Halfway Totals

Summary - Halfway! These stats are the total weight lost and percentages per person. This is only the halfway point, can't wait to see what the final totals are! (FYI: our total weight lost so far is equivalent to my 5th grader and my preschooler combined. We should have average adult male totals by the end!!! Woot!)

Alison -8.4 -4.82%
Sonia -5.9 -4.38%
Heather -2.0 -1.45%
Keeley -5.0 -3.13%
Deanna -10.6 -5.44%
Kristi -6.5 -3.37%
Anabell -3.5 -1.70%
Lana -12.4 -4.88%
Melody -8.2 -4.06%
Amy -4.0 -3.05%
Andy -15.0 -5.56%
Michele B -3.4 -1.91%
Totals (84.9) -3.36%

Ten Club!

Please welcome our newest member of the Ten Club. Lana, the gal who is rolling in accolades, has also crossed that ten pound threshold and joins Andy and Deanna in the Ten Club. We have a couple more gals sneaking up on that ten pounds mark as well. Come on, girls, you can do it! Again, congrats to Lana...love those dreadlocks.

And Our Featured Speaker Is...

Because of her current standing as Mega Loser of the Week, Lana will be guest posting next week for her big loss efforts.
She may be telling you just about anything. Her highs and lows, what is working, what she struggles with...who knows? We will make note which day is Lana's post. Be supportive and kind with your comments, she had a big week and deserves this honor.
Rock on, Lana!

Week 6 Results

To say we were all over the map this week would be an understatement! And I'll be creating two more posts regarding our Ten Club and our guest star for next week. Tomorrow there will be a basics post that would be good for you to review. Let's get back on track for those who have been sliding a bit. You can do this. Maybe going back to baby steps is in order at this time. If you sent your weight, we are doing the math based on your last weigh in, as always, if you think there is an error, please email and let us know.

Week 6:

Melody: -1.2
Kristi: -1.0
Amy: -0.0 FF
Andy: +2.5 FF
Deanna: +1.0 FF
Alison: -1.0
Lana: -3.2
AnaBell: +3.3 FF
Heather: -1.0
Sonia: -0.0 FF
Michele: no w/i FF
Keeley: no w/i FF

Mega Loser of the week is Lana. Congrats!! We are now at the halfway point, let's cruise into the holidays with some regular and consistent weight loss. Even the small losses add up over time, do not get frustrated! You are making progress with each week you lose, even if it is half a pound!

Friday Weigh In

Today is weigh in! Results must be emailed by 4PM Eastern. Remember, at least a full pound loss must be registered to negate the Fatty Fee! We will post losses, gains and maintains tomorrow along with TOTALS FOR THE HALFWAY POINT!!! You will see where the standings are regarding total weight loss, percentages, etc. Hope to see a few more people in the Ten Club this week too!

Staying Motivated - UPDATED

A post courtesy of our personal trainer Lesleh:

Sure, it's more difficult to get back into an exercise routine after a long layoff--or even start one when you've never worked out regularly before. Once working out is a regular part of your life, it's easy to stay in the habit of keeping fit and healthy. But the battle's not over. Even the most diehard fitness buffs occasionally fight workout burnout and boredom.
There are several reasons. First, most people focus on a short-term approach rather than approaching exercise as a lifelong commitment. Once they achieve their initial goal, such as losing 15 pounds, they lose interest in the program.
The second reason is physiological. As time goes on, the degree of improvement we see becomes smaller. Anyone can get off the couch and see tremendous gains at the outset. But as you keep going the changes become smaller, and it takes more effort to achieve smaller increments of success.
And finally, many exercise programs are simply boring or don't offer sufficient physical and mental challenge to keep people interested. Throw in work schedules, family responsibilities, illness or injury, and an ever expanding to-do list, and it's not surprising that many fitness routines get derailed.
What's in it for you?
The good news is that it's relatively easy to get back on track. First, realize that your reasons for working out may change over time. People are frequently unaware of the various pros and cons of working out, and over time there can be a shift in the balance of those pros and cons. The reasons people started an exercise program may change over time as their lives change. They may have new responsibilities at work or family or relationships of one sort or another.
If you want to stay motivated, take a closer look at the benefits you get from working out. Be honest with yourself about the reasons you want to do something, and the reasons you don't want to do it. You have to know yourself. What's your primary reason for making time to exercise? Is it the way you feel afterward? Is it the fact that you handle stress better?
Remember, what motivates you to hide the weights may do nothing for your best friend, and vice versa. I think we all have different levels and different reasons we're motivated. Some people have the desire for success. For others it's vanity. Some are in it for health reasons. When it comes down to it, it does have to be something that comes from within, and it certainly will vary from person to person.
Regardless of your personal reasons for working out, here are a number of techniques that will help you maintain your enthusiasm even when the going gets tough.
Commit to the long haul.
You can't approach exercise as something you do just to get in shape for swimsuit season. e have to realize that working out and staying fit is a lifetime event, we all need to be in it for the long haul. For example, if you have a bad day driving your car, you don't walk tomorrow--you get back behind the wheel and keep on driving. If you have a bad day at work, you don't quit work. You go back. Realize that you'll have ups and downs with your fitness program as you will in every aspect of your life, and commit to seeing it through.
Set new goals.
When you first start working out, you probably have a goal in mind. Maybe it is to lose weight, have more energy, or simply look better in your clothes. Once you've achieved those initial goals, you need to develop some new ones to keep you motivated. Set higher or more specific goals. Don't say, 'I want to lose weight.' That's nebulous. Say, 'I'm going to lose an inch off my waist in six weeks.'
Set new challenges for yourself. Before it was just the one goal, always challenge yourself to complete something higher to stay motivated. Reaching new goals will help to keeps you motivated and fresh.
Be a social butterfly.
Do you look forward to exercise as a chance to spend some needed time alone, or do you enjoy working out more when you're with a partner? Consider what you like to do, and look for ways to make exercise more fun. If you're looking for more social activity, consider taking classes or joining a running or biking club. Or ask a neighbor or friend to commit to a regular walking schedule with you. You're more likely to stick to your program.
Hire a trainer. (Here's where I come in!)
If you've gotten bored with your routine, consider hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions. A trainer can help you break through a fitness plateau. If your body has adapted to a program, you need help to take it to the next level. Sometimes coming to a trainer for two or three workouts to re-evaluate and answer questions can give the variety, motivation, and spark you need.

