Vicki - final journal post

Well, ladies,
I guess we have made it to the end of this challenge! I have not done so well at keeping up with the blog, even though I have kept up with the excercising and drinking water. And I am happy to report that the hard work has paid off! In the last few weeks I lost 3 pounds! Hooray! I was especially happy since we had already been indulging occasionally in Christmas treats. I think I was more aware though of what I had to do to keep the weight off if I was still going to enjoy some treats. :)

Well, I am going to keep this short as I need to go downstairs and finish up some Christmas meal preparations before going to bed tonight! I am thankful for all who particpated and were an encouragement to me.

Final results: I didn't see any change in measurements - I think that is because I am so close to my "ideal" weight, so I would have to lose quite a lot to see the changes. However, I lost 3 pounds, and I can tell a little difference in some of my clothes when I get dressed in the morning. That is encouraging!

Keep up the good work until we have another challenge.

Vicki

Vicki - last week journal

Hello, ladies!

I agree with Sarah - boy has it been hard to keep up with our challenge the last few weeks! I notice that it must be the same for everyone else, because hardly anyone has been posting. :) We have been super busy with ministry responsibilities the last few weeks. Probably most of the rest of you are in the same situation. Christmas is always busy, but add to it various ministry responsibilities and there seems to be no time to even sleep and breathe!

I am happy to say though, that despite all the extra goings on in the last few weeks, in the time between Thanksgiving and now, I have not only not gained any weight, I have actually lost another pound. That only makes 2 for this challenge so far, but I am just happy to be able to enjoy a little of the holiday fun and still keep my focus. I think mostly I am learning how the balancing act works for me personally. That is so much the key - knowing how to give and take a little, so that I keep healthy habits but am still able to enjoy a few seasonl treats.

I am hoping to still maybe be down another pound before Wednesday- but we will see. I have also kept up with excercising 6 days a week, except this past Saturday, because somehow I pulled a major muscle in my upper thigh and it was too painful to do anything. Thankfully it was better today and I was able to do 40 minutes of excercise.

Push to the end ladies!

Tip for keeping the weight off

Hello ladies,
I read this article today and found it to be very interesting. A lot of the information I already knew, but there are some good reminders. They are definitely important to keep in mind if we are on a fitness journey and not just dieting. I was especially reminded by the one about watching out for low-fat options. Things labeled low-fat are often full of extra calories from sugar. We need some fat because of how it works to help our body absorb other necessary vitamins! So, enjoy the article.

http://fitbie.msn.com/lose-weight/tips/7-laws-leanness/tip/0

Week 5 Update

Hi, ladies,
I don't think I have posted at all since the introductory post! Life has just been so busy - I have been doing good just to keep up with the drinking and excercising. :)

I have been pleased, however. In the last weeks we have had company several times, took a short vacation for 3 days, and also had a mini-retreat with others from our mission board. During our vacation we had supper one night at Pizza Hut and they had the all-you-can-eat buffet: a big treat for us since we only have McDonalds and Burger King where we are. In spite of all these opportunities to gain weight with some eating out, eating at others houses, and desserts and snacks on all sides I have managed not to gain any weight. So, although I have not lost yet, I consider it a big accomplishment considering our circumstances the last few weeks. I think two things have helped me though: 1) keeping up with excercising on every day that it was in any way possible, 2) learning how to splurge a little, within reason, and cutting back in other ways so that the overall intake isn't too much for my body. Like Dani always says - this is a fitness journey, and the key is keep up good habits so that we are not constantly in this big yo-yo of gaining alot and then trying to lose it over and over.

Hope you all are also continuing to do well. The weather is not so nice any more here- so excercising is mostly inside now. It is harder to stay motivated that way, but knowing you are out there trying to get more points is a good motivator. Keep up the good work!

Vicki's Intro Post

Hi! My name is Vicki King. I am a missionary wife, serving with my family in Gotha, Germany. I have 3 three children ages 6, 5, and 2. We are working in former East Germany, and just moved to our current location a little over a year ago. We are church planting, and the Lord has already given us 3 other German couples who are consistently meeting with us on Sundays and Wednesdays.

I have participated in several other of Danielle's fitness challenges. I find them really helpful because it is just the extra motivation I need to really push myself to a higher level of health and fitness. I am participating this time, not so much to loose weight as to keep healthy. My measurements are the same as when we ended the last challenge. I am just wanting to loose about 5 pounds - something to keep me motivated and give me a goal to work for. Winter is a hard time to keep active here because the weather gets so cold, and we often have snow on the ground from December through February. So, I am hoping to get into some good patterns that will last through the normal winter slump! Looking forward to cheering each other on and helping one another to achieve our goals.

