December to New Year's Eve Challenge & Recipe Exchange (no monday weigh-ins!)

**THIS CHALLENGE IS NOW CLOSED TO NEW MEMBERS**

I have been gaining all year.  Since Thanksgiving is over, and I am burned-out on turkey, stuffing & gravy, I thought it would be great to start a mini-challenge to keep me on-track through the rest of the holidays.  Also, since weight is not the only marker of progress, I want to post measurements as well.  AND... since this is about lifestyle and not dieting, cooking really is a very important thing.  So I'd like to exchange recipes for the week so we can all learn some new stuff.  Chat is encouraged too. 

The weigh/measure-ins will begin on December 3rd, Wednesday.  The following are what we are going to report...

• GW
• CW
• Bust-Waist-Hips (in inches, please)
  
• Worst Food-Choice of the Week
• Best Food Choice of the Week
• Recipe to Exchange
  

The recipes exchanged should be in the database here on CC.com.  You can link them in your post.  That way we can all see the nutritional values and I can determine the healthiest ones impartially w/o having to enter them myself.  There will be announcements on Fridays for the following...

• Week's Biggest Weight-Loser
• Week's Biggest Inches-Loser
• Week's Healthiest Recipe(s)
  

The challenge winners will be determined by the largest percentage of loss and the person with the largest number of healthiest recipes. Winners will be announced on Thursday, January 1st, 2009. 

Go ahead and introduce yourself.  Tell us your age, height, beginning weight, how long you have been working at it, your current weight and your goal.  Let us know if you have any other goals and what you do with your time, what kind of exercise you take,....  Lets get to know one-another. 

*edit*

• ms_pw GW:150/CW:154.5 SM:37.5-32.75-38
  
• moodymomma  GW:130/CW:137 SM:___
  
• leanne21071  GW:120/CW:122.6 SM:37.5-27-34.5
  
• bagga  GW:175/CW:180 SM:41-35-40
  
• lulufit  GW:169/CW:174 SM:___
  
• ragingheadache  GW:153.5/CW:162, SM:41.5-37.5-41.5
  
• carlynj21 GW:123/CW:128.2 SM:34-30-37.5
  
• tincognito GW:145/CW:155.5 SM:___
  
• buggyhair GW:120/CW:140.2 SM:36.5-30-38.5
  
• journeyfit  GW:142/CW:150.6 SM: 36.5-29.5-41
  
• lbalthazor GW:160/CW:166.5 SM:36-38-40
  
• ridleysw GW:190/CW:200 SM:___
• sheltonmath: GW:160/CW:166 SM:42-36-43
  

I will have weekly stats posted here by Fridays. 

Wednesday, December 10th, 2008

• ms_pw: 154.5 (same), 38-32-38 (+.5 bust, -.75 waist)
• moodymomma: 137 (same)
• leanne21071: 121.6 (-1), 37.5-26.5-34.5 (-.5 waist)
• bagga: 178 (-2), 40-35-39 (-1 bust & hips)
• lulufit: 173 (-1)
• carlynj21: 127.2 (-1), 34-30-37.25 (-.25 hips)
• tincognito: 153 (-2.5)
• buggyhair: 139.8 (-.4), 36-30-38 (-.5 bust & hips)
• lbalthazor: 167 (+.5) 38-24-40
• sheltonmath: 164.4 (-1.6), 42-36-42 (-1 hips)

Recipes of the Week

• ms_pw: Hummus B
• leanne21071: Choppy Salad A  
  
• bagga: Sea Scallops ala Caprese A-
• lulufit: Chipotle Chicken Wraps B+
  
• carlynj21: Sauteed Asparagas A -
  
• tincognito: Hunter's Stew B-
• buggyhair: Pea-Sun Spread B+
• lbalthazor: French Toast (cannot qualify since its not in the cc.com database)
• sheltonmath: Shepherds Pie B+

December 12th Winners...

• MAIN COURSE: bagga: Sea Scallops ala Caprese (A-) 252 Cals & 12 oz
• SALAD: leanne21071: Choppy Salad (A) - 92 Cals & 17.5 oz
• SIDE DISH: carlynj21: Sauteed Asparagas (A) - 88 Cals & 5 os

Weight-Loss Winners:

1. tincongnito lost 2.5 pounds this week!!!  Great Work!!!
2. bagga lost 2 pounds and that certainly deserves honorable mention.
   

Inches-Lost Winners:

1. bagga lost 1-inch from her bust & hips! 
2. sheltonmath lost 1-inch from her hips and that also deserves honorable mention.