Burn it Baby!

Exercising and burning calories doesn't have to mean putting on yoga pants and running around the block. Alison's question (or joke!) on how many calories we burn typing (28 calories) made me think. I know we keep saying move your ass, but its actually pretty interesting to see what calories you can burn doing things we always do...or maybe should do more....

For example (based on 180lb person):

1. 92 caloroies for 15 min of window washing
2. 22 calories for 15 minutes of kissing (now that could lead to more 'exercise', now couldn't it??!)
3. 45 calories for making the bed
4. 65 calories for 15 minutes of playing frisbee
5. 22 calories for watching tv (okay, bad example. Heh - that's the same as kissing...hmmm.)
6. 78 calories for 15 minutes of golfing (w/ or w/out a cart I wonder??)
7. 73 calories for 15 minutes of shopping (at last - a great reason to go to the mall....but honey! I'm losing weight!)
8. 132 calories for 15 minutes of biking....
9. 48 calories for 15 min of dusting...
10. And my personal favorite on this list ....216 calories burned in 15 minutes of playing water polo....makes me want to run out and get myself one of those swimming horses! Ha!

I know this is a silly post, but maybe these and some other activities mentioned in the link will help you get moving...anything to get that metabolism going. Make it fun, not a chore. (Some other places to look and help you calculate calories for activities...)

So what's you're favorite 'non' exercise activity that gets your blood flowing? Keep it clean people! (Okay, you don't really have to!)

Guest Star

A special thank you to Lana for this Pool idea.
We asked for post ideas, and this is what she suggested.
As a "kudos" to the Mega Loser for this week, that person will submit a "guest" post for next week. What is working for them, what they are doing for diet, exercise, what things they struggle with, some recipes they've been trying. You know... just a mini-success story post. You can send the post to the Pool email and we will copy it in its entirety. If you site sources in your post, please link them for everyone to be able to see.
That's it! Be prepared, Mega Loser. You could be lifeguarding next week!

***Don't forget to submit your official shirt ideas by Oct. 31!***

Number Freaking your BMI

This entire post courtesy of Number Freaking, which is a fun book involving statistics. Seriously, if you hate math but like weird facts, this book is INTERESTING! **I hate math, but this book rocks.**

The average American is now overweight.

By just how much is defined by a measure called body mass index (BMI). The “healthy” range for BMI is between 18.9 and 24.9. A higher or lower figure more or less means you are over or under weight. A figure over 30 means you are obese. You can calculate your own BMI using this formula: your weight in pounds (multiplied by 703) divided by your height in inches multiplied by your height in inches.

In the US, the average adult man is 5 feet 9.1 inches (69.1 inches) tall and weighs 180 pounds. He therefore has a BMI of 25.8. The average adult American woman, meanwhile, is 5 feet 3.7 inches (63.7) tall and weighs 152 pounds. She therefore has a BMI of 26.3.

The maximum healthy weight for a man 69.1 inches tall (i.e. the weight which gives him a BMI of 24.9) is 169 pounds.

Likewise, the healthy weight for a woman 63.7 inches tall is about 144 pounds.

The average American man is about 11 pounds overweight and the average adult American woman 8 pounds overweight. There are 114.2 million American men aged 15+ and 120.7 million American women. We’ll assume they’re all adults.

• More boys than girls are born in the US, but more women survive past 40.

There are therefore 628,100 excess tons of prime American men and 482,800 excess tons of AAA American womanhood. Well over a million tons in total.

By converting this excess man-weight into new men of 169 pounds and ditto this excess fem-weight into new women of 144 pounds, then combining the totals, we could build 14.13 million new Americans.
This is equivalent to twice the population of Virginia. The population of Florida is 15.98 million and the population of Illinois is 12.42 million.

A few other statistics:
• In 1750, an average Englishman weighed 130 pounds, and an average Frenchman weighed 110 pounds
• In 1750, an average Englishman was 4 feet 7 inches tall, so on average Englishmen have grown an inch about every 18.3 years.

