I HAVE HAD IT!

I swear I cannot catch a break.....I am sick again. I went to the Dr. and he said because I had the swine flu last November my immune system is weak and I can get sick easier. So I have not worked out since Monday. I was doing so good.......I hate my life! Anyway I am in the Biggest Loser club and they send me emails and stuff. Here is a motivational quote this week from a contestant:

"Working hard is a daily commitment. Each day you have to get up and commit yourself to the day's healthy eating and working out. There's no easy way, but there's the right way. And this is it."

To answer your question Greg...

P90X pictures didn't make the motivational cut.

Some motiviation for all of us...

Ambien is one hell of a drug

Just so everyone knows, if I make a post after midnight, it is probably one that I won't really remember the next day. I have this nerve problem in my ankel that makes it shake all night so I don;t get any sleep. So what do I do? Sit at my computer at 3am and post. I said I would post a pic of me without my shirt so here it is. :)

And here is another pic of our pilgrim family.

Proof and can someone fix the countdown clocks?

Just got done working out for a hour while I watched my show......I LOVE BOSTON ROB!

This says it all....it was on a mirror in the gym in the hotel.

For the first half hour.....

For the last 1/2 hour.

Motivated to the MAX!

RJ, Bevin, Katie, and whoever else is slacking (Sara you have a little more time to recover from birth) need to cowboy up and get motivated. I am so on it.......I have been working out every day. Last night I was on the treadmill for an hour watching the Real World and then I lifted weights for 1/2 hour after that. I am in Evanston now for work and at 7:00 when Survivor comes on I will be watching it from the fitness center in the hotel on the treadmill. Seriously everyone has access to a treadmill....and if you watch a show you really like - Lost, Bachelor, Survivor, Biggest Loser, etc. while you are on the treadmill the time just flys by and it is not hard to do it.....the hard part is just getting ready and getting on the treadmill.....JUST DO IT. Kami

Google

Oh and if you ave access to google all day, which I know you do, go ghte coxroxmarathon@gmail.com and see the little widgets I put up,
You can create your own calendar and run the programs from there and keep track on the calendar of what you are doing to work out.
What happened to the countdown clocks?

Thar she blows!!

Get ready kids because we are going to get a full front and side body picture taken of our fattness in all of its glory and you can decide to take a photo everyday and post or wait until the end of the marathon. I have lost some motivation so i am hoping this gets it back up.
My picture without a shirt goes on tomorrow. If you re brave you will do it too!

I'll be watching!

You must have read my mind Kami - I was planning on going to the gym to watch the new Survivor. Did all of you realize that the biggest loser won't be back on until the Olympics are over. But I will say, Melissa has kicked butt since being at home.

Also Kami, I was talking to my boss the other day and she started talking about your favorite new guy (Michael Pollan). I guess he lives in Berkley which is 2 minutes from our Oakland office and his son goes to one of my co-workers schools. My boss loves him. They all eat so healthy and organic in the Oakland office. They all have gardens and some of them even do their own composting.

Anyway, I have my mid-fitness-challenge weigh-in tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes. Hopefully by then we'll all have a new little niece!

Here is some motivation for RJ:

Morning Star Rocks

I went to the store yesterday to buy some more Morning Star sausages and noticed they had a whole line of non-meat products so I bought some of them to try. I just ate a non-chicken patty and it was sooo good. I think I could quit eating meat and just eat stuff like Morning Star. You have to be careful though....one chicken patty is like 140 calories and the chicken nuggets are even more for 3 pieces so you can't go hog wild.....but I think it is a better alternative to real meat. On the CBS news yesterday they said that the FDA is looking at banning using antibiotics in animals unless they really are sick because it is causing humans to build a resistance to antibiotics. All of Europe has banned using antibiotics in farm animals....why can't we?

Also, I have been to the gym everyday this week for 1 hour or more. What are the rest of you doing HHHUUUMMMM???? I am able to run a full mile on the treadmill without feeling like I am going to die. Getting in shape sucks and it takes work but when you are almost there it is the BEST!!

ALSO SURVIVOR VILLIANS VS. HEROS IS ON TONIGHT......RUN ON THE TREADMILL WHILE YOU WATCH IT......IT IS GOING TO BE THE BEST SUVIVOR EVER! Kami

Oh ya somone needs to fix the countdown clocks....they are not working anymore???

Hail to Oprah

Yesterday on Oprah she talks about diabetes with Dr. Oz. If you do not exercise and eat right you are probably going to be in big trouble....here is what they talked about. My favorite part is when he says Sugar is just like Crack......