CONGRATULATIONS Y'ALL!  KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!

Best food choice this week: Broccoli! with light veggie dip.

Worst food choice this week: Probably will be the Chipotle that I have a hankerin for and will probably consume tonight for dinner. We shall see. I will try to just think of this guy and maybe I will cook at home instead.

I found my measuring tape! Yeah. The kids had it in the van. Its all stretched out because it was being used to tie up prisoners, apparently. I just need to remember to bring it into the house. I am one step closer to getting my measurements!

Original Post by leanne21071:

GW 120

CW 122.6

37 1/2- 27- 34 1/2

stuffed sole dripping in oil and butter but oh so yummy

Sprout wrap with eggbeaters

I posted my measurements on Wednesday.  Should I just edit my original post?  I don't know which will be easier for you to keep up with?

Sorry for the confusion.

I updated your stats.  Thanks. 

hey just popping in to say hi.

I think I stumbled on wisconsin's secret exercise program.

edit* fixed link

That is AWESOME!  I'd blow a buck on her!

Oh, sheesh!  I didn't get the punny until after I posted it! LOL! That's BAD!

Ha!

Too funny!

Hi guys. Whats a happenin?  We gave my boys buzz cuts. The five year old was crying because he wanted his to be long. He's got thick wavy hair. We just wanted to try something new. It looks really good, but he told me that he wished that he was a girl so that he could have long hair like his sister. I'll only start to worry if he begins carrying around a purse to match his spiderman shoes! ;)

Anyway, as a bribe, after the haircuts we all had ice cream. I just had a little.

This is probably what he felt like saying to me. Oh well. I feel bad because he had such beautiful curly hair. But it WAS overgrown and really shaggy. He needed a cut! It will grow.

Well, I came to check in with everyone and I must say I had quite a laugh reading all the previous posts! My b/f's Uncle came to visit this weekend and temptation has been a *****. On Friday we went to Olive Garden and the only good part was it was the only thing I had that day (other than small fruit for breakfast) because we ate about 3-4pm and I ate all my calories. Then yesterday I made breakfast for everyone. I did really good for that, too. Just combined my lunch and breakfast calories and ate a little of everything. I guess I am pretty proud to have done so well with everything. I did have half a peice of this dessert thingy at Olive Garden. Other than that though I guess it wasn't too bad. I was so full though I thought I might purge involuntarily. I ate myself miserable.

The toddler has been a complete grouch for the past couple days. First it was the fever and then when that went away he wasn't himself at all. Banging his head on the floor and hitting his head with hand at almost every little thing. He seems a little better this morning but we'll see. Hopefully...

I hope every one is doing okay and ready for another week!

Whups! I forgot to post the measurements I took. lol. Duh. ^.^

Bust -36.5

Waist -29.5

Hips - 41

Hey everyone! I hope your weekends went well. While I didn't really cook for myself this weekend, I did manage to avoid excessive consumption at restaurants. :D

Lulufit -- You're boys remind me of me when I was a kid, but reverse. I really wanted to get my hair chopped off short. Like, 1 inch kinda short. But my mum didn't want to let me do it. She said I didn't know what I wanted. So I got it cut the ugliest style I can possibly imagine! She thought it was cute, haha. But a few months later I got it the way I wanted it and did want it that way and I was quite pleased. I wore it short like that for a year or two.

I don't think I'd do it again, but it was a phase I guess. I was jealous that boys got to have short hair. (I still am, sometimes, but my hair is such a thick pain in the butt.)

I wasn't five, but I was pretty young.

I think a spidarman purse would be wicked, though. ;-P

journeyfit - I got your measurements in.  Thanks.

lulu - I wouldn't worry about your son.  My advice is to let him explore his feminine side.  My guy is 6'2" nearly 200# and has always had long hair.  He's very much in touch with his feminine-side w/o compromising his masculinity at all.  Besides, his happiness & ability to experience himslef as he truly is is what's important.  If your son grows up to prefer men wouldn't it be better that he be able to acknowledge that and be happy rather than get married and stuck in a loveless marriage, to never know sexual happiness?  Kids just wanna be loved, unconditionally, and its their right to have that.  So enjoy playing with his hair while he will let you.  It won't last very long. 

