Wow!

All I have to say is that this last week has been awesome! Though my last post was extremely negative and brutally honest, it was the best thing I could have done for myself. It is like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. My appetite has decreased substantially... In fact, I only took about 1/2 the amount of food I would normally eat on Thanksgiving, and I only ate about half of it. No joke! It was the first time I've ever decided to stop eating on Thanksgiving before I got full... and I truly had no desire to eat more!

Also, tonight I got together with somebody I haven't seen since I was at my lightest and didn't fall into my normal pitfalls... I wasn't worried about what she would be saying about me in her head... When I saw how fit and healthy she looked, I didn't get jealous, rather I was motivated to once again feel the strength and confidence she exuded... After she left, I didn't get all depressed about how much I'd let myself slide, but was extremely excited about how much I'd improved mentally. Hallelujah!

We've made a few changes at our house that I feel have helped me immensely, in addition to my mental shift:

• I created a full page of "distractions" and pinned it to my fridge, so when I am a bottomless pit and know that I am eating out of boredom, I can find something on the list to distract me. It has worked amazingly well. I'm getting projects done instead of eating, AND it's making me feel more productive, which in turn makes me feel better about myself, which helps tremendously with my emotional eating.
• I had a serious discussion with my husband about needing his help and support and he has agreed to eat healthy-er with me! This is a huge step, folks! We created a 4-week menu with 3 meals and 2 snacks and have been working hard to stick to it. It's not 100% healthy, but much healthier than we have been and I don't feel deprived.
• We painted our living room yellow. I know it sounds minimal, but it is amazing how much it has brightened up our house and our moods. Before, our walls were tan and our house was always dark (we don't have much natural light), but now it's like sunshine 24/7. It is so great! Bold, but that's the way I like it :).

I'm praying these changes stick with me through the holidays! I'm not going to beat myself up if I eat poorly, but I am going to do my best to remind myself how good I feel when I eat healthier.

Confessions of a Self-Medicated-Food-Addict

Hello old friends!

It's been a while... I decided to stop doing my little weight loss group in May because my psyche was not in the right place. In fact, I gave up trying to lose weight all together. The result? I'm still riding the same 5-pound bracket that I was when I was stressing out twice a week over what the scale said. I quit both Join Our Journey and TOPS because I needed a break... a break from letting the scale determine my self worth, a break from constant praise over weight-loss and constant "encouragement" after a weight-gain, a break from self-pity, a break from hearing and saying the same thing every time I got together with others that were having similar struggles as myself.

Funny enough, I took so much of a break that I never have resolved any of my psychological issues regarding my health... I've just pushed them under the carpet. However, I've been doing a lot of free-writing the last few weeks to clear my head and I'm beginning to learn about the horrible thoughts that constantly fill it. Thoughts that, up until now, I've chosen to ignore or mask. In fact, I don't think people realize the extent of my struggle with myself because I've become pretty good at hiding it. With that being said, it's time for the gloves to come off. It's time for me to confess to many things that are going through my head. This is not going to be easy for me because I don't like negativity, or letting people know that I feel negative. However, I'm doing this to be honest with myself and with others, so that I might make some logical sense out of the emotional turmoil in my head. Also, I always hope that what I'm going through may one day help somebody (if not, my future self) along the way.

Caution: The following may offend some people. Heck, it offends me... I apologize for the things that I'm about to write that make NO sense logically, but make ABSOLUTE sense to me emotionally. I also apologize for the extreme negativity of this post. Every once in a while we have to face the demons that are set before us. Feel free to close your browser now.

