Morning all!  Well I heard a funny quote today regarding the above table... a coworker of mine said that whenever he went to the doctor, he would see this table and there was a sign that read, "You are not too fat, you are just too short!  Look up your weight to see how tall you are supposed to be!"  How funny is that! In that case I would love to be 5-11 :)  We are almost at week 7, I am hoping you all are seeing a difference? In this chart alone, I like that I am leaving the orange area behind, and headed to the yellow and green!!!  I just wanted to add that quick note.. It made me smile, so if you read this Kevin (MN Kevin) thanks :)

I will be out of town starting Friday, goin to visit a friend. I will try to post pics and blog while I am out! Have a great weekend, and Happy Leap Day :)

4 Weeks!!!

Morning everyone!! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Well can you believe it? We made it to week 6!  I think a few people may have dropped out, or lost motivation, but there are still a few of us out there kickin and trying to do this!  I am so very proud of all of us! We have taken the effort and tried our bests to make lifestyle changes!  Thats the most important thing of all, we have changed the way we think, eat, and hopefully the way we exercise.  I decided to go through my closet this weekend tried on clothes and was so excited that I had a garbage bag full of stuff that was too big! YAY! Too big is always a good thing! I can tell on the scale I have lost the weight, but not until I decided to go thru my clothes, could I tell where I have lost it.  Apparently all over, jeans are too big, shirts too big! Such a great feeling!   Well I have tons to do today so I just wanted to send a quick note! Take care everyone!! Happy Dieting!  kisses amy

DOH!!!!

 I tell you its Wednesday but it sure feels like Monday all over again!  I havent blogged in awhile with the promotion at work, and life at home, I just havent had a chance to fit it in!   Today I thought, I will blog.. well geez.. its been so long I couldnt remember my log in, my password, or even the email I used!   Low and behold, if you enter in the correct email.. You will get in!  Note to self.. only have one email account ! lol  ANYWAYS..... How the heck have you all been? I am feeling great!!! I made a personal goal to myself last week, I had only been losing half a pound here or there, and I said nope, Im not doing that anymore.. So I told myself, I will lose 2lbs, last wk, and Im striving for 3 this week.  Well, I got on the scale mid week last week just to see and I thought the scale was wrong. I got off, got back on, got off, then back on.  To my great suprise, I had dropped 3.6 lbs! I was so EXCITED! It was 4am and I wanted to call everyone I knew!  Since I figured they would all probably kill me, I decided my 8week old puppy could share the news with me! I said "Scout!!! Mommy lost 3.6lbs!!!

 Can you see the excitement on his face? ==============>

I think he was so happy he just could not contain himself..  seconds later, he was asleep! Oh well. I told SOMEONE!! By the time it was weigh in time on Monday, I weighed again and was down another .6lbs, so in all my hard work for that week helped me to drop 4.6lbs! YAY!!! I was so excited! I actually worked out so much between hiking, and the eliptical at the gym, and the constant mopping due to a potty training pooch, I was burning so many calories, and gaining that back in food allowance for my day, I just couldnt eat all the calories I was given!  I deffinitly feel great about it though! For the 1st time in about 10 years I am under a digit I didnt want to be under!  And even better my BMI (Body Mass Index) went from "obesity level 1" to "overweight".  I am totally ok with just being overweight! But I am working on that so I wont even be that, I want it to say "HEALTHY"... and at the rate I am going I should be there soon!   I hope all of you are doing the same, feeling great, making lifestyle changes and overall, being happy with who YOU are.  Theres only one of us, and we have to make the most out of what we were given!   I will get back on here soon! Maybe a small post from the gym later.. have a great week!! * Week 5 by the way!!! We are half way thru the challenge and as a combined group, the 13 of us have lost 77lbs! If you divide it up, its about 5.92 lbs per person, give or take, since we have some OVER ACHIEVERS in the group, they will remain nameles... ( Peggy and Warren)  just kiddin! Great job everyone!! until next time!   kisses amy!

YAY!!!

