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Jodi and Tami's Million Pound Match-UpLosing Weight in 2008 |
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April 18 Week 14Well missed a week's blog again, but have great news to report this week! I had set a personal goal of a 20 lb. total loss by my birthday. Well, yesterday was my birthday AND my weigh in day and I did it (new pics to come)!. I "barely" made it, but I did make it.
 I seem to be doing a lot of the "self-sabatoge" that Ali talked about on the BL finale. I really feel that it was my "old" mind set knowing I'd screw up yet another weight loss goal. It's a daily struggle keep that old mind set kicked to the curb, but I'm working on it.
Next goal - Lose those stinking 3 lbs. to get me into the 100's again. Stay tuned...
Tami
April 10 Week??? (Lost track...maybe 15) Yikes...I think I missed a week! I have been stuck at 225 for two weeks now. The first week I was surprised. This week, I have been so busy with a new project that I haven't been as focused on my workouts...or my diet. I spend most of my time on the computer trying to get everything lined out for this project/work thing. Last weekend I had to go out of town and the place I went to has a contaminated water supply so there was no way to get fruits or vegetables when eating out, there was no way to eat anything that was washed or cooked in water. It was MISERABLE!!! I am within my calorie range most days but I'm not making the best choices, so no surprise that my weight hasn't really changed in the past week. But the week before that, I was busting my butt...what a bummer! No reason to quit though...just gotta hop back on that skinny train Jodi April 05 Week 12Well, time got away from me and I missed my blog last week. Work has been extremely busy and stressful (yes, more than usual) and last week my body and mind decided enough was enough. I did little or nothing all weekend, including no workouts. I felt guilty but couldn't get motivated enuf to turn it around. Started in again on Monday and my workouts have been going good again. I'm feeling very tired lately, though, and I'm struggling to get up the gumption to do my workouts with the intensity that I normally do. By Thursday I started to feel a little bit more energetic. I know I've been letting the stress get the better of me. It is mentally AND physically draining me. I know I have to get over tha hump and pull things back together.
On a higher note, I noticed that I'm not getting as winded throughout my workouts and I'm able to recover faster between tough reps. That makes me happy. I have really tried to lay off walking/jogging for awhile to get my foot back to where it's not hurting all of the time. I've also been doing small things like standing on one foot at a time to work on strengthening my feet. That's also helped in my balance. I'm hoping I can turn this recent "slump" around soon and get back to being totally focused.
Tami March 31 Week 13-One more pound Ugh! One pound. Again! I was sure I would lose more this week. I stepped up my exercise. I've been working on the couch to 5K program and riding the bike. I'm doing strength training, too. I have been working up a massive sweat w/ my cardio and my limbs are like jell-o when I'm done w/ ST. So, I was expecting better results this week. I'm a little pissy now so, rather than marinate in my disappointment I'm going to go and busy my mind elsewhere . Will check in later Jodi March 24 Week 12 True confession time… I did well during the challenge that I’ve been doing through The Biggest Loser Club but I am a little upset with myself that I didn’t end as strong as I began. I got to be a little complacent in my exercise at the end (especially after my vacation!). I didn’t put out near the energy I should have and it made a difference. I should have done better. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that I lost 36 pounds in 13 weeks, I’m just upset that I lost the level of determination that I started with. I’ve also been having a hard time with a negative thought process that I’ve developed. I have a dry, sarcastic sense of humor but some of that jaded perspective has seeped in to my regular thought patterns. I am seeing more of the negative in things/people/situations than I see positive. I’ve become kind of judgmental and, well, bitchy. It isn’t just that I am more crotchety than not, I’m pretty much that way all the time. I’m sure that it stems from negative feelings about myself/weight/body image. So, my big tasks for the next 3 months are to reorganize my thought patterns so that I come from a more accepting, open, pleasant place and to rededicate to my super-charged workouts. I hope that by the end of this challenge my scale reads, “2-0-?”. That means I will have lost at least 17 pounds. On the optimistic side…I will be welcomed into One-derland. As for the workouts, I’m going to have to bust my butt to meet a challenge posed to me by one of my Ultimate Challenge buddies! Jodi March 21 Week 10Well, was able to squeak out another 3 lbs. this week, despite being sick - again. This time, a nice viral infection that turned to sinus infection. My daughter had it first and, when I didn't want to give her a hug and kiss good-night, swore that is was just "allergies". I won't be buying that line again. The viruses seem to be flying around like crazy this year and I seem to catch every one of them.
