5 weeks left...time to kick it in to gear!!!

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog. Last weekend was President's day weekend and no school on Friday or Monday. So several of the contestants were unable to weigh in for that week. Here are the weigh in results for both weeks.

Top Ten list for Feb.18

1. Linda G. 1.87%
2. Edye W. 1.36%
3. Carole T. .8%
4. Shauna W. .48%
5. Colby D. .37%
6. Fran S. .14%
7. Rachel J. .11%
8. Brittany C. .09%

Because not every one weighed in we did not have enough for a top ten list.

Top Ten list for Feb. 25

1. Wayne D 2.74

2. Kathy G 2.6

3. Matthew D 2.49

4. Gail N 1.75

5. Fran S 1.29

6. Carole T 1.27

7. Rachel J 1.03

8. Colby D .93

9. Kinsey R .74

10. Linda G .48

11. Jenn J .47

There were only 11 that lost. Laura won the challenge.

If the contest were to end today here is where everyone would stand. The percentages are very, very close so anyone could still be the biggest loser.

1. Matthew D

2. Colby D

3. Fran S

4. Wayne D

5. Carole T

6. Kathy G

7. Linda G

8. Rachel J

9. Brittany C

10. Karie W

11. Kim D

12. Edye W

13. Lisa S

14. Jess S

15. Shauna W

16. Jenn J

17. Kelcee T

18. Laura L

19. Geina Y

20. Angie J

21. Vickie J

22. MeraLee R

23. Gail N

24. Sunnie H

25. Kinsey R

This week's challenge is: Vegetables! Don't cringe! Prize is a package of Frozen Vegetables to cook in your microwave in the same bag. These are yummy and so easy. There will be two winners. Incorporate your daily allowance of vegetables in your meal planning this week and receive a ticket for the prize. You must have at least 5 of the 7 days to be eligible for the drawing.

Why is it important to eat vegetables?

Eating vegetables provides health benefits — people who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.

Health benefits

• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases.
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for type 2 diabetes.
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer.
• Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
• Eating fruits and vegetables rich in potassium as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and may help to decrease bone loss.
• Eating foods such as vegetables that are low in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.

Nutrients

Food sources of the nutrients in bold can be found in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Click on the nutrient name to link to the food sources table.

Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories. None have cholesterol. (Sauces or seasonings may add fat, calories, or cholesterol.)

• Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C.
• Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Vegetable sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash, spinach, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas.
• Dietary fiber from vegetables, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.
• Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant and those in the first trimester of pregnancy should consume adequate folate, including folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development.
• Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.
• Vitamin E helps protect vitamin A and essential fatty acids from cell oxidation.
• Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy. Vitamin C aids in iron absorption.

Sound easy enough? Hopefully this will help with overall health and see results at the scale. Usually you can have a bigger portion of vegies for very little calories. My favorite is the broccoli, cauliflower and carrot trio. It's really good.

Have a great week. We'll see you on Saturday. Remember: "Always concentrate on how far you have come, rather than how far you have left to go."

The Power of the Full Moon

The results this week were very interesting. We had almost as many people gain as we had lose. There are most likely several valid explanations for this and we had a few contestants even blame it on the full moon that was present this week. Possibly??? Here are this week's top ten. Let me just give them extra kudos for losing on a week when most people were struggling.

This weeks Top Ten

1rst Matthew D 3.91%

2nd Laura L 2.89%

3rd Colby D 1.4%

4th Meralee R 1.04%

5th Karie W 1.01%

6th Geina Y .85%

7th Kim D .83%

8th Angie J .73%

9th Rachel J .68%

10th Fran S .57%

Honorable Mention Linda G .35%, Tana .23%

11 gains and 4 byes.

Actually it is quite normal to see a gain or two along the way as you lose weight. Our bodies need to adjust and will plateau in weight lose or even gain. None of the gains were very large. Please do not beat yourself up or get discouraged if you had a gain. Remember to keep the bigger picture in view and see how far you have come overall. This contest is still very close and you are all still in it. Anyone could win.

This week's Challenge:

Next week we will reach the halfway point in our contest. It is normal for our motivation and commitment to wane along the way. Now is a great time to recommit to your weight loss and health goals. This week's challenge is two fold.

Part One:

Please write down at least 2 goals that you are willing to commit to that will help you achieve better health. They can be any goal that you think will help motivate you, including amount of exercise each week, drinking more water, eating at least 3 vegetables and 2 fruits each day, food journal, the list can go on and on. The important thing is to pick the goals and then write them down. A goal that is not written is just wishful thinking. Write it down where you can see and review it often, even daily: A note card stuck to your mirror, a sticky note on the door as you leave the house everyday, place wherever it will help you the most and review it often. Along with a goal please think of a reward you will give yourself if you accomplish that goal. For example if you set a goal to work out at least 5 times a week, reward yourself with a favorite candy bar on Saturday after the weigh-in. Food is not the best reward, but for me the thought of never having a sweet treat again is depressing. If I journal everyday and watch my calories, I will allow myself a small portion of my favorite candy bar, just making sure that I include those calories in my count.