YAY ME!!!  I have to pat myself on the back for a minute, not because Ive lost a ton of weight but because a long time personal goal finally came through for me.  I have been in my current work position for the last 7 years, I interviewed for a promotion, was given the promotion but due to the work hours I unfortunately had to decline.  Well 3 hours later my supervisor came to me and said she wasn't allowing me to decline, they found hours that would work for my schedule!! YAY! Someone was looking out for me!!  So needless to say this has been a huge turnover for me. A new outlook on 2012.  2011 was very rocky for me, and I am working everyday to make it better, so this has been a great motivation!  Our weight loss challenge is also such a good thing. I started working out and trying to lose weight the day before Thanksgiving? Crazy I know, but I have done well.  I have lost 17 lbs so far, 4 of those with this challenge. Its such a good thing for me! I haven't had the opportunity to work out at the gym that much the last few weeks due to kids, work, life.. But I have done as much as I could at home to get that exercise in! Lets just say my floor has been swept and mopped twice this week! :)   I have 1100 sq feet of ceramic tile, so its not an easy chore! Ive also cleaned my garage and car, and I did manage to hike last Sat and Sunday.  I liked it so much, I am going to do it again this weekend!  Well I had to share my news, Its been a good week so far! Got rid of alot of Junk in my life, new job title, raise, now its time to buy that winning LOTTO ticket!!  Have a good Friday everyone!! kisses amy

38 days!

Hellloooooo and top of the morning to ya!   Its the second week of February, can you believe it?  Which means there are only 38 days left of our challenge? So far people are really sticking to it! I am so happy! We are making life changes here, not temporary changes!! So.. what did you all do this weekend?? I climbed a mountain, TWICE!  I have wanted to start hiking and just havent gotten a chance, well I went to visit my parents and they have a mountain right in front of their house, so my husband, my 71 year old father and myself tackled the mountain!  It was awesome! I felt great afterward, so I made my neice join in with me the next day!  What a great feeling to accomplish something like that! Plus its GREAT cardio!  In the two days, with about 2 hrs worth of excercise, I burned 1178 calories! yay!!!! Now I am hooked I want to do it again!  So I guess Im hoping that you all go out and try something new this week, something different, the weather is beautfiul ( depending where you are) so take advantage of being outside. Ride bikes, hike, roller blade, shoot wash your car! Its all great for you!  Have a fantastic day! I will chat again soon! kisses Amy

1...2...3...4

Morning Ya'll! lol.. Happy Thursday to ya! So I was sitting here counting out my goldfish for my morning snack and wondered is anyone else doing this?  My coworkers probably think I am crazy?  I really wonder how many people actually pay attention to the serving size amounts. I know at times I dont. For instance,  I love trail mix I have no problem grabbing a bag thinking yay, this is good, there are raisins and nuts, and a hint of chocolate, then I sit and eat the whole bag .( small bag, or individual sized bag)  Well I decided one day to look at the calories, did you guys know that the calorie info is on the package! lmao..To my surprise this entire bag, a 4oz bag has 520 calories in it! OMG!!! AND worst of all its 2 servings! Unbelievable I could have actually eaten a Kit Kat bar, all 4 sticks and it only have been 220 calories.. and oh so much tastier!
Basically I guess what I am getting at... looks are deceiving.. just because it looks better for you doesnt mean it is!  A grilled chicken Caesar salad, is actually worse than a Hamburger and fries? Silly huh! Definitely pay attention to your labels, or before you decide to go out to eat, check the nutritional info online, you will find that you may be better off to stay home or you may think twice about where you go to eat.  Same thing goes for the grocery store, definitely read the labels! Yah there may be only 100 calories, but how many servings? One or two?  Think before you eat!  Im kind of rambling today had alot of different thoughts go through my mind, and since my breakfast didnt smile at me today, I just couldnt get it all together! wink wink :)  Hope everyone has a fantastic day!!! kisses Amy

What a way to start the day!