 My dress clothes that I wear for work have been getting looser and looser on me, but I was somewhat shocked on Monday when I put on a pair of my Dockers. I was walking down the hall at work and literally was having to "shift" my pants back to center! I'm shooting for a 20 lb. loss before I go get new pants. The black Dockers are definitely history, though.
I'm with Jodi, I am not quitting - even if the Million Pound Matchup has expired. Although my weight loss has been somewhat slow, I have lost 16 lbs., 4" off my hips, and 4 1/2" off my waist - in 10 weeks. I'm proud of that and will be continuing to aggressively reach my goal weight.
Tami March 19 Anyone Know What's Going On With the Million Pound Match-Up? I think the "official" time period for the Million Pound Match-Up has ended. (Unless I'm wrong about the date) I'm just curious if anyone has heard about it continuing or any other buzz from MSN? I plan to continue along on my goals and lifestyle plan, I still have a long way to go. And, I'm dragging Tami along with me (whether she likes it or not!). Anyone else? What have you heard? And more importantly...YOU AREN'T STOPPING, ARE YOU!!! March 17 Week 11 Well, I missed entering a blog for last week. I was on vacation and the place we stayed charged for internet. Sorry, but I chose to spend money on T-shirts and baubles instead of internet service. Thank goodness I have a teammate who blogged :o) Vacation was good. It was very hard to keep track of the true amount of calories I ate and to make good choices. I stayed within my calorie range for the most part but I did make some poor choices (some involving ice cream). I also made some good choices, I found that there are healthy snack carts at Disney World that offer grapes, oranges, apples and veggies and the proces weren't too unreasonable. Plus we carried some Nutrigrain bars along to munch on if I got hungry. I did tons of walking. I bought a pedometer before I left and wore it only at the theme parks. My step counts were 15,000-24,000 and those are theme park only steps! I didn't lose any weight but I'm on par today so I guess that is an accomplishment. My measurements didn't change this week aside from a 1/2 inch loss in one of my thighs. I must have been walking more efficiently on my left leg :o) I tried to be creative with some strength training. While standing in line for rides or character greetings I would use one of the kids as weight and I did squats, biceps curls and triceps work. The kids thought it was fun to crawl on mom and get lifted up & down and I got some decent resistance work! For the past 12 days my exercise has pretty much been limited to walking so I have to get back on track this week and work in some aerobics and better strength routines. Time to break out my BL DVD's and my weights! Jodi March 16 Week 9This has been the week from hell, as you can tell - I'm writing my blog on Sunday and week 9 ended on the Thursday. My mom had surgery on Monday and it's escalated from there. I went 5 days without being able to work out. Went to visit my mom in the hostipital and ran into the husband and daughter of some friends. The wife was in the hospital due to complications that started with a blood clot in each leg. They proceeded to move up and invade her upper torso, kidneys etc. Needless to say, I've spent most of this week's workout time at the hospital. The only good thing is that I did not gain, although I didn't not lose either. I'm hoping for a bettwer week 10.
Tami March 08 Week 8It's been a pretty good week. I was able to stay on track and focused - no side distractions to keep me from working out. It paid off with a 2 1/2 lb. loss. I'm having a bit of trouble with my right foot, which is limiting me on how long/hard I can walk (1 1/2-2 miles seems to be the limit). I'm a little frustrated because I really want to start jogging again and it's holding me back. I know, though, that my foot problem stems from my size 6 feet trying to support all this extra weight. I just keep having my Chiropracter put everything back in place while I work on getting the pounds off.
