We have about 10 weeks left of our contest....

So what better than a 10 week challenge??? Here is to all those that are interested!

The 10-week Weight Loss Challenge!

1. Define your Goal
   Since the timeline has been established (10 weeks), we now have to figure out what our weight loss goal should be within that time frame. I’d recommend 1 pound of weight loss per week. One pound is aggressive enough to see significant results by the end, but safe enough not to disrupt your life too much. I know you want to lose weight fast, but you also want to keep it off, right? A pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. There are 7 days per week…so we need to burn 500 calories more each day than we eat. Sound good? On to Step 2.
2. How many calories do I burn each day?
   The amount of calories that you burn each day is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Click the preceding link for a calculator and further explanation. Your BMR reflects your body’s calorie needs in order to maintain your current weight. Let’s say, for example, that your BMR is 2,000 calories per day. Subtract 500 calories and your goal would be 1,500 calories a day. Do you want to be able to eat more and still lose weight? See the next step!
3. Exercise…the weight loss accelerator!
   If you truly want to lose weight fast…the right way…exercise must be part of the solution. Let’s take the above example of a BMR of 2,000 calories per day. Now add in 15 minutes of morning calisthenics and a 2-mile walk or jog…and your body is now burning 2,300 calories per day. So, using the same example, you can eat 1,800 calories and still meet your 10-pound weight loss goal! There’s another free calculator on the Calories Burned by Exercise page that can help you figure out these numbers. If you’re a walker, have you thought about starting to jog or run? There’s a nice 10-week beginner running plan that gradually steps up your mileage in just 3 weekly workouts so that you’ll be running 3 miles by the end of the plan. Running is a great calorie burner and a fun hobby…check out the preceding link, if interested in starting. There's no better way to lose weight fast than by becoming a runner!
4. Food: How much & what kinds?
   I don’t know about you, but there's no way I could give up my favorite junky foods...forever. Cutting back…sure…that’s OK. Declaring that I’ll never eat chocolate again…that’s just not realistic. Your plan should be a mixture of portion adjustments and replacing junky foods with healthier foods. The best way to approach your calorie counting is to start a food log. Start each day off with a negative number (your BMR). As you eat foods, add in their calorie value. As you exercise, subtract that value. Your goal is to end each day with a -500 value. If there’s a wedding, party, or otherwise glutinous affair coming up…perhaps you try to get a few -700 days so that you have some more eating freedom during the party. As long as you reach a -3,500 for the week…you’ll meet your goal. Make sure you keep an honest food log, though! In order to lose weight fast, you need to take it one calorie at at a time. Add every cookie or cracker…count out the chips and pretzels for the serving size. It may be a tedious at first, but you’ll get really good at estimating calories of various foods with practice. Use these free tools to assist you with your eating choices: nutritional value charts,fast food calories, food log template, counting calories advice, good snacks, and high fiber foods .
5. Final Step: Be Patient & Persistent
   When we put our hard work and effort into something, we want results and we usually want them NOW. This 10-week challenge is the best way to lose weight fast, but it takes patience if you want long-term results. The changes that you’re now starting will take time…as do all significant accomplishments in life. So don’t get frustrated when the bathroom scale seems to stall for a week or two. You’ll be able to see and feel the results in just a few weeks. Something else to think about…that 10 pounds of fat that you’re going to lose in the next 10 weeks is enough to fill up a gallon milk jug and then some! That’s a significant amount of weight loss and it’ll make a noticeable difference in your appearance. So, be patient and know that great results await you at the end!

In summary, if you want to lose weight fast you shouldn't have to spend any money or radically change your habits overnight. Most of the diets based on these principals usually fail. Take your time and do your homework on weight loss and healthy long-term habits and hopefully you’ll find that it’s best to gradually adopt and implement the health habits discussed above. Now that you’ve started…good luck! Keep up the hard work and take it one day at a time.