Good Morning!!! On my way to work this morning I was running unusually early, and thought man I wish the gym was open at 4am, well since it isnt, I decided I will do my own mini workout!  So I ran into the building, dropped my stuff off, logged onto my computer, and ran up the 5 flights of stairs we have here!  When I say ran, I mean it.. I got to floor 4 and then it was a slow walk! lol.. REGARDLESS.. I got my metabolism goin 1st thing! And I feel AWESOME!!!!   Experts say that if you do at least 11 minutes of excercise 1st thing in the morning, you set your metabolism for the entire day!  Well I think I did it.. I feel so good, 5 minutes of stairs, and here it is 30 minutes later and I still feel my heart pumping.. Its gonna be a good day!  Wanna know how I knew that?  Well I came back to my desk panting away, and looked over to my left, and my breakfast was smiling at me <=========  CRAZY HUH!!! Even my food was proud of me! :)  Anywhooo  we are in week twoooo!  (look at me I am a poet and didnt know it)  lol I am crackin myself up today!  Week two people, only 8 short weeks to go, and over all for the 13 of us that have decided to continue with this little journey, as a combined group we have lost 59lbs total in the 2 wks! Thats 4.5lbs per person, or 2.25 lbs per person per week.. Thats amazing!!! If we keep it up,at this rate,  we can reach almost 250 total pounds lost, totaling a loss of about 18lbs a person. OMG!!!  Bathing suit weather here we come! Shoot once we get to that point, I can honestly see a round 2 coming along!!! Just think, the middle of March is our ending date, if we start up again for another 10 wks,we will be done before Memorial day ( the official start to the summer season) ! We can be down close to 40lbs each!   Thats unbelievable, yet ACHIEVABLE!  For myself, 40 lbs down, that means less insullin, which in turn means Great Hemaglobin A1c ( or overall blood sugar levels) This alone, is way more important to me than the 40lbs.. But then again, being able to wear a cute swimsuit and not feeling like I need to wear a t-shirt over it, thats also a good thing!   I guess in all this rambling today I just want to say GREAT JOB EVERYONE!!! Keep it up! If you are having a bad day, well tommorrow is a new day, start over again.  If you usually ride the elevator in your office, take the stairs.  If you have a long hallway at work ( like I do) try doin some squats!  Lol you make think I am joking, but I do this, and people look at me like I am a freak cause I am bouncing up and down over our walls. Then they go "Oh its just Amy doin her squats again!"  Well at least Im doing something!  Go for a walk around your office, if you work out of your home, stand instead of sit, do a few jumping jacks, anything to get your heart pumping and your blood flowing!
Make it a good day! Dont let anyone ruin your day, if they want to have a crappy day, so be it, but take my advice today (ok ok, and Bon Jovi's) "when the world looks in my face, I say HAVE A NICE DAY!"
Kisses,Amy

Im Baaaaackkk

Hello Everyone!!! Sorry its been a few days, I had a rough couple of days, then I got sick, but Im ok, Im Alive... and almost germ free!   I cant believe how AWESOME everyone has done this past week! GO US!!! I can honestly say I havent excercised all that much this week, had some sort of a cold, so my butt rested on the couch for a good 36 hours! Well I am going to make up for that somehow this week!  I have logged my food on the loseit app, so that was at least a good thing.   Just wanted to touch base for a few, I will get back to my Witty posts soon :)  Happy Thursday!!!

Yahoooooooo!!!

Well it's the first official weigh in and things are going great! I'm down about 2lbs and I've seen others down 3 or 4 and then my sister Racheal whom I am so very proud of, is down 9! Wow! It's amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it! Great job everyone! I know I was stoked this weekend when I went to buy a new pair of jeans and I had to get the size smaller than what I normally wore! Yay! So what are any of your accomplishments? Anything super awesome this weekend? Well this was just a short note for now I will get back on here soon! Great job everyone! Kisses Amy!