Horrible Emotional Truths

1. I've learned that I am the weak person I vowed never to become. My whole life, I've considered myself a strong, independent person... until now. I don't know when it happened, but I feel like I no longer have control over anything in my life.
2. I've stopped being honest with myself. Because of this, I never believe that I will follow through with anything I set out to do. Why make goals and promises, if you know you're not going to keep them?
3. I've become very bitter... and I HATE this about myself! I find myself upset with others' successes (which is so unlike me). I get angry when people offer me help or advice (especially if that person has never been 130+ lbs overweight). I get angry that I have a husband who can eat anything and not gain weight, and as a result never gets "talked to" by doctors about his health, or made fun of, or grouped into an "unhealthy population". I get angry that other people take for granted their energy and lack of constant desire for food. And I especially hate when people use the phrase, "IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT!" Please, for the love, do not use this phrase! Nobody's journey is the same, and if I COULD do it, I would be in the same successful place you are right now. We are all in different stages of our journey and it's like a slap in the face when people use that phrase. If you believe I can do it, say, "You are a strong person and have the ability to make good decisions... I believe in you!" Don't compare anyone else's journey to your own. Comparison is the root of all evil! (Okay, that was a little dramatic.)
4. I've become accustomed to playing the role of the victim. I'm "left out" when I see family and friends eating the foods I so desire, but "can't" have because I'm fat. I "was dealt the fat genes", which makes it that much harder to lose weight. I've had more trials in the last few years than I feel I can handle. I'm "bullied" every single day of my life by strangers, by media, by those intending to help, but who say unintentional hurtful things in the process. I feel hurt when others talk about the "obesity epidemic or trend", as if we are a bunch of cattle being herded into this big mass of worthless crap...not individuals with individual struggles and individual stories. Why do people give a crap if I'm fat or not? It's not because they care about me as an individual... They're just there to wipe away the "obesity epidemic" and be the hero for getting rid of all the "fatties".
5. I'm not happy. At one other point in my life I was at this point. Sad, miserable, hating myself and others and I was able to get myself out of it. Sadly, the very things that made me feel great and motivated to lose weight before are the very things haunting my self-esteem now. People's wonderful compliments as I was losing weight on "how great I looked" or "how strong I'd become" or "what an inspiration I was" started reversing as I started gaining weight back. In my messed up brain, all of a sudden those comments turned into "you sure are letting yourself slide" or "you've lost your mental strength and focus" or "you're a complete failure" or "I knew she'd gain it all back". I know it sounds irrational... It does even to me! But these are the horrible thoughts that have filled both my conscious and sub-conscious thoughts for 3 years now. Even if those thoughts were crossing people's minds, why should I care? Self-esteem should come from within, not from others.

Sadly, the list could go on, but these 5 things have been the most present in my mind. Now that I'm facing these issues that have overtaken my life, I fully intend to start dealing with them. It's going to take time, but because of previous experience, I know it's possible to re-train my brain. Here's my plan of attack on each of my 5 issues:

1. I may be weak now, but it's only because I've allowed myself to be. I AM a strong person... Always have been, always will be. I've just hit 3 years of massive trials and it has taken time to adapt, but I will not let anything get the better of me. I am strong!
2. I will set small, very achievable goals, that I absolutely have to achieve. I HAVE to start being honest with myself and learn to trust myself and believe in my abilities. The only way to do that is to get a fresh start on my relationship with myself. Build my trust.
3. Keep a gratitude list. It's easy to become bitter when you refuse to see the good in everything. For every negative thing I think, I have to think of two positive things concerning that same issue. (This is what I did years ago to help me out of my funk.)
4. Reverse roles. Whenever I begin to feel like a victim, I will remind myself that we all have trials of varying degrees and that my trials are simply here to make me stronger. God will not give me anything I can't handle. If I feel I've got too much, I'll remind myself that He must think I'm a pretty strong person :).
5. Remind myself what life is really about. I find myself unhappy when I focus on the wrong things, when I compare myself to others, when I refuse to live in the present, rather than the past or the future. Of coarse we'll be unhappy if all of our focus is on the things that we continually struggle with. So, why do I always put so much focus on losing weight? It doesn't help, it makes me feel like a failure, and I have so many great qualities that SHOULD overshadow my struggle. Regardless of my weight, I care deeply about others and always try to lend a helping hand, I've worked long and hard to be a good voice teacher and accompanist and feel that I am successful, I am a good wife and mother, I fulfill my church callings, I'm a good friend, and I'm intelligent. I'm not listing these things to brag, but rather to see my successes and realize that it's ridiculous to let one area of my life detract from all of the good in my life.

I know that as I retrain my brain to focus on the positive, rather than the negative, that I will succeed in being healthier. Even these last few weeks, as I've come to the realization that my brain has been poisoned with negativity, I have felt the desire to treat my body better. Writing this has been very therapeutic for me and I thank you for listening and caring. Love you all!

