I had another butt lifting LBWO with my trainer.lol Tomorrow is usually a free day because I'm off of work also but I am working a 1/2 day so I might go to the gym for some cardio after work. I think I need to change my workout up a little because I've been staying the same weight the last 2 weeks. Maybe I need to use the treadmill for a 5/25 HIIT using some steep inclines. We will see. Any suggestions??

Hal: Great Job pushing yourself. Over 5 miles in 40 minutes. YEAH!!!

Jenn: I'm so glad you have been able to turn your mood around.

Terra: Spaghetti squash is really good roasted also. I don't think I have used pasta since I tried this squash. I love the idea of your "flash cards". I used to carry one of those picture key chains with a quote on one side and a vision statement on the other. I wonder what ever happened to that. Let us know how those flash cards work. Please

I hope everyone has a great Friday. Lori

Thia: You snuck in on me. Sounds like you had a good time with your son and soon to be daughter-in-law. I don't think I would ever want to do 29 again but maybe 40. Again another quote that comes at just the right time. Thanks Thia. I will have to copy this down to remember.

Much of the theatricality associated with the televised weight loss competition, "The Biggest Loser" can make its contestants' weight loss seem as impossibly dramatic as the rest of the reality show. But according to the latest research from Brown University, competitive, team-based weight loss competitions can be very effective.

Publishing in the journal, Obesity, researchers from the Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and The Warren Alpert Medical School observed participants in Shape Up Rhode Island (SURI) -- a 12-week, statewide online weight loss competition in 2009 that was designed by Dr. Rajiv Kumar, a co-author of the study.

Participants joined as part of a team and then competed against other teams in three categories: weight loss, physical activity levels and pedometer steps (another measure of activity). In total, 3,330 state residents with body mass indexes of 31.2 or greater participated in groups of five to 11 people on a total of 987 teams. Researchers found that people experienced similar weight loss levels as their teammates. They also found that team members who said they were inspired by teammates lost more weight than those who didn't attribute influence to their team. Overall, those who lost a clinically significant amount of weight -- defined as five percent of their initial body weight or more -- were clustered on the same teams.

“We know that obesity can be socially contagious, but now we know that social networks play a significant role in weight loss as well, particularly team-based weight loss competitions,” lead author Tricia Leahey said in a statement. “In our study, weight loss clearly clustered within teams, which suggests that teammates influenced each other, perhaps by providing accountability, setting expectations of weight loss, and providing encouragement and support.”

That finding wraps nicely into the mounting data that shows a connection between social networks and health behaviors -- particularly things like diet and exercise. As HuffPost blogger Dr. Mark Hyman pointed out in his recent article on social networks and chronic disease prevention:

Community is more effective than any medication, even though many still use less than optimal and outdated nutritional advice and lifestyle interventions. I believe much more could be accomplished by translating the latest science into effective treatments and community-based support groups ...

So take a page from "The Biggest Loser" teams and get moving together.

Whazzup!!!


Today was another crazy day at work. We've been deploying our enterprise app to another client remotely. Lots of configuration, testing, fixing, long hours. Fun...fun! Despite the crazy week, I'm staying focused and on track! I'm exciting to NOT weigh in this Friday! I know progress is being made because my 38 jeans are getting looser. It's crazy to think I was wearing 46 a year ago! LOL

Meals:
M1 - Eggs
M2 - Cheese, protein
M3 - Turkey burger
M4 - RightLight, nuts
M5 - EFL Lean steak and broccoli
M6 - Protein shake











.

Make It A Great Day!!!

Focus On Your Reasons!



Remember...


YOUR RESULTS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR REASONS!!!

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Gooooood morning!!
Hard to believe that it is Friday already. I have never had such a busy winter which is good, passes the time that is for sure.
Johnathan, I really like it when the clothes start getting bigger instead if shrinking as they hang in the closet . My goal is for my pants to fall off after, I have done them up!!
Thia, happy birthday and you are the gift to the group. All best wishes for the year ahead.
I just got weighed and.........I lost 2.5 pounds!!! OMG, I am happy. And the best for me is that I did not get discouraged last week when I did not lose, well, maybe for about 15 minutes but I rallied!! So that makes it 5.5 in 3 weeks . I have now looked at my exercise routine and will be refining that this week. And Christine insists that I have a free meal today, imagine that!!! The idea of french fries is a little daunting but I'll get over it!!
As Bill says, exercise is the spark and food is the fuel so I am off to do my first aerobic 5/25.If I don't return............................
Have a great day and smile,
Nancy

Good Morning Everyone!

My last two days at the hospital were crazy busy! Now, I have four days off to regroup! Yay! Plans for today are UBWO and long walk or bike ride.

I was thrilled to receive my new order of Rightlights. They come in really handy at work to help me stay on track with nutrition. I did not get in my water quota at work yesterday. I had it with me, but did not stop long enough to drink it! Have to work on that one!

Hubby & I will be doing more unpacking and tidying around the house today.