~Kristen Spencer

Some things I'm doing to stay focused

The first week was more of a pump me up week, Week 2 I started exercising every morning for approx 40 min. WOW to my amazment that gave me tons of energy for the rest of the day.
Now to work on my food intake.. since I'm trying really hard not to think of this as a diet but a way I can live. My favorite thing right now for breakfast is a Eggbeater omlett with mushrooms and tomatoes, and those new bread bun looking things they are called sandwhich thins but they are whole wheat 100 cal and 1 fat gram... so for breakfast 130 calaries and 1 fat gram... the other thing is I am only going to weigh myself on the first of each month, I personally get too discouraged, so if you dont see me posting my weight thats why, but just know Im in and I'm working out everyday.

My 120 pound journey.

WE CAN DO THIS!

Well, I'm 11 days into the Biggest Loser Fall Contest. I am down 2 pounds since my day one on Sept. 3, 2010. I have 17 pounds to lose to get to my goal weight. I wanted to be to my goal weight by my birthday on November 22 when I turn 35. Not sure I'll make it, but for sure by the end of the contest! I am finding it super helpful to plan my days out. Plan my schedule of what needs to get done including exercising and eating. I'm planning exactly what time and what I am going to eat. Then I am keeping a record on the fridge of EVERYTHING THAT GOES IN MY MOUTH! Being accountable is huge! (I always know my hubby will see it and it makes me more aware of snacking.") I am 5 months out from having baby #5 and I am nursing. After I nurse I am really hungry sometimes so it helps to have a small protein/complex carb snack AND a large glass of water as I nurse. If not, I tend to get sugar crazy after. "PLAN MY WORK, WORK MY PLAN!" I BELIEVE IN ME! (AND YOU!)

love ya'll,
Mandi Taylor

Kristy's First Weigh-In

SUCCESS!

Somehow I missed the first weigh-in last Saturday but I'm excited to say that as of today I've lost 3.5 lbs! I'm excited and feel like it's a great start! Good luck today, everyone!

Kristy

Watch Out! The Freshman 15 Isn't Just for Freshmen

By Steve Edwards

Back-to-school time doesn't just affect students. It's the time of year when everything changes—for everyone. The days shorten, it cools off, we get really busy, and the holidays are looming around the corner. As opposed to those frivolous days of summer, your schedule is now probably booked. In short, it's the easiest time of the year to let your health slide.

This is when it's important to remember that the "freshman 15" isn't just for freshmen. All of us—students or not—face these seasonal lifestyle adjustments, and the lapses in fitness and healthy diet that accompany them, every year. Autumn is beautiful, but it's also the toughest season to transition through. Here are 10 ways to make it to New Year's without having to make a resolution to spend all or part of next year fixing what went off the rails during the fall.

