Holiday Stress

I love the holidays but they can be extremely stressful. I don't know about you, but stress for me equals more food. I tend to eat more when I have more things to worry about. So, in order to help you deal with some of the holiday stress (and hopefully cut down on the stress related eating), here are a few tips:

• Plan your meals as best you can. Try to make double batches of things and freeze. Having something already made to pop in the oven after a busy day of shopping or other holiday errands will help you stay on the right track.
• Make a list and delegate holiday tasks. This is easier said than done for control freaks like myself, but it can help reduce your stress if you aren't having to do EVERYTHING for the holidays. Give the kids something to do too - they like getting involved.
• Try to keep your routines (sleeping and eating) as close to normal as possible. We've already discussed how lack of sleep can make you hungrier - don't pile that on top your other stress!
• Be sure to make time to enjoy the things you love about the holidays. Go see lights! Go shop! But don't get lost in the 'To Do' list and forget about the reason for holiday.
• Take some time for yourself during the holidays - 5 minutes everyday, if you can, to just relax.
• Last but not least, forget perfection. Nothing is perfect. Chances are, you will have a few fiascos or meltdowns over the next few weeks. Do not expect everything to run smoothly or to look perfect. Roll with the punches.

Bottom line is, do your best to avoid the stress and to enjoy the holidays. It will be easier to avoid the overeating if stress doesn't add to the temptation.

Fiber, Kick It Up!

Some of you may be shaking in your Santa boots about avoiding the gain of holiday pounds.
Going back and reviewing your baby steps is one way to keep a sound game plan going. Remember the water, the eating breakfast, watching portion size. Don't forget about what we said about alcohol consumption. You can, just be smart about it.

Today's Lean Plate Club article in the Washington Post talks about kicking your fiber intake up to help maintain during the holidays.

Their health and nutrition columnist also says....

"The food goal this week is to add more fiber. Figure on 25 grams daily for women; 38 grams daily for men. (Of course, those two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables that you're reaching for first, before the tempting holiday fare, will also help you meet this new goal.) So can eating a high-fiber cereal. Among the options (and I have no financial connection with any of these companies) :

All Bran, Cheerios, Shredded Wheat, Oatmeal.

Add to that whole grain crackers, bread and pasta. Also, beans are a real high-fiber winner, packing up to 17 grams per cup."

If you haven't thought about it yet, perhaps a goal for this week is to see where you are lacking regarding the fiber in your diet and focus on making that a priority. We'll have more tips the rest of the week but for the last three weigh ins and how busy December can be, we encourage you to revisit the starting posts if you feel overwhelmed. Stay on track with what helped you lose those first pounds and focus on keeping them OFF!

The Deep End for the New Year

We are happy to start taking sign ups for the next Pool. But there are some interesting tidbits you need to know.

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Dec. 1 – sign up for the New Year’s Pool begins
Dec. 29 – final date you can submit your starting weight and sign up (without penalty)
Jan. 5 – first weigh in
Jan. 7 – last day late members can be added, anything after 12/29 will be charged a $10 late sign up fee

Current members, please promote this on your blog. We’d like the next Pool to be even bigger! More money to win at the end, more camaraderie, more information to share, more success stories, more pounds GONE FOREVER!!!
To entice you, for the two members who recruit the most new Pool participants, each will receive a one week Fatty Fee exemption pass that can be used at any time during the next Pool.

Some notes to share with your blog readers:

• The Pool is fun, informational, a group effort, and for your greedy friends, a chance to win some cold hard cash!

• All member blogs will be promoted on the Pool site

• You only pay the Fatty Fee if you don’t lose at least a pound. This has got to be the cheapest weight loss club/plan/group in existence! You don’t pay anything unless you do work hard at it!

Another note is that for our “maiden voyage” Pool here, we are extremely proud of our 12 members in two countries who have lost 124 pounds (so far!) and there’s still 3 weigh-ins to go. That’s impressive. Also impressive is that two people (or maybe one) are going to come out with at least $100 each for doing so well. Some cash in your pocket AND being skinnier…not too shabby. Money for a new skinny wardrobe. Holla!

So, tell your friends, both blogging buddies and real life human friends that we start taking sign ups Friday, just name, blog and email for now is fine. We won't be collecting starting weights until the end of the month. Have them email the Pool email with this information.

