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 :)

Kristen's first weigh-in

HALLELUJA!!! It was so nice to see a loss this morning especially after the last couple weeks with a steady gain :/

2 lbs of FAT GONE...BUB BYE!!!! Next week is going to be even better!!!!

Kristen :)

Keri's First Weigh-In

Mornin' ladies! I am excited to report that my first weigh in was a happy one. I have lost 3.2 pounds since September 1st, a weight loss percentage of 1.65%. YES! My summer pictures were not what I wanted to see. So I am determined to do better this fall and have beautiful Christmas pictures. :)

Let's all do it!

-Keri

So your saying I EAT TOO MUCH???

Day 1 of the competition don't we all need help with portion control well here are

29 Tips for Keeping Portions Under Control

By Debra Pivko

When it comes to food portions, size matters. In a world filled with "supersized" options, all-you-can-eat buffets, and extra-large pizzas, it's no wonder people overeat. Have you ever found yourself in one of these situations?

• Eating snacks straight out of the bag while watching television, or even grabbing a second bag to munch on because your show is still on.
• Continuing to finish your food at a restaurant because others are still eating, even though you're full.
• Arriving at a party starving, so your dinner consists of fried appetizers and mayo-laden salads.
• Eating an entire packaged item only to realize later that it actually contained multiple servings.

I know I've been there. Once in a while is okay, but doing this too often can supersize your waistline and your risk for medical complications, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. With just a little bit of preparation and planning, you can keep your eating habits and your portion sizes under control.

At restaurants

1. Doggie-bag it. Don't finish your food just because it's there—or because you're still at the restaurant waiting for others to finish. Most restaurant portions contain more food and calories than you need for one meal. Bring your leftover food home, or allow the busboy to take it away early. Even better, have the server pack half of it to go before bringing it to you. It seems like an odd request, but it's not uncommon these days.
2. Share with a friend. When you split a meal, not only do you cut the price in half, but you cut the calories in half too!
3. Order the lunch or appetizer portion. Lunch and appetizer portions are cheaper and contain fewer calories than full-sized portions.
4. Avoid buffets and all-you-can-eat specials. If you're like me, you want to try everything when you go to a buffet. That's why it's better to avoid buffets when you're trying to control the size of your portions. When you have no choice about where you go (like a large family gathering or party), find the smallest plate and fill it up with the healthy stuff like grilled chicken and vegetables first. If you must go back for more, allow yourself one trip. And only get what you really want. It's such a common habit to take a bit of everything, but if you can savor one reasonably sized serving of your favorite item, you'll enjoy it a lot more.
5. Choose items with large portions of veggies. Or order salad or fruit on the side instead of fries. If you're starving, you can fill up on high-nutrient, low-calorie food to keep full.
6. Eat your favorite "indulgence" foods every now and again. Totally denying yourself the foods you take pleasure in is a surefire way to set yourself up for failure. So go ahead and treat yourself once in a while to avoid feeling deprived. But eat a smaller portion, and savor every bite.

At home

7. Hang up fridge visuals. Don't swing the fridge door open mindlessly. Think before you eat. Hang up a picture of how you once looked, that one piece of clothing you wish you could fit into, someone who you want to look like, or even someone you don't want to look like. Take a moment to think about what you're really hungry for and about your weight loss/health goals before you grab something out of the fridge. I've gone as far as putting up a "closed after 9 PM" sign on mine, since I can't seem to find a fridge lock with a timer.
8. Preplan your groceries. Don't shop when you're hungry and you'll be less likely to bring unhealthy food home. Stock your house with healthy foods and snacks that are easy to grab when you're hungry, such as fruit, cut-up vegetables with hummus, or light cheese and crackers. You can also purchase single-serving snacks. I love The Skinny Cow^® ice cream sandwiches (mint chocolate is my favorite.) They're less than 150 calories and are preportioned so I know when I'm finished.
9. Don't eat straight out of the box or bag. If you do this, odds are you'll finish everything in it—or at least eat more than one serving. Instead, fill a small container or baggie with a single serving and leave the rest in the kitchen.
10. Break leftovers down. Instead of putting leftovers in one big container, break them down into single-serving meals or snack-sized portions before storing them.
11. Hang wall mirrors. We tend not to eat as much when we see ourselves.
12. Use smaller plates. If you can't fit as much food on the plate, you're likely to eat a smaller portion. Even better, use nonmicrowavable plates so you can't heat up seconds—lay down a sheet of wrinkled-up foil, or use one of Grandma's metal-glazed dishes; both are considered unsafe for microwave use by the USDA.
13. Don't put serving bowls of food on the table. Fill your plate in the kitchen and put your leftovers away promptly after they cool so it's too much of an effort to go back to the kitchen to get seconds.
14. Look at the serving size listed on the package. You may not realize you're actually dishing out a double serving of packaged food for yourself. Make sure you look at the nutrition label so you aren't overeating without even knowing it.

