Congratulations To.....

....anyone who learned something from this little 'competition.' Robert is the winner of the $180. I feel like I am a winner in that I am stronger and my cardio-vascular system is in much better shape. Junice mentioned what she has discovered during this exercise. So, I think we all can feel good about having learned something. The big question is, what will we do with what we have learned? January has been a wash for me, but I am determined to concentrate more on the 'food' aspect of the equation, keeping the activity part going, and getting actual weight off.
I am going to keep this blog open. Anyone who wants to post about their experiences can do so. The contest is over, but the pursuit of better health certainly isn't, I hope. So, no more reminders for weigh-ins. You can do it or not, post or not. Maybe it can still be a tool for comraderie and support.
Love to you all.

I need to lose weight, I like competition, and I love to chat. So I thought this would be a great support to my efforts to get healthier. As usual, I began with enthusiastic effort. I ate better, exercized a bit, and faithfully bloged each week for 11 weeks. I lost 11 lbs, but felt like I was alone in my efforts and was talking to myself, so I gave up the blog, inertia kicked in, and I gained back my loss and then some. Upon our return from Hawaii in October I had risen from 182 to 200 lbs. Final weigh-in 198 lbs., a 2.6% gain.

I'm sorry that I was not more persistant, and stopped contributing to your blog. It is a noble effort, and I wish you all well in the battle of the bulge.

Let's Get Down To It

So, here we are at the end. There is still time to realize some weight loss before the 31st. And as far as the money goes, here's what I need:

1 weigh-in between now and the end
AND
a final weigh-in on January 31st. (A weigh-in on Feb 1st will NOT count.)

I will be rounding the tenths in weights and percentages (.1-.4 rounds down, .5-.9 up)

Let's make a good effort for our own sakes!

Time to get serious

I've got 29 days to lose 25 pounds! I better get going.

Back to 145 again after Thanksgiving pie. Yum! I'm grateful. This week is Nutcracker week full of practices for Austin and Stephenie. Stephen is Stage direct0r this year so he is busy and Lona is helping with the quick clothing changes. She is back to work for 4 hours each day, comes home and naps and then goes in the evening to help. We're grateful that she is doing better. Love to all, Grandma Gloria

Bragging rights

OK, I know that my kids did not sign up for this contest. Still as a proud parent I need to brag about their weight loss - plus, it improves our family stats quite a bit! Here's what Jacob and Ariel have accomplished:

Jacob - start 200 in Jan, currently 165 (17.5% loss)
Ariel - start 185.2 in July, currently 156.2 (15.7% loss)

(Which means both Jacob and Ariel weigh less than I do)

And so... ta da! the family totals:

Start: 748.2
Currently: 683.2
Loss: 65 lbs, 8.7% (thanks to Jacob and Ariel)

Really, hopefully this inspires me to follow Jacob and Ariel's example and get back on track! On the good side, by summer I was 4 pounds up, so now I'm actually 8 pounds down from my July high. Hopefully I will continue in the right direction.

- Carolyn

Never, Never, Never Give Up

Okay, so I am back to 170....sigh. The formula for weight loss is so simple - fewer calories in than expended. If I am not willing to give up the 'calories in', I guess I need to find out how many calories I need to 'expend' to lose weight. Two hours a day? Three? Well, that starts to get ridiculous, so maybe I better think about the 'calories in' again.
On a good note, I went to a chiropractor last night and, although I am sore, I am doing better. I didn't wake up once last night with numb arms and hands. And I can 'scrunch' my shoulders and feel the release - ahh. He said I had a lot of things out of whack (my words, not his) and I must have. I will go back tomorrow - my choice - because my muscles have all been so tight that I am sure they are trying to pull everything back out again.