BLC 9: Team Black Meeting Place

Hi Team Black!

I didn't see that anyone had posted a meeting place for us yet so I thought I'd get us started. This is the place to introduce ourselves, get and stay motivated and offer encouragement for our fellow team members.

So here's me: I'm 28 (almost 29) and a veterinarian living in Portland, Oregon. I had always been at least a bit overweight as a kid, then finally lost 62 pounds (down to 140 from 202) when I was 24 and then gained it back after I finished my first marathon. Sigh. So now I have a new 40 pounds to work off, and I'm determined that this time it's going to be a lifestyle change and nothing temporary. I  have a significant other and someday I want to have kids - and have a healthy body to have them with!

Go Black Team! (it's such a slimming color ;-)

Thanks for setting up this meeting place, manyfires.

I am 33 trying to loose the weight I gained after having 3 children and then diving into getting a higher education.  (I fit in all the extra studying I needed by taking out my exercise and eating out a lot.)  Anyhow, I ended up weighing 220 pounds last May during my graduation ceremony. 

I am down to 160, which happened to be my goal for Jan 1,  but seem to be stuck there the last two weeks.  So, I am upping my strength training and watching my diet more carefully.  It helps to have others depending on me so I don't let our team down.  It is so much easier to say no to those holiday candies and cookies that still clutter our house that way.

Any ideas out there as to other techniques to rev up a weight loss that has begun to  slow down?

Go Black Team!

Hi Team Black!  Thanks manyfires for getting our meeting place started!

I am 31 and I would like to get down to 120 so that is about 75 pounds...depending on the day!  I know that will take some work but I am hoping to make some new friends and make some good connections and I know we can make good progress! 

manyfires - that is so awsome that you completed a marathon.  That seems like such an incredibly difficult thing to accomplish!  I love that you are a vet.  I love animals so I think people in your profession are great!  When you mentioned your significant other it reminded me that I figured out the other day that even after losing 11 pounds I am still 20 pounds heavier than when I met the guy that is in my life.  ICK!!!!  I told him that today actually and he had the strangest look on his face.  Like how the heck did that happen?!?!  Tell me about it I told him. 

sheltonmath - I am so impressed that you managed to get a degree and raise 3 kiddos at the same time!  I am so greatful I went to college straight out of high school cuz there is no way I could do it now and I don't even have kids! 

Do you all have weekly goals you set for yourself?  What are your workouts like? 

Talk to you soon!  Cristin

Hello everyone,

I'm 23 years old and this month I will be moving to Texas and start going to graduate school.  I am so impressed with you sheltonmath for having gone to school while raising 3 kids.  I'm kind of worried about school already and that is the most prominent thing going on in my life right now.  I think that the move to Austin though is going to help, new beginings and all that.  I enjoy going to they gym but sometimes have an issue keeping within my calorie guidelines.  In the last couple of days however, knowing that other people depend on me has helped me say no to those gloriously smelling french doughnuts (that remind me of the kind I ate when I was 5) with powdered sugar my mother ordered for a mid afternoon snack yesterday. 

Go Blakc Team!

Hi everyone!
I am 19 and am actually just trying to work off the last 15-20lbs. I was a freshman in college last year and I gained at least 10lbs. I used to be around 135lbs, but now I'm at 125 and have been hovering there for a few months, which has been a bit frustrating. Admittedly, though, it was probably my fault because I was eating too much junk food. I am hoping to work off some more fat and go from "chubby" to "slim". I am running a half-marathon in February and am really psyched about it.

I just need to get the healthy eating part down in my lifestyle. I eat pretty modestly when I can and have been trying to maintain the exercise that I had been doing during school, but it's been hard. I hope to lose the remaining pounds in the coming semester, before summer.

I'm glad to be on the same team with you all, and I believe we're a winning team!

Go Black Team! :D

Nice to meet you all so far! Hopefully more of our team will post here in the next few days. I think weigh-in for week one starts tomorrow and extends until Thursday.

sheltonmath - wow, losing 60 pounds so far is awesome! What is your eventual goal weight? I admire you; it can't be easy with 3 kids. In terms of revving up weight loss, my suggestions would be to mix in some cardio that you've never done before - if you're a runner, do some biking, if you love the elliptical, get on the treadmill - etc. That, and sometimes varying your calories from day to day - 1200 one day and 1600 the next to always keep your body guessing. I had a similiar problem with plateaus about four years ago and those things seemed to help a lot. I was stuck at 155 with 15 pounds to go.

cristin - welcome aboard! And thank you, last year's marathon was actually my second ever. I lost about 10 pounds training for it but still was 30 pounds overweight, which was SO hard on my feet - my right foot has a major heel issue that flares up. My time was about one hour slower than my first marathon four years prior. Ugh! I do want to run one more, but I NEED to be in shape to take the impact off my heel and knees.