If there were a deadly disease raging through your body, wouldn't you want to know how to stop it? Unfortunately, more than 6 million Americans are walking around with a silent killer eating away at their health—and they have no idea they're even at risk. That silent killer is diabetes, the fastest-growing disease in history. It's estimated that 80 million people in the United States have diabetes or are on the verge of developing this disease. Diabetes is particularly prevalent in the African-American community, where it claims nearly 100 lives every single day. "It's time to get out of denial," Oprah says. Because so many people are affected, the United States is forced to spend $174 billion a year treating this disease—more than AIDS and all cancers combined. "If we don't fix the problem of diabetes in this country, we will bankrupt our future ability to pay for healthcare in the nation," Dr. Oz says.As a heart surgeon, Dr. Oz says 25 percent of the patients he operates on have diabetes. Still, he says there's hope for anyone who's suffering or at risk. "Most diabetes is preventable," he says. "It is treatable, even reversible."

There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, affects 10 percent of Americans diagnosed with diabetes. "[You're] not making enough insulin. That's generally from genetic reasons because your pancreas just doesn't work correctly," he says. "Type 1 has nothing to do to prevent it from happening. There's a lot we can do to treat you once it happens." Type 2 develops from lifestyle issues. "[Patients] have a lot of belly fat and the like, and they have enough insulin," he says. "But it's not listening anymore because the belly fat has poisoned the ability of insulin to work, so the sugar is still floating around because it can't find a partner to get into your tissues." Though type 2 affects most of the population, Dr. Oz says it's the most treatable. Patients just have to start making better lifestyle choices. "Ninety percent of type 2 diabetics can actually reverse their problem," he says.

Diabetes, particularly type 2, is the fastest-growing disease in history because of one thing—sugar. Dr. Oz says the average person eats 150 pounds of sugar a year. "That's 40 pounds of extra sugar that we're eating every single year as opposed to just a generation ago," he says. "It is impossible for our body to keep up with that. There is no way we can adapt this quickly." Sugar often becomes an addiction, Dr. Oz says. "When you go to a store to buy food, when you go to a supermarket, to a restaurant, and you get a little bit of sugar, it stimulates the same part of your brain as crack cocaine," he says. "It just turns you on." Even if you try to control your intake, Dr. Oz says sugar is often hidden in products you wouldn't expect. "It's hidden in our condiments," he says. "It's hidden in our salad dressing."

Dr. Oz says one of the major misconceptions about diabetes is that it's only a sugar problem. The truth is, you do need some sugar. Your body uses sugar (also called simple carbohydrates) to help the brain think and keep muscles moving. When you eat, your food goes through a digestive process that separates sugar and glucose from the rest. That sugar makes its way into your bloodstream. In a healthy body, the pancreas releases insulin, a hormone which helps funnel sugar from the bloodstream to tissues that need it. However, too much sugar can be a serious problem. "We store it in our belly," Dr. Oz says. "But that belly fat, the omentum, gets ponderously large. And as it does that, it poisons the insulin so it no longer can work and the sugar cannot get out of the bloodstream." This causes issues for the heart. "The blood vessels are very delicate," he says. "The sugar is like pieces of glass shard scraping at it." These shards leave small holes on the inside of the artery. "Our body scars in an attempt to heal it. It's a fragile repair," Dr. Oz says. "It breaks; it ruptures. Now you have an open surface that's sore." As a scab forms over that sore, Dr. Oz says it gets larger and hardens the arteries—leading to a heart attack. "A diabetic will most likely die from a heart attack," he says.

Dr. Oz says the symptoms for both types of diabetes are straightforward:Constant thirst and frequent urination: These are the first things doctors will ask you about. "You have [constant thirst] because you're urinating all the time," he says. "The sugar gets into your urine, and it actually drags it through your kidneys. It fools your kidneys." Non-healing infections: "The white blood cells that protect the immune system can't get there," he says. "And by the way, your white cells don't function normally. Your whole immune system's depressed because you're waging a constant civil war against your body, which has the sugar scraping away on the inside."Tingling toes: "Nerves have a cable around them," Dr. Oz says. "That cable gets broken with diabetes, so you end up with short circuits of your nerve system." Blurred vision: "You're having little bleeds in the back of your eye," he says.

Dr. Oz says there are four major risk factors for type 2 diabetes:Belly fat: A big belly is the number one risk factor in America, and Dr. Oz has a simple test to see if you have too much: "If your waist size, measured at your belly button is more than half of your height, then you've got too much belly and you're at risk for diabetes." Sedentary lifestyle: Physical activity is key to preventing or reversing diabetes. "When you exercise and do muscle-building work, the muscle actually becomes more sensitive to insulin," he says. "The insulin can work better. It can drive the sugar where it's supposed to go."Family history: "If you've got relatives who have diabetes or if you had diabetes when you were pregnant, big warning signs."Smoking: Cigarettes not only harm your lungs, "it kills your pancreas," Dr. Oz says.