From the Sergeants:
Figure your BMI. Can you contribute to the building of an entirely new person? The range for a healthy BMI IS attainable. If nothing else, getting you closer to a healthy BMI is more important than reaching your eventual target weight. Health first, the rest comes later.

Feedback

I hate using the term "feed" in anything, lest I get you all hungry! However, the Sergeants need some. Feedback that is. We have been trying to have useful and informative posts with the proper balance of pumping you up and keeping your asses in gear. We need some feedback from you on posts to let us know if we're on the right track.
Please let us know in the comments sections your thoughts. Helpful, not helpful, email us with topic ideas. Some of you do that already: Alison and Andy and sometimes AnaBell. Actually, is this an "A" thing?? COME ON OTHER LETTERS!
We can't be with you all in person. We can't hug you when you have a great week or hug you when you have a bad week. We need to hear from you so we know how to help you the most. This is a team effort, we are all here for each other.
There will be a real post later with some useful stuff in it, but this is just a little nugget this morning to get your brain working.
FEEDBACK!! Think of all the calories you will burn making comments on the posts!

Week 5 Results

While Sonia is off in South Bend tailgating next to Touchdown Jesus, I will happily post the results for this week. We had a pretty good week folks! Great job!!

Week 5:
Deanna -1.5
Anabel -3.1
Michele No W/I (FF)
Kristi No W/I (FF)
Andy -4.5
Keely -1
Amy -1
Lana -2.2
Alison -2
Melody -1.6
Sonia -0.2 (FF)
Heather -1

Biggest loser...AGAIN...Andy! Congrats! Everyone is doing great - I'm so proud of us! Keep it up - next week is the half way point of our 12 week session. Lets make it the BEST!

And don't forget to check my math, I've been known to make errors (accountant or not!) when it comes to math!

Last but not least - T-shirt designs/themes are due to Sonia by Oct 31! Come on you talented, crafty people...lets create something cool!

Week 5 Weigh In

Okay guys, we're almost half way home....don't forget to weigh in today by 4pm EST....

AND...don't forget our t-shirt contest! If you've seen Sonia's shirts, they are amazing so I know any design we all come up with will turn out fantastic and we'll all want to buy two! So, get your ideas to us ASAP! (Plus, don't forget the added incentive...a Fatty Fee Pass!!)

Hope to see less of you today...and next week!

P.S. If you have any ideas on posts or might like to guest post, let us know and we'll work with you.

TGIF!

Wake Up! No, Don't...

I'm a night person. I have always been one to stay up late - watch tv, read, party (okay, that was in college!) As I've gotten older (*cough*), I am not able to stay up as late, but generally, I still stay up way longer then I should, especially on the weekdays. And surprise! I'm tired! ALOT. I've always known I needed more sleep, but after reading the link that Alison sent, and doing a little googling of my own, turns out I REALLY need more sleep. And most likely, you do too.

The average adult gets about 7 hours of sleep during the week, and about 7 1/2 hours on the weekend. Recent studies have shown that most adults need about 8 hours to function at their best. I was surprised that 63% of adults don't get at least 8 hours of sleep a night - I guess I shouldn't be, since I'm in that group.

So what you say?? What does that have to do with the Pool?? Well, adults that do not get enough sleep have an increased level of ghrelin in their bodies (an appetite stimulating hormone) and less leptin (the hormone that tells your brain you're full.) What does that mean? It means if you don't get enough sleep, you're hungrier then if you do. I don't know about you, but I have enough problems with will power without letting my own body help to sabotage my efforts to lose weight.

So the bottom line is - keeping up your good eating habits, drinking your water, and exercising are all important. But don't forget to sleep! Do what you can to get your 8 hours in - its not being lazy, its helping you lose weight! And just think, the more time you're in bed, the less time you can spend staring longingly at the refrigerator. Just sayin'.

Now, off to bed with you!

But, But, But....

"The candy bar doesn’t count because I had a Diet Coke with it."

Sound familiar? It’s what’s known as an excuse. And we all have good ones and bad ones. In tandem with the propensity for hitting the dieting plateau, there may very well come a slew of excuses as to why the weight loss is slowing, stopped, or even headed the wrong direction.
On any given day, you can have a variety of reasons why your diet and exercise plan fails. And if you are very good at making excuses that you yourself even start to believe, then that day can turn into two, and then a week and pretty soon, all your excuses have gotten you right back where you started.

The source is linked but I’ve also typed it out for you, this is from freedieting.com.

1. "I Hate Exercise"
Health authorities recommend a minimum of 30 minutes exercise per day. Many people plan exercise but then fail to commit to it.
Try introducing more 'incidental' activity into your day. Take the stairs, walk instead of taking the car. Try wearing a pedometer to see how active you really are.

2. "I Don't Have Time to Eat Healthy"
Do you have the time to be sick? Taking time out to look after your body is time well spent. This includes always making adequate time for breakfast.

