Hello everyone! I am FINALLY posting.  I started last week but just haven't posted.  My goal is to lose 25 pounds in the 12 weeks.  I lost 4 lbs in the first week, so I am excited. I know it is only going to get harder.  Let's keep each other motivated. I need it!!  I am just tracking calories using my old Weight Watchers stuff and trying to do a lot of cardio exercise on my bike and treadmill. Good luck to you all!     Christi

Competitor Update

Here is a list of people who have paid and have posted. I would love to get a more accurate count on who is truly in the game so if you have a friend that said they wanted to do it and they have not posted or paid let's set a goal to have everyone paid in full and their goal and/or weight posted by wednesday of this coming week.

Paid and Posted

Blake

Jenni

Jackie

Jess

Christi

Grant

Melba

Leslee

Bethanne

Heather

Lori

Those I am unsure of

Donna

Joleen

Victoria

Lisa

Katie

If I have made a mistake or you know any info let me know!!!

Go strong in week 3 before our weigh in on Monday, February 2!

Happy Losing! (weight that is)

$$$$

We are well on our way into week number two and I want to encourage any of you who have not paid the dues to sets a goal to get it to me by the end of the week to secure your spot in the our competition. Also if you have any friends who still might be interested it isn't too late. I will need their $$$ and e-mail address so they will be able to post, and if you haven't posted let's get it going!!!

I felt good about week one, I just focused on my eating control and now it's on to exercise. I need to fit it into my daily routine. I hope everyone is doing well and keep it up!

Thanks Blake for posting the equation for figuring out weight loss percentage!!!

Blake - Week 01

Alright, it has been one week since we started the weight loss thing. I was actually doing pretty well for the first couple of days but I have already slipped up a bit with my eating. I think I need to focus on my portions and soft drinks. Also, I second Heather’s endorsement of CalorieKing. I have had the program on my computer for a while but I haven’t used it like I should. It is a good way to track your calories and exercise – which I will start this week :)

My weight has decreased slightly from 266.0 lbs to 263.5 lbs. That is about 0.9% so far – not good. Also, just in case there is any confusion with calculating your percentage weight loss, here is the equation:

100 * (263.5 / 266.0 - 1) = -0.94 or 0.94% decrease

[let's hope that my final percentage is negative and not positive :)]

Keep it up everyone. Lose Lose Lose some pounds!!!

I am so excited to be doing this competition it is just the motivation I need to get my buns in gear and lose some weight. I checked and have lost some already, yeppie. I still have tons to go.

Anyway, a few tips/motivation:
1. If you have a wii but not a wii fit, get one it is awesome. I love my wii fit. If I can’t make it to the guy I make myself do the wii fit and it is fun. I really do get a workout.
2. Go on walks with the kids at night. I’ve been trying to walk everywhere. Every night I try to go on walks with the kids. It’s great cause I’m exercising and we are chatting about our day.
3. I’ve been cutting all my portions in half. This week has been so busy that I haven’t had time to count every calorie liked I’d like so I have literally cut everything in half. If I go out I take my whole plate and half it. If I have a sandwich I only have half. I eat like I’m feeding my 3 and 5 year old. It’s amazing I’m full, but not stuffed. It’s beautiful.
4. If you do go out check out this great website called calorie king you can search any fast food place/restaurant and find calorie counts, and you don’t have to be a member. (http://www.calorieking.com/)
5. Lastly are two low cal and low fat recipes I made for dinner that were very yummy (one I made and one my friend made for me)

Stir Fry Chicken Pizza
1- 10 oz pack of pizza crust (I used trader Joes white or whole wheat)
3 small chicken breast (grilled)
1 large onion sliced
1 Med. Yellow and red pepper, sliced
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh or 1 1/2 tsp. dried basil

Unroll dough and pat into 12” pizza pan. Bake 425 for 8 min. Meanwhile cut grilled chicken into pieces and sauté onions, peppers, and garlic in oil till tender. When crust comes out sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese, put the sautéed veggies and chicken on top, then add the rest of the cheese and top with basil. Can add a little fresh parmesan if you want. Then bake at 425 again for 5-7 min. Serve with a nice green salad.

Chicken Pepper Pasta
Take 3 Breast of Chicken and cut into bit sized pieces and sauté them in a little olive oil with some Italian seasoning (I use the Pampered Chef seasoning). Then set aside and sauté 2 pepper (either red, yellow, green or a mixture) and 1 onion that has been sliced. When veggies are tender add back in the chicken and sauté together for a few minutes. Meanwhile, cook either spaghetti noodles or elbow macaroon (whatever you have on hand). Once the noodles are cooked drain and add the chicken and the veggies to the noodles. Then toss with a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. I like to add a little Tony Chanceries Seasoning to give it a little kick and some more flavor. It was very yummy and serve it with a nice green salad.