Fitness expert Bob Greene says physical activity can literally save the life of someone at risk for diabetes. "When it comes to diabetes, we know that if you simply get 30 minutes a day, your risk is lowered by 60 percent," he says. "Exercise is not negotiable." Diabetes is a disease close to Bob's heart. "Both of my parents have diabetes," he says. "Through lifestyle, you can change your risk and, in most cases, prevent this disease." Incorporating exercise into your life doesn't have to be overwhelming. Bob says two simple activities can reduce your risk, weight and symptoms dramatically:
Walk 30 minutes a day.
Start strength training. "This can be done with bands or weights. My favorite is dumbbells," he says. "Maintaining the muscles and the joints is so important in combating diabetes because it raises your metabolism."

So get going......we are all doing this marathon....and in the process of training for the marathon we will be reducing our risk of getting diabetes!

Silence = Slacking?

So I'm assuming if we haven't heard from you (and you all know who you are) that I must have to line up Jillian and/or Bob to send over. I don't care who I have to wheel down the road the day of the marathon - you're all doing it! :-)

-Amy


We're coming for you!!

Yummy

My mom made this up and I have already had it twice for lunch! Very tasty. Try it:) There are some very different ingredients in it and I am picky, but all together it is so good.

Chicken Salad Pockets

1 1/2 c cooked, cubed chicken

1/2 c sliced celery

2 T. chopped green onion

1/3 c. low fat mayo

1 T. lemon juice

1/4 t. curry powder

lettuce

apple

whole wheat pita pockets

Combine everything until lettuce. But some lettuce and apple slices in pita, then fill with chicken mixture. Makes 4 pockets at 270 calories per serving.

Sara

What is Quandry?

Ya I was loving Michael when he was doing that challenge.....I was cracking up also when he said he was jammin to an 80's tune in his head. But holy crap he really rocked at that challenge....he did not even have to move his feet to get to each side of those bags. I am really rooting for Michael to beat the record of 100 lbs......he has to loose 17 or 18 lbs next week to do it.

Also, I watched both Lost and Biggest Loser..........thanks to my best friend in the whole wide world TIVO! But I really did not get Lost..........what is going on?

Quandry

Alright, who else totally cracked up last night when Micheal was doing the challenge to eighties music in his head. I was on the treadmill and was seriously laughing out loud. People probably thought I was crazy.

Unless of course you were watching Lost. I have to catch up on season 5 before I jump into this season.

-Amy

I second that!!!

Whatever RJ! How can you dispute what that movie says? Of course any type of "food" is going to keep you alive and yes, in moderation it will not make you fat. However, it is definitely not a healthy way to live. Look at Americans today!

I am trying to jump more on the organic bandwagon. I have only been buying eggs from free-range chickens and will not buy salmon unless it's wild caught. Do you know that in farm raised, they have to add the pink color!

Here is some more good info from the same guy:

Carbs are out, then they're in. Eggs can kill you—or save your life. Once and for all, can we just figure out what to put on our plates? That's the question we asked Michael Pollan, the Pied Piper of sustainable eating (or, more simply, the dude of real food).

O: Every day we're bombarded with new nutritional studies aimed at helping us decide what to eat, but you look to the traditional diets of native cultures for guidance. Why?

Michael Pollan: People knew how to eat long before they knew what an antioxidant was. The range of different diets human beings can thrive on is incredibly broad. You have the Masai in Africa, who survive on meat, milk, and cow's blood, and are very healthy, and Native Americans in Central America, who eat corn and beans and little meat. And then you've got the Inuit eating seal blubber as part of an almost all-fat diet; traditionally, they've also been quite healthy, with no heart disease or type 2 diabetes to speak of. What does this tell you? That there is no one ideal diet. But there is one diet that gets everyone in trouble, and it happens to be the one our civilization has invented. Populations that eat the Western diet—lots of processed food, lots of calories, few vegetables, fruits, or whole grains—reliably develop a sequence of chronic diseases: heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers. People who get off this Western diet see dramatic improvements in their health.

O : So how do you get off it?

MP: My mantra is seven words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. In a way, that's all you need to know—so long as you understand that not everything in the supermarket is food. There are a lot of what I call "edible foodlike substances" that don't deserve to be dignified with the label "food." So the first order is coming up with some rules to help you avoid those substances. One is: Don't buy things your grandmother or your great-grandmother—depending on your age—wouldn't recognize as food. She wouldn't know what Splenda with Fiber is, for instance. Another rule: Avoid products with more than five ingredients. And another: Don't eat "foods" with ingredients that a normal person doesn't have in her pantry. Ethoxylated triglycerides? Who cooks with that?

O : But some people can't afford to eat as well as you suggest.