PS) Feel free to steal the graphic off this post for your own recruiting efforts, Uncle Sam is a convincing dude!

Week 10 Results (Updated)

With three weeks left, we're in the home stretch people!!! Without further ado, here are out week 10 results....

Alison -1
Sonia 0 (No FF – Exempt for T-Shirt Design Winner)
Heather 1.5 (FF)
Keeley No Weigh In (FF)
Deanna 0 (FF)
Kristi 1.5 (FF)
Anabell 1.4 (FF)
Lana -4 (Biggest Loser!! Awesome! AND new 20 Club Member!)
Melody -1.2
Amy -1 (New 10 Club Member!!)
Andy -1
Michele B No Weigh In (FF)

A big congratulations to Amy for becoming a 10 Club Member this week! Also, another huge shout out to Lana who had a blockbuster week - she was the biggest loser AND joined the 20 Club this week. AWESOME job you guys!!!!

UPDATED: Percentages are listed below. With three more weigh ins (Dec. 1, 8, & 15) there may be some shuffling around of total pounds and percentage winner(s). The pot is a nice tidy sum for the person(s) who win! Keep sending in those losses each Friday! The next three weeks will be great for keeping up the hard work.

% Lost (Lbs Lost)

Alison -7.57% (-13.2)
Sonia -6.76% (-9.1)
Deanna -7.79% (-15.2)
Lana -8.27% (-21.0)
Amy -7.55% (-10.0)
Andy -9.63% (-26.0)
Kristi -5.18% (-10.0)

Way to go guys!! Just a reminder....last weigh-in is December 15th! Sonia will be posting information about our next Pool soon!

Post Turkey Day Weigh In

This will be short as my in-laws have VERY slow internet access. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. And I hope everyone took a nice long walk after they stuffed themselves on turkey and side dishes and desserts as its weigh-in day! The scale waits for no one!

Same deadline folks - 4pm eastern. If you don't send us your weight, you will starting from your last weigh-in for next week.

I'll try to come back later today to update with results, assuming the internet access doesn't burn up and collapse in the mean time.

Light Posting, Heavy Eating

Because of the fabulous Thanksgiving holiday this week, posting will be light (or maybe nonexistent after today, who knows?)
And if you want to maintain your current diet and exercise plan, we think that's great. If you don't, that's great too. We just want everyone to simply enjoy yourselves if you have some time off with family and try not to feel too much guilt if you go back for seconds on turkey and stuffing. You've worked hard and taking the day off isn't against the rules by any stretch. Do what works for you. But most of all, have a great time with your loved ones.
Weigh in still applies on Friday. Weigh in Thursday morning if you need to. No earlier weigh ins will be accepted.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Official Pool Gear and Weigh Ins

The official t-shirt of the Deep End of the Pool will be offered up to you when everyone returns to regular life next week after the Turkey Day holiday. Sonia was the only person who offered up a design option at all, so she gets a free Fatty Fee pass!
Will post the design for you all next week and offer one for you to purchase, they won't be too pricey.
You can start talking on your blogs about the Pool as we will be starting another Pool for the new year. If you can drum up more of your readers to come over, the more the merrier! We'll do the same format, 12 weeks of weigh in and the same opportunity to split the pot at the end.

Don't forget, at the last week weigh in, you'll need to take a picture of your tootsies on your scale so we can compare to your initial weigh in to make your progress "legit" since there's money involved here. We'll be seeing a lot of skinnier toes!

You Want Fries With That?

Last week we asked for appetizer recipes. Didn't get much, keep sending those.
This week, think of salads and/or side dishes you can share with us.
Email to the Pool email please.
Thank you!

Ten Club!

Another addition to the Ten Club is punching her membership card. Congrats and way to go for Kristi! We trust she will be wearing the swimming suit and dreadlocks at the Thanksgiving buffet come Thursday.
This brings our total in the current Ten Club to Allison, Deanna, Kristi and Lana. Andy, of course, left the Ten Club to join Twenty Pounds under the Pool.
We have a couple more members sneaking up on Ten, the last three weigh ins will be very exciting!

Week 9 Results

A much improved week guys! Way to go! AND we have a NEW member of the 10 Club....drum roll please.....Kristi! Great job - total loss to date is 11.5 lbs, and she's our biggest loser this week too - 4 lbs! Awesome job!