3. "I Cannot Live Without Chocolate / Ice Cream"
When you think of certain foods as 'bad' - whenever you eat those foods you will feel guilty. If you can eat those foods in a positive environment - then you will have a better chance at choosing a small portion size.
Also consider swapping the food for something with a similar flavor - but less calorie-dense

4. "I Don't / Can't Cook"
Most supermarkets offer many pre-made foods - frozen meals, prepared salads and pastas. Learn to understand food labels. You do not have to be a chef to cook healthy food.

5. "I Don't Have the Support of Family & Friends"
Sometimes you may need to tell people what you are trying to achieve. This is important in social situations where food is on the agenda. Communicate with those around you exactly what you are expecting from them - don't try and second-guess their responses.

6. "I Eat Out All The Time"
It is possible to lose weight while eating out a lot - but you must become very adept at selecting your food.

* Avoid chips, fried rice, wedges as an accompaniment. Order a side salad or vegetables instead.
* Choose a medium/small portion
* Avoid entrees - they are typically high in fat
* Drink plenty of water with the meal
* When choosing a main meat - choose fish, followed by chicken, then red meat. Grilled or poached is usually the best option.

7. "I Have to Cook Meals for my Family"
Rather than having one person on a strict diet - try gradually altering the eating style of the whole family. This will mean substituting regular meals with healthier options - such as skinless chicken breast instead of beef mince, and vegetables instead of large portions of starchy carbohydrates.

So, my squishy little minions, let's not get stuck in the vicious cycle of excuse-making. Go back to the beginning and start slow again if you have gotten into the routine of having a reason for failure. Drink the water, move your ass, track what you're eating. YOU CAN DO THIS, YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH, YOU HAVE THE SELF-DISCIPLINE!!

NO MORE EXCUSES!

Hitting the Wall.....and Plowing Through It

Sounds dramatic doesn't it? But hitting the weight loss wall or plateau can be extremely frustrating. I recall a few folks in my WW group who hit the wall and couldn't get passed it for weeks and weeks. One even quit and gave up. DON'T QUIT. You CAN fix it. But I know - it can be so frustrating to feel like you are doing so well, and BAM - the weight loss stops. You haven't cheated, you're still watching what you eat and exercising but the weight isn't coming off. But take heart - if you've really hit the wall, its actually a good thing.

How can it be a good thing, you say?? Pull up a chair. What it means is that your body is adjusting to the new calorie intake and exercise. As you get smaller, your body requires less to function then it did before. So, you have to shake things up. Here are a few suggestions to break thru:

1. Write down what you're eating. I know its annoying, but it WORKS. Just do it for 3 days. You think you are really watching what you eat and how much, but maybe you're not. Do you taste what you cook? Do you eat off your kids plates? Grab a few crackers from the box on the way out the door? I'm telling you, the journaling thing can be VERY enlightening.
2. If you really AREN'T cheating, then maybe you're being too strict on yourself and not eating enough. If you aren't eating enough, your body will tend to store more because it feels starved. Make sure you're eating what you need, listening to Lesleh on the protein too, especially if you're doing alot of exercising/weight training.
3. Another tip if you really aren't cheating. Have something that you are craving - a cheeseburger, or a little ice cream, or whatever. Shake your body up a little. Don't go overboard, obviously, but shake up that metabolism.
4. Add or change your exercise. If you aren't exercising by now, start! If you are exercising, change it up. Increase the time you're doing something or add some hand weight training. Do an exercise DVD a couple of times a week instead of walking. Shock your body a little. Move some different muscles.
5. Make sure you are drinking your water. Seriously.
6. Get enough sleep! I'll be doing a post later this week on sleep deprivation and how it affects weight loss - (thanks for the idea Alison!) Suffice it to say, get at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night and your body will thank you. And it will help you lose weight.
7. Think about why you wanted to lose weight to begin with. Write it down. Get copy of a 'before' picture. Keep the list/picture with you in your purse or wallet. Pull it out when you want something you shouldn't have. Taking the time to write things down and reminding yourself can be a great motivator.

We want you to succeed - if anyone has any tips on getting over this speed bump, please share. Here are some of my sources. Check them out for additional tips too. If anyone has any specific questions, please post and we can try to get some answers.

Good luck swimmers!

Wet T-Shirt Contest

Today is the kickoff for our Pool contest. No, it's not a belly flop contest, there will be no BELLIES or PAIN involved!! And, OK, technically it's not wet, but there IS a t-shirt.
So, I mentioned something in one of the group emails a while back about creating an "official" Deep End of the Pool t-shirt. You can earn a very valuable reward by participating in this contest. All entries must be submitted by OCTOBER 31st!!
THE RULES:

• Multiple entries are accepted
• Email entries to the Pool email
• A "theme" or "saying" along with an idea for a graphic/logo that supports our Pool theme of weight loss is what we are looking for. Be creative. There may actually be two separate winners, one for slogan and one for the artwork. If you have the technology to draft up a graphic, swell. If you can't but would rather explain or even sketch out an idea, scan it and attach it in a Word doc, that is fine too. No idea will be better because you had more technology to explain it.
• We will get shirts made up with the winning slogan and artwork for you to purchase. We are planning, at this time, to continue the Pool blog with a brand new Pool starting Jan. 1 (for those New Year's resolution people, we anticipate even more swimmers the next time) and then we'll already have an "official" shirt for new people!
• The winner(s) will get a one week pass on paying the Fatty Fee. Can be used at any time. If you want to save it for Thanksgiving. Great. If you are having a bad "time of the month", and you gained, use it then. Whatever. We don't care. But that's the "reward" for the winner(s).

