Weigh in!!

Hi guys!!!  Thought I'd better post a household item for tomorrows weigh in! :)

 Please include a HAIRBRUSH or COMB in your pics tomorrw!

Make sure you get them to me @ kariscomp@yahoo.com by 6 MST!

Good luck to all! :)

Challenge Number 4

Can you believe weigh in is Wednesday? SO INSANE!!!  So this is your challenge at least until Wednesday:

Be PERFECT at whatever it is you are doing!! 

 If you are doing weight watchers, track points, measure portions, do everything perfectly!!  If you are doing no sugar NO SUGAR.  Ideally you all entered this thing with a plan, so reevalute that plan and DO IT!!!  Can't wait to see the results on Wednesday!!  Good luck all!

Challenge Number 3

Hi all!! This weekend has been slightly insane for me. Hope you have all had a little less chaos than I! ;o)

I am sure you all wonder where I come up with this stuff. Honestly... I try to create challenges that will help you be successful in your goals. This week, your challenge is to:

Keep a food journal!

Really, truly, write it all down. Every bite of everything you eat. No one is grading you or judging you, but SOMETIMES, seeing it all written down can help you figure out what changes you can make in order to be more successful in accomplishing your goals. ALSO.. if you are willing to write it all down and would like some input about it... you can email it to me and I can help you tweek your diet. :o) Either way.. GOOD LUCK THIS WEEK!! Remember that we don't gain the weight over night and surely we can't expect to lose it over night. ;o) Keep working at it. 5 lbs a month is 60 lbs in a year! You CAN do it...

Did you know?!?!?

There are 75 calories in 1 double stuffed oreo?  And to think.. I've been guilty of eating a whole bag! :(

Your next challenge!!

. BEFORE I post this challenge I want to say this....

EXERCISE IS NOT AN EXCUSE TO EAT BADLY!!!!

You see... I have this issue with exercise and weight loss. I think it's an absolutely necessary and integral part of weight loss. I also run into people ALL THE TIME who use it as an excuse to eat whatever they want and then wonder WHY AM I NOT LOSING WEIGHT?!?!?! Exercise is amazing for a zillion different reasons.. it prevents practically every disease on the frickin' planet. The health benefits are ENDLESS!! BUT if you think that exercise alone is going to shed the lbs for you.. you couldn't be farther from reality!! Aerobic (cardio) exercise burns fat. Resistance exercise builds muscle tissue which burns fat more efficiently. These are EXCELLENT reasons WHY exercise is necessary as you work towards your weight loss goals. HOWEVER... you must burn more calories than you eat in order to lose weight.

SO... your challenge for the week??

Exercise for AT LEAST 30 minutes AT LEAST 5 times this week.

Make sure that during that time you get at least 1.5 hours of cardio in... (this means your heart rate should be 65%-85% of your MAX HEART RATE!! ) * If you already do this then pick a certain amount of minutes LONGER to exercise. Here is a fantastic secret to keep in mind when you are trying to decide what to do. The best cardio exercise is:

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

WHATEVER YOU ENJOY DOING!!! That's right... why force yourself onto a treadmill if you get a great cardio workout on the bike AND enjoy yourself!?!? Really truly.. find what cardio you enjoy the most and go for it!!

Another thing to keep in mind is that for the most part walking does NOT provide an adequate increase in heart rate (for most of us). If you are walking for your cardio... pick up the pace, do some hills, add some jogging... get UNCOMFORTABLE!!!

I can't wait to here how this week goes for all of you!! Good luck and get ready for the challenge from HELL next week! ;o)

[* To calculate MAX HEART RATE subtract your age from 220. Then calculate the percentage by multiplying that number by .65 or .85.. here's' MY example. 220-29=191 65% of 191 is 191x.65=124 85% of 191=162. So I would want my heart rate to be between 124 and 162. ]

First Challenge!! :)

Ya'll ready for this?!?!

This weeks challenge is about PORTION SIZES.

I challenge everyone to PAY ATTENTION TO AND CONSUME PROPER PORTION SIZES!! Read your labels! Regardless of what you are eating, it is never as damaging to your goals if you are paying attention to HOW MUCH you are eating. This means if you are going to eat Doritos you should count out 11 chips according to the label. (I would guess that when you fill a bowl with chips and eat them, you are getting at least 3 servings, in this case that would be 420 calories.)

Portion sizes are ABSOLUTELY KEY to weight loss! You can eat TOO MUCH of a good thing. So how do you know that you are eating the right sized portion? Here is a rule of thumb. A proper portion size for a piece of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand 5-6 ozs. [You also can be REALLY good at portion sizes by purchasing a food scale!] A proper portion size for a complex carb or starch is about the size of a cupped hand. (Umm... this means if you must eat mashed potatoes you are getting ONE SMALL SCOOP!! As opposed to filling half the plate! ;o) ) The proper portion size for fruits/veggies is about the size of two cupped hands! And in case you were wondering... The proper portion size for simple sugar carbs is NONE! ;o) But at least read the label and KNOW how many calories/fat g/carbs etc you are eating before you put it in your mouth.

*My suggestion for being successful in this challenge is to WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!! Everything that goes into your mouth should be measured out. If you are writing it down, it's just a little extra focus/effort on achieving your goal. *

There are a zillion lessons that can be learned by taking on this challenge!! ARE YOU IN?!?!?

Weekly Challenges!

Hey guys!!  I had a suggestion to start up weekly challenges!  I LOVE doing these!!  They seem to keep people focused on one mini goal at a time.  That being said... I am going to start posting them on Saturdays so you can be prepared to start the week off right!  These are not mandatory but are a lot of fun in keeping you motivated/focused and learning how to live a healthier life!  Watch for it on Saturday!!  ALSO... please leave comments.  I love doing these but tend to get burnt out when I feel like people aren't interested!

Keep up the amazing work!!  :)

Kari

Pics and where do you rate?!?

Here are the results for the first month!!  Click on them to make them bigger!  See where you rate this month! :) Also.. for anyone commenting that their loss isn't nearly as amazing as someone elses... A LOSS IS A LOSS!!  Be proud and keep going in the right direction! :)

  Combined you lost 131.2 LBS!! 

 That is an entire person!!  WOOT WOOT!!

Winners!

We have a couple of amazing results!
Our winners are....
Robyn who lost 19.0 lbs for a 10.67% loss!
Scott who lost 31.6 lbs for a 10.51% loss!
Congrats!!!