New Pool - Updated

Sign up is underway for the new Pool for the New Year.
We may delay the official start date to allow enough time to recruit new members. We'll let you know when we need to register your start weight.
Start out 2007 with a smaller waistband and get ready to be healthier! And this time, there's no Halloween candy and Thanksgiving to survive!
So, come on in, the water is fine...
If you would like to sign up or want more information, email the Pool email at: deependotp@gmail.com

UPDATE: As of 5PM Eastern time Friday, there are six members signed up (5 bloggers). Let's get double that by the end of the weekend, we'll go ahead and say the offical starting weigh in is next Friday. Recruit new people and we'll email you with the details next week with a kickoff to commence one week from today.

Take Off Your Floaties! Final Results!

Just a note to say SEASONS GREETINGS from your Sergeants of Squish, lifeguards and all around happy gals Sonia and Heather.

First, we’re pleased with the progress made by the group. We’re extremely proud of how hard you’ve all tried and we know that even though big numbers haven’t registered (yet) on the scale for a few, you have all done a fantastic job taking responsibility for your health and your weight loss and you’re on your way to big results.

We will be posting detailed information about the next Pool very soon, we hope you’ll link it up in your blogs and let your readers know about joining for the New Year. We’d love to have even more participants! There will be some small details ironed out and a couple minute changes. Still out there is the challenge and Fatty Fee exemption for the person who recruits the most members for the next Pool.

Without further ado, drumroll please…

Our Pool winner of both pounds lost and percentage lost is Andy. He will be awarded the total of $285 when the last pending payments clear Paypal. Congratulations to Andy!

I’m listing our results in order of percentage lost which shows where you were in the pack as not everyone was starting at the same weight, it’s a more accurate gauge of your success as compared with the other members. Please don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel you were as successful as you’d hoped to be. We have another Pool to join soon to give you a fresh start or maybe you addressing some other things that hindered your results. Don’t put your health on the backburner, come back when you are ready and read the posts with good common sense advice to help you be all-around healthy!

Andy: -32.0 pounds, -11.85%
Lana: -27.0 pounds, -10.63%
Allison: -18.4 pounds, -10.55%
Deanna: -17.2 pounds, -8.82%
Amy: -11.5 pounds, -8.68%
Sonia: -11.3 pounds, -8.39%
Melody: -10.8 pounds, -5.35%
Kristi: -9.5 pounds, -4.92%
Keeley: -7.0 pounds, -4.38%
AnaBell: -8.2 pounds, -3.98%
Michele: +2.4 pounds, +1.35%
Heather: +3.0 pounds, +2.17%

We’re excited for the results of the group as a whole. This was a fun and great experience, we look forward to having a bigger, and even more fun with bigger results, Pool the next time. Have a fantastic rest of your week, and enjoy your time with family, we’ll see you in the next Pool!

Last Dive

This is the final weigh in Friday for this round of the Pool.
When you send in your weight, don't forget to include your picture of your skinnier toes on the scale.
And as an added bonus, there will be NO FATTY FEE this week! Consider this our Christmas gift to you all for your efforts!
Let's see those emails today, same time as usual, by 4PM Eastern.
We'll post results tomorrow, and as there will be no FF, only those who are pending on last week's fee need to make sure you are paid, the winner(s) will be declared Monday when we double and triple verify all the math.

**Please don't forget to promote the Pool for the new year on your blog. We'd love to have a lot of people start out with a great outlook for 2007!

The End of the Road

Today is your last official day during this first Pool. What are you going to do with it?
Exercise like crazy to pull some big numbers? Maybe eat your healthiest day of eating yet?
Or are you going to relax and say "hey, I've got this in the bag".
Either way, are you armed with the knowledge, willpower, and secret weapons to get yourself through the holiday season without gaining back a lot of the weight?
It's interesting, for me personally, yes I gained two pounds back over Thanksgiving, which was basically five straight days of eating a lot. Then it came off easily and getting back to my normal "routine" wasn't hard or disappointing. I'm the lightest I've been now since before I had my two youngest children.
And now I know, I can make very basic adjustments regarding eating smart, but still enjoying those holiday meals, and not throw my hands up and say "oh, I blew it! My diet is over!" Because it's not. I'm going to enjoy the holidays, and that includes the meals, but it doesn't need to be something that I do every day for a couple weeks. I can eat well, and eat sensibly and have a good balance.
Not to mention, the fact that going more than a couple days without some serious exercise frustrates me. So, not exercising isn't an option because I feel a lot better making sure I'm doing some cardio or some Pilates about 4 times a week.
We'd love to hear about any snaps you're getting from people who haven't seen you since you started the Pool.
At Pilates yesterday, two gals were like "how much weight have you lost? and how?" and I told them I've lost ten pounds. And it feels really good that people notice you're skinnier and more trim and your clothes fit better or, the best feeling, you've got down to that smaller size!
Don't forget to take a picture with your weigh in tomorrow. We'll be verifying with your weigh in picture from the first week.
Also, spend next week recruiting friends and co-workers. Make up a flyer with the basic, bulletpoint information explaining how simple the Pool is. And Heather and I discussed that next time, we will have two winners: weight loss and percentage and if the same person gets percentage, it will be the next percentage loss in line. We want to have more Pool love to go around so you feel like you all have a chance of scoring the cash! TWO WINNNERS!
Hang in there, we can't wait to see your cute toes tomorrow!