1. Schedule your exercise. One of the most difficult adjustments to make during the fall is getting used to less daylight. As the days shorten, it seems as though you've got fewer hours during which to schedule your activities. When you come home from work in the dark, it hurts your psyche. And it's tough to believe that 7:00 PM is really no different than it was during July, when you still had 2 hours of daylight left. Then there's the cold factor. Even if you work out indoors, it's so much easier to get back under your warm covers or bundle up and sit in front of a fire or the TV than it is to force a workout. Just remember that exercising makes you warm. It also keeps you fit and healthy and is the best thing you can do with cold and flu season right around the corner. Schedule your daily workout like it's part of your job, and stick to it.
2. Schedule your sleep. As our days get busier, we tend to push projects later and later into the evening. To fuel those longer hours we eat . . . and eat. This is one major cause of the freshman 15: the infamous all-nighter. A recent study showed that when doctors are doing their residencies and are forced to work extremely long hours, famously foregoing sleep in the process, they gain an average of more than 20 pounds. As available daylight decreases, it's common to find yourself making alterations in your daily schedule, with sleep often losing out, so schedule your sleep just like you do your work and exercise.
3. Plan your meals. Plan your weekly meals ahead of time so you don't resort to unhealthy "convenience" foods. If your schedule is insane during the week, try taking an hour or two on Sunday to shop and strategize. Put healthy meal and snack options in your car, your office, your backpack, or anywhere you're likely to find yourself hungry. Trust me, the energy you get on the back end of this planning will far exceed the time it takes to plan, especially when you consider how you'll feel if your diet is fueled by fast food.
4. Carry water everywhere. When we're busy, we'll often forget to drink water, especially as the weather cools off. Then, in a dehydrated state, we often confuse thirst for hunger and eat. Avoid this by ensuring that there's water everywhere you go. Carry a water bottle and refill it at every opportunity. Have an extra bottle in your car, your backpack, at your desk, etc., and behave as if you're in a race each day. Force yourself to drink a glass of water every hour that you're working or studying.
5. Be realistic about alcohol. Another big contributor to the freshman 15, alcohol, is very high in calories (7 calories/gram) and very low in nutritional value. Every drink you consume is about 200 calories of nutrition that you aren't getting from your diet, or that you're consuming additional calories—overeating—to replace. And this is before we consider the calories you need to consume getting rid of a hangover. If you're a drinker, you'll never be faced with more temptation than during the fall. So plan for it. Prior to going out, consider the number of drinks you want to allow yourself and stick to it. Another helpful tip is to carry that water bottle with you socially as well and drink a bottle for every cocktail you have. This will help fill you up so you aren't drinking alcohol to quench your thirst, which happens often at social events. Drinking that water will also keep you hydrated and minimize the effects of your hangover. One other helpful hangover cure is to have a glass of P90X Results and Recovery Formula^® at night after you've been drinking. Consuming these calories right before bed may be not be ideal, but it'll minimize the damage the alcohol will do to your body, which should lead to less overeating and more productivity the next day.
6. Plan for parties. Parties happen—and there's not much you can do about it. Even if you aren't social, the party will find you. Many offices are like the one in that Seinfeld episode where the coworkers find any excuse to celebrate, usually with cake or other sugary treats. And with fall comes many such opportunities to indulge. Beginning with Oktoberfest, you'll find a never-ending string of perfectly good excuses to ruin your health that last right through New Year's. Plan ahead and decide just which occasions will be worth the indulgence. That way you'll be fully armed with reasons when your coworkers show up in your office singing, "Get well, get well soon. . ."
7. Begin a morning ritual. One of the easiest ways to live a healthy lifestyle is to begin each day by doing something positive. During the summer, we often let this slide because, well, we can. With long warm days to look forward to, there always seems to be time to do something energetic. As the days shorten, making the effort to be healthier takes more discipline. Beginning each day with something healthy,even something as brief as a 5-minute ritual of breathing deeply, stretching, and thinking about positive things you want to accomplish with your day, can give you a whole new outlook.
8. Find a healthy nighttime ritual. Many of us undo an entire day's productivity in the last few hours before bed. This is particularly true when we're busy and/or stressed because we want to unwind, which often means cocktails and/or desserts in front of the TV. If you can find a healthier way to unwind, you'll do yourself a world of good. And even if you can't get away from the cocktail/dessert/TV habit, adding something at its end, instead of just sacking out, can reverse much of the damage. Stretching in front of the TV is one of the easiest ways to make that transition. Following up your stretching with herbal tea and some relaxing reading can have you hitting the sack with a much more positive attitude. Another way to help yourself get in that positive ready-for-bed headspace?Yoga Booty Ballet^® Master Series Pajama Time or the Yoga Booty Ballet Relax and Unwind bedtime meditation CD, both of which are designed with end-of-day relaxation in mind.
9. Make a positive New Year's resolution now. Instead of waiting until New Year's to undo and repair the damage caused by a fall-into-winter slide away from your fitness goals, make a resolution to get there, starting today, with improved fitness and health. Just think about how much better your goals can be for next year if you finish this year on a positive note. Why put yourself through the work of digging yourself out of a hole you make deeper from now through the end of the year? Instead, set yourself up, beginning right now, to have a banner New Year.
10. Cut yourself some slack. You can't be perfect, and, frankly, who wants to be? You've got to live. By planning ahead with goals in mind, you'll be far more able to relax about the holiday season, and maybe even enjoy it a little, too. So make a plan and do your best to stick with it, but don't forget to make enjoying the season and having some fun part of that plan.

Everyone is doing GREAT!! I'm only down 1 lbs this week. Next week will be better.........I hope :)