April results

So this month was the tightest contest yet... Our winner this month only won by 0.01%. Can you believe it?!
Here are the results:

• Jerusha: +3 (not a good month for me)
• Rebecca: -2
• Clarissa: +5
• Crystal: -3.2 (Our winner!!!)
• Jason: -5.4
• Mary Catherine: +2
• Patrick: -1

So we were pretty much half and half this month. Next week I will be introducing a new contest that encourages a balanced life. I'm quite excited about it. I've realized more and more lately how unbalanced my life is and as a result I feel my health suffers. I'm the type of person that needs to spread my attention to all areas of my life or I become so overwhelmed with the one area I'm focusing on, I just end up failing miserably. In other words, the more I become obsessed with my weight, the more I gain. We will be focusing on mental, physical, social, and spiritual well-being... Anyone is welcome to join the contest. It will start next Saturday, so if you're interested and you don't regularly attend meetings, please let me know and I'll get the information and rules to you.

Also, Clarissa and Jason got married last week!!! Congrats to both of you... We're all so happy for you!

March Results/ New Agenda

Hey all! Sorry for not posting last week. Like I said, my March was pretty busy! This month was rough for most of us, but we're back and ready to go this month! Here are the results for the month:

• Jerusha: +5.2
• Rebecca: Maintained :)
• Clarissa: +1.6
• Crystal: -0.2 (Yay! She's our winner!)
• Jason: +1.4

We got 2 new members last week... Yay!!! Their results this week were:

• Patrick: -1.6
• Mary Catherine: -1

Patrick and Mary Catherine are married and have a cute little daughter, Savannah (no idea if I spelled that right). Here are their before pictures:

We are so happy they've joined us!!!

Last week Rebecca and I were discussing where we wanted these meetings to go and Rebecca set up a new agenda and presented it this week. We are really excited about it. Up until now, the meetings haven't been what we originally had in mind... We've been in some sort of survival mode. We are now determined to make this group what we originally wanted it to be. Basically, we'll have one meeting a month here, weigh-in only on the 2nd and 4th weeks, and we'll meet somewhere and do something active on the other weeks. This month is as follows:

• April 6 - 8:30 am Early weigh-in and introduction to new meeting schedule
• April 13 - No meeting or weigh-in (Rebecca and I will both be out of town)
• April 20 - 9 am weigh-in at Borah High School and walking/jogging
• April 27 - 9 am weigh-in at Katherine Albertson park and nature walk

If you don't want to join the group, but ever want to join us for our activities, you are more than welcome to come. We're hoping to set up some activities like ultimate frisbee, frisbee golf, tennis, etc.

Update

Sorry for the missed weeks, folks! I missed a week and there wasn't a formal weigh-in and then I got really busy and forgot to post our weekly update. So, to save on time, I'm only going to update you on where we stand since the beginning of the March, rather than filling you in on the weekly weigh-ins.

• Jerusha : +5 lb (Ouch!)
• Rebecca: +1 lb
• Clarissa:  +1.4
• Crystal: -0.6 (Yay!!!)
• Jason: +5

As you can see, most of us have had a rough month. I'm not sure what's in the air, but it seems we're all struggling to find the motivation to plunge ahead. I know for me, I've never had this much lack of motivation. I know it's because I feel like a failure after gaining so much weight back and feeling like I can't get it off. Not only that, but I've started walking again and as of last week, I had gone from what used to be 14-minute mile to a 21-minute mile... very depressing. However, my husband has decided to join me in doing this 10k and we went and walked 3 miles today (something I had decided was not currently possible for me), and we did it at an 18-min/mile pace and we probably could have gone longer. Just having the support makes such a huge difference, and I now feel much better about life! My goal for the 10k is a 16-min/mile. I'm hoping to get halfway back to my old pace from today's pace.

Today, Clarissa had us listen to a motivational "pep talk" by Chalene Johnson (Turbo Jam creator) about how to deal with set-backs. She emphasized how important it is to view our situations and set-backs as products, rather than taking our set-backs as personal attacks. When something negative comes our way, we shouldn't look at it subjectively, but rather objectively. For instance, I've gained back 70 lbs and rather than looking at it as "I'm a complete failure", I need to look at it as "I've gained 70 lbs because I've had many health set-backs which have made it not possible to exercise. I've also made poor food choices during those times. What I need to do is make healthier food choices and exercise." By looking at it this way, it doesn't attack what kind of person I am, it makes me look at the situation objectively so my emotions don't take over and fuel the negative fire.

We all have 2 weeks before our month results will be posted. Hopefully, we can turn this month around and have losses! I'm going to do my best to get this 5 lbs back off so I can plunge ahead and continue with my weight-loss goals.