MP: It is hard to make good food choices if you don't have a lot of money, because of the way the system is rigged. The government subsidizes the least healthy calories in the supermarket—those derived from corn and soy. But the more you spend on high-quality food, the less you'll need to spend on healthcare. In 1960, 18 percent of our income went to food, and now it's 9.5 percent. Meanwhile, our spending on healthcare has tripled. Which leads to another rule: You're better off paying the grocer than the doctor.

O : Most of your rules address what food to buy, but some address where to eat it.

MP: If you eat in the car or in front of the television, you eat mindlessly. And you tend to eat more. The rituals surrounding meals remind you that eating is not just about filling the body; it's about communing with other people. The word company comes from com and panis, you know—breaking bread together.

Thanks Kami!

Food Inc.

So guess what Oprah talked about on yesterday's show......the movie/documentary Food Inc. If you have not seen it yet you have to get that movie and watch it. DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR FOOD REALLY COMES FROM.....is Oprah's question. After seeing that movie you will not want to eat meat anymore and buy organic.....at least that is how I feel. And now after Oprah discusses the movie with the guy who made it I seriously wish I could go vegan and buy only organic food but I live in hickville and there is no store here that has anything organic and if they do it is twice the price as anywhere else. I wish they had Whole Foods stores every where.

Michael Pollan the author talks about..........The way we eat has changed more in the past 50 years than it has in the previous 10,000 years. Birds are now raised and killed in half the time they were 50 years ago, but now they are twice as big.......does that make sense? Also they had the founder and CEO of the Chipotle restaurants talk because that is a restaurant/fast food place that uses mostly fresh and and all natural meat......so Amy you liking that place is not so bad because they use local fresh/organic veggies, beans, and all natural meat....more than any other fast food place in the country.

Some of Michael's food rules are:

1. Don't eat anything your great-grandmother would not recognize as food.

2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third grader cannot pronounce.

3. Eat only foods that eventually rot. Like Twinkies will not rot.....food is alive and should die.

4. Do you want to pay for real food or do you want to pay the doctor later for your health problems. The less we spend on food the more we spend on health care.

5. The lowfat kick made everyone fat.....to take out the fat in food they had to put more sugar in.

6. Cooking your own food from scratch is key.

7. The consumer really is the biggest voice behind if there will be change because the food industry will do what the people demand. We all can vote with our forks....we get three votes a day. Vote for food that has been sustainably/humanly grown.

8. Eat meat that itself has eaten well.

What is the most consumed meat around the world?

a. beef

b. pork

c goat

d. chicken

The answer is C.

American take three million pounds of antibiotics every year. How many pounds are given to livestock?

a. 8 million

b. 11.8 million

c. 14 million

d. 28 million

The answer is D - outrageous!

That is the worst when your ipod battery dies. The worst 5 miles I ever ran was the first leg of the Sawtooth Relay two years ago. It is a relay run and they said that since it was on roads, no ipods etc... were allowed. I ran my first leg and hated every minute of it. I hate hearing myself breath. So on my second leg I said screw it and used my music anyway.

Great episode of BL! I am back to rooting for Micheal. And also, I think the purple girl is similar to Tara, she just doesn't get much air time. I burned 3,300 calories yesterday and only ate 1,600. That's 1/2 pound of fat GONE!

We should have weekly weigh-ins where everyone posts their +/- for the week.

-Amy

I need an award!

I just got back from the gym cause I hate going to early cause all of the dumb New Years resolution people come out of the woodwork. Anyway I should win an award because I get to the gym and my favorite mp3 player that has a radio tuner so I can listen to the TV, the battery is dead so I am like crap and I remember I have my stupid IPod out in the car. So I run out to the car and get my IPod and get back on the treadmill and the damn thing says the battery is low. I only got 15 minutes out of it before it shuts off, but I stayed on the treadmill for the remaining 30 minutes. That was sooooo hard because I could hear the two dumb guys behind me having a gay 19 year old conversation on who could swear the most to be cool......uuugggggghhh. Worst workout ever but I stuck to it. So someone needs to give me an award. Kami - I just realized me and Katie have the same initials......gosh Katie way to ruin my gig.
Oh ya and my thoughts on the Biggest Loser:
Red - lame liars......just admit the truth. Hell I would throw the weigh in if I had immunity.
Green - get off the show....one down one more to go......can't stand Miggy...what kind of name is that anyway?
White/Michael - if he stays on the show he will beat the goal and win 100 lbs in 6 weeks.
The rest kind of bug me too........I don't know who I want to win yet....I need another Tara and the red team could have been if they were not such fake liars.

you-go-gurt

Nice one Amy. You should take that act on the road with that title. Well I have some advice for everyone. Don't try to work out after you have activia for the first time. I made it 5 minutes on the bike and then I did some running of my own.
rj (who else)

Should be called In-N-Stays-In

My prediction for tonight - Red girl loses 18 lbs and tries to make excuses. I will be running on the treadmill as I watch it. Can't wait.

