This week's health challenge is a simple one - it's time to weigh in, calculate your BMI, and take your measurements again. This will give you a progress report, now that we're about 2 months in to our challenges. Just like last time, you don't need to send me any of this information, this is for you to keep a record of, so you can see the progress you are making, or see where you need to make improvements.
Here are your three steps this week:
1. Weigh Yourself
2. Calculate your BMI
3. Take your Measurements
Write down these numbers in the same place you logged them the last time, so you can keep a running record. Now that you have two sets of data, you can see the changes over the last 8 weeks. If you are seeing the numbers on the scale go down, but not your measurements, you may need to incorporate more activity in your day, so that you can tone up your body. And if your measurements are shrinking, but your not seeing progress on the scale, you may be firming your body, but you might need to make adjustments to your diet. This should help your weight drop as well.
Such a simple challenge, I hope everyone takes the time to participate this week! Good luck!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Biggest Loser - Winners for Weeks 7 & 8
First of all, sorry I'm a week behind on the BL, I got some late weigh-ins for Week 7 and never got back on here to update you with a winner. For Week 7, our winner was Nancy! Congratulations, mom! She lost 1.28% in Week 7, which just happened to be the week after Thanksgiving, so that's quite an accomplishment, since most of us showed a gain that week (myself included).
Other losers in Week 7:
Alison, -0.61%
Kyle, -0.96%
Brian, -0.50%
Gary, -0.43%
For Week 8, our winner was Becky H, with a loss of 1.62%. Congratulations, Becky!
Other losers in Week 8:
Katie, -1.16%
Donna, -0.61%
Alison, -0.61%
Sarah, -0.10%
Brian, -0.08%
Nancy, -0.52%
Lenny, -0.17%
I would also like to point out that our current overall Biggest Loser has lost 6.86% of his/her body weight in the 8 weeks of this competition, which is awesome! Keep weighing in to try to beat that number, everyone! I know it is the holiday season, and a difficult time to try to maintain your weight, let alone show a loss on the scale, but keep in mind that we are all in the holiday season together, and it's a struggle for everyone. All we can do is make the best choices we can, try to get in as much activity as possible, and enjoy the holidays while they're here!
Other losers in Week 7:
Alison, -0.61%
Kyle, -0.96%
Brian, -0.50%
Gary, -0.43%
For Week 8, our winner was Becky H, with a loss of 1.62%. Congratulations, Becky!
Other losers in Week 8:
Katie, -1.16%
Donna, -0.61%
Alison, -0.61%
Sarah, -0.10%
Brian, -0.08%
Nancy, -0.52%
Lenny, -0.17%
I would also like to point out that our current overall Biggest Loser has lost 6.86% of his/her body weight in the 8 weeks of this competition, which is awesome! Keep weighing in to try to beat that number, everyone! I know it is the holiday season, and a difficult time to try to maintain your weight, let alone show a loss on the scale, but keep in mind that we are all in the holiday season together, and it's a struggle for everyone. All we can do is make the best choices we can, try to get in as much activity as possible, and enjoy the holidays while they're here!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Week 8 Health Challenge
A key part of staying healthy and/or losing weight is to plan ahead. If you wait until you are hungry to decide what you're going to eat, and you don't have the groceries needed to prepare a healthy meal or snack, you're more likely to grab a bag of chips, or a handful of cookies, or heat up a frozen pizza for dinner. With a little planning, you can be sure you'll have the healthy stuff on hand, and when it comes time to make your meal, you'll be completely prepared to make a good choice and whip up something healthy.
Your challenge for this week is to create a meal plan. Make a list of 7 days worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Don't forget to include items for snacking. Try to keep the plan balanced, incorporate fruits and vegetables and at least one protein every day. Don't forget to factor in any days that include special challenges. If you know you're going out for a big dinner one night, incorporate that into your plan, and try to eat a little lighter during that day in preparation.
Once you have your plan, make a grocery list and get to the store. All the planning in the world means nothing if you don't stock up on the foods needed to execute it!