February Results and March Goals

This week we succeeded in our goal to have a no gain meeting! Yay! Sadly, only 3 of us were there, but we represented :). Here are our week and month results:

• Jerusha: -5 for the week (Wahoo!)/ -2.4 for the month. So happy I had a loss this month... I was worried after I had an overall gain for the month last week.
• Rebecca was unable to come this week and had a 2 lb gain for the month... totally recoverable!
• Clarissa: -2.8 for the week/ +1.2 for the month
• Jason: -3.2 for the week/ maintained this month
• Crystal was unable to come this week and had a 5.4 gain this month

Like I said, we had a somewhat rough month. I was super excited to be the contest winner this month because I didn't feel really deserving of it. We have all vowed to try harder this month and we are aiming for no gains this month... Steep, I know, but we are determined! Our personal goals are as follows:

• Jerusha - Make a menu for the month and stick to it/ say no to temptation 6 days a week/ make sure I walk at least 3 times a week.
• Clarissa - Do her Body for Life plan/ don't miss any workouts
• Jason - Eat healthy on his trip to Arizona in a few weeks/ stick to his marathon training schedule

We are hoping to hear about Crystal and Rebecca's goals and welcome any of you to post your results or goals as well. We are motivated by people's ideas and involvement, so please join in!

I've set up our team for the Famous Idaho Potato race. Our team name is Join Our Journey and I'm the team captain (Jerusha Baker). We've had a few people drop out and need a few more to complete our team, so please consider joining our team... You can do a 5k, 10k, half-marathon, or full-marathon. Here's the link to register: http://register.bazumedia.com/reg/external-link-ref?la=98216d70fb25941fc1dcee925c5c97098c8863d1

What can I say?

So folks, we had another rough week... Not sure what to make of it, but we are all going to try really hard to have a no-gain week next week. Plus, our contest ends next week and right now we all have a gain for the month. We are all bound and determined to get our money back for the month, so hopefully, we'll have some good losses next week. Here are the results:

• Jerusha: +1.4
• Rebecca: +1.8
• Clarissa: +1.2
• Crystal: +4
• Jason: -2.6 Yay Jason! Way to show us how it's done!

Today was open discussion and really, we just talked about random things. We did discuss the upcoming Famous Idaho Potato race... Official training should have started a week or so ago. Clarissa says that halhigdon.com has some of the best training programs and you can cater them to your fitness level.

Our team name is going to be Join Our Journey, and yes, we will be making t-shirts... because we're cool like that :). I have not yet figured out how to set up the team account, but once I do, please feel free to join our team for the race. I will post details when all is in order.

Mind Control

So, I'm not going to lie... We had a really rough week this week. Crystal was the only one with a loss... Whoops! Here are the results:

• Jerusha - maintained. I guess that's better than gaining.
• Rebecca - only gained 0.2. Not bad!
• Crystal - lost 0.8. Yay for our only loss!
• Clarissa - gained 2.8
• Jason - gained 5.8

I've definitely been lacking on the motivation scale lately and I'm not sure why. However, it led me to do a lot of reflecting, searching, and reaching that led me to the following thoughts.

I was remembering back to when I was consistently losing weight. What was I doing to help keep me on track? Then it dawned on me... I had so many people constantly telling me that I was "the healthiest person they knew", that I was such a "determined person", that I was "strong", that I actually started to believe them. Did I originally feel that I was any of these things? Absolutely not. It was the constant pounding of these thoughts into my brain that led me to believe they were true. Believing that they were true, I started making healthier choices, I felt stronger and more determined to prove that I was the things people said I was.

It's funny... We have so many areas of life that teach us that if we're overweight, we're inferior, we're weak, we don't deserve the best in life, etc, etc, etc. When in actuality, these very thoughts and labels make us feel inferior, weak, and undeserving and probably keep us from losing the weight that we so desire to lose. Are these facts? Absolutely not! So why do we believe them? Because they've been pounded into our brains our entire lives... Not only from media, but from weight-loss support groups, co-workers, people on the street, and sometimes even friends and family. There is something seriously wrong with this picture!

We have the power to train our brains. Sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, but it's true! So why do we allow these negative thoughts to remain in our brains? Again, reflecting back to when I was losing consistently, I actually led myself to believe that I didn't really like chocolate. I love chocolate, but every time I ate it, I would tell myself it wasn't that great and I would try to find things about it that would gross me out... even if they weren't true. People lie to themselves all the time and eventually they believe these lies to be truth. So, I say lie to yourself! Just kidding, but not really. 

