a new snack idea from the Biggest Loser

http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/video/clips/trainer-tips-12610/1196711/

I tried this tonight and as a fan of cinnamon/fried apples I really like it! And it gets me a serving of fruit in for the day too :)

Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout

If you've ever seen the Biggest Loser (my ALLTIME favorite show) then you know it can be a kick in the pants to get you going on your own weight loss. Its the only show on television that I will not miss an episode of. Each week, just before their weigh in the contestants are dragged through a "last chance workout" by the fabulous trainers....It's ridiculous!

Well I've been sick for the past week and hadn't been to the gym since Thursday and was feeling guilty even though in all honesty I did have a pretty good excuse. Anyway, I decided yesterday morning at 3AM that I would benefit from a couple hours of extra sleep and skip the gym yet again. Later in the day I decided I felt good enough to get my rear in gear once again. So at 6:45 PM last night without having had any dinner I headed to 24 Hour Fitness for a semi-last chance workout! I. Loved. It!

I got there just before the Biggest Loser started and grabbed an elliptical machine near a TV airing NBC and got to sweatin'. 1 hour later (and only half way through my beloved 2 hour Biggest Loser episode) I moved on to a stationary bicycle in front of the same said TV...then after 30 minutes of huffing and puffing on the bike, it was on to a treadmill (of course also in view of the tv)...I worked otu for 2 hours straight! It wasn't really even that hard! Granted my legs almost gave out when I stepped off the elliptical, then again stepping of the bike, and yes, yet again stepping of the treadmill but.....I burned 1277 calories! That's One THOUSAND two HUNDRED and Seventy Seven Calories!!! I'm flabbergasted! lol So now I have no more guilt about the past week of lazy sickness...I made up for it, in one night. And I had so much fun working out while watching my show that I may make it a habit...Tuesday night, hardcore butt kickin' workout :) Anyone care to join me???

i lost control last night...

last night i got home with 4 points remaining for dinner (it was a rough day) i headed to the fridge and grabbed a fried pie. then another. i stopped myself at the halfway mark of the second one...honestly, not b/c of the points value but b/c it just wasn't all that great. then i sat down to wait for the hubs to get home. about 30 seconds later, back at the fridge, i grab a cherry cream cheese danish and devour it. oops.

30 minutes later DH arrives and we head out to pick up dinner (like I really needed it)...Ended up at Taco Cabana with a Chicken Cabana Bowl, and some fried pickles from Chicken Express. I felt so sick halfway through the cabana bowl...thank goodness b/c this morning I decided to track it all and i used 43 points for that meal! the cabana bowl alone had 60 grams of fat in it! Thank the Lord for making me sick halfway through (only consumed 30 g fat!)

Anyway, all I can do is laugh. It's tracked, my weeklies are gone but I still amazingly have 9 activity points (earned by working out) left and plenty of time to earn more before my next weigh in.

Monday's weigh in went well. I went into it with zero expectations...I had been on plan but for some reason just wasn't feeling it. i was down .8 of a pound, i'll take it. I did hit 15 pounds lost so technically I owe myself a reward but I'm getting new glasses this weekend so I think I'll just let that be it. I can't convince myself to spend money on the shirt I had planned to reward myself with. I want to lose more weight before investing in clothes!

Starting Weight: 193.4 (BMI 31.2)
Previous Weight: 178.8
Previous BMI: 29 -- Overweight

Week 10:
Weight: 178.0
BMI: 29 -- Overweight
15.4 down 43 pounds to go to reach goal weight (135)

Week 10 - a new approach

This week I decided it was time to get back on track and refocus. I concluded I needed to try to get in all 8 GHG's (Good Healthy Guidelines). This includes eating at least 1 serving of lean protein, choosing whole grains when available, eating 2 tsp of a healthy oil (olive oil is my choice), 5 servings fruits/veg, 2 servings of milk, take a daily vitamin, drink 8 glasses of water (tea and most other drinks count also), and get 30 minutes of exercise each day. It was a struggle but I did actually get most of them in...for the first few days anyway. Then the dreaded weekend came and I kind of fell of the wagon! Surprise Surprise. But I worked hard to get back on track as quickly as possible and it paid off:

Starting Weight: 193.4 (BMI 31.2)
Previous Weight: 181.6
Previous BMI: 29 -- Overweight

Week 10:
Weight: 178.8
BMI: 29 -- Overweight
14.6 down 43.8 pounds to go to reach goal weight (135)

So, I'm back under 180 (hopefully I'll stay there this time). I feel really good. I actually enjoyed the challenge of the GHGs and the only one I didn't get at all through the week was the exercise and this was solely due to the fact that I was sick and it was freezing cold outside. This week I'm trying the same technique - the 8 GHGs. I'm going to attempt once again for 7 straight days of all of them, including the activity/exercise.

I got a 7 day pass to Lifetime Fitness which is an enormous gym down the street from my home and went there at 4 AM this morning! I know it sounds crazy but my husband convinced me that since I get up with him at 3 or 3:30 anyway, I might as well take the opportunity to hit the gym while it's not crowded and before anything else gets in my way instead of going back to sleep. I figured with 7 free days I could test the waters a bit and see how getting up and staying up at around 3 works. Today, I loved it! It felt so good to be back in a gym, a nice gym, with LOTS of machines. *sigh* I really enjoyed it. I've been starving all morning in spite of eating plenty and am just now starting to get a little sleepy. But, I feel good and am so happy I went!

pictures

I decided to post a couple pictures for anyone out there who may not know me. As I said in one of my first posts, just after high school and my first year of college I was at my heaviest weight that I know of 215. That's the weight I joined weight watchers at the first time in 2002.

Then in July of this year I was at my lowest adult weight of right around 157. So the 2 pictures below are from close to those weights. I searched for a recent picture to show me now but they are all of me wearing my winter puffy coat so you can't tell my size really anyway...I'll post one soon. For now, here's where I've been, and where I'm going again.

week 9...bummer

well...i had my first significant gain. I knew it was coming and I can't say I'm all that disappointed. With the holidays almost over and having not yet really gotten the best of me I almost felt like I had to splurge and take advantage of the season or I would end up spiraling out of control for a while. So I ate. I started the week off good, over my daily points but tracking and taking responsibility for my choices and I had every intention of remaining within my weekly points. But after about 3 days...I let go.

I find it really hard to stay on plan when Robbie and I are both home. With New Years Eve I took 2 days of vacation so I had a 5 day weekend, 3 days of which the hubs was around too. That made things so hard! I had no routine and too many opportunities to make poor choices. And boy did I...but I enjoyed it. Went to my meeting Monday to face the music telling myself as long as I didn't gain more than 2 pounds I would be happy. Well, I gained 2.2 and I can't say I'm happy but I'm definitely not beating myself up over it. It is disappointing but it happened so time to move forward.

I am however a little further from my next mini goal of 15 pounds lost than I was a week ago :( Now instead of just 1 pound to go I have 3.2...Bummer.

Starting Weight: 193.4 (BMI 31.2)
Previous Weight: 179.4
Previous BMI: 29 -- Overweight

Week 9:
Weight: 181.6
BMI: 29 -- Overweight
11.8 down 46.6 pounds to go to reach goal weight (135)