Results...Monday

Well, I hope you all had the Merriest of Christmas's!  We sure did at our house, we are certainly blessed!! Sorry for the delay in the results posting.  This Santa was busy! :-)

We only have one more week to weigh-in and I hope every can finish this week out strong!  I'm not saying anyone is out of the race, so to speak, but there is a pretty close competition between Raenetta, my Mom, and I!  And, all I have to say for myself is, I just completely pigged out at Olive Garden...3 bread sticks...yikes!!!  My tummy is-a hurting!!!  I think I may need to fast the rest of the week! :-)

Here are this weeks results!  The winner for this next to last week is Raenetta!!  She had an impressive weight loss this week!!!!

1.  Raenetta gained 2.71% to her total, taking her over a 10% loss!! SUPER DUPER!!
2.  Lesa 1.66%-also had another great loss!!  Really amping it up here in the end!!
3.  Jessie .93%
4.  Betty .84%
5.  Heather .43%
6.  Jenny .23%
7.  Dana 0%
8.  Holly 0%
9.  Leah -1.24%

And overall:

1.  Raenetta 10.14%
2.  Jenny 8.39%
3.  Lesa 8.33%
4.  Dana 4.71%
5.  Heather 2.99%
6.  Betty 2.05%
7.  Leah 1.74%
8.  Holly 1.67%
9.  Jessie -0.43%

Ok, so you may have noticed that we only have 9 players now.  Not really sure what happened to Amanda, but she sent me an email saying she was dropping out.   I hope everything is ok with her and her family.  Unfortunately, for the winner of this competition, I never received any type of payment from her initially, and she only owed $1 otherwise.  So, the total contribution for the winner will be less $15.  Sorry.  I'm not a very good rule enforcer.  But, seriously, I'm sure we all agree that we hope everything is ok.

I'm listing here below the amount everyone owes.  This is current, of course, minus what goes down next week.

1.  Me- still haven't added my own $14 to the pot, but am up $1.50 due to the mini-challenge, so $12.50 is what I owe, technically.
2.  Heather owes nothing!!
3.  Raenetta owes $4.
4.  Lesa owes $5.50
5.  Jessie owes $8.25
6.  Dana owes $8.50
7.  Leah owes $12.75
8.  Holly owes $13
9.  Betty owes $15

So for those of you at home keeping tabs, the winner will receive $191.50!!  Not too shabby!!
Good luck on this last week, skinny minnies!!!  Finish strong!!
If you all get me your weights on time, I will try to actually get the results posted on time!  It's my end of the year resolution! :-)

Mini Challenge Results

Well this was quite the mixed bag of results!!  Out of the 9 players, 3 conquered the challenge, with Jessie, oh so very, very close!!  Here are the overall results with refund info or debt info.

Heather earned $6 back!!  Way to go!!
Jenny earned $5.50, weighing in at 196.5!!  (2 more pounds until the 20 pounds lost marker!!)
Lesa earned $4.50 back!!  Good work!!
Jessie owes 25 cents!  Missed by .3 pounds!  Good work though girl!! Keep it up!
Dana owes $2
Amanda owes $2.75
Holly owes $3
Leah owes $4.75
Betty owes $5

If you add all of that up we add $1.75 to the pot total.  So we ended up pretty much equalling out!!

We only have 2 weigh ins left ladies!  Don't give up now!  Finish strong!!  I have a busy weekend, as do all of you I'm sure!!  Please don't forget to send in your weigh ins on Saturday sometime!  I will try to get the results posted Saturday night before Santa visits our house!!  If I by some chance don't, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!  Take a moment to count your blessings and remember that sweet baby Jesus who has given us everything to be thankful for!

Results

We are nearing the end!!  I'm kind of relieved, to tell the truth.  Not that I've been dieting to the extreme, or exercising either for that matter.  But, it just seems like this has been going on forever!!  You don't think 14 weeks sounds like a long time in the beginning, but it is!  I'm just so super glad you all have joined me on this journey, though!!  It has been fun and motivational, that's for sure!!  This week was really good to me.  Oh, except the being deathly ill part.  But, I mean, if you're going to be that sick, there should be a reward in the end.  Last week, I forgot to tell you that I weighed in at 200!!!  That means this week, with any loss, would be monumental...breaking that 200 barrier...and I did!!!  I weighed in at 197.0 yesterday morning!!  Yahoo!!!

Here are this weeks results!  The winner for the week was Lesa, my Mom!!  She really had a great loss this week, let me tell you!!!

1.  Lesa gained 3.00% weight loss this week!!  AMAZING!!
2.  Jenny 1.49%
3.  Dana 1.12%
4.  Amanda .84%
5.  Holly .56%
6.  Heather .42%
7.  Leah .37%
8.  Jessie .16%
9.  Raenetta -.14%
10. Betty -1.4

And the overall!