This article gives a little more detail about the benefits of meal planning:
http://www.joybauer.com/planning-for-weight-loss.aspx
Here's a link to a sample meal planner for Excel 2003. If you don't have Excel and want help finding a template, let me know and I'll help you find something that works for you.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/results.aspx?qu=meal#ai:TC001018303
Happy planning!
Your challenge for this week is to create a meal plan. Make a list of 7 days worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Don't forget to include items for snacking. Try to keep the plan balanced, incorporate fruits and vegetables and at least one protein every day. Don't forget to factor in any days that include special challenges. If you know you're going out for a big dinner one night, incorporate that into your plan, and try to eat a little lighter during that day in preparation.
Once you have your plan, make a grocery list and get to the store. All the planning in the world means nothing if you don't stock up on the foods needed to execute it!
This article gives a little more detail about the benefits of meal planning:
http://www.joybauer.com/planning-for-weight-loss.aspx
Here's a link to a sample meal planner for Excel 2003. If you don't have Excel and want help finding a template, let me know and I'll help you find something that works for you.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/results.aspx?qu=meal#ai:TC001018303
Happy planning!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Week 7 Health Challenge
Since I was in Florida last week with limited access to the internet, and we were all focusing on enjoying Thanksgiving, there was no challenge for week 6. Now we need to re-focus and get into Week 7's challenge.
This week, your challenge is to focus on hydration. Different articles recommend different amounts of liquids each day, and some even differ on what types of liquids you should be drinking, but for the purpose of our challenge, you should aim for 8 x 8 oz. glasses of water each day. Here's why:
- Water protects you tissues, spinal cord and joints
- Water helps your body remove waste
- Water aids in digestion
- Water prevents you from becoming dehydrated
This article gives more details on these benefits.
I hear you all had a great time at Thanksgiving, I'm very sad that I missed out on the visual of "Just Dance", the fun of the Turkey Trot, and the healthy food options on Saturday. I also want to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Brian and Michelle, I'm so happy to hear the news of your engagement! Welcome to the family, Michelle!
This week, your challenge is to focus on hydration. Different articles recommend different amounts of liquids each day, and some even differ on what types of liquids you should be drinking, but for the purpose of our challenge, you should aim for 8 x 8 oz. glasses of water each day. Here's why:
- Water protects you tissues, spinal cord and joints
- Water helps your body remove waste
- Water aids in digestion
- Water prevents you from becoming dehydrated
This article gives more details on these benefits.
I hear you all had a great time at Thanksgiving, I'm very sad that I missed out on the visual of "Just Dance", the fun of the Turkey Trot, and the healthy food options on Saturday. I also want to say a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Brian and Michelle, I'm so happy to hear the news of your engagement! Welcome to the family, Michelle!
Biggest Loser - Winners for Week 5 & 6
Congratulations to our winner for both Week 5 and Week 6, Alison! In Week 5, she was down 1.76%, and in Week 6 she was down 1.20%. Congratulations, Alison!
Other losers in Week 5:
Kyle - 1.32%
Jean - 1.35%
Katie - 0.75%
Mary Kay - 0.72%
Gary - 0.43%
Brian - 0.29%
Nancy - 0.25%
Lenny - 0.04%
I only got one other Weigh-In for Week 6, so Congrats to Becky H. for losing 0.41% last week! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and break from weighing last week. Now it's time to buckle down in the next few weeks, before Christmas and New Year's make for a difficult week or two!
A motivating thought: In the 6 weeks since we started this challenge, the 18 participants have lost a combined total of 67.50 pounds, or 1.79% of our total weight. Congratulations to us!
Other losers in Week 5:
Kyle - 1.32%
Jean - 1.35%
Katie - 0.75%
Mary Kay - 0.72%
Gary - 0.43%
Brian - 0.29%
Nancy - 0.25%
Lenny - 0.04%
I only got one other Weigh-In for Week 6, so Congrats to Becky H. for losing 0.41% last week! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and break from weighing last week. Now it's time to buckle down in the next few weeks, before Christmas and New Year's make for a difficult week or two!