So you may not be a healthy person currently, but if you start telling yourself 20 or 30 times a day that you are a healthy person, you truly will start acting like a healthy person. I've tried, tested, and passed this experiment. Recently, I have trained my own brain to believe that I'm a failure based solely on the fact that I've gained over half my weight back... So, what has happened? I've started failing... a lot. I have no will-power because I don't believe that I'm strong or determined anymore... I believe I'm a failure. Therefore, I need to re-train my brain to believe that I am a strong and determined person. It's the truth. I've endured a lot and have still remained positive, for the most part. I am strong! I am determined! I will repeat these things to myself over and over and over, until I've surpassed the amount of times the world is telling me I'm the opposite.

It is time to re-train our brains! Convince yourself you don't like your favorite foods that aren't healthy for you. It is absolutely possible! Is it difficult? Heck yes! Is it worth it? Absolutely! You are a deserving, strong, resilient individual and you deserve to know this about yourself!

"The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." - William James

"What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality." - Plutarch

Low-carb Recipes w/ High-carb taste :)

I would be telling a lie if I said we had a good weight-loss week this week. Our numbers were a little rough, but we are re-motivated and ready to get going again. :)

• I gained 1.2 lbs - I had a back injury all week and pretty much didn't burn any calories :(. Rather than cutting back on calories to compensate for this, I chose to emotionally eat... not a good idea! I'm feeling great now and am going to work hard to lose another 7 lbs this month!
• Rebecca gained 1.6 lbs after a long break without coming... not bad!
• Crystal gained 2.2 lbs

We are all going to work hard this week and have a loss next week!

I was in charge of recipes this month. I recently joined Pinterest and have seen so many healthier recipes that I want to try. So I tried some and they were great. However, being the person that I am, I can't leave a recipe alone... I always have to morph and tweak it until it's exactly what I want taste-wise and nutritionally. The recipes I'm about to give you are already tweaked, but I still may work with them a bit to get exactly what I want. I'm close, but not all the way there.

High Protein Pancakes

Puree and blend:

1/2 c. Low-fat cottage cheese

1 large egg

2 large egg whites

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use EAS whey)

3 T. flour

1/8 t. baking soda

Cinnamon (opt)

Cook just like pancakes. I've learned that the smaller you make them, the more they resemble the consistency of normal pancakes. If you make them too big, they can be a little dense and slimy. I make mine super small (just a spoonful at a time) and they turn out great! This recipe can feed 1-2 people. I like them totally plain, but they're good with whatever toppings, as well.

Whole recipe nutritional info: 358 calories, 8.5g fat, 42.9g protein, 24.3g carbs

Cauliflower Poppers

1 head cauliflower

1 T. oil

Salt or any other seasoning you might like

Cut up the head of cauliflower until most of the stems are gone. Put oil into a gallon baggie and smoosh around until the baggie is covered with oil. Put the cauliflower flowerets into the bag and mix around until the cauliflower is fairly coated with oil. Put onto a foil-lined pan, season however you want (salt, garlic salt, italian seasoning, etc.), and bake at 375 for 35-45 min, stirring every 15 min or so. They are best when they are crispy brown. If this isn't enough oil for you, you can add more, or I just spray a bit of pan spray over them to make sure they're coated.

The original recipe called for 2 heads cauliflower, 1/4 c. oil, and bake at 400 for 1 hour. This didn't work for me... mine were done in 35 minutes (at 375) and would have been over-done had I left them in any longer. They were also too greasy for my taste.

These are supposed to be a "replacement" for french fries. They taste nothing like french fries, but they're really good. They were a big hit at our meeting!

Whole recipe nutritional info: 186 calories, 13.8g fat, 5.2g protein, 14g carbs

Enjoy!

Results and Feb Goals

Hey all!

We had awesome results this week (w) and for the month (m) of January! Here they are:

• Jerusha: -1.4 (w)/ -7.4 (m) Yay!!!! I'm pretty darn proud of that month number... almost 2 lbs a week! And... I won this month's contest, but by only .08%!!!! Crystal almost had me!
• Crystal: -1.6 (w)/ -4.6 (m) Nice work, lady!
• Clarissa: -1.8 (w)/ -2.4 (m) She won this weeks weigh-in between her and Jason... He has to do dishes all week!
• Jason: -2.4 (w)/ -2.6 (m) This was Jason's 2nd week in a row with a 2.4 loss. He says next month he's going to "bring it"! I'm ready for the challenge :)!
• I think we get Rebecca back next week... We've missed her!!! She had a 2 lb loss for the month.