1.  Jenny 8.16%
2.  Raenetta 7.43%
3.  Lesa 6.63%
4.  Amanda 6.29%
5.  Dana 4.71%
6.  Leah 2.98%
7.  Heather 2.56%
8.  Holly 1.67%
9.  Betty 1.21%
10. Jessie -1.36%


Keep up the good work, Minnies!  And, I know you all are getting busy with your Christmas celebrations, but try to remember to weigh in on Saturdays!  And, of course on Wednesday this week for the end of the mini challenge, "All I Want for Christmas is a Skinny Backside!"  Have a great week!!!

Sunday results

See how I changed it up there?  Sunday.  It has a nice ring to it, don't you think??  Well, this is going to be short and sweet. I have a fever now and just got over the oh so fun GI bug going around down here.  Yeah.  I guess that's what I get for not getting the flu shot.  I am such a rebel.  A rebel with a fever.  I think I made my point.

The winner for this week is ME!  See aforementioned sickness, please!  And, Betty was only in 2nd by only .01%.

1.  Jenny 1.63% increase from last week!
2.  Betty 1.62%
3.  Leah 1.49%
4.  Raenetta .90%
5.  Heather .86%
6.  Lesa .67%
7.  Amanda .42%
8.  Dana .11%
9.  Holly 0%
10. Jessie -.54%

And, here's the overall results!

1.  Raenetta still has a strong lead!  7.47%
2.  Jenny 6.76%
3.  Amanda 5.45%
4.  Lesa 3.67%
5.  Dana 3.59%
6.  Betty 2.61%
7.  Betty 2.61%
8.  Heather 2.14%
9.  Holly 1.11%
10.  Jessie -1.52%

Keep up the good work, women!  And, just on a side note, I got weigh ins from everyone on Wednesday except for Raenetta.  Now that I'm typing this I know I've sometimes not received your weigh-ins girl, so if you did send it to me, please re-send it!  Just some honorable mentions so far!  Heather has lost 4 of her 5 pounds!!  And, Jessie has lost 3 of 5!  Good work, girls!!

Have a great week!!!

Beautiful Leah!

I'm so sorry about not getting these pictures up any sooner!  Monday and Tuesday combined I worked something like 28 hours.  So, not too much extra time on my hands.  But, today!  I don't have to leave until 11am.  So, I weighed in for our Christmas challenge and I'm about to do some exercising, yeah.   So, I thought I'd finally load these pictures from Leah!  Here she is along with her hubby, Peter and doggy, Pria!

Speaking of our challenge.  I've only heard from Dana as of yet.  8:30 central time.  I've heard from Leah and Amanda that they were also playing.  But, I haven't heard from anyone else.  I'm going to send out reminders to you all today.  But, if I don't get your weigh-in today, I'm going to assume you're not playing.  (Which is fine!)  Happy Wednesday!

Meet Me Monday - Leah

Good Morning ladies!  Today we get to meet Leah.  Well, I guess most of you already know her.  But, a few of you don't.  Leah is my oldest friend.  Wait, that didn't sound right.  I mean, we've been friends for the longest time.  We met in 2nd grade, Mrs. Love's class.  And, we lived in the same neighborhood, where we a year later added Dana to our posse.  She's great.  I love her.  It's early.  I can only speak in short sentences.

Here's Leah!

"Hello!  Sorry this is so late!  Thanksgiving went longer with our family than expected, so computer time was limited.  No complaining here!  I joined Skinny My Minnie because I wanted to be with all the cool kids trying to shed a few pounds.  Having always struggled with my weight since the dawn of time it seems, any chance to be motivated to lose weight usually catches my eye.  I've known Jenny since second grade, so that is how it all came to be!

Currently I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with my super husband, Peter and perfect dog, Pria.  I'm not biased, not at all.  I am a full-time student getting my masters in social work with a certificate in gerontology.  I also work as an older adult caregiver, which I truely enjoy.  In August, I pan to finish school and move back to Bloomington, Indiana to be closer to my parents and other family and friends.  Then, maybe we'll think about having kids?  I think so, most probably.  My main goal for the competition was to get to a healthier weight to prepare my body for having kids.  I know my own weight can not only affect the pregnancy but also my babies health, so I am trying to be healthy as much as my motivation  permits.  Thank you Jenny, for this oppurtunity and her's to one more month of being mindful of what we do to our bodies!

Here is a delicious, cheap, and fast bean soup recipe I love!"

Delicious Black Bean Soup, Serves: 6

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves minced garlic
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1/4 t cumin
1/2 t salt
Ground pepper to taste
Dash of chili powder, oregano, and red wine vinegar to taste
Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream as desired

Heath the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Stir the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and garlic.  Cook 5 minutes until tender.  Mix in one can of black beans and chicken broth. 

In a blender, puree remaining can of beans until smooth.  Mix into the pot.  Bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat to low.  Mix in spices and vinegar.  Simmer 20 min.


Thank you, Leah!  The soup sounds delicious!  And, I love all of the baby talk!!  Yeah!!!

Hope you all have a great week and I'm excited to get your weigh in's on Wednesday!! Don't forget!! :-)

***UPDATE***  I've been trying to post Leah's pictures for a few hours now, and my computer here at work is being all wonky.  I'll try to get them added tonight or tomorrow once I'm at home.  Sorry, Leah!!