A motivating thought: In the 6 weeks since we started this challenge, the 18 participants have lost a combined total of 67.50 pounds, or 1.79% of our total weight. Congratulations to us!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Week 5 Health Challenge
This week's challenge focuses on healthier eating, in the form of fruits and vegetables. Depending on the source, it is recommended that we all get anywhere from 5-9 servings (total) of fruits and vegetables, each day. Not only do they provide nutrients that are vital to a healthy diet, but they also are generally more filling than other, less healthy foods, which means they can help curb your appetite throughout the day.
So, your challenge for this week is to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This article discusses the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, as well as tips for preparation, and ideas for how you can incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet. If you are currently not getting many F's and V's, 5 servings a day may seem like a lot, but remember this does not mean you have to eat them 5 times a day. A salad may be 2 or 3 cups of vegetables, which would be a few of your 5 servings in one meal. Try to be creative and work in different foods, in different ways.
If you have any great tips or recipes or ideas that use fruits and vegetables, please send them to me.
Remember, you do not have to only focus on each challenge, one at a time. If you can, try to keep the activity going from last week, and keep moving right through this week, too. Also, I want to hear how last week's calorie burning went for everyone. Send me your success stories, and tell me how you worked in your 150 calories burned.
So, your challenge for this week is to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This article discusses the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, as well as tips for preparation, and ideas for how you can incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet. If you are currently not getting many F's and V's, 5 servings a day may seem like a lot, but remember this does not mean you have to eat them 5 times a day. A salad may be 2 or 3 cups of vegetables, which would be a few of your 5 servings in one meal. Try to be creative and work in different foods, in different ways.
If you have any great tips or recipes or ideas that use fruits and vegetables, please send them to me.
Remember, you do not have to only focus on each challenge, one at a time. If you can, try to keep the activity going from last week, and keep moving right through this week, too. Also, I want to hear how last week's calorie burning went for everyone. Send me your success stories, and tell me how you worked in your 150 calories burned.
Biggest Loser - Week 4 Winner
Week 4's Biggest Loser is: Sarah! She had a loss of 1.89% this week. Congratulations, Sarah, two weeks in a row!
Together, we lost a combined 11.3 pounds this week, or 0.30%.
Other losers this week:
Becky S: -1.47%
Gary: -1.26%
Amy: -1.58%
Katie: -1.03%
Nancy: -0.76%
Rob: -0.49%
Alison: -0.58%
Brian: -0.29%
Beth: -0.18%
Becky H: -0.14%
Congratulations to all our "losers" this week! Shoot for another good week starting today, since we're heading into Thanksgiving week pretty soon, and I know that's going to be a challenge for all of us!
Together, we lost a combined 11.3 pounds this week, or 0.30%.
Other losers this week:
Becky S: -1.47%
Gary: -1.26%
Amy: -1.58%
Katie: -1.03%
Nancy: -0.76%
Rob: -0.49%
Alison: -0.58%
Brian: -0.29%
Beth: -0.18%
Becky H: -0.14%
Congratulations to all our "losers" this week! Shoot for another good week starting today, since we're heading into Thanksgiving week pretty soon, and I know that's going to be a challenge for all of us!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Week 4 Health Challenge
I hope you all took the time to weigh yourself, calculate your BMI, and take all your measurements. Hold on to that information, it will help you track your progress throughout our challenges.
This week, the Health Challenge is aimed at getting us more active, which is a key part of losing weight, but also important for those of us who are happy at our current weight, but trying to work on form and health.
During this week, introduce additional activity 3-4 times, shooting for a burn of at least 150 calories. The linked article gives you ideas of 15 ways to burn 150 calories.
If your activity level is currently at 0, take it slow and work in as much activity as you can this week. Try a couple of different types of activity, so you can find which types you like best. Send me your results, I'd love to hear the different things everyone chooses to do!
This week, the Health Challenge is aimed at getting us more active, which is a key part of losing weight, but also important for those of us who are happy at our current weight, but trying to work on form and health.
During this week, introduce additional activity 3-4 times, shooting for a burn of at least 150 calories. The linked article gives you ideas of 15 ways to burn 150 calories.