Clarissa, Jason, and I were the only ones able to be at the goal setting meeting. Hopefully, the others are still making their goals! Here are our goals for February:

• Jerusha: I've noticed that no matter what I set my calorie goal at, I always tend to go over by 50-100 calories a day. Last month my intake goal was 1800 and my burn goal was 2800. I know that seems like a lot of calories to be able to eat, but I still managed to go over just about every day this week. Therefore, this month's goal is different. My burn goal will still be 2800, but I'm now setting my intake goal at 1500 calories. I will then allow myself 1000 calories to play with throughout the week. Because I'm a visual person, I'm actually going to have 100 fake dollar bills that each represent 10 calories. I can spend all $100 in one day, or I can divvy it out over the week. This way, I can go over 50-100 calories a day and still meet my 1000 calorie deficit a day. I hope this works! I've got to beat Jason!
• Jason: Jason's only goal this month is to wear his Bodybugg every day. This is such a good goal, because if he's anything like me, he'll move a little more throughout the day just knowing his activity is being monitored.
• Clarissa's goal this month is to meet all of her Bodybugg goals. This means she has to stay within her calorie limit, has to burn her calorie goal, walk 10,000 steps, and do a certain amount of activity every day. Good luck, lady!

I have the recipe for next week's meeting. Be excited!

New challenge

Hey all!

We had another good week this week! Here are the results:

• Jerusha: -3 (Again!!! I'm super happy about this because I really lacked motivation this week, but I pushed through!)
• Clarissa: -0.4 (She and Jason had a bet going both this week and last week. Last week Jason owed her a massage, but this week she owes him a foot rub. Both victory dances were great!)
• Jason: -2.4
• Crystal: +1

Clarissa and Jason found a new "contest" online and shared it with us this week. The link is http://www.healthywage.com/weight-loss-contest.  There are a few different options, which I will do my best to explain (though the website explains it all).

Here ya go:

BMI Challenge - You must be a 30 BMI or higher to enter and you have a year to get below a 25 BMI. If you achieve this goal, you get $100 without paying a dime into it. If you pay in $150 you get $400 back, and if you pay $300 you get $1000 back. Not too shabby! The sight tells you where the money comes from and explains all the details.

If you're like me, and know that you can't possibly get to a 25 BMI in the next year (if ever... haha), you can do the 10% Challenge. This challenge gives you 6 months to lose 10% of your total body weight. Unfortunately, there's not a "free" challenge for this one. However, if you put in $150, you get $300 back.

If you do enter, please consider entering either Jason or Clarissa's registration number so they can get credit for the referrals.

• Clarissa's is 0538006110
• Jason's is 4191298527

If you can't decide whose number to enter, make them work for it. You can go off of whoever has the highest loss next week ;). Seeing as I have a billion hospital bills right now, I can't put $150 down, but I have decided that if I don't lose 10% by June 1st (from Jan 1st) I have to pay my husband $100. If I do, I get to spend the $100. Talk about motivation!

Speaking of motivation, I've got to get walking! The Idaho Potato Marathon is just a few months away! Weather has made it impossible for me to get out and walk with my little one, so I'm getting a bit nervous. However, I'm going to do whatever I can to be ready for the half marathon. If we can get a team of 10 people (doesn't matter if you do the 5k, 10k, half, or whole marathon) before April 18th, the cost is only $30/person (unless you're doing the whole marathon). Right now, we have 5 "for sure's" and 3 "maybe's". Would you like to join our team? The "race" (I use quotations because I'm not racing, I'm walking) is Saturday, May 18th. The details can be found at http://www.ymcatvidaho.org/famousidahopotatomarathon. Please let us know if you want to do one of the races so we can have you on our team. We may even think about making a Join Our Journey t-shirt for it... depends on cost.

Here's to a healthy, motivated week!

Creativity

So... we made our goal!!!!! Every single person had a loss this week, and not just a loss, but a good loss! Here are the results:

• Jerusha -3
• Clarissa -2.6
• Crystal -4
• Jason -1.2
• Rebecca was unable to make it

Yay for us!!!