At work

15. BYOL (bring your own lunch). When you make your own lunch, you get to control the portion and exactly what's in it. Cook a big batch of food on Sunday, like pasta and veggies or chicken and brown rice, then refrigerate or freeze portions to take with you.
16. Keep healthy snacks at your desk. When you have healthy snacks at your desk, you won't be as tempted to head over to the vending machine for candy or chips. I love Pirate's Booty^® Aged White Cheddar baked corn and rice puffs at 130 calories per serving, or Kashi^® TLC Honey Sesame snack crackers. Make sure to divide them into single portions in baggies so you don't overeat. And keep them tucked away in a drawer rather than on top of the desk in plain sight.
17. Keep protein bars handy. Protein bars can be a lifesaver when you don't have time to run out to get food, or a meeting postpones your lunch for a couple of hours. Watch out for bars that only have a few grams of protein and seem and taste more like candy bars than meal replacements. P90X^® Peak Performance Protein Bars are jam-packed with 20 grams of protein. My favorite flavor is Chocolate Fudge. They save my stomach from growling louder than the speaker in meetings and can replace a meal in an emergency.
18. Research healthy lunch places near work. A few minutes of research can save you calories in the long run. Some places have light menu options with smaller portions that contain fewer calories. Plus you can look up the nutrition information for many popular restaurants online even if they're not posted on the menu. And, of course, remember to avoid those all-you-can-eat specials.
19. Stock up on Shakeology^® single-serving packets. I actually set reminders in my email calendar for 3:30 each day so I remember to have a Shakeology shake as my afternoon snack. It keeps me from raiding the fridge like a maniac when I get home for dinner. Shakeology single-serving packets not only contain protein and fiber that help you feel full, but also whole food ingredients to nourish your body—all with only 140 calories a serving. I know that whether or not I eat healthily throughout the day, as long as I have my Shakeology, I'll be getting all the nutrients I need, and I'll feel full so I won't overeat.
20. Drink tea—and lots of water. If you're filling up on zero-calorie water and tea, you'll feel fuller and eat less when it's mealtime.
21. Log what you eat. Hold yourself accountable for what you eat. If you're a Team Beachbody^® member, you can track your meals for free at you can track your meals here or keep a notepad handy if you're not near a computer. Keeping track of everything you eat will help you take a closer look at your eating habits so you can make better choices.
22. Don't always have your cake and eat it too. There are about 300 people who work with me. If I ate cake every time there was a birthday, I'd have it almost daily. (Fortunately, Beachbody^® discourages people from bringing sweets to the office.) It's okay to treat yourself to some cake occasionally, but don't always eat it just because it's there. Make sure that when you do choose to indulge, you stick to your nutritious meal plan for the rest of the day, and just augment it with a small slice of cake.
23. Bring healthy snacks to meetings. If you're hosting a meeting, instead of the usual donuts and pastries, provide fruit, veggies, hummus, cheese, and wheat crackers. If you're not in charge of food-planning for meetings, break room, or vending machines, request that healthy food alternatives be made available at your office. After all, a sugar crash thirty minutes after the morning meeting isn't going to boost anybody's productivity.

At parties

24. Pre-eat. Before you leave home for a party, eat your own healthy, nutritious food. When you arrive at the party, you can focus on the people and the festivities instead of making a beeline for the buffet table. You can still enjoy tasting the appetizers, but you'll be satisfied with less.
25. Be a healthy host. Hosting a party? Serve healthy food. Your guests will thank you—plus you'll probably burn a ton of calories running around playing host!
26. Wait 20 minutes before going back for seconds. Sometimes, especially at extravagant parties, there's an endless variety of delectable food you'd never make or buy for yourself. Make sure you sit down with your first plate and eat slowly. It's okay to go for seconds, but before you do, take your time enjoying your food and conversing with fellow partygoers for at least 20 minutes while that first round of food digests. After you do, you may realize you've already had enough. And if you do decide to go back for seconds, don't restock the plate with everything on the table. Just take a small amount of a few of your favorites.
27. Don't hover around the food table. This is a recipe for disaster. I've found myself picking up olives and crackers as if my hand had a mind of its own. Take a cracker and run—far, far away from the food table. If you're still hungry, walk back over—but don't hover. Your waistline will thank you.
28. Treat yourself with nonedible rewards. It's natural for people to associate events and personal accomplishments with food. Holidays, weddings, football games, movies, job promotions, housewarmings, school events, community celebrations—customarily, they're celebrated with food. Instead, though, try treating yourself with nonedible rewards. Work out, watch a TV show, get a massage or a manicure, buy a new outfit, or phone a friend to share your excitement. Focus on the reason for the celebration rather than the food.
29. Dress to impress. Don't wear clothes that let you overeat without feeling or showing it. If you wear extra-loose, über-comfy clothes—or ones with an elasticized waistband—you might eat more. Instead, try wearing an outfit you look great in—if possible, one that's a little bit formfitting. Then there's less room to get away with eating too much. Besides, you'll get deluged with compliments that'll make you feel so great you won't want to overeat.

Mastering portion control will give you more control over your body and your life. Whether you're at a restaurant, at home, at work, or at a party, there's no excuse. You have the power to set yourself up for success. Being mindful of your portions will help you feel better right after each meal, which will help you manage your weight more effectively. You'll learn how to enjoy your favorite foods, boost your health, and even save some cash by eating less. Now isn't that worth a little bit of effort and planning ahead?

Welcome to the Fall 2010 Biggest Loser Contest

To anyone who has ever watched the show, they don't go off of pounds lost, but off of percentage of weight lost, that way it makes for a more even playing field...So even if you only "need" to lose 5-10 pounds you still have an equal shot at winning!

Okay so if your ready to start here's the rules: (you must sign up by 06/05/10) The contest will go from 09/01/10 through 12/01/10, when the winner(s) will be announced.

#1 send me an e-mail with "biggest loser summer 2010" in the subject line, telling me your name and starting weight (EEK! don't worry this number will never be revealed) and a digital file of a close up shot of your face (shoulders up) and a full body side shot, and full body front shot, so there should be 3 separate pictures. I will compile these together and add them to the blog as our before pictures. Since this is on the honor system people want to see results :)

My e-mail address is biggestlosergals@yahoo.com

I will reply to your e-mail so you can log on to the blog and you can write and share anything you would like. I will also send you my address so you can send in your $20

*weigh ins will be EVERY Saturday. It's important we try to be held accountable and keep this up to date as possible.

If you have any questions, please ask!!! Good Luck Losers!!!