Measurements:

Height - 5' 10"
Weight - 165 lbs.
Bust - 37 1/2 "
Waist - 31"
Hips - 41"
R. thigh - 24"
L. thigh - 25"
R. arm - 12"
L. arm - 12 1/2"

Starting post for the Summer

My starting measurements are the same as the end of the last challenge:

weight - 163.5 lbs
bust - 37.5 in
waist - 31 in
hips - 41 in
r thigh - 24in
l thigh - 25 in
r arm - 12in
l arm - 12.5in

I am definately looking forward to keeping going with the competition. It helps me so much to have this motivation! I am so glad we are now into the nice summer weather where I can get outside more with my kids and family, and usually get more "exercise" in than just the hour a day of officially working out. Looking forward to keeping up with you all this summer!

Well, ladies, we have finally come to the end of another fitness challenge. I always enjoy being a part of these because it is just the extra motivation I need to really push and see results in my fitness journey. I didn't lose as much weight as I had hoped this challenge - only 3 lbs. - but am glad for all the hours of excercise I did and hopefully some muscle built that resulted in less weight loss on the scale but more good long run. I did also lose a few inches here and there, which of course is always positive! I am not very good at posting - I find it hard enough to keep up with three preschoolers and get my excercise in and good cooking done. :) But I have enjoyed reading most of the other posts and seeing how others have done over the last few weeks. I don't have any pictures of me excercising, but here is a picture that was taken last month of our family looking over the city where we now live. May you all have a wonderful summer and keep up the good habits we have been establishing the last few weeks!

Nix the fix journal

Well, I didn't think that the nix the fix week would be too hard - we typically don't eat dessert or white bread and pasta. But it is when you having to keep track of every little bit that you begin to realize how quickly those things (especially white sugar) begin to sneak into your eating. Only one day did I actually get all 10 bonus points, all the rest of the days I had one meal that was a no-no. That was pretty good actually considering we had company half the week, and so some of my bigger size meals used white noodles in them. However, I have been changing more and more of my recipes over to whole wheat noodels and grain bread. I made a blueberry breakfast casserole on Tuesday morning, and substituted the whole wheat bread. It was delicious - I would not go back to using white bread. I saw only 1/2 lb weight loss, but actually was very happy with that as I have been having a hard time losing any at all. Hopefully last week helped us all to look more closely at what we put into our mouths and make some better choices!

10 Nutrional Myths

My husband and I were watching Germany's the Biggest Loser on Tuesday night, and immediately afterwards was a short program, where one of the trainers talked about the top 10 nutritional myths. I got them almost all right and thought it was something good to pass along and for all of us to think about. I will just list them here, and comment on a few that I think are especially important. My comments are in parenthesis.

1) Not eating breakfast will help you become thinner. False - your body needs the energy to get started in the morning.

2) Artificial sweeteners help you lost weight (ie. instead of sugar). False. (I found this explanation in English, basically the same as what they said in German) Normal use of artificial sweeteners is a false sense of security. There is scant evidence that these sugar substitutes actually help people lose weight. In fact, there is evidence that they may contribute to weight gain. These substances still stimulate the sweet receptors of the tongue and may even cause an insulin response since the tongue is the first step in the digestive process. So by activating sweet receptors and telling the brain “sugar is available,” even if it’s not, we increase our appetites. One study showed that artificial sweeteners disrupt the body’s built-in calorie measuring ability. (in German they said you tend to eat more calories in the end because the artificial stuff gives you a sweet craving without any full feeling. Personally I go for normal sugar instead of sweeteners because they are chemically made. But still say no sugar is better than "normal" sugar. :) Or use Stevia!)

3) Butter is better than margarine. True. Butter is a natural product, whereas margarine requires much "handling" and processes to get the end result as well as many additives to get flavor, spreadability, etc. And actually there is only about 1-2 grams of fat difference.

4) The person who excercies will lose weight. False. Just because you excercise doesn't mean you can eat anything. Bottom line - you must burn more calories than you take in.

5) Pork is more fatty than turkey. False. Not necessarily true if you choose lean cuts of pork.

6) "Light" products will help you lose weight. False. Light products are often not "natural" and have lots of other things added in to keep the taste. Example - low fat cream cheese has much less fat but more sugar to give a better taste and so almost equal calories. (Personally, I always buy the "real" stuff, and remember to eat a small portion because it is high in fat, or whatever. I can stand all the light stuff with a dozen add-ins!)

7) 5 meals a day help you stay thinner. True. It is better to keep yourself feeling full all the time by dividing up your calories.

8) Eating half a portion causes you to lose weight. False. You can't eat whatever, just as long as you eat only half or if you justify eating something else (they said a piece of cake for example). Watching portion size AND what you are eating is important.