Setback and vent

Well today started out as a good day but as it progressed I can honestly say I've had a cruddy sort of day. Reason I decided to vent to you guys Is cuz lately I have been so upbeat and perky and happy I just want you to know I'm normal like you guys too. I don't always have a big smile on my face. Well it may be a smile but it's not a genuine smile, a smile from the heart. Today is just one of those days. I smile because I have too. I smile thru hurt and drama and pain. I just have so much going on in my life today is just a breaking point for me. What decisions to make, are the the right decisions, will this affect the rest of my life? My kids lives? I shouldve gone to the gym and worked out and sweated thru the day but no I took the low road ate junk I knew wasn't good for me got off work and went home and napped on my couch. I tried to be strong but there's only so strong you can be at times. I'm sorry to vent but for some reason this blog is a new outlet for me a journal of sorts. So I apologize if I'm a downer right now tomorrow is a new day and I'm goin to start it all over. Thanks for following my little journey... Just a small setback of this thing we call life.

Strength Training

Well hello again my friends! Happy Thursday!! One day closer to FRIDAY :)  So I usually have a post before now, but I sat here thinking over and over again, what do I write about today?  Then I got up to grab something from the printer and my tush hurt, so I thought Aha! Ill talk about one of my favorite machines at the gym!  I dont know what its called, so I refer to it as the "butt machine".   You lean forward on this contraption, hold on to the hand rails, set the desired weight and one leg at a time, extend your leg backwards, I usually do ten reps per each leg, three different times, so a total of 30 butt excercises.  This machine works! I mean it looks silly but it really firms your gluteaus maximus! Ive tried to use this machine at least three times a week and in no time, I saw a difference in my tush!  lol I know you are thinking Too Much Info!  Butt ( haaa) my point is, you need strength training as well as cardio.  Cardio burns the fat, but the strength helps to build the muscle.

Resistance training builds muscle strength and tone. Humans lose 5 pounds of muscle every decade after age 30.Strength exercise can raise metabolic rate, an important factor in maintaining body weight. During cardio exercise, the heart loads up with blood and pumps it out to the rest of the body: As a result, the heart gets better and more efficient at pumping.

But during resistance training, muscles generate more force than they do during endurance exercises, and the heart is no exception. During a strength workout, the heart's muscle tissue contracts forcefully to push the blood out. Like all muscles, stress causes small tears in the muscle fibers. When the body repairs those tears, muscles grow. The result is a stronger heart, not just one that's more efficient at pumping.
Another big advantage of working out with weights is improving glucose metabolism, which can reduce the risk of diabetes. Strength training boosts the number of proteins that take glucose out of the blood and transport it into the skeletal muscle, giving the muscles more energy and lowering overall blood-glucose levels.

For me this is a good thing, being diabetic, I can use all the help I can get! Strength training has been good in so many other ways, it has made certain areas of my body look better. I have a muscles in my legs I never knew I had before.  My legs are tone, I have muscles in my arms. I know I have abs somewhere built underneath all that protective "flabby armour" :)   Continue to work on that cardio, but also at least one day a week, lift some weights, your children, pets, garbage cans, anything you can grab! Make it a great day! kisses Amy

 

BIOS

Amanda had a great idea, lets post bios about ourselves, so I am attaching them all here, so we can all get to know each other a little better :)

I thought it might be good to get to know each other a bit.  So, my name is Amanda, many people know me by Mandi, but since there is another Mandi here I’ve decided to go by Amanda not to confuse anyone.  

I’m 34, will be 35 in April, and have been struggling with my weight for at least 10 + years.  I work in an office…sitting on my but 8+ hours a day!  So like most people, I struggle to exercise.   I started trying to lose weight in February 2010, and have since lost 41 pounds, and have gone from an 18 pant to a 14.  So I know loss is possible.  I moved to Florida in June of 2010 and have been on again off again losing weight since then. 

My goal weight is 140, so only 54 more pounds to go…but my first BIG goal is to lose the full 50 pounds, only 9 more pounds.  But those 9 pounds have been the toughest.  I’ve been at this weight for about 3 months and I’m ready for it to be gone. 

I’m so glad to see everyone here!  The money is a great incentive, but honestly, we know it’s for our health, family and friends.  So we can be around for everyone. 

Best wishes.

