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!!!!!