 Jodi let me know on Friday that her BL club was doing another "100's" weekend challenge so I joined in on that. I split them up into 2 days (that Jodi's a maniac!). Each day I started with a 1 1/2 mile walk with the dogs. I then did my "50's" as a circuit training workout. My muscles were pretty tight for a few days but after the stiffness passed I could feel a huge difference. I'm with Jodi - I'll be doing 100's every weekend AND I actually added "delts" to the list this weekend.
Oh, I almost forgot... because of my change in eating habits, the weight loss, etc. I am no longer "chained" to my daily Nexium. I have been off of it for almost 1 month now. Before, I couldn't go 1 day without having reflux symptoms. There have been a few days that I have had to take a zantac but that's miles from where I was 2 months ago.
Tami
March 04 Week 9 (Big Goal Met) Woo-hoo! I did it. My big, unspoken goal of losing 30 pounds before vacation. I have done it! This week was tough. I've struggled with finding the time and inspiration to work out. I've been so busy trying to get ready for vacation and getting caught up on my obligations that I honestly did NOT want to work out this week. Over the weekend I added a mile to my walk to try and boost my energy out. My challenge group did a mini challenge this weekend of 100's (100 each of bicep curls, triceps kickbacks, abs, chest presses, push ups, squats and lunges). I did not want to do them so I thought, "I'll just get them out of the way." I busted them out in one evening. A day and a half later, my muscles were screaming! In my effort to avoid spending too much time exercising, I think I got an even better workout. (I am thinking of doing 100's every week now...I hate that I like them so much). I checked with the place we are staying during vacation. They have a pool and a gym so I should be able to work out--like walking around a theme park all day isn't exercise! I bought a new pedometer so that I can keep track of my steps on vacation. My goal is to hit the gym either early, before the kids get up and about, or at night when they are exhausted! There will also be time when the whole family is in the pool that I can get exercise. If only I were so confidant about how my eating is going to go while I'm there... Jodi February 28 Week 7Well, no loss this week which actually makes me pissed off and more determined!
 I pretty much know what went wrong so now I just have to fix it. I have come to a full realization that most people have to "do" something in order to spend time with you. "Let's go to dinner", "Let's go for a beer". Unfortunately, at this stage of my trek to get fit, it's becoming my downfall. Not really because of the food - I have been very good about watching my calories and portions. What it does do is take time away from my workouts. I have very little time, as it is, to fit in daily workouts and all the distractions are reducing my workout time. I've got to cut the distractions and get back on schedule. If I miss one day of working out, it's too easy to miss two days. No More! Back on track!
Just a side note - had yet another lunch meeting today with another damn cookie in the sandwich box. This time I got a macadamia nut cookie. Holy crap, that was a tough one! Thank goodness my sweet tooth Engineer buddy was in this meeting too. I quickly wiped the drool from my mouth and gave him my cookie. I'll be praying for an oatmeal raisin cookie next time. Then there will be no hesitation.