This is your chance, creative and witty dog paddlers! Use Fatty Fee in your slogan, or something about floaties, or Friday weigh in, or Move Your Ass.....be funny, be creative, be exciting! ENTER A LOT OF TIMES!

Quick Update....

on weight loss and percentages....

Weight Loss Winner thru Week 4: Andy! (Weigh to go Andy 13lbs lost!)
Weight Loss % Winner thru Week 4: Deanna (5.18%~ awesome!)

Sonia gets an honorable mention for weight loss percentage - 4.23% - better watch your back Deanna!! ;-)

GREAT JOB everyone!!!

FYI, if anyone would like me to send you your stats to date, just let me know and I will do so individually. You can check my math...I suck at math.

Have a great week!

Ten Club!

I would like to congratulate our first two members of the Ten Club (Bo Derek would be so proud)! Congrats on reaching the ten pound milestone on your way to more weight loss.
Our honorees are: Andy and Deanna. Please offer you supportive thoughts and offer to braid their hair.

Week 4 Results!

Can you believe we've been at this for four weeks already?? We have some good pep talks and stuff to "get inside your head" things planned for next week. Because, you've got some basics going on but we know some of you might be getting frustrated with small losses or some gain back. Not to worry, we're doing fine! So, keep reading, keep commenting, keep giving each other pat on the backs!

**Just a note, for accuracy sake, I'm also going to post any gains or maintains that occured this week followed by the FF. That way if there are mistakes, you can let us know, but Heather's handy dandy spreadsheet with all the stats is quite lovely. We want it to be accurate as well.**
Remember, you must lose a full pound to avoid the Fatty Fee.

Week 4 results:
Alison: -1.2
Sonia: -1.0
Heather: +2.0 FF
Keeley: -0.5 FF
Deanna: -1.1
Kristi: -0.0 FF
AnaBell: -0.0 FF
Lana: -1.0
Melody: +0.8 FF
Amy: -1.0
Andy: -3.0
Michele: -0.6 FF

Total Week 4: -9.4
Net Weight Loss: -6.6

Congrats to Andy for being our Mega Loser of the Week!
Also, stay tuned for another post with kudos to a couple of our losers with a new "level" of weight loss we're calling something kind of fun. Get excited...it's pretty funny.

Weigh In Friday

Today is weigh in! Results must be emailed by 4PM Eastern. Remember, at least a full pound loss must be registered to negate the Fatty Fee! We will post losses, gains and maintains tomorrow.
If you see you may be hitting a plateau, this is normal. We'll be posting about this dieting hiccup next week. Don't get discouraged, keep rereading the posts to make sure you are staying on track!
Hope to see less of you today! Have a great weekend!

How much is enough?

If you've read anything about weight loss, you've come across portion control. It's one of those things that you think you know all about. At least, I thought I did. Let me explain. One of my biggest revelations upon joining and doing the Weight Watcher plan was realizing how much is really in a portion of food. WW assigns points to foods based on calories, fiber, and fat content. Points are factored using one portion of any given food. Like a good girl, I bought a scale when I started out - our 'counselor' told us to weigh our food, at least for the first few months, to get an idea of what a portion really is. Let me tell you - it was quite eye opening. I found out that I was generally eating two or more portions of EVERYTHING I ate. Seriously. For example:

• 3oz of chicken is one serving - you know, palm sized. It's not even a full breast people.
• 1/2 cup or rice is a serving. I easily was eating 2 or three times that amount.
• 1/2 cup of ice cream is a serving. That's a tennis ball. Lets just say, I used to have a whole can of tennis balls - at one sitting.

There are lots of sites that help with portion control and what a portion really is. Check these articles out. Lots of good information here to help you figure out portions, answer questions, and offer some great tips.

For most of us, if we actually ate just a single portion of a certain food, we could eat the things we love. Happy measuring!

Don't forget - weigh in tomorrow by 4:00pm!! Good luck!!

First Thing - Eat

You may already know this. You may not. You may know it and still not apply the knowledge to practice.
Breakfast. It's not just for kids anymore.
Think about the origin of the word itself. Break your fast. Breakfast is supposed to be the first meal you eat after the involuntary fasting of being asleep all night long.
So, why do so many of us take that first intake of food for granted and skip it altogether?
Bad idea....bad bad bad. And eating the wrong foods, like a doughnut or other refined carbohydrate, is bad in that the rush of sugar can actually activate your appetite.
This may sound completely odd, but skipping eating for that additional few hours means that by the time you do eat, you're actually triggering an increase in appetite. NOT GOOD. Willpower is great, but it doesn't do you any good when you are fighting your own metabolism and taking actions that stack the odds against you.
Breakfast is also an easy meal to add in the protein if you are falling short. Eggs and cheese with some low carb green veggies and voila, you've got yourself an omelet and a great kickstart to your diet for the day. Go here for a few suggestions on your breakfast menu.