9)Bread makes you fat. False. Interesting fact - they said the average German eats 68kg of bread each year! Whole wheat and bread with grain still in it contains important carbs and the fiber our bodies need. White bread will make you fat. :)

10) Eating late will make you fat. False. I found it interesting that the example they gave was Spain - because they eat such a late supper! Once again, it is more WHAT you eat, then WHEN you eat.

Journal update

Hi, ladies! I hope you have been having a good week. Even though I didn't lose any weight last week, I was able to get the extra points each day for an hour of excercise and the 64oz of water. I know I don't normally drink enough (hard because I live on 3 levels!), but keeping track of it this way made me realize how much I need to work on drinking enough. So, I am trying to keep that habit up this week as well. We have finally had a few days of nicer weather here in Germany. On Tuesday it was sunny, though still in the 40's, and instead of concentrating on my own fitness, I decided to include my kids. I knew an hour of walking would be a lot for the boys, but wanted them to get outside!! So, we walked (I pushed Hannah in the stroller) all around the palace that is near us and the gardens surrounding it. It is not flat much around here, so that was extra good for our muscles. Also, in one of the gardens I let Hannah get out and walk a little and played chase with the boys. That way I even got about 20 minutes of running in - they are pretty fast already! So, those of you with kids - try to make it a family affair once in a while. Even though we live in the city, with no yard of our own, I want my kids to grow up having an interest in good excercise and healthy bodies. Have a good weekend everyone!

Week 3 update

Not too much has changed here - weight has stayed the same and I am waiting to measure again until we are at the halfway point. I've been trying to be careful with eating, but it has been hard with company for 3 days last week, out to eat with friends last night, and then company again on Sunday! But like others have said, I am trying to remember that ministry and people are much more important than my excercise and weight loss goals. And I have been enjoying the good fellowship and uplifting conversations that go along with the company. So, I keep plugging away. Have continued to push through an hour of excercise every day, and so far have kept up with the 64oz of water! I am also trying to remember that the discipline of daily excercise and good eating habits is more important than actually seeing the scale change. :) Keep at it ladies!

Baking/Cooking tip

I have seen on a few other posts comments about baking with whole wheat flour. I just thought I would let you all know what I do. I have changed almost all my bread, muffin, etc. recipes to use 1/2 whole wheat flour, 1/2 white flour. I, at least, have never had a problem with consistency this way. I continue with the rest of the recipe as it was orginally. Also, in the last months I have started reducing the amount of sugar when I bake. I have found you can usually cut out up to 1/3 of the amount without noticing a change. I don't bake a lot, but when I do, I have enjoyed making these changes to make my recipes more healthy. Also, 1 tip I found online sometime back - when baking with whole wheat flour, add it in last, and stir as little as possible. This keeps the batter from getting too heavy. Also, of course, many of you probably already know but substitute some or all of your oil with sugar free applesauce. And then - continue to enjoy baking!

S2SII - Journal/Update

Hello, everyone! I don't usually take time to write a lot of blog posts - what with 3 small children, ministry demands, etc., I have chosen not to spend much time that way. I have enjoyed reading everyone else's posts though. The middle of last week I was very discouraged - I had gained 2 pounds in the first week instead of losing any! Already we eat almost no sugar (1 lump in my tea in the mornings), and I had cut down portion sizes, and was using whole wheat flour and pastas. So, I decided the only other thing to do was change my excercise routine. I logged on to www.excercisetv.com and started doing leslie sansone's walking videos, but instead of walking between the "extra" moves, I kept up a slow jog. Then I also tried another cardio video that included tons of squatting. I was so sore the next day I could hardly walk or sit! Though it was harder than what I had been doing, it also felt good to have to really push myself to complete each movement. End result - when I measured today, I had lost those 2 extra pounds, plus one more! Hooray. So, if you aren't seeing the results you want, check to see what you can change - whether in food choices or excercise routine.

Back for S2SII

Hi, my name is Vicki King. I have been a part of two other fitness challenges that Dani has done, and have joined this one again because I love the "competition" and accountability it provides.

My husband and I are missionaries in Gotha, Germany (former East Germany). We have been here now for over 6 years. We have three children ages 5, 4, and 20 months. Last year my husband decided on a major health overhaul - he lost about 70lbs. So, it has been wonderful now to be working together on eating more healthy and excercising regularly. Unfortunately I don't have a very up-to-date picture, so this will have to do for now (this was taken last summer).

My goals for this challenge are to lose about 10 lbs and keep up with the daily excercise of about 1 hour. I also want to add in some more weight training and try build more muscle and not just be "burning calories".

My starting measurements are:
height - 5'10"
bust - 38"
chest - 33"
waist - 32"
hips - 41.5"
r thigh - 24"
l thigh - 25"
r arm - 12.5"
l arm - 12.5"

I look forward to cheering one another on as we spring into shape for the next 10 weeks!