Great job Katie! 5 lbs is awesome. Anyone else losing? RJ - have you broken in the new bike yet?

My new favorite lunch place is Jimmy Johns. Great sandwiches and their website has the best calorie counter.

What else is new in weight-loss land?

I'm in love with my bodybugg and am obsessed with counting calories as Monica can attest to. Even when we ate In-N-Out after snow-shoeing, I was right on their website tracking the damage I had just inhaled. Cheeseburger - 480 Fries - 400 Yikes! I had a diet coke with mine but just for anyone who cared, one of their shakes has 800 calories! We were also able to eat at my favorite place, Chipotle. Did you know that eating one of their burritos tortilla-free saves you 300 calories. It's amazing what you learn when you truly record everything you eat.

Yum - so bad for you yet so good!

Amy...totally agree with your Biggest Loser post. Green is weird, Michael is weird, and red is drama. Loved when Jillian said, "She's full of sh*t!" And totally thought the green chick (the younger one) was going to punch Jillian in the face when they were in the field.

And I tried the Biggest Loser game....whew! It wasn't super hard, I just did a 17 minute workout. But...was sore for TWO DAYS! My trainer is Jillian, and she's rough! ;)

In GREAT news....I've lost 5 lbs! Yay! Amy, I printed off the excel spreadsheet you made (not a big excel user), and I write on it daily. It's been great to track my weight and workouts. Thanks for that!

-Katie

Biggest Loser

So...I got the Biggest Loser Wii Fit "game" for Christmas.

I haven't opened yet. I'm scared.
Wish me luck...I'm going to go for it!

-Katie

Bodybugg update - AC

First off, I am in love with the morningstar sausage patties. They have 10 grams of protein per patty. I eat two each morning for breakfast with cottage cheese and fruit. I also really like the smoothies too.

Second, Green team = crazy, Red team = game playing/drama, Pink team = my new favorite, White team = what's up with Micheal?, Grey team = probably going to win.

Third, I started wearing my bodybugg yesterday and love it so far. I got this little watch thing with it (that also just clips to your shirt or whatever) which tells you in real time how many calories you're buring for the day, or for a specific workout, etc... The program you upload everything into is easy and the food tracking is also easy and it calculates everything based on your weight loss goals. I think it will really help me.

Sams Club = Yummy Smoothies + Mexican Cruise

Heck ya Sara, when I was just in Logan I went to Sams to buy those 16 calorie frozen things (which I don't like - I don't like the cream stuff with the little fruit flavor) but I did get the big huge bags of frozen fruit. They are awesome - not only the pineapple, mango, and strawberry one but I also got one that had all the berries with pomegranates. They are so good.....just add yogurt and the fruit and I add milk.

On my training I only really pigged out once in Logan and now I am back on eating 1200 calories. I also went to the gym twice since being home. So I am back on track.

Also, now ya all know we are 95% for sure going on a Mexico Cruise thanks to Dad. So not only do we need to loose weight and get in shape for the marathon but we need to get it together for the cruise........yiiiiippppeeee!! KC

On the Bandwagon!

So I thought Bevin and I should jump on the Smoothie making bandwagon! I bought a bag of frozen mixed fruit at Sam's Club so I thought I would whip up a smoothie. I was quite impressed. It was delicious, pretty close to Jamba Juice! But I guess I can't take credit for throwing fruit and juice in a blender. But you should buy the frozen fruit at Sam's while you are getting those popsicles:) It is nice cause my fruit usually goes bad or does not taste that great. And there is pineapple, mango, strawberry, and peaches. YUMMY! I just threw in a banana and some oj:) Loved it!

The scale told me to get off

RJ
I am back in the saddle after a bug and ankle problem has kept me down. I did 2 hours of lifting and walking today. I would run but I don;t want to crush my ankle which is what I will do if i put any more weight on it. I am wearing a brace everyday to help support it. I have decided to go on the smoothie diet so I can lose a quick 50 pounds and be able to run more. I did walk at a 3 incline so that is something.
If anyone knows how, put a countdown clock on this site for the marathon. I tried but the thing keeps resetting.

Update

I just wanted to let all of you know how my training was going. As you can see I am kicking butt! I think I have really found the balance between donuts and coke. I really get a lot of exercise lifting the remote control everyday. I hope everyone is doing as well as I am.

Bodybugg

Kami - it can't be all or nothing. Wasn't it the second week of your diet and isn't that always the hardest week anyway? Plus, who knows what other factors contributed to a gain (water weight, muscle growth, etc...). Just stick to calories in vs. calories out. It is the simplest formula for weight loss.