If your activity level is currently at 0, take it slow and work in as much activity as you can this week. Try a couple of different types of activity, so you can find which types you like best. Send me your results, I'd love to hear the different things everyone chooses to do!
Biggest Loser - Week 3 Winner
This week's winner is Sarah! Way to go, Sarah, on a 1.21% loss!
Other losers this week:
Jean: -0.1%
Becky H: -0.27%
Alison: -0.58%
Rob: -0.48%
Nancy: -0.75%
Katie: -0.85%
Kyle: -0.75%
Brian: -0.91%
Congratulations, everyone!
We did have a few maintains and gains this week, so the Week 4 Health Challenge will aim to add some activity into our lives and hopefully shoot for more losses in the next week!
Other losers this week:
Jean: -0.1%
Becky H: -0.27%
Alison: -0.58%
Rob: -0.48%
Nancy: -0.75%
Katie: -0.85%
Kyle: -0.75%
Brian: -0.91%
Congratulations, everyone!
We did have a few maintains and gains this week, so the Week 4 Health Challenge will aim to add some activity into our lives and hopefully shoot for more losses in the next week!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Week 3 Health Challenge
This week's challenge is so easy, there's no reason anyone should not participate. : )
There are 3 steps:
1. Weigh yourself.
2. Calculate your BMI (click the link to enter your height and weight and get your BMI)
3. Take your measurements (click the link for instructions and tips)
That's it. Write down the above information, and keep it so you can add future numbers and track your progress. You don't have to send any of this information to me, unless you want me to keep track of it for you, this is just for you to use as a guage as we continue through the challenges in the upcoming weeks. Every few weeks, the weekly challenge will be to do these three things and write them down again. Hopefully, you'll see progress in each number every time you check them.
P.S. I'm calling this the Week 3 Health Challenge, even though it's the first one we're doing, to keep the numbers consistent between this and the Biggest Loser Challenge.
There are 3 steps:
1. Weigh yourself.
2. Calculate your BMI (click the link to enter your height and weight and get your BMI)
3. Take your measurements (click the link for instructions and tips)
That's it. Write down the above information, and keep it so you can add future numbers and track your progress. You don't have to send any of this information to me, unless you want me to keep track of it for you, this is just for you to use as a guage as we continue through the challenges in the upcoming weeks. Every few weeks, the weekly challenge will be to do these three things and write them down again. Hopefully, you'll see progress in each number every time you check them.
P.S. I'm calling this the Week 3 Health Challenge, even though it's the first one we're doing, to keep the numbers consistent between this and the Biggest Loser Challenge.
Week 2's Biggest Loser
Congratulations to Beth, who won Week 2 with a loss of 2.52%! Great job, Beth!
In Week 2, as a group, we lost a combined total of 36 pounds, or .96%!
Here are our other losers for the week, in random order:
Rob, -0.48%
Katie, -0.40%
Mary Kay, -0.36%
Donna, -1.04%
Alison, -1.71%
Amy, -0.06%
Sarah, -2.41%
Kyle, -1.30%
Becky S, -0.54%
Nancy, -0.75%
Gary, -1.04%
Jean, -1.92%
Lenny, -2.30%
Congratulations, everyone, that's great progress!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Looking for Authors
Part of the reason I chose to post these family challenges as a blog, is because this gives us the option to have multiple authors. Using the blog lets me limit the number of emails that are sent out to the whole family, but still be able to post new information on a regular basis, and anyone else who wants to contribute is welcome to do so.
We can post healthy recipes as we each try new things and find things we like to make. We can write about new foods at the grocery store or gadgets that make healthy living easier.
If you are interested in posting to the blog, let me know and I can get you set up as an author. It's very simple to get signed up, and you can starting posting immediately!
We can post healthy recipes as we each try new things and find things we like to make. We can write about new foods at the grocery store or gadgets that make healthy living easier.
If you are interested in posting to the blog, let me know and I can get you set up as an author. It's very simple to get signed up, and you can starting posting immediately!