So, if you haven't done so yet today. Go eat breakfast. Break your fast. It is the next EASY and logical step in your weight loss.

Source, Source, Source

Don't Forget - Fat Chat Tonight!

Be there or be square - Fat Chat tonight, 9:30pm, EST on Yahoo Messenger.

Sonia's id: sonia_momof4@yahoo.com

Heather's id: hcpgator@yahoo.com

So who's going to be there??? All the cool kids! Ha!

Seriously - come share and 'talk' to others in the pool, get some tips, and learn a little more about your fellow contestants ;-)!

See you there!

Protein Power

A message about protein from our personal trainer Lesleh. As always, you can ask questions in the comments and she will answer them as soon as she's able.

I thought I would expand a little on protein intake. This will be somewhat (almost totally) redundant for Andy and Lana, however bear with me as I am involved in rebuilding a basement and decorating for a wedding this week.
Please note that I think that it is imperative to eat a well balanced diet. I highly recommend a quick review of the NEW food pyramid. It is simple and easy to follow. While they recommend making half of your grains whole....I say do your best to make all your grains whole. Have you ever eaten a whole wheat pizza crust....with lean mozzerella and mushrooms and artichokes? Have you ever tried meatless chili? I I make an amazing whole grain chili that some people have a difficult time telling that there is no meat in at all. Venture out on the wild side this week and try something different. Look in the whole foods section of your grocery store. Search the web for a good whole wheat pizza crust recipe...easy to find. Use lean meat, low fat cheese...and enjoy. When you are done, dip your crust into some delicious honey. Desert is done!
How much protein do we need?
Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200 lb. person should get 74 grams, and a 250 lb. person, 92 grams.

Do people who exercise need more protein?
Although there is controversy on this point, there is evidence that people engaging in endurance exercise (such as long distance running) or heavy resistive exercise (such as body building) can benefit from additional protein in their diets. One prominent researcher in the field recommends 1.2-1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for endurance exercisers and 1.7-1.8 grams per kg per day for heavy strength training.
But shouldn’t protein intake be a percentage of total calories?
Quite a few programs and nutritionists quote percentage of calories, usually in the range of 10%-20%, as a way to figure out how much protein a person needs to consume daily. This is a rough estimate of a person's minimum protein needs. It works because usually larger and more active people need more calories, so the more calories they need, the more protein they will get.

Where this falls down is when people are eating diets which are lower in calories for any reason, conscious or not. People who are ill or losing weight, for example, do not need less protein just because they are eating fewer calories.

Lastly I would say to you that I am not great about taking a multi-vitamin or getting into the whole Protein Shake thing. I try to fuel my body with real food which seems to work well for me. I do not recommend replacing a meal with a protein shake, eat a good breakfast, use your protein shake for a mid morning snack, eat lunch, then have another protein shake or protein bar in the afternoon for a mid afternoon snack. Eat a light supper. Lean fish or meat, salad and a sweet potato or dark green veggie. Have a cup of popcorn or some whole grain pretzls for a snack in the evening. Drink a crapload (converts to just shy of blotation) of water. Patience is absolutely a key element. People get so frustrated because they are not losing fast enough, not seeing results in a week or two. You need to train your engine to burn the fuel. You need to eat appropriate amounts and don't get out of balance. Your body is an engine, gas it up and run it (walk it - jump it - dance it - stretch it - MOVE). Fuel to burn, think that way.....eat to burn.
One more thought - the Tortoise and the Hare. It applies to this little contest as well. Precept upon precept, step by patient step those of you who plod along in a steady manner will be successful. Steady and controlled will win the race!
Have a great week!

Today's Briefs, A Smaller Size Of Course **Update**

Just going to answer a couple questions that have been brought up. Hopefully, we'll get to a real post today when the Sergeants get caught up!

• Fatty Fees are paid based on weight lost per week. We discussed it and, yes, you could technically lose then gain back the same pound over and over again, paying the FF every other week. Which would, suck and be frustrating. We don't think anyone will want this to happen, so we hope a yo-yo effect does not happen for anyone. However, the pound must be based on weight lost since your last weigh in. Even if that weigh in was an increase from before. If you missed weigh in completely from being gone (like we did), it has to be weight lost from whatever your last registered weight was.
• Also, after the current Fatty Fees are all paid up and late joining fees factored in, we'll have a grand total of $40 in the pool. This is where we stand at the end of Week 3. If that's wrong for some reason I'm missing, I'll change it. But my math (and Heather can confirm my math skills pretty much SUCK) is coming up with that total for right now.

Keep drinking water and MOVE YOUR ASS today!

**Update**

Quick update - Sonia was too quick for me! Actually, the pool right now is at $45. (I'll email you Sonia and get you the spreadsheet - you need to bill ME for last week ;-)!) So, big bucks people and its only week 3! (However, I hope the pool stays low which would mean everyone is losing weight!

I also wanted to update on the cumulative results so far - our leaders are....drum roll please.....

Total weight loss: Andy (10 lbs)
Total % weight loss: Deanna (4.62%)

Way to go guys!

