I know what you mean

In reference to the two blog posts below, I know what both of you mean. I hit the scale on Friday and lost 3.6 pounds for the two week period. It was a little disappointing for me, because I feel I've been doing everything right, for the most part anyway. I mean, shouldn't these pounds be MELTING off of me?!?!

I have to remember that I'm usually my biggest critic and a loss is a loss. I wouldn't have lost anything if I had been sitting on my couch eating bon bons. I know I should be happy with any loss. It's not like the weight went on overnight, and it's not going to come off that way either. But, saying it and believing it are two different things entirely. And, I get irritated with myself for achieving what I feel are poor results.

Yesterday was frustrating, but today I'm better. I'm trying to take it as a challenge to be even more active and work out harder. After all, it's calories in minus calories out equals weight loss, right? Thankfully, I picked up a Wii before this program began. It's been a lot of fun doing my workouts w/games and I don't have to try and set time aside to go the gym.

So for everyone who's frustrated, I feel your pain. But going back to old bad behaviors isn't going to help.

Keep on Truckin'

This is mainly a response to the post directly below -- a .4 lb loss is a good thing. I think we're starting to get conditioned to think that we should all have amazing losses every week (thanks for nothing, Biggest Loser!). It's a process, and any loss at all makes it a good week in my book. Just keep plugging away. As for our team, we're making small strides. We're meeting with our mentor this week (the first one flaked out on us, unfortunately). We're making better food choices and trying to get some exercise in. I wouldn't say we're "perfect." And we're definitely not showing double digit weekly losses, but we're moving forward one step at a time...

Unofficial Weigh In, a bit upsetting for me

My partner and I thought we should weigh in today to help us keep on track. What a disappointment for me when I lost .4 lbs. I knew before getting on that scale that I had an off week, but I was preying that the 5 trips to the gym would get me to 1 pound at least.
People say it's a loss that matters. I guess I expect more from my body! Wishful thinking right?!
I guess we all have an off week, so I should stop feeling sorry for myself and get back up and get back on the treadmill!!! We'll see what next week's numbers are.
I wish you all a happy and healthy weekend.

I see a change

This weekend I had a craving for the Olive Garden soup & salad lunch but after finding out at my WW meeting that it would have exhausted all my points for the day I decided to go to the gym instead and take out my frustration on the equipment.

This morning I put on a sweater and it was too large so I then picked out a sweater that I haven't worn in three years and guess what???.............it fit!! I guess the old saying "Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin Feels" really hits the mark.

I still plan on weighing in on Friday even though it is an off week. Due to a recurring knee problem, I haven't been able to exercise as much as I wanted to and I am a little apprehensive about my weight loss. Getting weighed in tomorrow will help to keep me on track. Wish me luck and good luck to you all!

Hard Week

This was a tough week for me with the candy, cake, and other goodies floating around the office for Valentine's Day & other celebrations. Our office also reinstated Dip Friday, lucky us - NOT! Just one more temptation.
This has been a difficult week for me. I ate a few more carbs & a little less veggies than I should have. This is my biggest downfall...I am a carb/chocolate addict!!! So to get back on track, I made a "Mexican" salad which consists of kidney beans, cannelloni beans, corn, tomatoes, onions, peppers, basil over spring mix w/ a little dressing - Delicious:) You could also use the mix as a salsa, YUM!!! Made eating salads fun again. If anyone has any other ways salad ideas I'm all for it, please share!!!
Keep up the good work, you guys/gals are doing great:)

It's Time for a Treat

This is just a reminder that tomorrow, 2/20/09 is an off week for the program. There is no official weigh-in but if you would like to stop by, just to check your progress, then you are more than welcome to do so.

I also wanted to pass along this recipe for Sweet Pear Muffins from Weight Watchers. It is delicious and only has 3 weight watcher's points:

2 spray(s) cooking spray
2 large pear(s), ripe, Bosc, with skin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup(s) sugar, granulated
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup(s) sour cream
1 large egg(s), beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
2 cup(s) all-purpose flour, unbleached
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup(s) powdered sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp water, warm, or more if necessary

Preheat oven to 375ºF and coat a 12-hole muffin tin with cooking spray or muffin liners.
Core and chop pears into tiny cubes; place in a large bowl. Add cinnamon, granulated sugar and lemon juice to pears; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream, egg, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and milk; set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
Make a well with a spoon in center of flour mixture and pour in sour cream mixture and fruit mixture, alternating in small batches; mix until barely blended. Do not over beat. (NOTE: Batter will be very thick.)
Drop batter by heaping tablespoons into muffin holes until about 2/3 to 3/4 full; bake until top is golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes in muffin tin; remove from tins to racks and cool completely. (Or leave slightly warm to dip into glaze for easier preparation.)
While muffins are cooling, make glaze: Mix powdered sugar, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and warm water together in a small bowl (add another teaspoon of water if glaze is too thick) . Spread a thin layer of glaze over each muffin. Yields 1 muffin per serving.

Weekends are Tough!

