Final weigh-in was this past weekend and the final article and results will be in this Sunday's newspaper.  No spilling the beans about the biggest loser of the contest -- there were many who can say they had winning success in losing pounds and inches over the past six months.  My original goal in being in the contest was to finish what I started last year but of course life has other plans.  I'm happy with my results -- since twelve of the 25 weeks were spent physically limping because of knee injury, then surgery, then recovery, and I let all of that make me limp mentally, there were times I thought that I would be happy with any loss at all!!   Once I started the Slim & Fit exercise classes in May, that really helped me to focus and get back on track -- the inches that I lost I can definitely attribute to that class because it is a workout and a half!  

Two people at church yesterday said that they could tell I had lost more weight and that it looked like I was melting away (and I wasn't even sweating at either time!).  When someone mentions "melting away" though, having grown up in Kansas, my thoughts immediately turn to the demise of the Wicked Witch. (and things were never the same after that house fell on my sister!)   But they meant it as a compliment and there are times during exercising when the sweat is dripping steadily off my nose, that it does seem like melting might be involved.

Our blogs do stay open for awhile and, if we want to, we can continue blogging.  The discipline of blogging week after week after week is an important part of the contest -- kind of like the discipline of exercising and eating healthy week after week after week  -- hmmm, do you think there's a connection to be made?

People always think that the most difficult part of this contest is the publishing of the weights but, to me, blogging regularly gets to be the chore.  (just like sticking to a diet and exercise program -- hmmmm, do you think there's a connection to be made??!)   We'll see--

THANK YOU to Laura Kessel and the News Herald and to Jaime Brenkus and Slim & Fit for sponsoring another Lighten Up Contest.  There were many who did experience some lightening up and the life changing experiences that it involves.  Continued best wishes to the 2011 contestants and to everyone who is working towards losing more weight and becoming healthier -- it can be done and we can do it!!

Barb

Whatever happens at the weigh-in tomorrow will be okay.  I'm already gearing up for the next month to work hard again until Labor Day (like I said before, I didn't really get in gear for this contest until June 1st so I have a few more months to push myself).  Actually I've been thinking more about the fact that I have to have my picture taken tomorrow with a scab right on the end of my nose from where I bonked myself with a ten-pound weight the other night at exercise class (obviously I need to work more on my form!!).  I'm really curious to find out the official inches lost and the body fat percentages, even more so than the numbers on the scale.

Chris Powell (a personal trainer featured on the Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition show) uses the words "transforming" and  "transformation" a lot as he helps people on their weight loss journey.  (I know, I know -- I wasn't going to get sucked into watching another TV show where people lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time which is totally unrealistic for most of us, but I did anyway.)  I ended up really liking the show and it was encouraging in a lot of ways.  I tell Nicholas (one of the personal trainers/exercise class instructors at Slim & Fit) that he's my Chris Powell and is definitely being instrumental in my transformation!  He just laughs --

Transforming is a good word to remember when you're working on a healthy lifestyle.  We're "works in progress", with the emphasis on work. And it's never too late to start the transformation process.  Finish strong.....and then begin again.  Looking forward to tomorrow!

Barb

After finally getting a haircut yesterday afternoon, my head definitely feels lighter!  Too bad it won't help me in the final weigh-in on Saturday --

I've been thinking a lot about the papers that I found in the basement of my weight and measurements from eleven years ago, and that got me thinking about all the starts and stops, the umpteen exercise classes, all the different diets and all the different programs that have been part of my life.  Some parts stuck (two of my favorite after-workout stretches still are from the ancient Jane Fonda tapes -- minus the infamous leg warmers!), and at this time, I have a better idea of what I need to be doing (actually getting it done is the tricky part).  The Fitworks membership will be cancelled for now - and I say "for now" because it may work out for me at another time.  Right now the Slim & Fit exercise classes are a good fit because they're fun, each class has been different (which helps when you have the attention span of a gnat sometimes), and I'm finally making progress because the personal trainers make me work hard (harder than I would on my own right now.)

Nicholas had given us a "Skinny Jean Diet" at class which was seven days of meals & snacks to follow.  We were talking in class the other day about nutrition and one lady said that she'd tried the diet but it didn't work.  Turns out she tried it for only one week and not even a full week because she'd taken the weekend off.  One other thing I've learned is that you have to commit to working a program at least for six weeks - especially if it's been awhile since you've worked out regularly or eaten healthy.  And of course the mental preparation and mindset is the hardest to get started and then keep on track. 