 Tami Not My "Official" Weigh-In Day, But... I've lost 31 pounds as of today...Woo-Hoo, Yippee, ya-hoo! I'm so excited. I haven't been this weight in YEARS!!! Now, I've just got to focus so that success doesn't go to my head and I don't start slacking off. Jodi February 26 How DO You Do It? A funny thing has happened to me this week. I keep running into people that I haven't seen in ages. A lot of people have started to notice (without the benefit of my hints  ) that I've lost weight and the inevitable question comes up..."How are you doing it?"I've been there. Hoping that the smiling person standing across from me in the baggy pants has that miraculous panacea that will cause weight loss, happiness and eternal youth. OK, no single elixir can produce all those benefits but I think I now believe in one weight loss theory. It is a theory that I have fought against for my entire life. That theory is that significant weight loss can be achieved by...hold on, you won't believe it...diet and exercise alone. Through healthy eating (including portion control) and regular physical activity you can make a difference in your health and weight. For most of my life I have avoided any "diet" that involved the actual counting of calories, measuring portions and journaling of my food intake. "Too much work" and "Takes too much time" were among my arguments. The only time that I lost out on was the 15 years I spent being overweight because I was too stubborn to take the simple steps I needed to change that. The only thing that is missing from that solution is the determination. At some point you have to make the decision for yourself that it is finally time to make the change. Once you've made that decision, the rest will fall into place. It won't be always be easy, but you'll find more joy in exercising control over your body than in being smothered by it. It's about progress, not perfection... Jodi February 25 Week 8 (Big Goal Just a Pound Away!) Before I started, I had a big goal. I didn't know if it was realistic or not so I didn't voice it to anyone. Well, that goal was to lose 30 pounds by the time I go on vacation. I leave for my vacation on March 6 and, as of today, I am only 1 pound away from meeting that goal! I've also lost 11.2 % of my starting body weight. Ya-hoo! This week has been a little difficult. I ended up with strep throat (along with one of my kiddos and DH!) so I felt pretty bad for a day or two. I still got my exercise in most days. For a few I had to break my cardio up into easier to complete 20 or 30 minute sessions and do 2-3 sessions every day. Luckily, I still had my lungs working properly so the exercise was do-able! I also struggled with cravings this week. I don't know if it was being sick that made me crave comfort-type foods or if my mind is playing tricks on me. Maybe it's like the mind of a drug addict, trying to find any rational reason to "use" again. I pulled out my old stash of shorts this weekend to see if I can wear any of them on vacation. There are some pairs that are still too small but I have enough togo on vacation and all the ones I picked are not only my size, but I don't have to squeeze into them. They are all comfortably my size. My goal for the week is to get that last pound off (and then some!). Jodi February 21 Week 6Hit my first 10 lbs. hurdle - FINALLY! My gosh, that was the hardest dang 10 lb. loss I think I've ever experienced. I started feeling better so really kicked it into gear with my workouts. I also stopped obsessing as much on my caloric intake. I'm still keeping track of what I eat but I'm feeling more confident in what choices to make and have become very good about managing my portions. I don't feel so stressed out about it.
Today we had another lunch meeting. This time (thank goodness) I was able to take some control of what was brought in. We had sandwich boxes ordered in. I ate 1/2 of my turkey and ham sandwich. The chips were baked so, for the first time in 6 weeks, ate some chips. I gave my cookie to one of the Engineers, who was sitting next to me. Funny thing was - it wasn't hard to give that cookie away. I was full, satisfied, and very happy in my choices.
Tami
February 19 BIG things in little packagesI work in a very high stress environment, so on bad days I used to go home and have 3 or 4 cold beers and maybe some take home pizza because I was not in the mood to cook. A week or so ago, I'd had another bad day and the first thought that came to my mind was, "I just want to go home and work out my frustrations". It took me a few seconds to realize what I'd just "thought" and how BIG that little thought was. That was a very cool moment.
Tami Week 7 (or "43 days, 25 pounds...and 1 damn sugar cookie") This week I had some struggles. I tried to bake sugar cookies for my oldest son's Valentines school party. I know, I know, one cookie isn't a catastrophe. Now, all the cookies that followed are where I had a problem! I fell off the wagon a bit but I have jumped right back on. Even with the great cookie catastrophe, I managed to lose 2 1/2 pounds. Now I have a cold or something (fever, sore throat, aching joints and sinus problems). I rested for a few days but I can't let my exercise routine fall too much so I got busy yesterday and broke my cardio into 3 manageable 20 minute sessions. Today, I couldn't face working out 3 times so I did two 30 minute sessions and 25 of strength training after my morning session. I'm exhausted, wiped-out and hating life but I go on vacation in 16 days and I want to have lost 30 pounds before I go (4 1/2 pounds to go!). I'm a little surprised at my success. I never would have imagined that I could lose over 20 pounds in 2 months (without starving!!). I was able to kick up my running a little last weekend. I did 1:1 on my power pole distance program! My goals for the week are to exercise my way through this illness (as long as I have it in me) and to stay on track so I can get this 4 1/2 pounds off (and then some!!) Jodi February 12 Week 4This past week or so has been extremely frustrating to me. I was sick Monday and Tuesday so couldn't work out. I still tried to keep within my calorie range by eating things that would not upset my stomach any more than it already was. I worked out Wednesday and Thursday but my low back was hurting so I knew I was still not 100%.