Week 3 Results

As stated, this week's results are late because the Sergeants were at TRAINING!
OK, that's a lie, we both had out-of-town events at the same time.
So, better late than never....the results.
Also, I've been on an airplane all day, so if I read your results wrong on the emails, please email back and correct me. THANK YOU!

And a note, we had a couple fatty fees from not weighing in at all (that would be the case with the Sergeants of Squish for sure) and just a few who didn't make the full pound. DO NOT get discouraged, go back and read the baby steps and get back to regular exercise. You can do this! Make this week a full pound goal and don't think beyond that. Think of that one pound only. Then if you do lose more, it'll be a nice bonus!
:)

Kristi: FF
Sonia: FF
Melody: -2.0
Michele: FF
Alison: -1.2
Keeley: -2.0
Andy: -2.0
Amy: -1.0
Lana: -1.8
Heather: FF
Deanna: -4.0
RBelle: FF
AnaBell: -1.3

Total Week 3: -15.8
We slipped a little this week. Don't let this set the tone for next week, get back on that horse! Let's refocus our efforts on one pound weight loss. Congrats to Deanna for being our Mega Loser of the week! Fantastic!

And for those of you who were "starving" for Pool posts, regular posting will resume all week long, thanks for hanging in there!

Fat Chat

Okay, you asked for it, you got it...

We're scheduling a 'Fat Chat' for all of us to 'get together' and chat about how we are doing, pass around ideas, generally vent about how things are going on the challenge.

So - BE THERE! Yahoo IM, Tuesday, October 10, 9:30pm EST!

(FYI, if you don't already have Yahoo Messenger, its free and very easy to download - so do it!)

That's if any of you ARE STILL OUT THERE...YOOOHOOOO...IS ANYONE HOME? Sonia leaves for a few days and you jump out of the pool? Hello? Where's the love???

Recipe Romp - Starters!

Since its football season and the food that goes with it can be frightening, especially if you're trying to lose weight, we thought a good recipe romp this week would be appetizers. (Oh yeah, is baseball still happening? Whatever!) You know, finger foods that you can have at a tailgate party and not fall off the diving board on your food intake, so to speak.

So, I'll start off with one I mentioned before but I'm sure you all forgot already - my chili cheese dip. It is AWESOME, if I do say so myself. Sometimes, to vary it, I'll add onions or jalapenos, etc:

Low Fat Chili Cheese Dip

1 pkg cream cheese (LF or FF), softened
1 can 99% FF turkey chili, no beans
½ cup LF shredded cheddar cheese
Hot sauce

In a sauce pan on low heat, mix cream cheese and chili until melted/blended. Add hot sauce to taste. Pour mixture into a small soufflé dish or similar. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Broil for a few minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

Another thing I've started putting out as munchies is FF mini pretzels, with some FF/LF ranch dip (use 16oz of LF/FF sour cream and a packet of the Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dip mix. You can do onion dip this way as well.) Low fat chips work well with these dips too - FF Pringles and RF Ruffles being my staples.

I also try to put out veggie trays with LF/FF dip, especially carrots - my favorite.

If you have more time, one of my all time favorite recipes is one I got from Jenny for Baked Egg Rolls, with a few tweaks...I usually make a double batch and freeze them and re-heat for lunch:

Baked Egg Rolls

1 1/4 lb chicken (I cut it into smaller pieces then chop, or you could use ground chicken)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 c grated carrots
1 c bean sprouts, drained
1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (or 1/2 cup canned)
1/4 c chopped bell pepper
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli, zucchininni or celery
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 ts sesame oil
1 ts firmly packed brown sugar
1 tb cornstarch
1/4 ts ground red pepper
Season to taste - I use a thai stir fry seasoning
16 egg roll wrappers; 3-inch squares

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
1. Cook Rice and set aside
2. In large nonstick skillet or wok, cook chicken over medium-hi heat until crumbly, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. (These directions are to be used if using ground chicken, otherwise, cook chicken breasts in wok until done and chop very small.)
3. To same skillet, add all veggies. (We don't like bean sprouts and mushrooms in our house, so I increase the broccoli anc carrots.) Cook over medium heat,3 minutes; return chicken to skillet.
4. In small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon water, the soy sauce, sesame oil,and brown sugar; whisk in all cornstarch,, garlic, and pepper. Pour into chicken mixture; toss well. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Place 1 egg roll skin on work surface; spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture on bottom third of wonton skin; fold both sides toward center and rolltightly. Place seam-side down on nonstick baking sheet. Repeat with remaining skins and filling. (Rolls can be frozen at this point.).
6. Spray egg rolls with cooking spray (helps brown and make crunchy) and bake until lightly browned, 15 minutes - turn and cook another 5 min.

Note - Wonton (or egg roll) wraps are usually in the veggie section at the grocery store. They are with the tofu and fancy salad dressings. Brush them with a bit of water to make them easier to work with. Another hint - I could only find small won ton wraps in my area, so I use egg roll wraps. Yum! I serve with chinese hot mustard and sweet and sour sauce for dipping.

Okay, now is your chance to share your yummy, diet friendly appetizer recipes with us! Ready, set, go!

