to see some serious commitment this year ladies. Any ideas to help add some motivation to the competition? New format? Let me know. I have a couple of ideas. I'm thinking that we should have a little more record keeping this year, a running tally of who has won the most weeks... stuff like that.
I also want to see everyone make a big push in January.
As for this week, no big surprise, but I gained 3 lbs. I ate a lot over the holidays. Next year, I've got to tell everyone to not give me chocolate and shit for Christmas, because I obviously can't resist. I'm having trouble getting too down on myself over it, since I've gotten so much attention over the holidays from all the pals who hadn't seen me in a while. Things like, 'Every time I see you you look more beautiful.' Seriously, who could be bummed about their weight when they're getting those kinds of comments. That's a much nicer reward for a year of hard work than a box of chocolates.

Last weigh-in before Christmas

I'm the same as last week. Which is good, because I've been sick as a dog and totally off my regimen.
As I'm sure all the retailers have told you, Christmas time is here again, and after the Christmas season comes the Weight-loss season and, of course, our first aniversary of competition. To liven things up for our first anniversary, I think we should change things up. Any suggestions are of course welcome. I've been working on a couple of new competitors to keep you lazy bitches on your toes. And also I'm going to ask for updated height and weight info from all of you so that we can have some summaries of our achievements for the year.
I'm sure some of you are having problems posting because of the switch to Blogger Beta, but you're always welcome to email your post or comment to me and I'll put it up for you, or you can post anonymously and sign your name at the end.
Don't forget to email me your heights and weights.

Gettin' there

I'm down again to my lowest weight so far, but no new weightloss to report.
If you have trouble commenting, do it anonymously and sign your name or email me and I'll post your results. I switched to Blogger Beta and it's causing issues for those who don't have it.

Holiday Tips

This article is pretty typical, buy part that got me the most was where she points out that the average weight gain for the holidays is just under a pound and that most people never lose it. Gaining a pound a year during your adulthood is not good, especially when you stack that up against the slower weight gain that most people experience over time.

Eat-smart strategies for party season
POSTED: 10:59 a.m. EST, December 12, 2006
By Amelia R. Farquhar
CookingLight.com
Adjust font size:
The conventional wisdom about the holidays is that weight gain is unavoidable. But don't let it scare you away from enjoying your favorite foods at this time of year. Here are thee eat-smart strategies to get you through the season.

Enjoy holiday foods with moderation
Many common holiday foods -- sweet potatoes, dried fruit, and turkey, to name a few -- are nutritious options when enjoyed in moderation. Sneak in a little extra physical activity every day to burn off additional calories and benefit from the stress-reducing effects of exercise.

Also remember, if you want to avoid overindulging with a food you really love, this is not the only time of year you can eat it. "Ask for a recipe from the cook so you can make it at home, and simply opt to prepare it after the holidays," says Milton Stokes, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

The average weight gain during the six-week span from Thanksgiving to New Year's is just under one pound, according to a yearlong study of nearly 200 people published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Even though enjoying delicious holiday dishes might not increase your waistline by as much as you'd expect, calorie consciousness is still important.

"The weight increase isn't dramatic, but the research did reveal something significant -- study participants did not reverse their gains during the following months," says Susan Z. Yanovski, M.D., study coauthor and director of the Obesity and Eating Disorders Program at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. This has led obesity experts to speculate that the small weight gain from the holidays may accumulate from year to year, contributing to the more substantial gains many people experience as they age.

Keep your appetite in check.
One way to avoid a post-meal energy drain is to approach a big dinner with an appetite that's in check. Avoid eating smaller-than-normal portions for breakfast and lunch, which may leave you feeling ravenous at dinner and prompt you to eat more than normal, Stokes says.

The reason a nap is so appealing after any big meal is the large amount of energy required to digest it, Stokes says. During the process, blood is diverted away from the nervous system and to the digestive system -- where it's needed to help break down food and absorb nutrients. "It's no wonder people are left feeling less energetic, fatigued, and even foggy-headed," Stokes says. Your body signals you to rest because it has a lot of work to do.

Maintain your equilibrium during social situations.
Research indicates that it's not the parties that prompt us to eat, but being around friends and family that may lead to diet missteps. In a study conducted at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, researchers found that dining in a group causes the average person to eat 44 percent more calories than he or she normally would eating alone. "When you're socializing, it's natural to lose track of what and how much you're eating," says Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., professor of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University. "Since the number of distractions will most likely be greater, a holiday party can increase the tendency to overeat even more than just going out to dinner with friends."

Being mindful will help you keep a mental checklist of how much you're consuming. Since you don't want to offend by skipping your host's offerings, try taking a smaller serving. Make a conscious effort to balance your plate with plenty of fruits and veggies, and a healthy portion -- about three to four ounces -- of protein, Rolls says. Also, take a second to look at every bite before you eat it. This psychological connection will help you keep your portions under control.