Good luck this week.
*PS If I ever learn how to add in pictures I'll put some in next time of the recipes so you can see the yummy food. I use square space for my blog and so I can't figure out the picture thing on this sorry....

Grant Rasmussen's weight loss goal...

I am 188 at this point, and would like to end at 175. I have a very busy lifestyle and would like to fit an exercise program into it.

Melba Rasmussen's weight loss...

I started at 218 and have already lost 8 pounds. I would like to lose 20 pounds in the next 12 weeks. I am 51 and would like to be healthy and feel better about myself.

Jenni Wilde weight loss...

I am 139 at this point and would like to lose 19 pounds to bring my weight to 120. I just had my fourth baby and have lost most of my weight but am hanging on to the last few pounds. I need the motivation!

This is Lori (Cook) Tooley

I got on the scale this morning after my trip home to Arizona to visit family. I ate and ate all the Mexican food I can't get here in Tennessee. I am at a big 179! I would love to see anything in the 150's. I see a big obstacle ahead, my husband just signed us up for a cruise the end of February (more food).

Motivation!!!

This is so motivating reading every one's posts and goals, and to add to it we have added a few more people to the competition.

Grant (another man, watch out Blake)

Melba

Katie

Victoria

This is so exciting! Hopefully everyone will have posted within the next few days so we can size up all our competition. Work hard and have fun watching your body shrink!

Bower Power Strikes Again- (Heather's weight)

Okay so now is the time, I have to lose some major weight and I figure I'll start motivating myself with this little friendly competition and then continue the rest of the journey on my own, cause I have a LONG way to go!!! The plan is to work out daily either at Gold's Gym, with the wii fit (LOVE IT) or walking with the kids, eat great, and feel great.

Some of you don’t know about my crazy weight history so let me fill you in. As a kid I was not a rail, but I wasn’t fat I was pretty average. Once I got into ASU I decided I wanted to really get fit and thin so I was a workout a holic. Seriously, I worked out about 5 hours a day and ate perfect. I looked so good. That is how I scored my hunka hunka burnin’ love of a husband. I started to work for the YMCA were I was an aerobics instructor. I taught high/low impact aerobics and step aerobic and lifted free weights daily. I couldn’t be stopped until I got married and had a sweet baby. Isn’t that how it always starts. Then I gained the weight. Yicks I couldn’t have that so after having Brielle I did weigh watchers and lost about 80 pounds and was doing super dupper, but guess what I got pregnant again and you guessed it put on the LBS again. So now I am back to square one and it is time I have got to get this weight off once and for all. Not because I don’t think I am not beautiful, but because I feel so much better when the weight is off. My back feels better, my knees don’t ache, my headaches are better (believer it or not exercise and food choices sure helps headaches), my attitude is better, my heart is better, etc, etc, etc, I could go on and on. So I am going to do it, no I have to do it. So I guess hopefully together we can motivate eachother and give eachother words of encouragement and advice.

So for the dreaded weight it is so embarrassing, but I figured if they can do it on Biggest Losers on TV I can tell 9 people right (let's keep this our little secret)! I am now (after the holidays since I gained 10 pounds) coming in at a whopping 199 pounds. OH MY GOSH!!!! YIKKKKKSSSS.... I can't believe I wrote that I feel so free. Just kidding. But soon I'll be down to 130 that is my goal it will take at least a year, but I'll get there with eveyones help and my own will power and dedication. LET'S GO TEAM!!!

Leslee's Weight Loss Goals

I am totally dying right now thinking I am going to post my weight!! Oh well! So, after having my second baby a little over a year ago I realized I had packed on a TON of weight( having babies and going through nursing school will do that!) So I lost about 55 lbs, now since about September I have gained back 10lbs! So I need to lose that plus the rest of my baby/school weight which equals a total of 21 lbs! Wow that sounds like a ton! I did it once I can do it again! So my starting weight is 171 and I would like to end at 150. So here we go, AGAIN!!

Bye-Bye Big Blake

This is Blake... not Jennifer. I feel special being the only guy participating. I will warn everyone – I am tremendously open and share my feelings and emotions quite freely… Okay, that was a joke… I’m the opposite, so I will try to contribute to this blog appropriately.

Well, I guess I should post my official declaration to lose weight. Over the past few years I have become less disciplined with my eating habits and really started packing on the pounds after starting back into school – especially since they fed us every night and there was literally a limitless supply of pepsi products. I’m now at a hefty 266.0 lbs *gasps from crowd*. That’s why I’m here… to lose some of that weight. I’ll be realistic with my goal at 25lbs. I could shoot for a larger amount but it has taken me a while to get here so I doubt it will go the other direction much faster – of course I’m hoping it does. Anyway, I’m cutting down on the portion size and heading back to the gym. We’ll see how things go. I’m not posting a picture of myself but I will send one of the scale ? My body fat is 32% with a BMI of 36.1 (I have a body fat analyzer and will track my fat at the same time – who knows, maybe it will give me more motivation to work out or something).