So I finally bit the bullet and ordered a bodybugg. They're expensive but I think it will really keep me in line with calories in vs. calories out. I should have it by Wednesday and will report back within a week and let everyone know if it's worth the money or not. Here's a link to more info about it:

http://www.24hourfitness.com/training/bodybugg/

-Amy

I AM GOING TO FREAKING KILL SOMEONE!!

So I just got back from my business trip in South Dakota and I was so excited to get on the scale and see how much weight I lost cause I have been really good all week and doing the South Beach diet (all I ate was salads, sugar free pudding, meat, and crap like that). I did not weigh myself the whole week so I thought I would get back and get on the scale and at least see like 5 lbs lost or something.............but nooooooooo I actually gained 3 lbs. Bull%$#@ I am going to freak out! I am leaving for Logan tomorrow and guess what I am going to do just because I am so depressed.....I am going to eat at my favorite El Sol and screw the South Beach diet forever!!!! Really I am going to eat like a hog for a day and then just count calories and exercise after I get back from Logan. But even when I am in Logan....me and Morgan are going to go jogging everyday. And Sara thanks for posting those bars.....16 calories??? I am so getting some! KC

I have nothing to contrubute to the blog for the time being:) Nothing inspiring or healthy. No updates on my trianing. Well except that I am not training. I could post some big fat prego pics that might inspire everyone to workout more! Sorry! I wish I could start. It is hard that Bevin wants to workout and eat healthy and I can barely walk and have such sweet cravings. But only 6 more weeks and baby will be here and hopefully I can begin. Wow, really depressing post! That will also make you feel better about yourself, so, you are welcome:)

Okay so I thought I better add something worthwhile. I bought these at Sam's Club. They are so yummy first of all. And they only have 16 calories, are sugar free, fat free, and gluten free. I always need a treat and these taste a lot like ice cream. So another bonus!!! Try them:)

*Sara

Excuse me Amy but I started this blog, started the music list, and I am in the best shape of my life. So there. Actually I have a sick bug and have had to sleep all day for the last 2 days. Nothing Katie's smoothies can't fix.

Updates and Pictures

Where is everyone? I feel like Katie, Kami, and I are having a 3-woman blogger party. :-) I would love to hear from everyone else how their training etc... is going (Edna? Nancy? Monica? Shawn? Mom? Dad? RJ? Sara? Bevin? Greg Jr? Morgan? Sallie? Brandon?)

Also, everyone needs to take a "before" picure this month. You don't need to post them or anything, just have them for after the race so you can see how far you've come when it's done. Take a front and side view.

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. ~Author unknown

- Amy

Sorry I thought Amy's post was Kami's....I'm a little dense. Let's blame it on the blonde hair.

Remember how I'm watching Biggest Loser...and the chick that had the anxiety attack about the fear of water....I was thinking that she was pretty dramatic, then realized I'd prob do the same thing! Hate water!

UPDATE: Now Jillian is with her in the pool. Pretty sure not even one-on-one swimming lessons with scary Jillian could teach me to swim. I have her Wii Fit game and am too scared to even open it and get that close to her...

AC = Amy :-)

What brand of running shoe did you buy Katie? My last three pairs have been ASICS and I love them.

So did anyone check out the biggest loser last night? I have already picked my favorite - Micheal of the white team. Love him. I decided that my new weekly routine would be to watch it at the gym (they have TVs on each treadmill). I went there last night to watch it, did the elliptical for 1/2 hour, jogged on the treadmill for 1 hour, then walked on an incline for the last 1/2 hour. I highly recommend it. It is great motivation to watch the biggest loser while working out and the time flies by.

Here's this week's motivational quote:

Take twice as long to eat half as much. ~Anonymous

It's me...Katie....the smoothie/sausage eater. Sorry forgot to sign my name! And once again, stop following me Kami...JUST bought those sandwich thin things YESTERDAY..for the third time. LOVE them. SO good for you...90 calories, lots of fiber.

In other news....I just bought new running shoes. For the first time since I lived in Texas...




5 YEARS AGO! (Yikes)

AC Post

I'm assuming it was Katie who wrote that post because I don't think anyone else in the family has ever attempted to be vegetarian. :-)

I just found another good healthy protein breakfast. Buy the "Oroweat round 100% whole wheat sandwich thins" (100 calories), boil a bunch of eggs, cook a whole package of turkey bacon. When I come into work each day I heat up a couple strips of the turkey bacon, cut up an egg, and put it on the sandwich thin bread. It's almost as good as a McMuffin. I'll have to try that morning star sausage on it too.