Final Christmas Crunch Post

Whew! Here we are just before Christmas and finished with our challenge. The last 3 weeks I haven't been able to do as much as I had hoped. I had to have vein surgery on both legs that has left me out of commission as far as my normal exercising goes - I was supposed to keep my feet propped up a lot or be moving around. I experienced very little pain after the first leg and was able to do slow step aerobics after just a few days, but I experienced a lot of pain with the second leg and couldn't do much at all for almost two weeks. Nonetheless, I have really enjoyed being a part of the challenge, and am thankful for the motivation that it was. I didn't meet my weight loss goal but did make some progress. I lost 5 lbs. and am able to fit back into my size 10 clothes though it doesn't seem that my measurements changed at all (not sure why). And, after our late summer move, I got back into the rhythm of exercising an hour 5 or 6 days a week! More than anything, I am so thankful for my husband's progress this year. He has lost over 50 lbs. and it is so wonderful to motivate and encourage one another in our eating and exercising! Thank you once again, Danielle! Merry Christmas!

Final Results:
1. 5 lbs. lost
2. apparently 0 inches lost :(
3. 47 hours of excercise

Week 5 check-in

Well, when I did the spring crunch with Dani - it was so easy! I lost weight and met my goals without a lot of struggle. This time around is totally different though! My weight keeps going up and down a little and is really not changing at all (for better or worse!). I think the big difference last time was that I was still nursing my baby - and that using up extra calories easily. So, with baby weaned this time around it is taking a lot more effort. But 1)I will continue to excercise 1 hour every day, and 2) I am going to work harder at cutting back extra fat and carbs and see if I can't begin to see the weight start going down a little. Keep up the good work ladies!

Introduction to Christmas Crunch 2010

Hi, my name is Vicki King. My husband and I are missionaries in Germany. I joined Dani's spring challenge earlier this year and surpassed my personal goal by losing 11 pounds! My husband and I had both decided to work harder at losing weight in January of this year. I was so pround of him - he lost over 50 lbs. (unfortunately it set off some gall bladder problems and ended up in him having surgery). But he is feeling so much better. We moved to a new city at the end of August, and so this is perfect timing for me to get back into an excercise routine.

My personal goal for this challenge is to lose 10 more pounds. That would get me down within a few pounds of my ideal weight. I am also right between a size 12 and size 10 and so would like to comfortably wear those size 10 skirts again! Our new house is 3 stories (a row house) plus a basement, so I am getting in lots of stairs now. I plan on doing aerobic excercise at least 5 times a week and weights 2 or 3 times a week. Plus I want to cut out the sugary snacks I was enjoying during the summer months. I will most likely have to have vein surgery on both legs before the end of the year, but hopefully I can meet my goal anyway.

Happy Crunching!

Final Springy Journal - Vicki

Hooray! We made it! I am so happy with my results and glad for the motivation and accountability this blog provided for me. I noticed last week when I was exercising that my t-shirt no longer bunched up over my hips, but now hangs straight down. :) I didn't get to exercise as regularly as I wanted - what with small kids, ministry responsibilities, and having colds two different weeks. But overall I am glad with my progress, and motivated to keep at my final goal. I even managed to lose one more pound than I had set for my goal! Also, when I measured tonight my arms were smaller. They are getting more toned since I have been using 2kg weights while doing step aerobics.

End results:
weight lost: 11lbs.
centimeters lost: 7 centimeters
hours of excercise: 45+

Springy Journal

Well, unfortunately I have not gotten as much exercising in the last few weeks as I had hoped. Spring colds have been going around here and somehow in our family I managed to start the cycle, and now 3 weeks later am finishing it up as well. So, in the last 3 weeks, I have had 5 days with no exercise - usually when the kids napped, I was napping as well! I have managed to keep the weight going down though - so not too bad I guess. Even though the scale has been changing, the measurements have not in the last 2 weeks. But I can definitely tell a difference in my clothes! Yeah! Hannah turned 9 months last week, and the scales showed I was back down to my pre-baby weight. That was a good feeling. Now to just keep on pressing towards my goal.

Update for Week 3

Ok, I don't usually do these extra posts and such - mainly because of time. With a 4 year old, 3 year old, and a 7 month baby, my day is pretty much full. :) However, if any of you need a little motivation: I managed an hour of exercising today (weights and cardio) even though the 3 and 4 old got up 3 times from their naps and the baby only slept 40 minutes! (she is learning to pull herself up and it has her sleep schedule all off). So you can do it too!!

Anyway, here is my update from when we started.

Total weight loss: -3 lbs.
Bust: same
Waist: -2"
Hips: -1/2"
R & L thigh and calves: same

So, I am especially happy about the waist decrease and can feel a difference! Goodbye, baby weight.