(I tried to be courteous by blurring my feet a bit)

Good luck everyone!!! Healthy Eating!!!

Less Jess

I am excited to get onboard with this weight loss competition.  It came at a much needed time...

After my 2 yr old was born, I lost a whopping 50# over the course of a year.   I was feeling so good about my accomplishments in 2008, that I let go of my ambitions to stick with my exercise & good eating habits-- which put me back up 30# over the past year.  I have been shoveling in anything & everything that tasted good!   Now I can't fit into any of my clothes, (I threw away all my old "fat" clothes) and I have been living in sweatpants. I feel like a chunky monkey & hate looking in the mirror lately.  Ugh!  So thanks for the inspiration Jackie :)   Back to lots of water, salads, low carb diet & hitting the gym & hiking.   Oh, and I guess this means I should start using the Wii Fit we got for Christmas.  :)   

My weight is 165 right now.

My goal is to lose 20lbs over the nxt 12 weeks.

With a positive attitude, I know I can do it.

"I think I can, I think I can!"

Bethanne's Goal

I am super excited to start losing the weight I've put on this past year. Life just got too hectic and stressful and somehow the Big Mac and Taco Bell became my good friends that helped me through it. They kept me going and made me very satisfied and happy...until I stepped on the scale and realized my friends were really stage 5 clinggers. So it is with a heavy heart and well, heavy body, that I say good day to my fast food friends. I will miss you and will think of you often (especially at night and when I'm sad and pretty much every time it's time to eat.)
My starting weight is 135. My goal is 120. I'm going to stick with a 1200 calorie and low-fat diet and cardio at least 3 times a week, more if I'm feeling like it's not coming off. This diet is the only one that has worked for me in the past. I actually started my diet last week because I couldn't stand to look at myself for one more week. Last week my starting weight was 138. So it's 3lbs down and 15 more to go.

Jackie's weight and goal

Today is the day I begin to embrace hunger again!

My goal is to loose 24 lbs in 12 weeks {2 lbs a week"}

My sad starting weight is 183. I can't wait to see the pounds melt away. Okay maybe it will happen like that in my dreams but not in reality! ;)

Our fellow competitors are as follows:

Me (Jackie)

Bethanne

Joleen

Christi

Heather

Blake (our only male)

Jenni

Leslee

Lori

Donna

If any one else wants in; it isn't too late!!!! Just post your weight and goal {or just your goal if you are a little shy about the weight). I hope the blog will be kind of like a support group where we can turn for motivation or new ideas! Best of Luck to all and Happy Losing!!

There are only six of us who are ready to lose the extra fluff on our bodies ...... let's work on getting some more!!!!
The more the merrier.....

Minor Adjustments

SOOOOO as I have heard a few comments from friends and family about displaying their weight for all the world to see...... I thought we could adjust it as long as we all take a pledge of honesty and trust. For our first post we can post a goal of how many lbs. we hope to lose..... and for each weigh in, post your own percentage of weight loss since your beginning weight. So we still all need to weigh in on the starting day of the competition and keep track of your weight personally and your weight loss percentage you will post on the blog. {Does that all make sense...}

NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

I had a fabulous holiday season and ate anything and everything I saw.....which is now not so FABULOUS as I jumped on the scale this morning!!! ;) SOOOOOO I am jumping on the band wagon of weight loss again trying to get my sexy back and what better way to do than a little friendly competition using cold hard cash as the incentive to work hard!!! I thought I would create a blog that we can all use to track our achievements, our discouragements, exercise tips, healthy eating ideas, recipes and so forth.
Here are the rules:

*Entry Fee of $20 to go in the winners pot. Money must be paid by Jan. 12 to me {Jackie} to be in the competition.

*Post starting weight on Jan. 12

(I know many of you just thought no way am I am going to post my weight.....honestly, who cares.....we are all in this to lose weight; no one is judging or hating!)

*The winner will be determined after 12 weeks by the person who has the greatest PERCENTAGE of weight lost

*12 week contest

*Every 3 weeks you must update your weight and percentage lost on the following dates:

Feb. 2nd

Feb 23rd

March 9th

FINAL WEIGH IN ~ March 23rd

*1st place receives 75% of pot

2nd place receives 25% of pot

If you want in on the fun either e-mail me your e-mail address or leave it in a comment and I will add you to the blog so you can start posting. ( you also need a google account to sign in and post ~ no worries it's FREE)

LET THE WEIGHT LOSS BEGIN and here's to a thinner you and me in 2009!!

If you have any other ideas for rules let me know and we can update!