Amanda

Well, here it goes. Hello everyone I am Peggy and I live in Brookings, Oregon. I have been married to my husband Randy for 24 years and have two beautiful daughters. I love to cook, bake and eat so this is going to be a challenge.

This Saturday I will celebrate my 50^th birthdayL. As a birthday present to myself I have decided to try and see if I couldn’t lose that terrible weight I have been carrying around for the last oh, 20 years. I have also had encouragement from my sister Amy (thank you Amy) to get the weight loss in gear. I have to say I am very motivated and want to see much less of me this time next year. It’s not going to be easy and I know that but we have to start somewhere.

Peggy

Well you have already started to get to know me, I am Amy, Im 32 years old, been married for 12 years this March. I have two kids, a 9yr old son, and a 7 year old daughter. They are my world!  I am also a type 1 diabetic, been on insullin since I was 8 years old.  Got on an insullin pump in 2002 and was told I added 20 years to my life! Woo hoo!  I have always struggled with my weight loss, and being diabetic doesnt help.  Everytime I excercise, I always end up with a low blood sugar so its a roller coaster!  I am totally motivated, and want to get healthy. My goal is to get to MILF status! Lol. 

Amy

I’m Kim aged 29

Mother of 3 girls, done with having children. October I had my first physical and decided to lose weight. Its not an option at this point. I tipped the scales at 300lbs but down about 22.5 lbs now. Its difficult most days but I usually get back on track. I’m here to steal all your money from you. Hehehe. Happy Weight Loss.

Im 32 years old going on 33. My name is Mindy. And I have been a fluffy girl since i hit puberty. I managed to lose a good amount of weight back in 2001 and then I got pregnant with my daughter who is now 10. I have struggled alot since then to lose the extra weight of the pregnancy and also the stress eating I did when I was with my daughters dad.  I gave up soda about 4 years ago after becoming sick and no longer enjoying the taste of it. That still didn't help out any with my weight lose. I finally decided to do something about it back in 2010. After working out 6 days a week straight and now getting anywhere I decided to go get Lapband surgery done in Feb. 2010. I lost 40 pounds in 2 months but I have been struggling since then. I manage to lose alittle bit at a time but then I get depressed and put it back one. Granted I can't eat as much as I once could I can still eat cookies, ice cream and chocolate in small amounts through out the day. I also don't find the energy or motivation to workout like I should. I'm glad Amy has come up with this challage. I need this push to get me going again. My goal is to be in a size 10 (I'm in an 18) or at 160lbs. I started out before surgery at 268. I am now 233. I would like to be below 200 by my birthday in June. or at least by the end of this challange.

Thank you Amy!

You are what you eat

We have all heard the saying "You are what you eat", well its true.  If you eat "crap" you feel like crap.  I know I will go days eating salads, and chicken and fish, and everything healthy known to man, then I feel the urge to have some oh so yummy pizza or french fries, and later that day, I feel sick.  Sick to where I know I just ate garbage.  Yes it tasts oh so good, but its also oh so bad!  For instance, the picture to the left, its a typical meal you have while at the mall, running around town, just a quick meal to get you thru til your next "feeding".  Have you ever thought of the calorie intake, fat intake, sugar, sodium or carbs involved.  Well you will today!!! I am gonna break it down for you!  Two cheeseburgers, One large fry, and two large onion rings, and 3 servings of ketchup. Total calories 2485, fat grams 132, carbs 260. OMG!!!  Of course that was the grand total, so each person sitting at this table, sharing this tray of food, just consumed 1242.50 calories, 66 grams of fat, and 131 carbs?   Thats almost your daily allotment of food??? We are crazy? No wonder we are all overweight and at risk for heart disease, and diabetes!  Think about it, we feed this stuff to our kids too, because its "faster" , faster isnt always better?  Lets get back to the way we were raised.  Eating out is a treat, a twice a month type of thing.  Make meal plans with your kids, have them help with dinner, sit down at the kitchen table, talk about their day, enjoy the time together, and the fact that you are doing something good for you, your children, your spouse, your life!

