late update...

I have to say that on Sunday Nov. 16 I stepped onto the scale and unofficially (not the drop10 scale) weighed in at 175.

Although our goal was Sept. 15th, and I am two months late in reaching this goal, I am happy to report I have finally dropped 10.

We'll see how long it lasts with the holiday meal schedule right around the corner, but for now I must acknowledge my tiny victory.

1/2 way there

Dropped 5.5 pounds - weird, it's exactly Kumari's weight... Thanks all for doing this - I was headed towards heavier horizons and at least now I've stopped the free falling weight gain. Now, if only I could lose the rest of the 10 pounds

Not the Biggest Loser

Well, I began this challenge with a sympathy diet of 5 lbs which would have made me a lean, mean, 6-pack machine. I ended up with a 1 lb. weight loss. I take solace in the belief that I would lose the full 5 lbs if I maintained this less than rigorous diet for a whole 52 weeks. Ha! Still, it was worth being a part of and allowed me to wean off blogging since the end of FamiLee Life. Good luck to everyone else!

Final weight

Yes, not exactly what I was shooting for. 181 down from 184.5 in 10 weeks, sort of lackluster in the end. But, I vow to keep rolling with my new weekly workout-running schedule and have not slipped in ten weeks. The challenge will be to either keep riding my bike all winter long, or to replace that routine with something else.

I think it would be interesting to keep the blog rolling post drop-10. So people could make updates and check in periodically on their progress. Big thanks to Ken for starting this up and pulling this motley group together. I needed a push to start exercising and that in itself is a huge help. Congrats to all of the major losers, and minor ones. I know it was a struggle for most of us. Good work peeps!

Spreadsheet - getting ready for next week's weigh in

I've updated the spreadsheet with your last recorded weight - feel free to update the spreadsheet if you have weighed in with something more current. I expect next week to have a real weigh in back at St. Stephens to get our final weigh in count. Do good this week!!

Tonight, I weigh-in - I'm hoping to have lost 8 to 10 pounds by now

Checked over the weekend on home scale and it was looking good but the gym scale is unforgiving... we shall see

home stretching

wow, it seems just like yesterday we all started losing ourselves and pulling on bars to prove that we are masters of our universe. but somewhere in the mix i lost my motivation. i am solidly down 7 but am trying to find a reason to keep dropping. i am thankful for the blog and those who are staying on it, john and boom boom have been blazingly inspirational but fried chicken is so good. so, i am suggesting that we have a celebration of sorts to re-energize our efforts. lets call it a "feats of strength party" i am proposing a mini-quadrathalon plus, possibly a bike, run, pull up, eat yogurt, swim(?), drink a beer, etc. event. ideas?
krt

Free Donuts and Rolls

I started back at work this week. Students return next week. Well, it certainly is a challenge to not eat the free cinnamon rolls and donuts that they have at every morning meeting this week. I've passed it up a few times, so that's a good sign. But I'm feeling icky. We sit, listen, sit some more, and then sit the rest of the day. I was so active during my vacation that I'm feeling the inactivity something fierce after only 3 days. I can't imagine having to come home to kids and not have any time to exercise or chill out... kudos to you parents, new parents, and parents-to-be!!

BTW, I wanna go to NYC for Korean food. I'm coming next time.

Going In Reverse

Damn that woman driver! It's been a good 6 weeks since I last played bball and I blame the woman who hit me while riding my bike. My neck/back is still whacked but getting better with PT/Chiro/Massage. I tried to play bball on Monday. Try as in shoot outside shots. I tried for a couple of layups and felt pain in my neck. That is not good. Plus, I'm just putzing around on my single-speed now, so it's less of a workout riding my bike. Excuses, excuses....I've been gaining weight and my buddha belly is laughing at me. I need to learn to feel at piece.

NYC Killed me...

Man o man... Sarah and I took four days in NYC and we ate, and ate, and ate... I have to admit, even if I loose ground on my weight loss, it was so worth it!

You just cannot pass up; bibimbap, fresh handmade mandoo soup, handmade frozen yogurt chains, korean style fried chicken, yakitori (our favorite being bacon wrapped asparagus), beer (for me), fresh hand rolled canolli, korean bbq pork belly, freakishly amazing chocolate scones, and on and on and on.

Its sad but I probably pulled back to even in weight, but man o man it was a fair sacrifice. I think even if I don't manage to loose much weight, at least I am feeling good about working out regularly, and that to me seems pretty cool. Good food may be too difficult to give up.

CONGRATULATIONS!

To Ken for "gaining" 4lbs. 6oz. over the weekend.

And to Chamindika for losing the weight so quickly and gracefully.

Welcome Kumari!!!

John B Dropped 10+ This Week!!

That's almost 2 pounds a week - Congratulations!!

ASPARTAME

I've been told by people, including Richard Simmons, that diet pop can actually make you fatter. Now, I had a hard time believing that since I know I didn't eat more as a result of drinking it. However, after doing some internet reading, I'm giving it a shot. I have known that I'm putting foreign, unnatural chemicals into my body, but didn't care. However, the symptoms and issues that aspartame can apparently cause are serious. (If the internet stuff is right.) So, I'll be a guinea pig and quit drinking it for a month and see if it helps my weight loss process. Obviously that means I'll probably reach for more water, which is always a good thing... and probably tea, also good. I only have had one can a day, but I've had it regularly for a long time. So, maybe it has finally caught up with me. I'll give you a full report in a month or so.

A Little Secret

Well, I've had a pretty good results so far and I feel that I have to come clean. I am kind of a professional weight looser. I've been doing it off for about 7 years and because of this, I have special tools at my disposal.

One of them is a methodology from Weight Watchers (another is my experience from being a wrestler - but I wouldn't recommend, or use those tactics anymore). Basically, I journal the food I eat each day. Each item of food has so many points...once I reach my limit (based on my age, weight and sex), I stop eating. Oh, and if you exercise, you get points added to your daily allowance, so riding my bike to work, gives me a little wiggle room, plus it's good for me. I keep track of the points on an old Palm I had laying around–here is the free software if anyone is interested:
http://www.freewarepalm.com/medical/dietcalc.shtml

Pretty simple, the trick is staying on it. The great thing is that if you do it for a few months, it really becomes a habit of eating well and exercising and it's really about being aware of what you eat. Over the last two years, though, I haven't done a good job of keeping track and I've gained some weight, that's why I was excited to join Drop 10. I knew it would give me the incentive get going again.

For anyone who is interested, you can find the points value of most food in on the Internet. I usually just search, for example, "Weight Watchers Points Subway" if I want to know how many points my 6 inch Subway Club will cost me. If you can't find it on the Web, as long as you have the nutritional information, you can calculate the points yourself with the above software or online here:
http://www.webmilhouse.com/pointcalc.php

So there you have it. I feel much better now. ;^)

WOW!

I'd drop 5 pretty fast trying to keep up with this.