Results:
Alison -1.6
Sonia -2
Heather 1 (FF)
Keeley 0 (FF)
Deanna -1.1
Kristi -4 (Can you see the BIG L on her forehead??!!!)
Anabell -1.2
Lana -2.4
Melody -0.4 (FF)
Amy -1
Andy -2
Michele B -2.2

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. You will see where the standings are regarding total weight loss, percentages, etc.

Deanna's Guest Post

I never really had a problem being thinner when I was young. I did gymnastics, played field hockey, heck, I even worked as a trainer at a gym! Being 5'7", I was comfortable being between 140-150, and did it without much effort.
Then came cosmetology school. A place where the entire day revolved around food. What was for breakfast, what was for lunch. Even what were we gonna have for lunch tomorrow. A pound or two here or there...no biggie, right?
As a cosmetologist, you are constantly on your feet, which should translate into some exercise, right? Not when every meal is taken on the fly, and pot lucks are an almost weekly occurrence...another pound or two-ok, maybe a size or two...but I didn't mind being a bit curvy, and I was still pretty active, so still no problem, right?
Fast forward 10 years, and those little pounds have become 20, then 30...Yikes! But you know what? Like a lot of other people, I rationalized with myself-I'm still in "regular" sizes, I still get lots of dates...it can't be all that bad, right??? RIGHT???
And that's pretty much where I was when I got pregnant with my first son. I ate well, but I also walked a lot, and I managed to only gain 12 pounds in the first 6 months. Then I developed Pre-eclampsia, which is a condition where you develop extremely high blood pressure, and all of the side effects of that disease. Most pre-eclampsia can be managed with bed rest, sometimes medication. But within a couple weeks of my first high blood pressure reading, I was dumping protein in my urine, which meant my kidneys were failing. I was admitted to the hospital at 26 weeks, and delivered my son at 27. He weighed only 1 pound 12 ounces, and while for the most part he was healthy and only had to grow, he had a couple of touch and go moments...
In the beginning, I actually lost weight. After losing the 35 pounds of water weight I gained as a result of the pre-e and the drugs they had me on, my life revolved around the NICU, then caring for a still very small baby when he came home. In addition, since Connor was on a ventilator for an extended period, he was vulnerable to a lot of respiratory issues, and the doctors tell you to keep the babies away from people during cold and flu season for the first 2 years. I was even hesitant to take him outside for walks...add another 10 pounds. Geesh, these pants are getting tight-where are my sweats?
2 years later, same situation, but I manage to keep Cameron in an extra 3 weeks. He weighed in at 2 pounds 10 ounces, and pretty much breezes through NICU, and comes home by his due date. But once again, we have to keep to ourselves during cold and flu season. Gah-now my sweats are getting a bit tight. Count in all the things we moms tend to do-finishing that last bite of the kids lunch, not taking any time for ourselves...all of this adds up to being almost 200 pounds, a size 18/20, and a misery that perpetuates itself.
My biggest change during this last 8-9 weeks has been cutting out cokes. I have gone from drinking maybe 6 a day(need that caffeine!) to maybe having one, many days not. I drink a lot more water, and iced tea, ALMOST unsweetened, and I am just more conscious of what I eat. No more finishing the boys plates, no more seconds, managing portions, and eliminating nutritionally void snacks. The best part about all of this is that my kids enjoy the healthy snacks as much as they did the less healthy ones. We also go outside (in our backyard) more, running around, and we make time for a mid-afternoon "dance party" and shake our bootys all over the place for a good 20 minutes each day. My next goal is to go walking (by-myself-sigh!) at least 3 times a week...
I still have a ways to go before I reach my goal weight. I would like to be around 150-160 again, but I know it's an achievable goal. Thanks to the Sargeants for making this fairly painless and most of all fun!

Andy's Guest Post

We all have our different stories and reasons for wanting to lose weight, here is mine.