Thia: Happy Birthday tomorrow!!!! Since you're moving, why not move to nice, warm Florida?!

Happy weekend everyone!!!

Be consciously aware of the present.

Doreen Virtue

____________________________________________

A blessed Friday to everyone.

Let's have a healthy day...and a great weekend ahead....fill your life with some laughter, some hugs, some smiles and maybe even a free day in there somewhere

Enjoy each moment the best you can.

____________________________________________


"I am grateful for all of my problems. After each one was
overcome, I became stronger and more able to meet those
that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties."
James Cash Penney

Hi team! Great to be back at T.com!
I’ve came back from Prague yesterday, meeting was great, but I was stressed out and ate more than usual (food was great too), so definitely no weight loss for this week.
Today is weird day, I woke up at 4 AM from a work-related call, had to work for 1 hour and decided not to go to bed after this, my hubby got up too and we’ve decided to go to the gym. We were first and only people at the gym and did great cardio workout. It was fun! I got to work and by lunch time I felt like it was late evening already. Needless to say that I was not productive at work today
I may need to explain this a bit more, the thing is that we do not start working days as early as many Americans do. Normally all offices here work from 9 till 5, mine works from 10 till 6:30 (and it means there are no people at the office before 10 AM). So it’s totally unusual for us to wake up that early and actually go to gym or office.

It’s almost Friday night here and I'm thinking about going (or not?) to the olympic swimming pool at 10 PM with some people from cycling class and our coach for 1st swimming "class".

Wish you a great day!
lana

Overall Notes: Well - I did it again. I was supposed to run yesterday AND do some carpentry work in my soon-to-be home gym. The morning was rainy, and part of the nature trail (my ONLY running venue within 14 miles) turns into a bog in the rain, so I told myself that I'd run in the afternoon if the weather clears up and I started swinging my hammer & saw. About 8 hours later, my body spoke with a nearly audible voice saying, "You will stop all activity NOW!" My poor body is so sore that I can hardly stand up straight. It's not a chiropractic sort of an issue - I know what that feels like - it is an overuse issue. I'll skip Cardiac Rehab today, do a little bit of movement to see if the body loosens up, and take an easy day. When will I learn that at less than 3 months after heart surgery, I am not yet recovered enough for long hours of hard labor?!? Sheesh!

Did I stick to the food & exercise plan yesterday?? Yes for nutrition, No for exercise (see above)

Today’s Exercise: Stretching routine; MAYBE a brief warm-up walk with Diesel D Dawgg
Countdown: 29 days until the GTM Reserve 10K trail run in S. Ponte Vedra Beach

Today’s Food Plan: Wheat-free & Low Glycemic Index

M1 (B’fast): Leftover chili (yes - for breakfast. You got a problem with that??)
M2 (Lunch): Tuna Salad over lettuce
M3 (Midmeal): Protein shake & some vegetable juice
M4 (Dinner): Barbequed Rib Night at the Bryceville Cafe/General Store/Gas Station (it's a really small town)
M5 (Dessert/Snack): Protein shake & “palm-full” of raw macadamia nuts

Tom

Wow Iana - you've got some great choices available to you at all times of the day. I loved going to the gym early in the morning before work. What a committed group!

Thia - glad you're able to enjoy your family before you move to the left coast ! I'm planning a trip to visit mine soon a look forward to it.

Three mile cardio today and a beautiful day to be outside - sunny and mid fifties.

Have a great friday and a perfect weekend everyone. John

T4W7D6
Good Morning
Didn't run yesterday. Completed ballet in good style.

1. Planned meals and workouts: Bring meals and smoothy to work. Start decreasing coffee intake to 2 cups in the morning. thanks John for the salt and BP monitor suggestion!

2. Daily Gratitudes: My son is treating me like a father. I get to listen to him as he works out his future plans.

3. Actions to move us forward: 5/25; 5 mile run

5. Finding the lessons in our life situations: Digging myself out of a tough work situation and I'm making progress!

6. Lifting another person up: Spent quality time with my son last night. Worth the lost sleep.

7. Progress over Perfection: Not beating myself up for not running yesterday

Hill for Bill and Clarissa: Kendo class on Ocean Beach 1/1/12

TGIF!

Roger

TGIF Team!

Happy Birthday Thia!

Today is day 40 of my first 2012 challenge. I kept my three commitments yesterday: I exercised, logged food and exercise, and posted to T.com.

Second hard workout day in a row. I powered through it and started feeling better about halfway through. We did some heavier weights today for the first time since December. Incline bench press 205 (PR 225), one armed rows 85 (PR 95), and dead lift 255 (PR 295).

Jonathan - great news about the pants!

Becca, welcome back. Enjoy your days off.

Lana, way to come back strong after a tough business trip.

Tom, be gentle with yourself today!

John, glad you're enjoying the nice weather. Are you doing any HIIT these days?

Roger, very cool to be able to sit down with your son and help map out his future!

Take care, everyone.