Now I'm working into week 5 and it's not going much better. Missed Friday's workout because I had to go to a goodbye party for a co-worker. Did not eat anything that I wasn't supposed to but drank 4 beers, which was 2 more beers than what I had allotted myself. Was sick again on Saturday (No, it was not "hangover" sick). Did manage to get 2 walks in on Sunday - walked the dogs for 1.6 miles and then walked with Jodi for 4 miles. I'm still struggling, as I'm not able to shake this bug I've picked up. My energy level has been pretty low the last few days but I've still tried to keep within my caloric range and have tried to do some kind of a workout. I just want to feel good again so I can get back on track. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...
Tami Week 6 (Keep on Keepin' on) I've struggled a bit this week. My mind has turned to fast food more than once. Thankfully my car hasn't turned in that direction! This week I was hoping to hit another milestone...having lost 10% of my body weight. I didn't make it, was one pound short of that goal. If all goes right I have that to look forward to next week, right? During the week it was a little harder than usual to get my workouts done. The baby would just lay on his play mat and watch me but lately he starts crying after only 20 minutes or so. I have to add some variety to my workouts to keep him interested (works for both of us actually!). On Saturday I kicked my weekend walk into a higher gear. I do a four mile walk on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I got a crazy idea in my head that I could run some of it. I decided that an achievable goal was to run from one power pole to the next, then walk two, run one, etc. I did that for about 2 1/2 miles of the route. I felt good after. My hips are sore but it feels good to know that I did that much. February 06 A Revelation I just felt like posting this revelation that Tami and I had last
night. With all the exercising we've been doing our bodies seem to
have adjusted. We actually look forward to exercising. It is nice to crave exercise rather than dreading it! February 04 20 Pounds--Gone!!! Yay! I'm jumping up & down a bit today. I have officially lost 20 pounds. I'm thrilled. What amazes me most is that after all this time and all of my previous tries, it really has been fairly tolerable. I don't want to say that it's been "easy" because it has taken a lot of hard work and dedication to changing my habits. But, once I did that, it really has gone fairly quickly. So, what was it that has made me succeed this time that I didn't have for all the others? All I can think of is that I finally made the decision, deep in my heart that it was time. I don't think that I had truly committed to the other attempts. I went through the motions of being on a diet, but I never really committed to changing my lifestyle and getting healthy. That is where I see the difference--the level of commitment. I'm happy to have had such success so quickly but I have a goal looming on the horizon. I'd like to lose another 10-15 pounds before I go on vacation in 31 days. I'm going to Florida with my family. I'd like to consider wearing shorts, I'd like to have a lap for the baby to sit on during the flight, I'd like to fit more comfortably in the seat on the plane! The good news is that with all the walking I've been doing over the past 5 weeks there is no way I'm going to tire out before I've had fun! I'll be going all day. I'm still considering the clothes that have been stored in my closet because they were too tight. I haven't had the nerve to try them on yet. I'm still too nervous, thinking that they still won't fit and then I'll be upset and discouraged. Hmmm, maybe next week. I haven't been as good about getting my vegetables in. I've had a problem with my salad getting brown too fast and the winter veggies just don't seem as good as summer ones. I have a new recipe that I like (me and my oldest son are the only ones in the house that appreciate it though  ). This week I need to focus on eating more veggies!Jodi It's about progress, not perfection!! February 02 3 weeks inWell, started to weigh in on Thursdays so i can report "weekly" progress. Weighing in on Mondays and counting "days" was driving me nuts. I also took my measurements since the first week and have lost 2" off of my hips and 2 1/2" off of my waist. Although my clothes were fitting a bit looser, I had not felt that I had gone down that much. Yesterday I wore a blouse to work that, 3 weeks ago, I could not get buttoned around my mid-section. I had purchased it months ago but had never worn it because it had shrunk a bit after I had washed it. Thursday was a good day.