I have always been a big guy, not overly fat necessarily just a burly fella ya know. It was once said I got the German body while my oldest brother got the skinny Irish one, and my middle brother got half and half (normal). It has been this way as long as I can remember and in Jr./High School I was pretty heavy into lifting weights in addition to Football. At one point during my Junior year I was even bench pressing 310lbs, and weighed around 210 at graduation. However as time and life went on, and my love affair with food grew to unmatched heights during culinary school and a 12 year stint as a chef, so did my weight. I forbade exercise in my life and relished beer, cigars, hard partying, and food for years. What could go wrong? I am in my 20s, I am invincible right?

That is until about a year back when I went in for a routine Doctor checkup expecting the usual "Well you could stand to lose a little weight but damn, your healthy as a horse!" only to be told that my cholesterol was very high and my blood pressure was getting there. I figured the test must have been wrong because I didn't fast beforehand. So 3 months later I got tested again, for real this time and I was going to prove that Doctor wrong and show her that my cholesterol is juuuuust fine. Wouldn't ya know it but it went UP 25 points! (Sonofa!) Ok, so that is a sign that I need to change my lifestyle right? Yes so I did what the men in my family do best and ignored it.

That is until September of this year when on a lark I weighed myself to see that I was a whopping 270 pounds! This was the biggest I had ever been, and to make matters worse my wife had mentioned that very same day that she was at 135. I was exactly 2 times her size and it was no longer muscle mass. Something HAD to change. Diabetes and high blood pressure both run in my family and I hate medical afflictions of all kinds because they mean inconvienance, expense, and Doctor visits hell they are just plain annoying. If I can avoid being diabetic that is reason enough to lose weight. By absolute coincidence Sunshine told me just a week later about this pool. This was just what I needed to drive myself. I need routine and competition to stick to any sort of diet alteration much less exercise. So I dragged my feet for a week or so just working on it on my own and finally joined up. I started my own program at the same time as the pool but made it official a week later.

I am a realist and skeptic at heart so I refuse to take any sort of magic pills, get surgery, or buy diet quick fixes off infomercials. I believe that weight loss is just as everything else in life is, you need to make up your mind to do it is all, no excuses. When I cheat, it's because I let myself cheat as a reward and it only comes in the form of a meal not a snack. When I don't deserve a reward, I don't get one. So far it's been working out pretty well and while the weekly losses are varied I have managed to drop 23 lbs total. It would be great to get down to 230 (17 to go) and fabulous to see 210 (37 to go) again so those are my 2 goals I am shooting for.

Anyway, that is my story of how I got in the pool.
Andy

Pool Party

This is the first in a series of posts asking for your best of the best.
With four weeks left in the Pool (this go round anyway) and with us cruising into the holidays, we're asking for good, tasty and yet, dieter friendly recipes that we'll eventually compile into a Pool cookbook.
This week, it's appetizers. Please send your favorite appetizers recipes to the Pool email (don't post in the comments, please email them) with all the pertinent info: calories per serving, serving size, etc. that you possibly can. And if this is one of your own creations, please make it and figure out the calories and whatnot if you can, that's really helpful.
Submit as many recipes as you can. And if you have some stuff that lists the first three ingredients as butter, sour cream and cream cheese, switch out with the lower cal or low fat options and let us know the calories for that version of one of your favorites.
We'll be asking for things in every menu category, so start digging thru your recipe cards and cookbooks now!
Thanks!

Ten Club!

The Ten Club has yet another member. Congrats to Alison for her slow and steady defeat of the ten pound mark. We are proud of you and realize you look much better in a swimming suit than Bo Derek.

Week 8 Results

Another up and down week for the group....we all are hitting the busiest time of year. So, we all need to step it up! Me especially. Some of you continue to lose (read: jealous here!), so AWESOME!

Results:

Alison: -1 lb (YEAH - Alison hit the 10 club this week!!!!)
Sonia: 0 lb - FF
Heather: NWI (damn internet & AF) - FF
Keeley: NWI - FF
Deanna: - 2 lb
Kristi: -0.5 lb - FF
Anabel: -0.6 lb - FF
Lana: - 1 lb
Melody: NWI - FF
Amy: -1 lb
Andy: -2 lb
Michele: - 1 lb

So, we have a tie for biggest loser this week - Deanna and Andy - way to go guys! Now you get to duke it out to see who does our guest post this week. Unless of course, you both have some info you'd like to share - bring it on!!!

And again, congrats to Alison who made it into the 10 Club this week!!! SWEET! Keep it up girl!