Health Challenge
With the "Biggest Loser" up and running, it's time to roll out the second part, our "Health Challenge". I’ve talked to several people about different ideas, and we have not come up with a way to incorporate everyone’s individual goals, and still run it as a competition, with a winner at the end. So here’s what I’ve come up with:
Every week, on Sunday, I will email a weekly topic or goal, and we will all try to make that one thing a priority for that week. As the weeks go by, we will hopefully all find new ways to incorporate many different healthy habits into our daily lifestyle. Several times throughout this Health Challenge, the goal for the week will be to weigh yourself, calculate your BMI, and take your measurements, so you can use that information as a measure of your progress.
If anyone has any other ideas to incorporate, or ideas for the weekly goals, please send them to me and we will make sure they get included.
Every week, on Sunday, I will email a weekly topic or goal, and we will all try to make that one thing a priority for that week. As the weeks go by, we will hopefully all find new ways to incorporate many different healthy habits into our daily lifestyle. Several times throughout this Health Challenge, the goal for the week will be to weigh yourself, calculate your BMI, and take your measurements, so you can use that information as a measure of your progress.
If anyone has any other ideas to incorporate, or ideas for the weekly goals, please send them to me and we will make sure they get included.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Week 1 Winner (Unofficially)
Since I only had weights for 4 people from the week before last, Week 1's weight loss will not count for the challenge, but I still felt I should recognize my dad for winning the week! I had "Week 0" weights for him, my mom, Becky and I, and he lost the highest percentage of weight. He had a total weekly percentage of 1.03% lost. Congratulations!
Participant List
Here are the participants so far:
David
John
Mary Kay
Becky Hazen
Rob
Alison
Beth
Amy
Donna
Brian Balasia
Sarah
Jean
Lenny
Becky Sumner
Nancy
Gary
Katie
Kyle
If you thought you sent me a weight and you're not on this list, please re-send.
If you would like to participate but didn't get a weight recorded for Week 1, that's fine, just send me your current weight and your chosen Weigh-In Day. I'll just record it for Week 2 and record the losses from there through the end of the competition.
David
John
Mary Kay
Becky Hazen
Rob
Alison
Beth
Amy
Donna
Brian Balasia
Sarah
Jean
Lenny
Becky Sumner
Nancy
Gary
Katie
Kyle
If you thought you sent me a weight and you're not on this list, please re-send.
If you would like to participate but didn't get a weight recorded for Week 1, that's fine, just send me your current weight and your chosen Weigh-In Day. I'll just record it for Week 2 and record the losses from there through the end of the competition.
1 Week Down!
Well, the first week of the challenge is over, and the weights are recorded. So far, 18 people have logged a weight, which I think is fantastic! I'm so excited to have so many participants, and I would love to see even more people decide to join us.
I feel like I should take a minute to give credit to the weight lost before this challenge started. A few of us have been trying to lose weight for a while now, and while that will not count for our challenge, it certainly deserves some recognition!
Uncle Rob was down 40 pounds this year, before we even started talking about doing this as a family, which is wonderful!
Four of us (Nancy, Gary, Becky Sumner and I) have been on Weight Watchers, and have lost a combined total of 60.9 pounds! For those four, I have a recorded weight from the week before Week 1 of the challenge, so even though this does not count for our "Biggest Loser", I have to give credit because 8.3 pounds were lost last week, for a loss of 0.94% (calculated on just those four weights)!
If anyone else has a victory to share, let me know, because I think the key to this challenge is that we celebrate every victory and all progress, no matter how large or small.
I feel like I should take a minute to give credit to the weight lost before this challenge started. A few of us have been trying to lose weight for a while now, and while that will not count for our challenge, it certainly deserves some recognition!
Uncle Rob was down 40 pounds this year, before we even started talking about doing this as a family, which is wonderful!
Four of us (Nancy, Gary, Becky Sumner and I) have been on Weight Watchers, and have lost a combined total of 60.9 pounds! For those four, I have a recorded weight from the week before Week 1 of the challenge, so even though this does not count for our "Biggest Loser", I have to give credit because 8.3 pounds were lost last week, for a loss of 0.94% (calculated on just those four weights)!