Friday's weigh in went just fine. Good progress, I thought. But then the weekend came, and I had a little trouble "just saying no" to the candy and dessert options! Also, though it was sunny, it was cold. So my great plans for long walks in the fresh air weren't quite realized. But today is a new day. And a little slip will not derail forward progress. Back on track (literally -- the track and the stairs!). Happy Monday, everyone.

Valentine's Day

Well, I made it through Valentine's Day without going off track. My husband had offered to take me to my favorite restaurant for a nice dinner and I actually turned him down. By the way, I like Indian food, so it definitely would have been an off the charts kind of meal. He understood and welcomed it, but that doesn't mean it was easy for me.

I figured that I'm off to a good start (not as good as SOME over-achievers in this contest, but ok), so why give in now. I'm sure there'll be bigger challenges ahead. I'm just consoling myself that the dinner will still sound as good on April 11th.

Anyway, I'm curious, what has been other people's biggest challenges so far?

Eat This Not That

Is a really cool book. The game we played for the Donna Brazile tickets was taken from this book and if you have not checked it out consider doing so! If this game peaked your curiosity for more nutritional info then consider reading the following Spark people article, "What Does 300 Calories Look Like? "
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1260

Also visit the Eat This Not That site at: http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/index.php

Love the Gym - Who Would of Thought!!!

I hope everyone had a successful weekend.
We met our student mentor at the North Campus Gym on Saturday. He showed us how to use the cardio machines, but also some good toning the core moves...which we felt yesterday & today!!!
I started running Friday night. Never in my life did I think I would be able to run. Our mentor suggested running, one way to help lose the weight.
But I went to the gym, started speed walking on the treadmill and thought, why not try to run. So I went for 5 minutes at a time, 2 minutes walking - on & off for an hour. When I was done I felt exhausted & fantastic at the same time, but I DID IT!!!
Never in my life did I think of going to the gym as fun - I couldn't relate to those type of people...BUT I really do enjoy it - especially how I feel when I leave the gym, I now see why people like going.
Plus, being able to put clothes on that used to fit me years ago is always a huge incentive to continue going:)
The only thing I need now is another income to help with the new clothes I will need to buy as I continue to shed the pounds. I guess there could be worse things in life:)
I hope everyone has a great week. Keep up the good work!

WEIGH IN DAY!

It has arrived. The dreaded weigh in day. There were others in line, and everyone was so happy...considering it was weigh in day. That, to me, means everyone is doing well! Keep up the good work. UB Bullies are doing beyond well! Congratulations! What's your secret?!?! Share it, please.

Our student mentor is great. She, herself, lost 60 pounds so she can speak from experience, and she suggested sparkpeople.com as a helpful tool when it comes to monitoring your nutrition and exercise.

I've discovered a couple things during week one of Move It to Lost It. #1--Healthy portions are WAAAAY smaller than I thought. #2--Losing weight is completely in your control (typically, I like to blame others for everything!) so I had to come to grips with the fact that this is something only I can do for myself. However, I do have a wonderful support system with family and friends, and that makes it easier for me.

Have a great weekend--at least this weekend doesn't offer too many temptations like next weekend will--all that Valentine's Day chocolate....

Met with our Mentor

Good Job on the Weigh in today!!!

I lost a total of 2.6 lbs, which was upsetting to me. I thought for sure, changing to veggies and increasing my exercise would help. But I guess everyone's body is different. At least I lost weight. Maybe next week, I will see a bigger difference. I'm TOTALLY jealous of the 30.2 lb weight loss - GREAT JOB!!! How did you do it? Share please!

Paulette & I met with our student mentor this afternoon. He gave us some helpful tools and will be taking us on a tour of UB North gym tomorrow. Should be very interesting...
I wish you all luck over the weekend. Again, great job this week:)

Meeting with our Student Mentor

Happy Friday

And a happy weigh-in day to all. So far we are off to an excellent start! Every team that has come through the doors has done wonderfully! The contest for the tickets is heating up and I cannot wait to see how the rest of you have done this past week! Keep up the excellent work!

When I asked for help on veggie tips, you guys/gals came through for me!!! Thank you sooo much! I will go to the store & stock up on some veggies & try these tips this weekend. From what I have read, everyone is right on track & doing a great job. I am impressed.
Myself, I love working out. I joined a gym last March and have been very dedicated. I have a trainer and go 3 times a week, 1/2 hour - 45 minutes w/ my trainer & minimal of 45 minutes of cardio. I lost 23 lbs prior to Move it to Lose it and I had the intention to increase my # of days I go to the gym, as I have been at a standstill for some time now. After our orientation, I was motivated and it gave me that extra push to go 4 - 5 times a week. My partner, Paulette & I are also taking the stairs instead of the elevator everyday. Going up & down the 4 flights of stairs daily. Trying to get in as many steps as possible. Hopefully with my veggie intake increasing & my added gym days & taking the stairs, I will start to notice a change in my waistline!!!
Good Luck to Everyone. I hope your weigh in is a positive experience for ALL of us:)

Oy! It's cold!