Week 12 Results **Updated**

**Update - somehow, we missed Alison's weigh in, so we've updated it below. Way to go Alison!**

Apparently, Christmas eating has already started for some of us (that would be me!) A slow week this week. Congratulations to Andy, who lost another 1.5 lbs this week and has now lost a total of 30 lbs! Awesome!!!

Alison -1.4
Sonia -2.2
Heather NWI (FF)
Keeley NWI (FF)
Deanna NWI (FF)
Kristi NWI (FF)
Anabell -1.5
Lana -1.3
Melody -0.6 (FF)
Amy -1.0
Andy -1.5
Michele B 3.2 (FF)

And the biggest loser this week...none other than our very own Sonia!!! Congrats!!

*** FRIDAY IS THE LAST WEIGH IN FOR THIS POOL...DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEXT POOL STARTING IN JANUARY. ***

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.

DONT FORGET TO PROMOTE KICKOFF FOR THE NEW POOL!!

***Next Friday is the last weigh in. You must also take a picture of your feet on the scale to check against your starting weigh in photo. There is a lot of money in the pool, we want to make sure it is fair.***

Shirts are Ready!

The "official" shirt is here and ready to order! The cost is $16.84 which includes sales tax. Please email the Pool email if you are interested in ordering. They'll be printed on a white tee. I think they are so fun! Ignore the writing to the left side, that is informational stuff from the company for reference. If we don't have at least a dozen ordering this time, we'll wait until the new Pool to make sure the cost is what they quoted, less than a dozen will be more expensive.
Imagine how many questions you'll get when wearing this at the gym????

Staying Steady with Protein

Today we're revisiting protein intake. Lesleh offered up a post about it before back here. The Washington Post article today addresses protein along with a chart to find where your protein intake should be for your gender and age. It also offers ideas for foods with protein.

Some highlights of the article include:

Of all the macronutrients that we eat, "protein blunts your hunger the most and is the most satiating," notes Wayne Campbell, who leads a team investigating protein at Purdue University's Campbell Laboratory for Integrative Research in Nutrition, Fitness and Aging.

In October, Campbell and his colleagues reported at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity that women who added a little lean protein to their breakfast -- in this case, a slice of Canadian bacon added to an egg sandwich made with an English muffin -- experienced less hunger over the next four hours than those who ate the sandwich sans bacon.

Blood levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin also rose significantly less in women who ate the bacon breakfast.

Think about where you are with your protein if you haven't addressed this issue already. And, remember, there is such a thing as overdoing it with the protein also, don't go crazy with it.

As Simple As It Gets

A note from our personal trainer Lesleh:

Okay...okay...okay. Enough already! Just eat it. It is December. It is as cold as a polar bear's ass outside and the last thing you feel like doing is walking or running outside. To top it all off the kids are bouncing off the walls inside because Santa is coming soon and everytime you attempt to get on the treadmill they are right there ready to climb aboard.!
Breathe. Take a moment to consider all your holiday options. You could just say "screw it", it is December. I will jump back on the bandwagon in January (which some of you will definitely do!), or you could devise a plan to make it through the next three or four weeks without adding pounds to your newly slim frames.
Here's what I do. I continue to faithfully workout. No excuses.
I do enjoy a tasty beverage, so I resolve to only have a beer or alcoholic drink on the weekends. Preferably just one day on the weekend.
I stay away from most cookies and baked goods. I stick to a relatively high protein diet, eliminating the super charged carbs that seem to be out in high quantities at this time of year.
As Nancy Reagan would say - - -just say no. Turn away from the majority of the goodies because they will pack on the pounds. Visualize as you read that word "PACK". Now - - listen, it is Christmas and you should allow yourself a few days of indulgence. Spread those days over a couple of weeks though. Eat drink and be merry....in moderation. Happy holidays. Happy holidays!
Yours in the gym, Lesleh

Week 11 Results

Sorry for the late update folks! Here's the low down...great job Andy! Our biggest loser for this week...although Deanna isn't far behind!!!

Alison -1.2
Sonia +1 (FF)
Heather 0 (FF)
Keeley +1.5 (FF)
Deanna -2
Kristi +1 (FF)
Anabell -1.3
Lana -1.1
Melody -1.2
Amy +2 (FF)
Andy -2.5
Michele B NWI (FF)

Two more weigh-ins - lets go guys!! Don't forget - new pool is starting right after the holidays!

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.

DONT FORGET TO PROMOTE KICKOFF FOR THE NEW POOL!!! Sign up starts today!