Tamira

A group of us at work have our own Biggest Loser club.  The last weigh in is on May 18.  Currently she is in the lead, but I am the team leader.  Yesterday one of the team members said to me, you should go ahead and give me the money since I am pretty much the winner.  It wasnt her words as much as the arrogance on her face and the tone of her voice.

So now my goal is to beat her not achieve my mini-goal, however I have made them one in the same.  I know that is the wrong reason, but it has defintely jarred me back into my regular exercise routine. Health not wealth has always been my motivator which I tried to share with the group.  Obviously, we are all not on the same path.

The new session was supposed to start on the Tuesday after Labor Day.  Almost everyone I asked wanted to know how many people had joined so far.  After the 3rd question like that I finally asked why.  Of course the answer was if there arent enough people then there would not be a big prize at the end.

I understand that it’s nice to have that incentive, but the prize should be having a healthy lifestyle for a life time.  So instead of doing Yoga 3x’s a week, I am going everyday, and this morning I woke up at 4:30 and did an hour on the bike.  I know I will reap the benefits of her arrogance, but my main goal is to continue my work after this is over.  I have worked too hard the past year to let someone declare herself the winner based on a few number.  Maybe I can put my toes on the scale when she weighs in! 

Since I am a nightime eater, my daughter now has a mission that involves money (of course).  For every day she doesnt let me eat after dinner (unless it’s a piece of fruit) She gets one dollar.  If I do eat after, she loses a dollar.  Hopefully she will be a very rich 10 year old!

 All The Best!

T

I’m trying to decide if i should buy the $90 Wii Fit or the $20 Fitness Coach.  I’ve heard good and bad about both, so I am open to other opinions.  Please advise…

So, went to dinner with my S.O. on Saturday for Valentine’s Day.  We went to a movie/comedy show/wine tasting event (not bad for $8 each).  Sunday afternoon, broke up with my S.O. because of the lack of trust, yada, yada, yada. 

I’m 2 lbs away from my mini-goal and my goal for this month, which was to lose 5lbs.  I’ll definitely be i the gym all week to get my 2 for the month.

So, even though we dated for 5 months, I woke up very happy and refreshed this morning.  I had to remember that people can be as toxic to you physically as food.  I feel free and ready to tackle the world today.

Hope you all had great a Valentine’s day as well!

I lost 1lbs this week and got out of the 160’s like I wanted to last week, but I am still a bit disappointed.  I increased my strength training and tried to maintain my portions.  I still have a few issues with being hungry late at night, but it’s getting better.  Makes me wish I’d enjoyed a piece of my daughter’s birthday cake though!

On a postive note, I have another full box of clothes to sell on Craig’s List.  I’ve been using the extra money to pay off one of my credit cards.  My goal (resolution) for this year is to be credit card free.  If it’s not in my checking account, I just cant have it.  I’ve gone 2 months without using any of them, so that is good for me.  And I owe less than $1K on the last 2, so I’m even happier about that.

Although I am young, I want to make sure I can enjoy my retirement 30 years from now.  So, I have to sacrifice now to benefit then.  But of course, I’m worth it!

So, everyone that knows me knows that I LOVE the thrift store.  Even before the recession we are currently in.  I have not paid for price for clothes, gifts or even groceries in YEARS!

My S.O. says that I have a shopping addiction and put me on a spending “diet”.  It has been over a month since I’ve been in the thrift store and I just had to go yesterday.  I’m so glad I went. 

I’m sure like the rest of you, as you reach your goal weight you go through many different clothing sizes.  I’ve learned from experience that you will go broke buying clothes each time you are in a new size, but if you dont buy new clothes you look like a homeless person. 

The thrift store near my house frequently has things in the $1 bin. Yesterday, I picked up 2 pair of slacks, a skirt, and 4 shirts from the $1 bin and they were name brand items.  old Navy, Land’d End, etc.  I even got a Kate Spade purse for $2.

So, back to the part about the spending diet.  I knew i couldn’t walk in the house with these bags even though I spent less than $10, so i went to Whole Foods and got 2 of their paper bags (they have handles) and put the clothes in there.  I covered them with a few boxes of pasta and was good to go!

I know it’s silly, but a girl has to do what a girl has to do!  I hope I’m off of my spending diet soon, otherwise I’ll have 40 boxes of pasta in the pantry! 

T

So, several co-workers have noticed my “dramatic” weight loss.  After assuring them that I was not starving myself to tlose weight, a few wanted to know what I’ve done and what don’t I eat.  I told them I eat anything I want, but in moderation.  I purchased an electronic food scale and it has made all the difference in my journey.  I dont buy any of those 100 calorie packs anymore.  They are convenient, but terribly overpriced.  I just make my own from whatever snack I purchase.  So the box of Family-Size Wheat Thins is full of pre-portioned plastic baggies.  I noticed that part of my eating problem, (aside from being an emotional eater) was not wanting to cook or just wanting something quick to eat. 

With everything already prepared for me, I don’t mindlessly eat anymore.  I bring my lunch everyday, make sure I have 2 servings of fruit everyday and I add Fibersure to almost everything.  Well, I tell them all of these things, plus a few more I wont bore you with and they all say the same thing, it’s too much work.  For me, anything worthwhile is worth the work.  If you can get a Masters Degree, you can take the time to plan out a food menu.  I dont get it! 