Hello dez - what are you going to graduate school for? I've heard Austin is a pretty cool city. I agree that having other people depend on me helps in terms of sticking to my caloric guidelines. Quite a bit, actually.

rylindis - Hi! I admire you for working off those freshman pounds... I think I waited until my four years of undergraduate school were up to start losing weight. I think I tired half-heartedly but I was such a stress eater.

Anyway all, just wanted to check in. I am actually off to the gym now. I weighed in at 178.6 this morning, which is 2.6 pounds down so far! That's exciting, as my goal per week is 1.4 pounds, which will hopefully result in my goal weight of 140 by August 1st.

Hope you all have a great day.

manyfires - i'm going for a masters in middle easter studies.  i might hit you up for some marathon training advice later on in the challenge.  i told a friend of mine that i'd think about running a marathon with her next january but i'm not sure that i want to do it yet.

hope everyone had a good day.

Original Post by manyfires:

sheltonmath - wow, losing 60 pounds so far is awesome! What is your eventual goal weight? I admire you; it can't be easy with 3 kids.

-My goal weight is 130 pounds.  Oh, and my kids are all older now 10, 12 and 13 so they have been very supportive.  (They are just glad I am done with school.  I have so much more time for them even with the health changes I have made.)  Also, my husband is super supportive too.

In terms of revving up weight loss, my suggestions would be to mix in some cardio that you've never done before - if you're a runner, do some biking, if you love the elliptical, get on the treadmill - etc.

-This is a great idea.  I hadn't thought of it.  I think I will try some new things this week.  Maybe I will bring the kids along .  It has been so long since I played basketball...

That, and sometimes varying your calories from day to day - 1200 one day and 1600 the next to always keep your body guessing.

-This is another great idea. I was doing a lot of this accidentally at the beginning and now I have stabilized more.  But, varying my calories on purpose is a very good idea.

manyfires- thank you for all of the good advice!  I think you are incredible running a marathon.  My 10 year old wants to run a half marathon with her girl scout troop.  Does that seem like too young of an age?  (They don't want to do the kiddie runs.)

dez2453 - Congratulations on going for your masters degree.  It sounds interesting.  I loved being a grad student but always put off taking care of myself in the process.  I think you are very smart for making your health a priority.  I think it helps you actually do better in school.  (Snaking while doing research was always a big issue for me.  I used to snack on m&m's or and doctor pepper while I was reading through dissertations in the middle of the night.  Not to mention the countless venti caremel macciatos.  Now the idea makes me feel nauseous.)

rylindis - Keep up the good work.  You are so good to be working on this now and not justifying ignoring your health for school.  (That's what I did.)  I think being healthy maes it easier to concentrate and do well in school.

Cristin - You asked about the workouts - I have been going through Taebo, The Biggest Loser videos, Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, and the New York City Ballet Workouts.  Although, based on manyfire's suggestions I think I might try some elliptical and treadmill and play some games with the kidos. 

And, thank you all for the lovely comments.

Hi everyone!  I'm Susan.  

Since July, I've lost just over 25 pounds, and I'm currently working on the New Rules of Lifting for Women strength training program.  I have two cats (pictured in my profile) - so I also get to do some "weight lifting" and "cardio" (i.e. chase the cats) on a daily basis.  I'm currently living in Alberta, Canada, and really really sick and tired of shoveling snow.

Original Post by susiecue:

Hi everyone! I'm Susan.

Since July, I've lost just over 25 pounds, and I'm currently working on the New Rules of Lifting for Women strength training program. I have two cats (pictured in my profile) - so I also get to do some "weight lifting" and "cardio" (i.e. chase the cats) on a daily basis. I'm currently living in Alberta, Canada, and really really sick and tired of shoveling snow.

Welcome, Susan!  Congratulations on your weight loss so far.

I keep hearing about the New Rules of Lifting for Women program on the lists.  It sounds interesting.

Go Team Black! We have one more day to weigh in (tomorrow), so make sure you post to the main thread by the end of the day tomorrow.

I've been at 178.6 for the past two days, but I'm waiting one more day to see if that might dip a little lower. I had a great workout this morning - I've made it to the gym before work twice in the last week. I don't think that's happened in years! I HATE getting up that early in the morning  but I LOVE how it makes me feel throughout the day. And after all that hard work first thing in the morning, I am so much less likely to sabotage myself with any bad eating habits.