I've been getting up at o'dark thirty every morning this week to swim before work. Last night I thought "zero degrees is too cold ~ I'll give myself a 'pass' tomorrow", but I woke up this morning and went swimming anyway. I did it for you Michelle, 'cause the Biggest Winners are going to win this thing! But God bless the man that invented the sauna, that's all I have to say.

And if I could add a note to Michelle's 'ode to roasted vegetables' post yesterday - I'm not a huge fan of brussels sprouts, but I roasted some over the weekend and they were delish. All you have to do is trim them & cut them in half, toss them with a little olive oil, sprinkle some ground almonds, salt & pepper on them, and roast 'em until they're cooked through (about 20 mins., stirring a couple of times so they don't scorch). They're much less bitter this way ~ I served them as finger food for our Super Bowl party.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow!

Healthy Website

I have a wonderful website for all you other teams. Please check out http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Desserts/Main.aspx

Jess and I want you to try these "low calorie" desserts and let us know what you think of them. Please feel free to eat all you want.

Another website/email tip

For those of you who like daily email tips, http://www.hungry-girl.com/ is a great site that will send out daily emails with different information regarding new lowfat and/or reduced calorie products. My favorite emails are when they send out recipes that slim down a guilty pleasure, like say chocolate lava cake. For those of you doing Weight Watchers at the same time, they include points values too.

Good luck to everyone, but Diversity Divas are winning the cool prize to be mentioned at a later time this week!

Veggie Idea

For those who have trouble getting all the veggies in, here's an idea for roasted root vegetables. It's especially delicious (IMHO) during these cold days. Take any root vegetables you enjoy (butternut or other squash, any kind of potatoes including sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, etc.) and peel and chop into smallish chunks; drizzle with olive oil and seasoning (I like mixed Italian herbs, but you can use just plain 'ole salt and pepper); put them on a cookie sheet lined w/ parchment paper (makes clean-up easy); roast for approx 40 minutes at 425 degrees. I usually turn them halfway through.

Tip -- be sure to cut the veggies in similar size chunks so they roast evenly. The chopping is a lot of work. But other than the chopping, it's pretty simple food that tastes good.

Here's a similar recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. I cook mine just a smidge longer:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-winter-vegetables-recipe/index.html

A Little Extra Incentive for the Last Two Days

Hi Everyone:

We love the blog posts - especially how everyone is sharing info and tips with each other. That is exactly what we wanted you to do!

In a few minutes, Amy is going to send you an e-mail with information about a very cool prize that we will be giving the team that loses the most weight this week (and has their physicians' approval in).

See you on Friday and keep up the good work!

Kathie

Hello fellow Move It to Lose It participants. Hope things are going well for you all. Monica and I (team The Biggest Winners) are motivated. We've reached out to our mentor, stocked our offices with healthy snacks, and mapped out a daily stair climbing plan. So far our knees hurt!

Two recommendations to share: Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds in the 100 calorie packs (got em at BJ's) and a free website to track your food intake -- www.thedailyplate.com.

Enjoy.

10 Food Boosters

Hi everyone,

I found another website I'd like to share that lists the top 10 foods that boost your metabolism.

http://www.fitnesstipsforlife.com/10-foods-to-raise-your-metabolism.html

Hope this can be of help to you.

Team BFF

Can't wait to meet our student mentor

My partner and I are really trying to be healthy - BUT it always seems like you eat the same thing...salad = veggies, sandwich w/ a side of veggies, snack = veggies or fruit, dinner = veggies w/ protein...
I'm trying to think of what to make for dinner & all that keeps going through my head is, NO MORE VEGGIES!
If anyone has any good recipes for veggies, I would love some suggestions! This is my downfall, making sure to eat right. How do you make vegetables fun?We have been in touch with our student mentor, who we are looking to meet this Friday. Until then, we can use any help you are willing to offer :)

I found a great website that I would like to pass along to everyone. I hope you find this helpful.

http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/calorie_counter.asp

Hope you have a good week!

Team BFF

Super Bowl Weekend - Challenge!!

I hope everyone made it through the weekend OK. It was tough, with all the fatty foods served last night. I made sure to go to the gym everyday (Friday night – took my husband w/ me!, Saturday morning, and Sunday afternoon before the game). I had to make sure I was worthy of the pizza I was eating during the game!!! I am looking forward to contacting the student mentor today for tips on eating healthy – help w/ the chocolate/carbs cravings!!!

Tough Weekend to Start

Last night my wife and I had our first date night in forever. We saw Slumdog Millionaire (Great Movie) and we didnt eat a thing. No Popcorn! No Candy! No Pepsi!

After the movie, we went to the new Hyde Park Steak House. After over $100, I didnt have beer, bread, dessert or STEAK. We both had the sea bass with asparagus and enjoyed a great night with NO KIDS!!

Today is the Super Bowl. If this competition was run by a man, it would start tomorrow. Lets see how this goes.

Hope everyone is having a great wekend and is staying on track.

Dave Hesch
Team Greene