Lets make this a good day!! Today's goal, 8 glasses of H20, at least 30 minutes of activity, sweeping mopping, washing your car, walking.  ( you get the point)  Have a great one everyone :)  kisses Amy

Elliptical time

Soooo I am trying to kill time ( and myself obviously) and blog from the eliptical... So far so good I haven't fallen yet so keep those fingers crossed for me! There are quite a few good lookin men here today maybe if I do fall I will be lucky enough to get some CPR! My luck it will be the 90 yr old grandpa goin 2mph on the stationary bike 😜 well I just wanted to see how you all are doing? Right now I am dead sexy sweaty and smelly! Yessss!GO AMY sweaty = weight loss....or maybe I should shower more :) Happy Tuesday!

Ok  Ladies!! We have officially made it to day two! YAAAAAAY!!! only 68 more days to go! I dont know about you all but I am feeling super motivated, energized, and just down right happy to be alive! ( Do I sound like an infomercial yet?)  Well I am hoping to, cuz what I am selling I want you to buy!!! I want you to buy into the fact that we are beautiful, intelligent, happy, independent women that can do whatever it is we put our minds to!  Today's topic for me, well I don't know if you can tell by the picture above, but its regarding diet soda!  Diet soda is a big NO NO!  I am going to reference a few lines from a book I am currently reading, "Skinny Bitch"-- A no-nonsense touch-love guide for savy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!  Let me tell you this book is straight forward and tells you just like it is! These ladies that wrote this book sure did not sugar coat this stuff!  Ok brace yourself, girls: Soda is liquid Satan. It is the devil. It is garbage.  There is nothing in soda that should be put into your body. For starters, soda's high level of phosphorous can increase calcium loss from the body, as can its sodium and caffeine. This can lead to osteoporosis. Last time it was checked, sugar found in soda by the boatload, does not make you skinny! Now don't go patting yourself on the back if you drink diet soda. That stuff is even worse. Aspartame ( an ingredient commonly found in diet sodas and other sugar free foods) has been blamed for a slew of scary maladies, like arthritis, birth defects, fibromyalgia, Alzheimers, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes.   When methyl alcohol, a component of aspartame, enters your body, it turns into formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is toxic and carcinogenic (cancer causing). Laboratory scientists use formaldehyde as a disinfectant or perservative, they dont drink it! ( --Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin)

Does that make sense girls??? Diet soda, diet/sugar free foods and sweeteners are harmful! FORMALDEHYDE--that's what dead bodies are embalmed with, and we drink this stuff.. one word GROSSSS!   As of today, it may be a day to start drinking something new. Ice tea, water, lemonade? Anything but soda!   The recommended daily does of H20 is 64oz a day, that's 8 glasses, or 4 average size water bottles.   The more you drink, the more you pee, which is also a great thing!   Well ladies, all this talk about soda, and water and liquids.. well its time for me to hit the lil gals room :)   Have a FANTASTIC day, feel free to comment and write thoughts and whatever makes you feel good! This is a happy place here ;)  Tinkerbell always said "Think happy thoughts" but my motto today is "Drink happy thoughts"  kisses Amy

Day one!

Welcome welcome! It is the first day of the rest of our lives...ok ok maybe not but it is the first day of our NEW lives! A new outlook on the way we eat, exercise and take care of ourselves. One thing I have learned in the last few months is no one can take care of you better than YOU! If you don't take care of yourself there will be no one to take care of your loved ones! Let's get today started on a good note. Lots of veggies, fruits and good ole H20! If you don't feel like doin all too much exercise IT'S OK! Any movement is better than no movement at all! Think about it this way, you may not feel like hiking a mountain but you have stairs at home, take advantage of that built in mountain! U hot some handy weights laying around? Well make several trips up and down carrying those weights, trust me you will feel the burn! If you don't have weights it's ok! Grab a 2 year old or water jugs whatever you have lying around :) The experts say that If you start your morning with just eleven minutes of exercise you have kick started your whole days metabolism! We can do this ladies! Wishing you all the best! This is my first blog attempt so I am gpnna work on this along with my exercise! Make it a great day! Kisses AMY :)