Also, if any of you like Mexican but haven't tried any of the Amy's Organic meals, they are excellent! I am a huge fan of the Cheese Enchilada meal. It doesn't rate very high on CC, but it gives you a huge cheesy decadent taste for 370 calories. Yum.

Hey everyone!

Hope everyone had a good week last week. I've been chilling and enjoying the last few weeks of my winter vacation, but I have been eating healthy (tons of greens) and exercising at least a little bit every day.

My weight was higher than my starting by 1lb, but I felt like I got somewhere though, because I've seen that over the past few days I've actually lost a few inches. Not sure what's happening there, but I hope that next week the fat loss will show up on the scales.

sheltonmath: Yeah, I try to remind myself that even if I take only one hour of every day to work out, it'll all add up in the end. Like I learned this in my business class, I forgot the exact name but it's like an exhaustible opportunity. If you don't work out today, then you won't ever be able to make that up.

manyfires: I'm a stress eater too! And one of those boredom eaters. But I've been trying to curb those habits lately, and it's been paying off.

Here's to another good week!

Rylindis

Hello everyone!

This is my first post and I'm short of time, but here's a brief intro.

I am a 28-year-old female from Madison, WI.  I work at a newspaper, am a piano teacher, and am a student - I am working towards earning my teacher's certification.  I graduated with my Bachelor's in Music and English 4 years ago. 

I started gaining weight my freshman year (started around 130) and continued to gain up to my current and all-time-high weight of 167.5.  Yes, my current weight is actually a half pound higher than the starting weight I recorded last week!  Grrr..  I've actually been on track with diet and exercise this week (for the first time in a long time), so hopefully it's just water fluctuation.  I'm going to weigh myself tomorrow and then record on the Biggest Loser thread, hoping that the half pound will come off. 

My weight loss journey has been up and down for the last 4 years.  I've gained about 10 pounds just in the last year.  I am really frustrated, but I think that this time, my habits will stick.  I just switched gyms to one that is open 24 hours and is right across the street from me!  I actually love to work out, but had a difficult time fitting it in, so this should help!  I have also drastically cut down my consumption of alcohol over the last few weeks.  I haven't seen results from that yet, but I'm sure that I will.  (I quit drinking for a year once and lost 10 pounds in a couple months.)  I am not quitting this time, but I have cut myself down from an "often" drinker to a "sometimes" drinker and now to an "occasional" drinker, which I feel like is a long-term change that I can stick with. I can at least be proud of that!

Leigh-Ann

Hey Black Team, I am Papa from the Green Team, but I like to read all the threads! So I apologize to anyone who doesn't want me here.

Shelton - Congrats on the loss so far, you and I both have lost 80 so far, I am going for 100, how bout you? Don't worry about the wall you have hit! You have been stuck there for a couple of weeks, I have been stuck between 270 - 280 for 8 months now! Granted I have been down for about 6 of those with knee problems and knee surgery! This challenge I am back to 100% and doing good so far. With upping your weight training remember to up your protein intake, it helps rebuild the muscles you are tearing when lifting! I throw the goodies out or give them to neighbors, at least the ones I find(my wife likes to hide them all over the house!)
        It is so nice to have the support of those you love, it make it that much easier, my motivation..... To be a cantacerous old fart to my son, and spoil my grandkids rotten! I agree with the changing things up, if you do the same thing everyday your body gets used to it and doesn't have the same effect as it once did. I work on a military base and there is a 5k every month and there are kids running in those all the time. TAEBO kicked my backside! but I like it. I might try and start the P90X program.

Cristin - Hey girl! Nice to see you again! I got your back with the motivation!

Dez - My best advice for logging your calories..... Write it before you bite it! If you see the calorie intake before you actually put it in your mouth you may say "I don't really need that!" Another suggestion, if you haven't done it yet is let everyone close to you that you are trying to make lifestyle changes to make healthier choices and lose some weight. If they truly care about you they will try to curb their eating some too! I know it has helped me, my friends are actually eating much better now that I have introduced them to it!

Rylindis - I know you have probably heard this before, but 125 lbs is just about right! You know your short falls with the junk food, just make better choices of what you eat and you should be fine. Good luck on the Half Marathon! You sound fine to me, but I will support and motivate you like I do everyone else!
       In my eyes inches are just as good as pounds! That means you are taking the fat off and turning it into muscles! I have given this advice many times..... When you get stressed HIT something.... heavy bag at a gym, golf balls at the driving range, softballs in a batting cage, just hit something!!!!!!