Amelia R. Farquhar writes about health, fitness, and nutrition from her home in Ossining, New York.

2 lbs lost, looking hot!

berly had a baby girl. Check out her blog. Good luck berly!

New Job and Weight Loss

I lost 0.6% this week, I worked really hard at it especially because I didn't have time to exercise. I started a new job which would normally cause me to gain weight, but I'm hell- bent on forming good habits with this job. Luckily, there's a subway sandwich shop across the road, so I can have a low cal lunch even when I don't bring anything, and I've brought a bunch of fruit and frozen home-made bran muffins in as well. So I think I'm on the right track, on the other hand, I just ate two nanimo bars of the table in the back, so I suppose I still have a little bit of work to do on my habits.

A run in the rain

Its Thanksgiving and it was pouring outside. I decided to go for a run. It was cold, but after my body warmed up, I loved every moment of it. I wish I had just continued running. I had to wear a hat to hide my face because it is surely crazy to be running in rain on T-day.

I am up one pound though. Its getting harder to lose. I am very close to my target and I have planned to be there by Jan 1.

Check out the legs on this guy (and butt). This guy set his camera on auto, and just when he was about to turn to face the camera, the shutter went off. But still, you get the picture.

P.S. somewhere PP just recoiled in utter disgust, so be it.

Up an lb.

I'm up a pound, no surprise since I ate most of my meals this week at a restaurant. I'm starting a new job nest week, so I'm trying to get my fun in while I have time. I'll be on a new more healthy routine with the new job anyway. Besides, I'm having a hard time feeling bummed about gaining a pound since I'm wearing a t-shirt that last fit me when I was 13. Also, this week my hygenist told me that I looked like I'd lost more than 45 lbs since last year - so there you go. I'll be in competitive form next week.

Americans Take a Pass

Today is Thanksgiving so I think I speak for us Americans when I say that we will be unable to partake in today's weigh-in. I think it is safe to say that due to my mother's dressing, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie...I have gained 30 pounds. Okay, so maybe not that much but I'm certainly feeling bloated. :o)

No change

I think I need a digital scale. I got on the scale this morning and depending if I leaned forward or back it fluctuated by as much as three pounds. So I'm either an lb down, an lb up or the same. So I think I'll just go with the average and say no change. But the digital scale is going on my christmas list.

Recipe time!

Okay, I made a few Weight Watcher's recipes and I thought I'd post one that was pretty decent. It's nothing fancy (since I couldn't pull off anything fancy anyway), but here you go. Each serving is 5 Weight Watchers points (238 calories, 8.5 fat grams). Sorry Ash, it's for meat eaters only.

Italian Chicken Rollups
4 servings

Ingredients:
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 (1-ounce) part-skim mozzarella string cheese sticks
Cooking spray
1 cup garlic-and-herb tomato sauce

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of wax paper and pound the Hell out of it with a mallet or rolling pin until it's about 1/4-inch thickness (see, this recipe is theraputic too -- who doesn't enjoy taking out their aggression on meat?)
3. Combine basil, salt and pepper; sprinkle half of mixture evenly over both sides of chicken.
4. Place 1 string cheese stick across the center of each flattened chicken breast. Roll up chicken around cheese stick. Place chicken rolls, seams side down, in a baking dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the spice mixture and coat with cooking spray.
5. Pour tomato sauce over chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

I forgot to pour the tomato sauce over it before cooking and it still turned out fine.

Anyway, let me know if you have any recipe requests and I'll go through my cookbooks and see if I can find anything for you. Enjoy!

I thought we posted on Thursdays??

Are we all losing steam or what? I'm only posting on Friday as i was not home until late last night, not my usual weigh in time only to find that noone had posted anything on Thursday. I know it's hard to drag around all that extra weight fatties but hop to it!!!!

Apparently my lack of sweets, walking around for days and sweating out buckets of water in Africa has gained me a pound. Can you freaking believe it????? I can't...well i suppose i can as i ate A LOT of carbs and very little veggies. It was rather hard to come by veggies that were cooked and i was not risking the shits for raw veggies so i ate a lot of french fries and rice, as well as yummy African food. And the beer...oh the beer. We drank 625ml bottles of beer every evening, countless bottles each, so yeah a pound i should not complain about. I remember coming home from Japan 10 pounds lighter....les boo to the yummy food and cheap beer in Africa!!

Did We All Forget?

Holy moly. We forgot to post.

Okay...shame on us.

But...you'll be happy to know that I'm down 2.5 lbs this week. Thank god because my mother informed me yesterday that there is a surprise party for my Aunt and our entire extended family will be there. Many of whom that I havent' seen in years and I MUST LOOK GOOD!