This week I was trying to get ideas from everyone about different exercise they'd like to learn more about, etc. However, they all said they would rather have a motivational thought on the 3rd week and call it good. If any of you out there are interested in exercise ideas or have any questions, I'd be more than happy to do research for you. My main thought concerning exercise was that most of us get in a rut and stop enjoying exercise... we don't want that to happen. Besides, our bodies need us to "change it up". Just let me know :)

This weeks very impromptu motivational thought concerned our brain. The right side of our brain contains our control center, which controls our motivation. The right side of our brain also controls our creativity. I have found in my life that the more I exercise one side of my brain, the more I develop other functions that are controlled by that side. Luckily, I was raised studying music, which happens to exercise both sides of the brain simultaneously (just as a side note). Therefore, the more creative I am, and the more in touch with my emotions I am, the more motivated I am. As I try to create new recipes, or as I create a motivational poster (it gives me little motivation hanging on my fridge), I find myself motivated to do a little more or to be a little better. So go out this week with a new attitude of creativity. See what you can create and see how it affects your motivation.

We are shooting for another no-gain meeting next week... Wish us luck :)

Meal Plans

So, for two weeks in a row now, I've forgotten to mention a really cool sight Clarissa has told us about. It's 5dinners1hour.com. This sight sounds really amazing and Clarissa loves it. Basically, you prepare 5 dinners in 1 hour. The sight gives you a shopping list, tells you all what to cook in the hour (to have it ready to go) and then it tells you on each week day what to throw together using the already cooked up ingredients. You'll have to check it out to see all of the cool features! It's normally $5/month, but right now there's a special for a year for $45. I should probably get on there, seeing as I have issues with my menu planning and regularly grab something convenient... After all, this sight does everything for you :).

Recipe presented by Clarissa

Results this week were definitely not what we were expecting and for some of us, disappointing. However, we've all committed to having a no-gain week next week and are going to do our best to meet this group goal!

This week's results:

• Jerusha - maintained (I'm changing my goal of eating a treat under 150 cal... My will power is not strong enough to allow myself any junk yet. My new goal is to track my food every day and to keep a 1,000 calorie deficit for each day.)
• Rebecca - lost 2 (nice work!)
• Clarissa - gained 2.6
• Jason - gained 3.4
• Crystal - lost 0.2 (yay!)

Clarissa was in charge of bringing a recipe this week to share with us all. She found her recipe on allrecipes.com for  

Cranberry Waldorf Salad

Original recipe makes 9 - 1/2 cup servings 

Makes servings US Metric Adjust Recipe (Help)

• 1 1/2 cups chopped cranberries
• 1 cup chopped red apple
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons white sugar (Clarissa substitutes Splenda)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 (8 ounce) container vanilla yogurt (Clarissa uses a carb master vanilla yogurt)
• Clarissa also thought adding turkey or chicken would be good in this recipe

Directions

1. Combine cranberries, apple, celery, grapes, raisins, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and yogurt. (I chop cranberries in a food processor, and it works great). Toss to coat. Cover and chill 2 hours.
2. Stir just before serving. Garnish with frosted cranberries and mint leaves if desired. For frosted cranberries, wet cranberry and roll in sugar.

New Year = Fresh Start

Hey all! Before I get down to business, I have to shout out a big congratulations to Clarissa and Jason... They got engaged this last week!!!!! Yay!!! Here's to a June wedding :)!

Here are the results for this week, month, and since start of the holidays. I want to post all three so you can see that we all gained less than the average American over the holidays... I'm pretty darn proud of us!

• Jerusha gained 2 this week, gained 5.6 this month, and since November 3rd is up 3.6. The least I've ever gained from Nov to Jan since I was 12 is 12 lbs and I usually average about 20. Needless to say, I'm super proud of myself for only gaining 3.6. Now, I get down to business!
• Rebecca didn't weigh in this week, but for Dec she's up 2.4, and since Nov 3rd is up 1.2. Nice work Rebecca!
• Clarissa, the superstar, lost 2.4 this week, 2.2 for the month and is DOWN 4 lbs since Nov 3rd! I'm seriously in awe of this lady! (She pretty much has won the contest 2 months in a row!)
• Crystal is up 1 lb this week, up 1.8 for the month, and up 2.8 since Nov 3rd.
• Jason didn't weigh in this week, and is only up .6 for the month!