If anyone else has a victory to share, let me know, because I think the key to this challenge is that we celebrate every victory and all progress, no matter how large or small.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
A Challenge is Extended...
Two weeks ago, Becky posted on Facebook that she was going to do something for herself that day. In the conversation that played out in the comments, she told us that she was going to start on the Weight Watchers program. My parents and I are currently all following Weight Watchers, so we were excited to hear that we had another family member out there who was going to be going through it with us.
A few days later, when Becky posted that she was doing well with the program and was feeling good, my mom threw out the idea that we should have a family weight loss challenge. I think it's much easier to follow any kind of program when you have other people to lean on for support, so I ran with that idea. I contacted Sarah, who has done other programs with me in the past, and who has been a big support for me in the past, to see if she was interested, and she was "in".
I put the idea out to the family in a mass email, and got a lot of positive feedback. People I did not expect to hear back from were sending me emails, showing excitement for this idea. That got me more excited, and I emailed with several people to get ideas on what kind of challenge we could do.
As it turned out, many people were interested in participating in some way, and about half of those people wanted to do a weight loss challenge, while the other half would prefer to focus more on being healthy than on the number on the scale.
Before we lost momentum, I wanted to make sure we got the challenge started. I sent an email on Sunday to invite everyone to pick a weekly weigh in day, and send me their start weight. To date, I have gotten responses from 14 people with their weigh in information.
To be clear, Gumbels: This challenge will not change the fact that we are destined to have the "Gumbel Hips". Trust me, I wish I could do something about that, but I can't. Also, saying you are participating does not automatically mean you will magically eat better and have the energy to work out. We are all going to have to work together, and work hard, to make this happen.
What will happen: We will be able to encourage each other while we all work toward healthier habits. We've seen in the past that when Gumbels come together, great things happen (think Relay, and our lovely annual rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas). The more of us that choose to participate, the more likely we all are to succeed.
If you are not so concerned about losing weight, please consider joining us anyway. Even if you are not a contender for the "Biggest Loser" prize, you will still benefit from this, I'm sure of it. And we are still working on other ways to incorporate the other healthy habits into a second challenge, so please let me know if you have any ideas. We want to make this into something that works for everyone on some level, so feel free to chime in (Not that any of us are known for holding our tongues)!
A few days later, when Becky posted that she was doing well with the program and was feeling good, my mom threw out the idea that we should have a family weight loss challenge. I think it's much easier to follow any kind of program when you have other people to lean on for support, so I ran with that idea. I contacted Sarah, who has done other programs with me in the past, and who has been a big support for me in the past, to see if she was interested, and she was "in".
I put the idea out to the family in a mass email, and got a lot of positive feedback. People I did not expect to hear back from were sending me emails, showing excitement for this idea. That got me more excited, and I emailed with several people to get ideas on what kind of challenge we could do.
As it turned out, many people were interested in participating in some way, and about half of those people wanted to do a weight loss challenge, while the other half would prefer to focus more on being healthy than on the number on the scale.
Before we lost momentum, I wanted to make sure we got the challenge started. I sent an email on Sunday to invite everyone to pick a weekly weigh in day, and send me their start weight. To date, I have gotten responses from 14 people with their weigh in information.
To be clear, Gumbels: This challenge will not change the fact that we are destined to have the "Gumbel Hips". Trust me, I wish I could do something about that, but I can't. Also, saying you are participating does not automatically mean you will magically eat better and have the energy to work out. We are all going to have to work together, and work hard, to make this happen.
What will happen: We will be able to encourage each other while we all work toward healthier habits. We've seen in the past that when Gumbels come together, great things happen (think Relay, and our lovely annual rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas). The more of us that choose to participate, the more likely we all are to succeed.
If you are not so concerned about losing weight, please consider joining us anyway. Even if you are not a contender for the "Biggest Loser" prize, you will still benefit from this, I'm sure of it. And we are still working on other ways to incorporate the other healthy habits into a second challenge, so please let me know if you have any ideas. We want to make this into something that works for everyone on some level, so feel free to chime in (Not that any of us are known for holding our tongues)!
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