I am now back on track after traveling so much. I went to Oakland for work last week and also for our late Christmas Party. We ate at Hubert Keller's fancy french restaurant in San Francisco. For those of you who have watched Top Chef Masters, you'll know who that is. Yummy!

This poster cracks me up!

????

Who just posted that last post????? There was no name so I don't know who I have hypnotized to drink my smoothie mixture and my yummy veggie saugages. I know they taste just like sausage and the bonus is no choings. I am in Rapid City now and I am trying my hardest to stay on my diet....I have lost 10 lbs in 1 week and 1 day and went the hotel gym yesterday and today. I am on track and not taking no flack cause I am Jack the 1/2 marathon runner! I wrote this whole post on some major sleeping drugs......so I can't wait to read it tomorrow. KC

Smoothies and Sausage...yum!

Kami, get out of my head! I am drinking a smoothie JUST like that right this very moment. Love it. Except I'm with Morg...it's FANTASTIC with Simply Orange juice instead of milk. Congrats on the 7 lbs...jealous.

And I LOVE those sausage patties. Funny story about those...when I was a vegetarian, I was eating those at a brunch. My mom panicked and said, "You know those are meat right?!?!" She had been eating them and didn't even know they were vegetarian...that's how good they are!

...

It's Korean not Japanese by the way Greg. Haha.
But ya.. who messed up the background?
Oh well.
I'll fix it.
And for that recipe Mom you should try adding like orange juice or something insted of milk... but ya.
(:

Morgann.

Yummy

In my search for South Beach items to eat I just ate the best lunch. I made a smoothie with Dannon Low Carb (only 3 carbs) vanilla cream yogurt and a handful of frozen berry mixture (no sugar added strawberry/blackberry/blueberry/raspberry mix) with a packet of splenda and a little bit of skim milk. I put all those ingredients into a blender and blended it all up. It was so good and you don't have to put ice in it because the frozen berries act as the ice. Also, I found the best veggie sausage patties - they are soooo good and they are vegetarian with only 2 counted carbs. They are Morning Star Farms original sausage patties. The best thing about them is they really taste like sausage but with no meaty choings. Since Monday from doing the South Beach diet I have lost 7 lbs. KC
Oh ya......what is up with the blog background.....someone needs to fix it?

Greg's list (Jr)

Enough of the Japanese stuff Morg. Here is some good stuff.
Linkin park has a lot of good stuff. Blink 182, Ok-Go, foo fighter, and paramore have some good stuff as well.
Spiderbait - Black Betty.
Jimmy eat world - pain.
Metallica - Fuel.
"she's a Maniac" from flashdance.
Ben Kweller - this is war.
Cake - he's going the distance.
smashing pumpkins - tarantula.
The muse - uprising, starlight, time is running out.
phantom planet - dropped.
franz Ferdinand - take me out.
yellowcard - lights and sounds.
Last but not least, AC/DC - thunderstruck and TNT.

Morgan's running songs

1. 소년이여 ( A Boy)
2. Heartbreaker
3. Breathe
4. Butterfly (feat. Jin Jung)
5. Hello (feat. Sandara)
6. Gossip man (feat. Kim Gun Mo)
7. Korean Dream (feat. TaeYang)
8. What’s up (feat. Teddy , CL)
9. She’s Gone (feat. KUSH)
10. Hollow
11. 1년 정거장

^^All sung by G-dragon

Yes, Shots,- LMFAO

Songs from Big Bang, Nevershoutnever, Say Anything, Super Junior, 2PM, Beast, and a lot more.


Love morgypoo. (:

KC Update

I have not done so well with the working out because of my damn broken toe, but I started the South Beach diet on Monday and this morning I have lost 5 lbs. I have to go on a buisness trip all next week to South Dakota so I am going to try my hardest to stay on the diet and work out in the hotel. I think South Beach is the easiest diet to follow when you have to eat out cause you can always get a salad or any kind of meat or fish at a restaurant.....and the good news is I am not paying for it so I can order those nice cuts of meat and fish. KAMI

Oh ya...Amy thanks for the Tara video......she is for sure my hero of all time on the Biggest Loser. GOOD ONE!

Amy's Music

First off - good job Katie!! That's awesome. I didn't do so well on the food front while I was in Arizona but I worked out pretty much every day so hopefully it evened out. I have signed up for my gym's fitness challenge that goes until March 8th. The biggest loser wins a 32" flat screen tv. I need to really get on it!