Hal

TGIF - It was a rough week for me mentally but I think I have gotten things figured out and am moving in the right direction again, thanks to my APs!!!

Today started out with a makeup bootcamp class. It was a tough one and I only had to modify a few of the exercises because of my shoulder. I have to admit I was glad to have the shoulder excuse on one of the stations. They were doing burpies on an upside down bosu and on the hop up at the end it was done with the bosu held above your head so they never let go of the bosu. WOW! I was just happy that my shoulder held through the pushup portion of the burpie.

Food is on track for today and it will be a clean day. And tonight I will tackle the laundry at home as I am a week behind getting everything put away.

Today I am grateful for good APs who helped me this week, my mother who is trying to get us scheduled for facials (she bought me a groupon), good friends to spend time with this weekend and yummy coffee to keep me going today!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! Wishing you strength, happiness and gratitude!

Terra - glad to hear things are going in the right direction

Hal - great job

Roger - I enjoyed your pictures - as always



I forgot to mention that last year for my birthday I got a nose ring on a whim.....this year Nathan suggested I chop off my hair. I resisted at first but then agreed. Glad I did, it's been fun to play around with it. I had an idea. I have decided to do something each year for my birthday. I'm not sure yet what to classify the something as - just something new, out of the ordinary......it seems like it could lead to something fun!

The girls have a 5 day weekend. Today's menu will consist of hair styling and fun girly stuff. Then when Nathan gets off work we are going to have a little date going over to Idaho to check out something.

Win list
1. water
2. eat
3. exercise
4. work on myself
5. fun time with the girls today and Nathan tonight
6. gratitude

Hal
Thanks for that post on working together as a team, relating to weight loss. I know this place helps for sure, working together and the tips we pick up as we go along.

Thia,
Great work on making 29 tomorrow.
Thanks for all of your help along the way.

Friday
My Free Day but I hope to get swimming this evening.

Happy Weekend!

Today was on track for me:

M1 - ham, bean, onion soup
M2 - protein shake
M3 - ham, bean, onion soup, banana w/ pb
M4 - cottage cheese, cranberries, almonds
M5 - cod, yams, green beans

exercise - FBWO

gratitude: for the fact that rest actually improves our performance! I'm ready for some rest!

This weekend plan:
Sat:
M1 - eggs, oatmeal
M2 - protein shake
M3 - banana w/ pb
M4 - sausage, veggies
M5 - protein shake

exercise: bowling and 3 mile walk

Sun:
M1 - protein shake
M2 - omelette
M3 - apple w/ pb
M4 - free meal
M5 - protein shake

exericse: UBWO

Let's keep the fire going this weekend, team! We can do it!

shannon

__________________________________________________ _______________________________

Hal - great info. My gym is doing it's own biggest loser and biggest gainer competition. The winner gets 5000.00. I didn't sign up though cause it costs 250 to enter and pay the trainers - you are arranged in teams based on trainer. Some of the folks are getting AMAZING results!

Happy Birthday, Thia! Hope you had a lovely day, filled with blessings!

Holly - I love to mark the years with fun and unusual things too. I got my nose pierced last year as well! Have a blast - hope it was a good birthday! (Have you set any goals for the upcoming year?)

Terra - small and steady steps. Good work getting back into your groove.

Roger - good luck with the coffee reduction! I think that would kill me! Keep us posted.

John - Thanks for the weekend blessings! Right back at you!

Nancy - Way to go! Keep up the good work!

Today was a good day. I kept my mindset in the right place. I got all my tasks done at work. Spent time with the kids tonight. Nutrition was on track. Sitting here at the kitchen table posting my check-in. Mentally psyching myself up for my workout. I've got UBWO and cardio to do. Yes, I'll be in the gym on a Friday night! It's amazing how empty it is at that time.

Meals:
M1 - Eggs
M2 - RightLight
M3 - Turkey burger
M4 - Roast beef, cheese cubes
M5 - Eggs, 1 pc toast
M6 - Post-workout shake


Ok...off to the gym! Looking forward to catching up on posts later tonight and tomorrow morning. Love you guys ...


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Good evening everyone.
I just posted my workout I did tonight in my blog.
I tried to do a different cardio routine to try to bust this plateau I have been on. It was nice to do things differently at the gym. I think I put a link so, if you like you can check out my workout. ALL suggestions are welcome.
New workout to change things up / crestedfrnd's posts / Bill Phillips Transformation

Thia: I hope you have a FUN EXCITING BIRTHDAY!!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Saturday. Lori

Hi guys! Just a quick check in - I've had a pretty good week. Worked out twice a day on most days. Today is recovery day. And boy I need it!! Went a little crazy last night, and decided to run with hubby - we raced down the beach to an underpass. Then raced down the steps, and I landed on my butt!!! Yup, fell down the steps instead of running down.. Injured my entire right side, from abrasions on the elbow and back, to bruising on the hip and leg! So today is righfully a rest day!! Plus a free day.. Probably just a free meal for lunch, and back on track after..

Have a great weekend!!