We have a BL contest at work and for the past 2 sessions (quarterly) I have won the prize.  Obviously if I have lost over 60lbs in the past 8 months, something is working.  Now my rote answer to everyone is I watch what I eat and exercise.  No point in giving actual advice if they arent going to take it.

I have to admit, I have found a new demon to conquer - MGD 64!  I’ve gone from a beer or 2 about once a month to a beer or 2 every weekend.  I still work it into my calories, but that is still too much beer.  It was great to have during the superbowl though.  Between that and the recipes from Hungry Girl’s Superbowl Swaps, I was still able to lose 2lbs last week.

I havent worked out at all since Saturday and I can already feel it.  I’ve tried to get my daughter to help me with incentives.  Everytime she reminds me and makes sure I go work out, she gets a $1.  BUT, since she is 9 and money is not a big deal to her YET, it hasnt worked the way I expected it to.  I am happy that I was able to resist my late night snacking yesterday.  I’ve increased my daytime calorie intake so I’m not as hungry in the evening and it’s been helping.  I’m eating 70% of my calories while at work now and I take my vitamin at night instead of in the morning.  I dont know which of this is working, but I’m going to stick with this for a while. 

As we all know, change is good when you are on your weight loss journey.  I hope everyone has a wonderful day and remember to be mindful of your intake and environment.

 T

My goal for January was to lose 10lbs and get out of the 160’s.  Well, today’s weigh in put me at 160 even.  Considering I started off the month at 169 AND enjoyed the Superbowl festivities, I am very happy with my weight loss.  My new goal is 5lbs.  I’ve lowered it because i’ve started to weight train and I know the scale doesn’t show the fat loss/muscle gain ratio.  The main thing is having realistic goals, and you will not be disappointed.

Hope all is well for everyone!

 T

I am returning to BuddySlim with my head on straight and a REAL commitment to exercise.  We (I) started a Biggest Loser Club at work and I won the last session.  Our new session is from 1/5/09 - 5/18/09.  I have 50lbs to go, but my goal for this challenge is 30lbs.  Since I have been working out more, I have noticed a big change in my body composition.  At 162lbs, I am wearing a size 12.  Last year at 127lbs, I was wearing size 10.  Muscle TRULY does help you get your body back.  Those that know me remember me saying that I couldnt see the weight loss, but everyone else could.  I still have that mentality, BUT I take pictures every month to show me my progress.  I have also made a weight and BMI chart to help me along.  They are on the fridge and are GREAT visual deterrents for my late night snacking.  I still have my moments, but I put in an extra 30 minutes in the gym to balance it out. 

I’ve been in a plateau for the last 2 weeks, but it’s ok.  Since Father’s Day 2008, i have lost 58lbs.  I knowmy body just needs a minute to adjust to the weight loss.  I’ve also gotten rid of ALL of my plus size clothing.  The rumor is true, your clothes will tell you what your eating habits are doing to your body.  I dont have any larger clothes to fall back on, so I have to either maintain or lose the weight.  That is also a great deterrent for me. 

Well, I know this is a long post, but I havent been on in a while.  Just wanted to give you a brief update of my life thus far.  I’ve done some peaking around and I see lots of my buddies are still on here and doing fantastic.  I almost didnt recognize Mary and Dawn’s eyes are so brillant, it’s amazing.  Enough for now, have to get back to work.  SVP is staring WAY too much right now. 

I’ll catch up with you all later!

 T

I just wanted to pop and share a good deal I got on a 20″ Turkey Platter Set from Linens N Things.  The set is on sale for $9.99.   You can order it for a total of $8.40 including shipping.  It is the “deal of the day” so shipping is free and when you enter 223823997733 for the coupon code, it takes 20% off of the $9.99 price.  

Enjoy!

Well, for my official weigh in, I have lost 7lbs!  I know this is my first week, but I’ve never lost this much weight in one week ever!  I am realistic and do not expect to stay in the 7lbs/week trend, but it’s a great way to get back in the saddle!  :-)  Weekends are still hard for me apparently.  As long as we are out and busy, I’m fine, but as soon as I am in the house all day boredom sets in, and we all know what happens then.   I’m back supporting the baby carrot industry to deal with the boredom eating.

So, my daughter has joined the ecology club at school and one of the big things with them is going organic.  So, when we went to the grocery store this weekend, I picked up as many organic (reasonably priced) things as I could find that was on our list.  Not to sound like a commerical, but the organic fresh vegetables tasted so much better than what I normally purchase.  I’m glad she joined this club and opened me up to new food options.  I think we may start to convert all of our food to organic.  I didn’t realize what a great twofer organic food was.  Save the planet AND save your body!

Other than that, not much is going on.  I’m trying to plan my Thanksgiving menu for 10 people with good healthy food that is also delicious enough for teenagers to eat.  I usually sub in pureed veggies for a lot of ingredients in the dishes, but i’m not sure if that will fly with the greasy spoon crowd.  I guess the good thing about it is, they are a captive audience, and since I’m doing all of the cooking, they’ll have no choice but to eat it!