My music:
So my running songs change monthly. It all depends on the newest top 40 singles of the month (I hear you Katie!). However, the songs that have consistently stayed on my ipod are:
- I've got soul but I'm not a soldier (aka All These Things that I've Done) by the Killers. This is a must have song for when you need a running pick-me-up!
- Don't Feel like Dancing by Scissor Sisters
- Paralyzer by Finger Eleven
- Up in Here by DMX
- Buttons by Pussycat Dolls
- Rise Above This by Seether
- That's Not My Name by Ting Tings
- Thriller by MJ
- Tik Tok by Kesha (This is the song I crossed the finish line on my last 1/2 marathon. Believe me, you'll remember your finish-line song forever.)
- Wild at Heart by Gloriana
- Girlfriend by Avril Lavine
- We've Got it Going On by Backstreet Boys
- Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
- Crazy in Love by Beyonce
- Face Drop AND Fire Burning by Sean Kingston (Must haves!)
- Low (aka Apple Bottom Jeans) by Flo Rider
- Funk Soul Brother by Fatboy Slim
- Gives you Hell by All-American Rejects
- Love Today by Mika (Thanks Morgan!)
- Mercy Remix by Duffy
- Music Again by Adam Lambert

Just to name a few.........

The list of participants keep growing! For those of you who have recently joined in (i.e. Nancy and Shawn etc...) send me pics so I can post them. :-)

This weeks motivation comes from my Biggest Loser Hero:

Um...really?!

Remember how I walked/jogged for 30 minutes yesterday?
And remember how I have shin splint pain today?

Yikes.

-Katie

Hello???

If you post a comment you need to write your name at the end cause I have no idea who is dead now from their morning workout??? I am going to gym tonight and walking/jogging on the treadmill while I watch the Biggest Loser!
Kami (see now you know who posted this)

first workout

I finally got my butt out of bed and did 3 miles on the tread mill and 30 minutes on the bowflex. If you don't hear from me soon it is because i have died.

Kami's Songs

Here are some of my foot pounding songs.......and yes I know most of them are 80s and 90s but I am a true blue 80s girl!

Eye of the Tiger - Survior
Thunderstruck - AC/DC
I Don't Wanna Loose your Love - Outfield
Fuel - Metallica
Sexy Back - Justin Timberlake
They don't really care about us - Michael Jackson (there are a lot of good MJ songs)
Jump - Pointer Sisters
Pananma - Van Halen
Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A-lot
Walk This Way - Aerosmith
Right Round - Flo Rida
Stronger - Britney Spears
Good Vibrations - Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
I'm free (Heaven Helps the Man) - Kenny Loggins (Footloose Sountrack)
Yeah - Usher
Your the Best Around - Karate Kid Soundtrack
Feedback - Janet Jackson (there are a lot of good JJ songs)
Fighter - Christina Agulera
Fergalicious - Fergie
The Way I Are - Timberland
The Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson
More Human than Human - White Zombie
Are you gonna go my way - Lenny Kravitz
Stronger - Kanye West
Low - Flo Rida

songs to run to

Let's make a list of our favorite songs to run to. Maybe we have some suggestions that we can all use. Make sure you log in and add to the post so we all have it on the same page. And don't list 100 songs. Just a few.

RJ's songs (yes, some are weird but they all have good beats to pace yourself)
Blade Rave song - blade soundtrack
List of demands - Saul Williams
Mona Lisa Overdrive - Matrix soundtrack.
Ladies and gentlemen - saliva
country boy remix -
Love generation - Bob Sinclair
it takes two - dj rob (I almost didn't put this because of that stupid proposal movie!)
stay young - oasis
benny benassi - satisfaction (club remix)
nice guys finish last - green day (put at the end of your mix)
thunder kiss 65 - white zombie
we run this - missy elliot
move your feet - junior senior
save me - Remy Zero
last - go watch the movie Rudy and then get the theme song for it.

Katie's Songs
...Mine are tottally ghetto booty songs...and I love them. They are fast to get me moving, which needs to happen, so I need all the help I can get. A few of these tunes and a red bull and I'm set! Well...and my inhaler too...
Ghetto tunes:
Justin Timberlake tunes
Nelly Furtado....Glow....because we all better glow after this
Rolling Stones...Start Me Up
I'll admit...I even listen to Shake Ya Tailfeather...because well, it's ghetto and it gets my tailfeather shaken alright!
Fergie....London Bridge...again, ghetto....
Get on Top Red Hot Chili Peppers....motivating to get you going!
ACDC You Shook Me All Night Long because this race better not take me all night long...
Rhianna Pon de Replay
Garth Brooks Not Going Down Til the Sun Comes Up....because better be done LONG before the sun comes up!

Sorry...I like me some Top 40 sometimes....gets me moving, which is necessary! I'm interested in what those of you that have ran a half marathon before listened to. I think each person is definitely different. My friend said she liked music from musicals...like loved Mamma Mia and Hairspray music. I don't think that'd get me going. For me it has to be something FAST and something I know so I can sing along (in my head of course, don't worry!).