The reason that you have to be prepared for a minimum of six weeks is because there's a good chance that nothing will happen the first three weeks.  (and this is only my opinion and experience). The first week your brain and other body parts are just laughing because they're saying, "What?!  She's going to try this again!?  What a joke - we'll just sit tight and let it  ride and she'll give it up."  The second and third week is when your brain and other body parts dig in their heels to hold onto the fat and bad habits.  But around the fourth week is when the other body parts start telling the brain that they just might be feeling better, they don't hurt as much, they have more energy, and maybe THIS time she's serious about this healthy lifestyle business, so maybe we should cooperate a little.   It's not until the fifth or sixth week (sometimes) when you may start seeing some noticeable results.  And it's hard.  And you feel discouraged and ready to give up too many times to count.  We're so ingrained with wanting immediate results and it seems like we're always looking for an easier way to get those immediate results and it just isn't going to happen.  You have to accept that this is going to take weeks, months, even maybe years.  And it's WORK -- hard work! 

Don't throw in the towel! (you'll need it to wipe the sweat off your face!)  The last weigh-in of this contest may be scheduled for this weekend, but it definitely is not the end of working towards becoming healthier --

Barb

After mowing the lawn and doing some other yard work this past weekend, even though the diet and exercise programs may not be progressing the way that I wish they were, I definitely have a prize winning farmer's tan!!

It's weird as I get older that it's so much easier to weed bending from the waist and not squatting down -- my neighbor drove by and hollered that she was going to get her slingshot.  But I just think of it as getting in a great hamstring & quad stretch -- that's the other great thing about getting older:  less embarrassment and not caring so much about what other people think and say (much to the chagrin of immediate family members!).

For some reason after walking the Johnnycake Jog Walk last Sunday, I guess I was thinking that was it for the exercise.  I haven't taken an extra walk all week!
I'm hoping to get back on track - I'm starting to look ahead to reach my next goal by Labor Day weekend, otherwise I might get in the mindset that after the final weigh-in this Saturday, that I'm done with extra exercise AND diet, and that's absolutely not true -- the "hundred pounds lost" light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer and I definitely want to celebrate that milestone this year. 

Here's to a consistent, healthy mind-set for the last week (of this contest)!
Stay cool!
Barb

Even though a person can definitely get overloaded with diet and exercise information, this internet article was really interesting.  Nothing new but good things to remember as you concentrate on eating lean.  Stay strong, drink lots of water, and keep cool!!

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/5-foods-that-keep-you-thin-2507875/

Barb
P.S. A special Happy Birthday wish to my mom in Kansas!

It was a HOT one today!!  When the temperature on the Lake County Fairgrounds sign says "84 degrees"  and you know it's at least ten degrees hotter when you're walking/jogging on Route 20 where the heat waves bounce off of the cement and hit you in the face -- just to finish standing up (and not throwing up!) is an accomplishment of which to be proud!  And our contingent of two walkers and three joggers DID finish standing up, and all of us even improved on our times from last year.  Hip-hip-hooray!  Last year my time for the 3.1 Walk was 44.41 and this year was clocked at 43.36 -- not quite at a thirteen minute mile yet but getting there!  I did see Vivian (and Bob), and read Michael's name in the paper so the Lighten Up contest was represented again this year.  

Last weekend ended with the air conditioner drain being plugged and leaking in the basement.  Thankfully there wasn't a lot ruined because the cardboard boxes absorbed the water -- but there's still a lot of sorting/pitching/cleaning to do.  As I'm going through boxes, I ran across papers and a chart from one of the numerous times that I've weighed and measured and said "This is IT -- this weight is coming OFF!!"  It looks like I stuck to a plan pretty well for a couple or three months, but then it ends.  (sound familiar?)  Plan A, Plan B, Plan C -- I've probably cycled through the alphabet countless times in trying to find a solution that will work.  Anyway, this chart was dated 1998, and I have to just shake my head when I think of all the time and energy that has been devoted/wasted to solve a problem that I created for myself in the first place!  And with more digging there's probably another chart that's dated earlier --

Keep moving, and keep working on finding a plan that will work for you. (trial & error!)

Have a good week!

Barb

Here's a great bread to try for wraps:   lavash   (at Walmart it's a "Joseph's" brand)

Betty and I were talking at work one morning about the food we eat and don't eat, and she mentioned that she makes up some "grab & go" wraps for the week with greens/sprouts, lean meat & a little of her favorite cheese.  Wraps aren't one of my favorites because the ones I've tried are too hard and you end up with more bread left after you eat the sandwich and then it just gets thrown away.  Anyway, she told me about the lavash bread she buys at the deli at Walmart (never heard of it before) and made up some to bring in to work.  It's delicious!  It's super soft and she cuts each flat bread in half so there's not any waste (and you get twice as many sandwiches out of one package!).  It rolls up really easily and is just enough to hold all the sandwich innards in place.  (It's so soft that you can't load it up too much either (as my youngest son found out), or it just falls apart.)  It's made of flax, oat bran and whole wheat - no cholesterol, high in protein and low in calories.  After doing some googling, the bread is Armenian/Turkey in origin and Jillian Michaels also promotes it in one of her books. (not that the last two items really matter but just some extra facts to throw in for the heck of it--)  Anyway, it's something new to try if you're looking for an alternative to regular bread for sandwiches.

Barb