Manyfires - Ok, you guys are a bunch of runners! I wish I could jog on a regular basis, but with bad knees (surgery Nov 08) and ankles jogging just doesn't work for me. I stick with the elliptical (kick anyones butt on one of those!) What part of Portland do you live in, my in-laws live in Beaverton! 
       &nb sp;Working out before work gets the blood pumping and you don't get that morning coffee with the creamer and sugar right?! I looked today at a couple of the grocery stores in town and they don't have Amy's Organic meals, but I do know that some of the Weight Watchers Mexican entres are outstanding! Mexican is my weakness!

Susie - Congrats on the loss so far! Keep up the good work! Yes, you may be sick of shoveling snow, but think of all those calories and reps you are doing! Those count just like going to the gym!

Lbalthazor - You sound like you are a busy woman! I used to play piano when I was a kid, but gave that up to just sing in the choir. Gym close by is always a good thing, plus it's in your face all the time! Here is something that I found the other day looking at the "Belly Off" club at Men's Health.... in the diet for the challenge they say you can have A beer each day if you want, you just have to factor it in when you count calories. I myself brew my own beer, but since I started on my weight loss journey I have had the same batch of beer (2 and a half cases) for about a year and a half. So I am doing good also!

Well, Black team I am going to sign off for now. Y'all keep up the good work and we are all winners! Keep doing your best and whichever team wins we will all celebrate with each other!

See y'all later,
Papa

P.S. Sorry this is so long but just wanted to let y'all know that your all doing great!

Papa: thanks for writing in.  It is nice to hear from everyone.  Its sure keeps me motivated.  I am hoping to get down to 130 so that my BMI shows me in the middle of "healthy weight".

Hi. I'm another stalker-from the land of oranges. I saw Leigh-Ann's post and was floored. Small world. I worked at a newspaper for 28 years and am now working on a master's thesis in music theory. I also am a pianist. Good luck with your journey toward weight loss and health.

Charlyn

papa3169 - thanks for the advice.  i log calories and usually plan ahead but around the holidays there are a lot of russian foods that come out of the woodwork, whose calories i couldn't even begin to estimate.  now however that the holiday season is over, i'm back to planning meansl ahead.  i was really good this week actually because last week, i got bored and jsut planned a weeks worth of meals.  as for support, well my mother supports my eating healthy and counting calories, but believes that just because i'm watching what i eat, she has to.  at home it doesn't really bother me, but on the rare occasion me eat out, it's a constant battle to order a salad even though that hamburger my mom ordered sounded so good. 

Shelton - Thanks, I like to try and give a different perspective on things. You will hit your 130! I have doctors who have told me that with my body makeup that I could make it down to about 230 but it would not be a healthy weight for me. I would be a zero body fat at 230. I figure between 240-250 is a good weight for me at about 10 percent body fat. I am at about 20% right now, even though the BMI is still right around 30 something. If I got down to the weight the BMI calculator says I should be I would look sick.

Charlyn - I will keep your secret! You ORANGE person you! I never got the hang of the piano, took lessons for a couple of years. Changed and went with the vocal instrument! I was in choir for 5 years in school many years ago!

Dez - Ok, i know it is a pain but there is the recipe builder on this site where you go and put in all the ingredients with amounts and it spits out the nutritional value of a single serving! I know this year that make me think of how much Brocoli Chees Casserole I ate. Way to many calories per serving to eat much. I know about food coming out of the woodword, I grew up in the South so not only did it come out of the woodwork it was mainly FRIED! Here is an idea you order a lunch salad and she orders a CHICKEN burger and you share. That way she "is helping" you by eating part of a salad, but you get your fix for a burger with half of the burger! You eat healthy both ways, salad and CHICKEN burger!

Well y'all I need to get going for now. I will talk to y'all later.

Papa

Hey papa - Actually, 125 lbs at 5'2" still makes me a little chubby. :/ Hit something! That sounds like a good idea.

Sorry guys for not checking in this week, but I am currently away from my scale. :/ I also sprained my ankle (from skipping, of all things! o.O), so I have been resting for the past 3-4 days and trying to take good care of it.

Hi everyone.  Just wanted to check in.  I have had a pretty bad week.  I had a loss but I am not proud of my gym time.  I just couldn't get up and go this week.  I only went twice.  I am hoping that I can get myself there this weekend. 

I hope you all are doing well.  Take care of yourselves! 

I know its hard to get back up and going; but, don't be hard on yourself cristin.  I find that when I beat myself for choices from the past, its hard to make good choices because I feel so bad.  Take it one day at a time and just consider last week a well deserved break.

On another note... This thread has been very quiet lately.  I feel that we are at a loss for topics.  So, I'll throw one out that I need help on.  Does anyone have any good ideas for quick and healthy dinners that my husband and kids would like to eat?  Recipes, surprisingly healthy convenience foods, or even snack ideas that keep everyone satisfied until we can eat...