I have done much better at balancing my calories, fat grams, etc. I'm still a bit under my caloric limit but figure not every bit of caloric info is going to be completely accurate so would rather stay a little under (100 or so calories) than risk going over. I've also shifted my eating so I'm packing more calories into breakfast and lunch and eating less for dinner. I was not eating enuf during the day and then had to scramble at night to reach my limit. I would rather eat the majority of my calories during the day, when I'm the most active. Hopefully these few changes will get me a better weight loss in the next week.
Tami January 30 Four Weeks Down... This week I lost 4 pounds! I'm so excited. I was a little bummed last week but 4 pounds leaves me with a wonderful feeling. I am 4 pounds away from a big milestone for me. I can't remember the last time that I weighed under 240, I think it was before I got pregnant with my 4 year old. If I get to 240 (or less ) by next week, I also get to take another picture (my 20 pound down picture!). I still feel strong. I'm making great diet choices, staying within my calorie range on a daily basis. I've had Subway a few times (always healthy choices), aside from that I haven't had fast food in over a month! That is a big accomplishment for me as I used to have fast food at least twice a week. I'm still working out regularly. This weekend I walked the 4-mile loop near my house and shaved 7 minutes off of my previous time. My hips and butt were sore the next day, but I felt great. I can really feel a change in my muscles, they have less of a marshmallow consistency than they did before. My pants are fitting more loosely. I haven't tried on the few pairs I had from before that were too tight. For some reason I just think that I'll put them on, they still won't be comfortable and it'll depress me. Maybe I'll try them next week. Jodi January 28 2 1/2 weeks and counting...Last week was a tough one as far as sticking to healthy choices. Tuesday was lunch with a supplier at a great Southwest Style restaurant. I was really nervous because I knew I had to make good choices but I knew if I had just a salad or sandwich I'd be pissed about it and possibly eat more thru out the rest of the day! So I picked a fairly helthy choice - not as good as a salad but I did not clean the whole flippin plate like I would have in the past. I ate most of my entry but left the sides of white rice and refried beans. I felt really good about things...until the next day. Got stuck in an all day meeting at work. They decided to bring lunch in... Pizza of course. They did have antipasto salad so tried to fill up on it, but did have 2 squares of pizza. Of course, this was also the day that I forgot my lunch at home so really had no escape. By the time I got home I was totally "carbed" out. Didn't want to work out and almost had myself talked out of it. I decided I would set the dvd for a 60 minute workout and just see how I felt as i got into it. Well, I'm happy to say I not only finished it, but finished it without slacking. The next day... Salad!
My daughter and I took our 2 dogs for walks this weekend, which is always an adventure. I might mention that I'm not only working on myself but have been working on my dogs' behavior (with a lot of help from The Dog Whisperer episodes). This is a full "family" makeover! So we take off the first day and I had both dogs with me, as they usually are a little hard to control until they get going. We were walking along and I could hear my daughter start to breath a little harder than usual. She said, "Well, OK, I guess we're walking faster these days". 2 1/2 weeks ago I would have been asking her to slow down because I did not have the core strength to walk fast AND control the dogs. That was a great feeling. She then decided she wanted to jog a little bit with our Red Heeler. I followed suit and started jogging, too, but I had our 75 lb. Black Lab who has absolutely no concept of the word "jog". Needless to say, it was a lot of jogging then walking in order to keep my Lab from dragging me off to who knows where - BUT the fact is that I was jogging again and it felt good! The next day I made my daughter switch me dogs so I could get a little more of a steady jog going. It felt really good and I can't wait until I can jog for a full mile or two.
Oh, by the way, my daughter did her first workout with the Biggest Loser dvd's and I didn't even have to force her to! She is not overweight but I keep telling her if she starts the routine now it will stick with her for life. First, Turkey Chili - now, workout dvd's...I'm excited to see what's around the next corner... :)
Tami
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