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. You will see where the standings are regarding total weight loss, percentages, etc.

A Dieters Survival Plan for the Holidays

Another post from our trainer and all around guru Lesleh:

Aside from the fact that it has been about 70 degrees the last few days...take notice that the holiday season is upon us. With that comes the realization that the devil has manifested himself in every delicious edible delight known to man...and it will all parade itself before you in the next two months. Whether it is Halloween Candy (throw it away) or pre-holiday cookie temptations...Thanksgiving Buffets or Christmas Pies and Cakes-- it has all been set before you to rob you of your goal. Often times it is inevitable that you will put on a few extra pounds around this time. However, here are a few good tips to help you stay on track while still enjoying the holidays.

Eat A Lot.
Not a lot of food, but a lot of meals. Eat at least five small meals a day. This is one of the most important aspects of an effective diet plan, but often the most overlooked. Remember to eat a well balanced meal every 1 1/2 - 2 hours. This will help reduce your cravings for fattening holiday foods.

Keep Your Protein Intake High.
Protein is a great all natural appetite suppressant. Adding extra protein to your diet will not only speed up the muscle building process, but also help control those cravings for carbs.

Drink Plenty of Water.
Water will help give you that "full feeling" and make it easier to eat less. Try to drink at least 8-10 glasses (64-80 oz.) of water each day. Personally, I carry a gallon of water with me to work and the gym each day. Once that gallon is finished, I know that I have drank more than enough water for the day. It's also fun to see how long it takes the same people to stop asking you, "Are you really going to drink all that?"

Don't Feel Guilty When You Overeat.
The holidays are meant to be enjoyed. Accept the fact that you will probably overeat on a few days. Give yourself one day each week to eat your favorite holiday foods. Just try not to get carried away. One day a week can't do much harm to your diet. It may even help. Simply get back on track after your "cheat day." Trying to make up for overeating by overtraining or starving yourself usually does more harm in the long run.

Take Advantage Of The Opportunity.
Try using the challenge of staying on track during the holidays to your advantage. Look at it as an opportunity to make yourself a stronger person. Not only physically, but mentally. Imagine how much easier it will be for you to stick with your diet in the future, knowing that you succeeded during a time when many people fail.

Focus on your fitness goals and use these tips to stay on track during the holidays. Think about how great you will look New Years Eve struttin your stuff in an awesome (smaller size) outfit....stay in the game everyone! Happy Holidays!

A Three-Toed Sloth is Faster Than You

Some statistics that will scare you into moving your ass. Or maybe, make you feel collectively guilty about sitting in front of the TV.

So, from my favorite little statistic book Number Freaking.

While filming Super Size Me – his 2004 record of what a month of eating McDonalds did to him- Morgan Spurlock set himself a daily walking limit of 2000 steps, the American average…

• Doctors say for a healthy cardiovascular system you should walk 10,000 steps daily.

At a step length of half a meter (19.69 inches, for argument’s sake) 2000 is 1 kilometer – 1094 yards-(and 10,000 steps is 5 kilometers, or 3.11 miles).

The average American is awake for 16.9 hours a day.

• Spreading 1 kilometer (1096 yards) evenly across their waking day, the average American can be said to be moving at an average speed of 65.0 yards per hour (under their own steam).

According to the Guinness Book of Answers…
• The common house snail moves at a speed of 54 yards (49 meters) per hour.
• The three-toed sloth moves at a speed of 119 yards (109 meters) per hour.
• The giant tortoise moves at a speed of 405 yards (370 meters) per hour.

Thus a tortoise moves over six times faster than the average American. And a sloth nearly twice as fast.

This information isn’t supposed to do anything except make you think. Do I really want a three-toed sloth to move twice as fast as I do?? I don’t think so!!

Maybe if you've had trouble staying motivated on the exercise, at least start with the pedometer and make sure you're moving your 10,000 steps a day. Baby steps...

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

We've done encouraging posts, posts on habits, foods, exercise, recipes, etc. A little change of pace. Now for some blog angst...

So, when Sonia and I decided to do this weight loss pool/blog thing, I thought GREAT! I am SO the poster child for weight loss! I know a TON! I lost about 60 lbs with Weight Watchers (from July 2005 thru February 2006). I'd gained a few lbs back (okay, 15lbs), so I thought - no problem! Easy, right?! I did it once, I can do it again.