I had a busy weekend.  I mighta logged-on once or twice but I have not made one post all weekend.  We had a party to go to Saturday.  Since we expected it to be a chips & dip-thing we had dinner out before we went.  We had sushi, a real treat for us.  It was awesome and healthy.  Then we got to the party and they had pulled-pork, roast-pork, all manner of fancy little baby yukon gold potatoes cross-cut on top and with a dollup of butter & sour cream, bacon-wrapped grilled asparagus, and, well, you get the idea.  Glad we ate sushi ahead of time.  We blew $45 on it, but we only drank green tea, and had wine at the party.  I had a couple of homemade chocolate truffles and a taste of the roast-pork, but that was it.  A actually asked me, as we were leaving, to go into the main room where everyone who was still was dancing & being drunk and retreive the unopened bag of corn chips we had brought.  I refused.  I mean, that's tacky.  So he did it!  And good for a freind of his giving him hell for it.  I was a little embarrassed, but I got over it.  It was mostly 30-40-somethings, well-dressed and drinking wine.  I felt a little outta place in my leather jacket and crazy, messy rock & roll hair.  No keggers or anything.  Then this woman came in, outta where, I have no idea, and started talking about some sex-club close-by where a straight male freind of hers went in with her fully-dressed and 15 mins later came back around wearing a towel and his shoes!  There was a "show" which she described in full-on graphic detail.  But the part I enjoyed the most was when she described the "show" she saw in Tijuana involving a donkey and a pudgy woman!  Though it was not so much the story I enjoyed as it was the reaction my sis-in-law had.  You know how, when someone is being polite and smiling when they really don't want to and it goes on a bit too long, and the smile starts to sorta "melt?"  Yea, and her eyes were HUGE!  It was hilarous.  She was in shock.  I dont; think she had ever heard anything like that!  It was shocking even for me, but I was laughing.  of course, A was cutting-up with the woma and having a blast!  Sis-inlaw is a very 'mature' 35-year-old and prim.  It was hysterical!  I'm sure she gave her husband a hard time for not helping her away from the story. She eventually walked-away.  Funny. 

Yesterday we had a picnic with our doggie.  It was a little chilly but sunny and really invigorating.  I didn't eat too badly during the weekend but I didn't log anything.  I was too busy just doing, ya know?  So anyway, the weekend is over.  My kitchen is a mess.  I have a huge pile of laundry to do, a shopping list to create for tomorrow, a menu around that for the week, and bills to pay, ... actually, quite a lot.  Mondays are usually a little overwhelming.  But I am going to finish up here & my chai and then go get my butt on the treadmill and do some yoga.  My bod needs it.  I'm sore and my bones are all crackling. 

Sorry so long a post.  Later!

Just for the record........I'm not worried about my son in any way shape or form. I love my kids unconditionally! I was just making a joke about him. Sorry if it came across as a worry! It was a joke because he is definitely a boy who likes boy things. And as far as his sexual happiness, well I don't have to worry about that because none of my kids are going to have sex until they are married and they aren't getting married until they are at least 37. Maybe 38! ;)

MSPW, sounds like you had a good time. I'd agree that a sex story about a pudgy lady and a donkey might not be the best topic of conversation in front of a prim and proper lady. Crazy stuff.......yet somehow interesting all at the same time

Happy Monday folks! Hope everyone had an eventful yet peaceful weekend.

Mspw: living it is always better than logging it. I tend to log less, but tread lightly on the weekend.

You know my cousin's, a full decade older than me, talked about the donkey lady from Tijuana in the 70's, she must be pretty old or has had an apprentice or two, eh!

The challenge is going along swimmingly and am very pleased thus far with how well I am adjusting to it.

That said, we here in my neck of the forest are expecting freezing rain then a foot of snow to fall. and though I love my snow breathing dragon, my mad bomber hat and extra warm arctic gloves, the prospect of removing all this snow is not filling me with an over abundance of joy, unless some of you think a full-on snow hatin' rant complete with expletives that would make a long shore-man blush, and a foot stomp or two joy.

By Wednesday log in I will have either burned a ton of cals or have frozen to death under drifts several feet deep.

Snow is most suckage when it's off the picturesque postcard and in your face.

Its a chilly 51 degrees here! Brr!

I could run around naked in 51 degree weather

Yea, I've already seen the YouTube vid. 

I have been doing so well that I have gained two pounds. WTF. I think it is sodium from the tall draft. But still, how discouraging. I have been stopping my snacks and eating smaller portions. And I gain two pounds. PCOS probably has something to do with it and it sucks a**. I will keep on trying.

I'm sad to report that my new mayo recipe has a whopping 160 calories per half tbsp!  I need to tweak it.  Any ideas? 

Mine is loaded also... I found this recipe, it looks interesting.