Like I said, I'm quite proud of us! We all gained less than 5 lbs over the holidays, which is pretty darn impressive especially for people who've all been heavier than we are now. Clarissa and Jason are more committed than ever to lose weight now, so we've got our competition coming to us!

This week we wrote down everything that we felt sabotages our efforts. Then, next to each, we wrote down a goal that will help us to overcome these obstacles. Each month, we will focus on one. Here are our thoughts (the one we're working on for the month is in bold):

Jerusha:

• I feel left out if I'm the only one not eating - Whenever I'm in charge of a get together, I'll make it about something other than food. I will also contribute more to conversation so I don't feel left out.
• I feel the need to feel full - Eat more veggies, eat more fiber, drink more water. Convince myself that I don't need to feel full... there will always be food.
• I have a hard time leaving food on my plate - Make less food, cut portions in 1/2, use a smaller plate. Remember that whether you throw the food away, or eat it past the point of satiation, you're wasting it... In the words of my mother-in-law, it's paid for whether you eat it or not. (I never realized how much food I waste by over-eating).
• I just plain LOVE junk food and have a hard time stopping once I start - Make myself eat a treat once a day to convince myself I'm not deprived, but keep it under 150 calories. This one will be good for my all-or-nothing attitude that I'm trying to get rid of. I need to learn that you can indulge if you keep it under control.
• Lack of energy causes me to feel hungry and quick energy foods lead to a lack of energy overall - Whenever I feel hungry (outside of mealtime), I will exercise, whether it be going up and down my stairs 20 times with baby in tote, or doing a video, or going on a walk. This always helps my energy!
• Lack of schedule - Create a daily schedule and menu so there's no question or last minute hungry fixes.

Clarissa:

• Lack of energy - Start moving, get off couch
• Wants to sleep instead of exercise and lacks a wake-up schedule - Will wake up at 6 am everyday.
• Sees everyone else at work eating sweets that patients have brought and wants to join in - Will make a stash of healthier desserts to pull out when tempted by co-workers.
• Has a hard time stopping herself once she starts eating - Will eat a portion of food and then set a 10 minute timer. If she's still hungry after 10 minutes, she can have a bit more.

Crystal:

• Cold weather and lack of sunshine demotivate her to exercise - Will layer up and go anyways and will tell herself that "shivering burns calories". Haha!
• Can't leave food on plate because she feels she's wasting money - Make less food, or save more for an extra meal. Will make a meal plan.
• Lack of time - Will make freezer meals to pull out when in a hurry.
• PMS - Will remind herself that chocolate and salt only make her feel worse in this condition.

Clarissa made a good point about eating and exercise. She was saying how sometimes, you exercise and it curbs your hunger -- those are the times you were just hungry out of boredom (or emotionally hungry, etc.). However, when you exercise and are starving when you are through, then you were legitimately hungry.

Clarissa also posed a challenge... She and Jason are doing a half marathon the beginning of June (2 weeks before their wedding) and would like for us to do it as a group. I'm still trying to convince myself that I can indeed get back to that point in 6 months, but I'm going to work towards it for sure! It would be really fun if we all worked towards some sort of fitness goal by the beginning of June (half-way through the year) and prove to ourselves that we are and can be athletic!

Last, but definitely not least, I wanted to mention that we have had a devout follower from Georgia, Julie, that posts her results every week and has even sent me her "before" pictures. I love, love, love the fact that she is doing this right along with us! If any of you would like to hold yourselves a little more accountable, we'd love to hear your results and post your pictures as well. We will update pictures at your 10% weight loss goal and your overall weight loss goal (they will be posted side by side with your before pics so you can see the results). Meet Miss Julie:

WHY?

Sorry this is coming late. Better late than never, right? The results are in:

Rebecca -2.6
Jason +5.2
Clarissa-0.2

As we ring in the new year and set resolutions I thought it might be good to talk about goals and goal setting. We always have a What-"Lose 5lbs"
And a How-"Eat low carb, work out 4x a week, don't eat after 8pm.
What about WHY?

WHY?!?!? This is an essential question to answer when making goals. The "Why" reasons could/should be the best motivation.

WHY?
To be Healthy
Tie my shoe comfortable
I want to be a good example for my children
Fertility
Look great in a wedding dress... (Hint, Hint:Clarissa and Jason just got engaged)

What ever the reasons, write them down, focus on them, reflect on them, add to them.

WHY!!!!!