WRONG.

At least on the 'it being so easy to do it again' part. I am really struggling with finding my way this time. My total weight loss for the first 6 weeks is 1 lb people. That sucks. And its embarrassing. When I started WW back in July 2005, I decided to post my progress every week. I'm all about accountability. So here I am, being acccountable again. I thought the weekly weigh in with the Pool would do it for me this time. Not so much, it seems.

Here are some of the things that I think are holding me back or hindering my progress:

• Other people's perception of me. People still continue to say 'you look great!' Ask me if I'm still losing, etc. There are alot of people at my company, so its not unusual for me not to see people for very long stretches of time. They see me now and think I look great - well, compared to before, that's true. But the difference is, I don't feel like I look good anymore. However, that opinion of myself is no longer being enforced by others - others think I look good, I think I look bad. Does that make sense?
• My will power is shot to hell. Seriously. Within weeks of joining WW before, my desire to cheat was virtually gone. I watched my portions (weighed things even - on a scale!) and stayed in my points pretty strictly. I've started to think like I used to and sabotaging myself at most every opportunity.
• Lack of exercise. I used to do SOMETHING 3 times a week - walking/running usually. It stopped this summer, and with my back getting hurt, resuming it was put off even longer. Then there's all that tv I like to watch, which impedes on my exercise time. Ha.
• I'm tired. Tired of watching what I eat. Tired of thinking about food every waking frickin' hour of the day. Tired of wanting things I know I shouldn't have. Tired of feeling like I can't do it anymore. Just plain tired. I mean, can't I look like Heidi Klum and eat a Big Mac too?
• Considerable amount of job related stress. My job is crazy right now. Trying to balance work, my family, and everything else - it gets hard. It got really hard when I changed jobs in May of this year.

So there you go. I've now unloaded my littany of crap. I'm not trying to dissuade people from losing weight. I can't tell you how worth it it's been. Even having gained back 15 lbs, I can still do things I couldn't do before. People treat me differently now (sad but true.) I know how to do this. I do. I hope I've passed on some of the things I've learned to you all in this process - I've tried to. I just want to find my desire back, my fire to lose it all over again.

In other words, this SOS* is sending out an SOS. (Okay, cheesy, but there you have it.)


*Sergeant of Squish ;-)

20 Pounds Under the Pool

We have our first swimmer in the Pool reaching the exciting 20 pound milestone. And while coming up with a swimming-related tie-in with the number 10 was actually a piece of cake, 20 was harder. But I’ve done it!
I give you our version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or, 20 Pounds Under the Pool. And our first honoree in this category is Andy, our multiple time Mega Loser of the Week!
Watch out for that giant squid Andy, those tentacles are a bitch!

Gold and Silver Medalists

So it's not all about pounds around here. Percentage of total weight is important purely because pound for pound can't measure one loser against another. But I did want to point out a few great members of the Pool who have been going without their floaties in the deep end a lot!

Percentage weight lost - Andy -7.78%
Deanna - 6.21%
Excellent work to each of these members!

And I'd like to give a shout out to our two most consistent losers, these two women have NEVER paid the Fatty Fee!
Congrats to Alison and Lana! Slow and steady is paying off for you two gals!

Keep it up everyone!

Results Week 7

I had a post with the results on it up yesterday that was poignant, witty, Pulitzer-prize winning stuff....and Blogger ate it or else Heather was drunk again and accidentally deleted it. She totally needs to go back to AA. But anyhoo....
Weight lost for the week and also individual percent total lost so far. I will post another stats-type post along with our 20 club honors. Great work this week, my little guppies.

Alison: -1.2 -5.5%

Sonia: -1.2 -5.27%

Heather: +1.0 -0.72% FF

Keeley: -0.5 -3.44% FF

Deanna: -1.5 -6.21%

Kristi: -0.5 -3.63% FF

AnaBell: -0.0 -1.7% FF

Lana: -1.1 -5.31%

Melody: +0.8 -3.66% FF

Amy: -1.5 -5.28%

Andy: -6.0 -7.78%

Michele: +4.0 +0.34% FF

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. 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 and maybe even someone in the Twenty Club!