Links (No, Not the Sausage Kind!)

Other than this here beeeautiful site, there are lots of other great resources on the net to get recipe, diet, exercise, and restaurant information. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. Feel free to add any that you enjoy or feel are really helpful.

Hungry Girl - http://www.hungry-girl.com - lots of great info on restaurants, recipes, grocery store foods, and related reviews. Check out their archives too.

Dottie's Weight Loss Zone - http://www.dwlz.com - geared towards WW followers, but there are great recipes and restaurant menus showing you the nutritional content of foods.

Low Fat Crock Pot Recipes - http://saksfamily.no-ip.com/crockpot.html -I've been using my crock pot alot lately, and will probably use it more now that fall/winter are upon us. This site has a TON of lowfat recipes - yummy!

1 to 4 Point Snacks - http://www.counselingseattle.com/ww/1.htm - Again, this is geared to WW folks who are counting points, BUT, it has GREAT snack ideas (1 point being the best for you, 4 points the least based on WW's formula.) If you need new snack ideas, this is a great place to browse around.

So share your favorite sites - don't be shy!

Burn Baby Burn!

A post from our personal trainer Lesleh:

Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is the perfect body. If you make sure your exercise nutrition programs are formulated properly, you will be on the road to acheiving your objectives and start seeing imporvements in your figure. Patience is the order of the day.
Fat is accessed rather slowly, so a good strategy is to attempt to lose no more than 1-2 pounds per week. Of course, no one wants to hear that because everyone these days wants a quick fix. I am here to tell you there are none. None that last at any rate. It is time to take a different look at your body. I like to think of mine as an engine. An engine requires fuel and it needs to be used regularly in order for it to run at it's maximum capacity. This all comes down to metabolism.
Supercharge your metabolism. Take a good multivitamin (which has already been suggested...bravo) Pump up your protein intake. Making sure that you are getting enough protein is the next best way to raise your metabolism. It takes more energy to digest protein because you burn more calories during its digestion than you do after eating other types of foods. It also stimulates the production of glucogon, a hormone that tells bodyfat cells to give up their stanglehold on fat. This is a key reason why studies have shown that higher protein intake leads to faster wieght loss, even when calories are the same among study groups. Good protein options include eggs, fish and poultry along with vegetable sources such as nuts and whole grains.
The six meal a day rule....it isn't a secret that eating smaller more frequent meals leads to a more efficient metabolism. Herein lies my body as an engine theory...digestion takes energy; you use calories to digest, absorb and assimilate food. So, the more often you eat the more calories you burn through digestion. That doesn't mean however that you are allowed to eat more calories throughout the day, you should split your proper planned food intake into smaller more frequent meals. Munching on snacks like baby carrots or a protein bar is a good way to avoid overeating at breakfast, lunch and dinner and incorporate more low complex carbohydrate meals into your diet.
By the same token the fastest way to slow down your metabolism is to follow extreme unbalanced diets.Starvation diets (500 calories or less) can slow down your metabolism by up to 50 percent. Even the most physiologically sound diets will gradually lead to a slow decline. That is why I encourage a spurge meal once a week to prevent that metabolic decline from happening.
Of course the number one way to supercharge your metabolism is to exercise. Not only do you burn 300 to 500 calories per hour during intense workouts, but you also build much needed calorie burning muscle and increase cardiovascular health and efficiency which leads to even easier bodyfat loss. Consistent, daily exercise is a key variable in long term metabolic management.
So there you have it. The foundation to metabolic health will be laid solidly by your committment to living out these four habits. Be patient, move your body, eat lean and healthy, and enjoy life... you will keep your engine running effeciently for a good long time.
(Refererence Fit for Life for a simple 6 meal a day guide.)

***Please remember, if you have any exercise/training questions for Lesleh, please post them and/or email directly to the Pool email and she will answer as soon as she can. No question is dumb, it's better to ask than do something unhealthy or get an injury.***

Is It Time for a Semester Test? **Update**

Review time!
You'll be getting some variety in the posting, more recipes, some talk about exercise, etc.
Today is a good day to check back in and make sure we're repeating our baby steps before we start giving you more information to think about this week.

• Planning ahead. It's Sunday. Take a look at what your week looks like. Where, when, and how are you going to move your ass this week? If you are insanely busy, put it on your CALENDAR!
• Drink your water.
• Keep up the healthy snacking.
  
• What is your weight loss plan? Are you burning more calories than you are eating? One of our favorite and most important numbers is: 3,500.
• Bartender, I'll have the usual. Being smart on the weekends, don't let your beer gut tell you what to do, you're in charge!

That's all, ladies and gent. Review the basics today. If you started to slide after 2 full weeks of being good, remember how much you've lost already and saddle up, baby!

**Update**

Thought you all would want to know that as a group, we've lost 46 lbs and an average of 1.85% of our weight in two weeks! Way to go!!!

Exercise Inspiration

This week we'll start getting some more posts about moving and fewer posts about eating. There will be a "real" post later today, but for now, go watch this video for some inspiration if you are getting bored at the gym.

Here is the video...turn up the volume.

More posting about the week ahead later. If Blogger is working anyway.