Part two:

Let's try to mix things up this week. We may be in a diet rut after 5 weeks. So the other challenge for this week is to try a new form of exercise (water aerobics, yoga class, biking, the options are endless) or if you can't find a new form of exercise than introduce at least one or two new healthy recipes into your diet this week. Try a vegetable you have never eaten before. Have you ever had Jicima, turnips, rutabagas, edemame? You don't just have to eat carrots and celery for snacks. I found a web site the beginning of the year that has awesome recipes that are very healthy. Check out WholeLiving.com. It is a Martha Stewart publication that had a great cleansing and healthy eating challenge for 2012 with over 50 great recipes. I have really enjoyed them.

Hopefully this week's challenge will help all of us recommit to a healthier and thinner 2012. Remember why you joined this contest in the first place. Seven weeks is still a lot of time to make some great changes to your body and health.

Have a great week.

Do You Have a Plan?

Overall we had a great week with most of us showing a loss on the scales. You guys are all doing great. It is awesome to see so many people consistently moving in a downward direction. I know we would all love to see 5 lbs or more a week, but honestly dropping a pound or two each week is the healthy way to lose and in the long run it will be more lasting. Even just 1 pound a week will have you 12 pounds lighter at the end of this contest and that could make the difference in one size smaller in your clothes or perhaps clothes that are too tight now will feel loose and that is a great feeling. Keep up the great work.

This Week's Top Ten List

1rst Colby D 2.66%

2nd Jenn J 2.36%

3rd Edye W 2.31%

4th Lisa S 2.26%

5th Gail N 2.06%

6th Kathy G 1.31%

7th Rachel J 1.23%

8th Vickie J 1.17%

9th Carole T 1.14%

10th Fran S 1.13%

Honorable mention Linda G 1.04%, Matthew D .97%, Laura L .92%, Kim D .72%, Karie W .55%, Kelcee T .46%, Jess S .43%, Shauna W .24%, Julie L .1%

This week's challenge winner was Karie W. She won a food scale to help her with her portion control. I hope you all have a better idea of what your portions of food should look like now.

New Challenge for this coming week: Meal Planning

I had a couple of contestants ask if we could do a challenge about not eating out since this is an issue they seem to be struggling with. To make this a more universal challenge for everyone we decided to challenge you all to plan your meals. So try to plan out all your meals for the week. Go do some healthy shopping with a shopping list in hand. If you can't plan for the whole week, at least plan the night before for the next day. Try to pick 3 healthy meals and don't forget your healthy snacks. Also try to cut back on the times you eat out. Cut that number in at least 1/2, or better yet try to go the whole week without eating out. If you plan ahead for at least 4 days this coming week you are eligible for the drawing. The prize this week will be a great exercise ball.

Everyone’s lives are so busy these days, sometimes it’s hard enough just to get workouts in without having to figure out what to eat when you drag yourself home at night.

When things get hectic, meals are usually the first thing to suffer. We stop and pick up fast food, hit the vending machine at work or school, and even skip meals sometimes. All of these are habits that should be avoided. Eating the wrong kinds of food at the wrong times can wreak havoc on how you feel—and how you feel affects how well your body functions. If you want to meet your full potential in the gym, you are going to have to eat right.

In order to keep your blood sugar stable and your metabolism at its highest, you should try to eat small meals every 3 hours throughout the day. But it can be a challenge to come up with 5-6 small meals a day. Which, in turn, makes it harder to stick to the nutritious diet your body needs to perform at its best.

When we are super busy, we tend to eat whatever is in front of us—even if that food isn’t good for us. So if you can plan your meals and have them readily accessible throughout the day, you will have a greater chance of success in meeting your diet and exercise goals.

Here are some helpful meal preparation strategies:

• Make a plan—It is important to look at your food and drink intake over the course of the entire day and plan ahead for it. If you know ahead of time that you will be eating out at a restaurant or a friend’s house, you can plan around some not-so-good items you know you will indulge in later. Even a quick plan made in the morning or before you go to bed at night will save you time and frustration later when you are hungry, but aren’t sure what to grab.
• Cook in batches—Whenever you find the time to cook, make enough for several days. Separate the food into smaller portions and store in the fridge or freezer. That way it will be ready to be packed up whenever you need it.
• Invest in a cooler—If you are going to be away from home all day, pack all 4-5 meals and take them with you in a cooler or hot/cold lunch bag. This practice will save you headaches later on and may even save you money because you aren’t eating out.
• Try for balance–Make sure that each meal is a good balance of carbohydrates and proteins so that your body’s energy stays balanced as well. Eating all the proteins for your entire day in one sitting is not a balanced approach.

Readily accessible meals will help you stay on the right track to meeting your fitness goals. You will be less hungry, more energetic, and probably have a more positive outlook on things. So plan for and prepare your meals ahead of time and you are sure to start feeling and looking great.