Lana's Guest Post: Nursing a Cold While on a Diet

Since cold season is upon us and I have recently be infected by the plague I did a little googling for the best way to nurse a cold while on a diet. When your nose is running and you have a bad cough, the last thing you want to worry about is your diet. While I was sick I wanted something fast and I wanted something that tasted good but I always tried to keep my diet in the back of my mind. Although I hope none of you get a cold this season I thought I would give you a few food selections that helped me in my time of need (yes I am being dramatic):

• Panera has an amazing Low Fat Chicken Noodle Soup that is only 100 calories and 2g of Fat! Plus they will pair it with a healthy apple if you so chose.
• Wendy's chilli is always a quick and simple dinner that doesn't do too much damage. A small chilli has 220 calories and 6g of fat. Make sure you skip on the cheddar cheese!
• To make sure you are getting a good source of Vitamin C with out all the calories try Minute Maid Light Orange Juice. For about half the calories (about 50 calories for 8fl oz) you get the same amount of vitamin C. The taste is a little bit off but since we have all been on this diet for a few weeks now we know that taste is something you have to sacrifice.

The best piece of advice I can give is to make sure you get plenty of fluids. Of course the Sargents of Squish keep reminding us to drink lots and lots of water which is especially important when you have a cold.

If you have to cut back on the exercise realize that your health is much more important than losing a few extra pounds this week. Take a break from the gym and let your body rest. There is only so much you can do on a treadmill with a runny nose.

Thank you for allowing me to do a guest post this week and I hope this can help someone! I wish all of you a happy and healthy cold season.

Emptying Out The Pantry

There’s always that one food that I want when I’m really trying to be careful about what I eat. Sometimes its chips, sometimes its ice cream, or pizza. It’s that one food that I know if I start eating it, I’ll eat way more than one portion, and possibly the whole package/box/pie! These are trigger foods - foods that you have a hard time resisting. It may seem obvious that you should remove these things from your kitchen/pantry when trying to lose weight. It can be hard though, especially if it’s something your significant other or children really like to eat. Let them know it’s only temporary, that it is important for your progress, and when you feel you can handle it being in the house again, it’ll be back. And the ‘bringing it back’ part is important.

I don’t know about you, but when I think I can NEVER have xyz food again, it just wants me want it MORE. The point of removing these trigger foods now (or AGAIN, if you’re me!) is to help you with your will power – take the temptation away. Later on, when you’ve seen results in your weight loss, are feeling better for the improvements you’ve made in your lifestyle, those foods can be around. Because you will have more POWER over them. You will know how it feels to eat well, feel better. You may still want those foods, and that’s okay, but you will be better able to control yourself and eat them in moderation, watching your portions, etc.

But for now, make it easier on yourself. Get rid of that stuff. On that note, I will be bringing buckets of Halloween candy to work tomorrow so it’s not in my house. Because seriously, how can you have just one little piece??

Sorry Amy!

One of the reasons we like to post the results, is also to make sure we got the math and the recording correct in the first place! We shorted Amy on her weight loss and just wanted to say SORRY!
Amy is at -5.5 pounds, -4.15%
GREAT JOB AMY!

**Just a note, please don't think we're complete goofballs. We are sorting thru many emails when we record each week, not to mention doing a lot of the other Pool stuff and having, oh yeah, regular lives. So sometimes, we make a mistake in the recording process. Just make sure when we post results, yours look correct!**

Baby Step Review

We've hit the halfway point in our Pool, but it never hurts to have a reminder about where we've already been, especially information that was leading to big losses for everyone. The baby step stuff.
I'm linking everything back to the original post, so you can be lazy at the computer and get right back to whatever healthy eating and/or exercising you were doing!

• Are you drinking your water?
• Don't forget to move your ass
• Are you working a diet plan?
• Watch your booze intake
• Snacking is good - the healthy way
• Eat breakfast
• Watch your portions
• Get enough sleep!
• Don't make excuses!

There you go. If you've fallen off the wagon with any of these baby steps, go back to the link, reread and commit to it. Even if you have started to slack in several areas, for the rest of this week, pick one to get back to 100%. Then next week, work on other ares and get back to working the entire plan.
Heather should have a post up later about snacking, just in time for all you people trying to avoid your kids' Halloween candy bags!