I'm noticing a pattern here...

Ok, so maybe I should just go with it and say the results will now be posted late on Sundays!  But, let's face it...if I say that I probably won't get them up until Monday then!!  So, I guess it is what it is.

Anywho, here are the results for the first week of December.  I know, right?  December....you've got to be kidding me.  I can't believe this year is almost over.  It seems like it just started.  On a side note, speaking of December, we had the first snow of the season here this past week.  The snow made me want to bake.  So I did.  Delicious. Chocolate. Chip. Cookies.  I ate way too many, and I blame it all on mother nature.  Thanks a lot.  Thus my .5 pound loss for this week.  Really, I thought it was going to be worse.  I also never made it to the grocery store for the week and we ate pizza, Cheddars-twice, and a lot of junk food we had in the house.  Yeah, I know, I'm surprised I lost too.  Thank goodness for the cold I sort of had.  I think it helped me to be a bit dehydrated.  Uh-huh, healthy.

Right, yeah, on to the results.

The winner this week was Betty!!  Yeah!!  I know she has been having a rough go at it due to the fact that her house is completely torn apart.  I didn't get to the grocery due to my work schedule and let's face it, plain laziness.  But, she doesn't have a choice seeing that her kitchen appliances are all in her family room.  (See previous post about her house flooding!)  So, it's tremendous that she had such a great loss this week.  I'm sure stress had nothing to do with it!

I'm missing a weigh in for Holly-she went up to Chicago and doesn't have access to a scale.  And also a weigh in for Amanda.  I only have email access to her so, Raenetta, if you could remind her in another fashion that would be great!  So I will plug them in Monday or whenever I get it.  For now, I'm keeping them the same weight as last week and they will have to pay a $1 penalty.  But, if either posts a loss for this week she'll just owe the $1 and if she gains, she'll owe the normal $2.  Clear as mud??

Um, yep, the results...

1.  Betty lost 1.63% this week
2.  Dana up .73%
3.  Jenny .23%
4.  Raenetta .21%
5.  Amanda .13%
6.  Jessie .05%
Tie for 7th with 0% loss
7a. Heather
7b. Lesa
7c. Holly
10. Leah -.62%

And here are the overall results

1.  Raenetta 6.67% (2)
2.  Jenny 5.13%  (4)
3.  Amanda 5.03% (1)
4.  Dana 3.48% (8)
5.  Lesa 3.00% (10)
6.  Heather 1.28% (6)
7.  Leah 1.12% (6)
8.  Holly 1.11% (8)
9. Betty .98% (8)
10. Jessie -.98% (6)

I heard from Dana and Leah that they will be weighing in on Wednesday for the "All I Want for Christmas is a Skinnie Backside" Challenge.  That makes 3 of us so far.  So, are you going to play???  Just to push you over the edge in your decision making process, the number up there next to your percentage, in parenthesis, is what you owe so far!!  Have a great week and I can't wait get everyone's weigh in on Wednesday!!

December Mini-Minnie Challenge

The wait is over.  You can finally exhale.  I know you've been anticipating this since I first wrote about it last week.  Well here it is.  You can have your life back now.

The new challenge!  Now, I've been doing some thinking here on this one.  (With the few brain cells I have remaining after using the others for everything else that goes on in my life.)  And, I'm kind of excited about this idea.  This is going to be dubbed the "All I want for Christmas is a Skinny Backside Challenge".  Now, I can't remember what I've already said about it, and frankly, I don't want to go back and read what I wrote.  So, ignore any discrepancies between what was previously writ.  Is that the correct use of that word, not sure.  Forgive me.  Here we go.

This challenge will start Wednesday, December 7th and end on Wednesday, December 21.  So far, we're on the same track as the Turkey Challenge.  Wednesday to Wednesday and it's 2 weeks long.  Check.  Here's the difference.  Because we're coming to the end of the competition, I want for us all to be inspired and encouraged to do our personal best.  So, in this challenge you will be competing only against yourself.  What?!  Take it back-she's my worst enemy!  I can't possibly!  (Just a little inner dialogue-perhaps yours is the same??)  Oh, but yes you can!  Here's how she's going down!!  Up to this point, none of us have exactly been keeping on par with our beginning goal.  So, this shouldn't be too difficult for any of us.  To win this challenge against yourself you must lose 5 pounds or 3% body weight, whichever is less.  For example, let's say you weigh 200 pounds-3% of that is 6 pounds, so you would have to lose 5 pounds to win this challenge.  Let's say you weigh 150 pounds-3% of that is 4.5 pounds, so you would have to lose 4.5 pounds to win.  Does that make sense??  Feel free to ask for any clarification. 

Now, the reward for this All I want for Christmas is a Skinny Backside Challenge will be a credit to your account.  Ok, now I'm going to throw this out there and if any of you disagree with it, let me know and we'll come up with something else.  (Because this will change the amount of money the ultimate winner will receive.)  If you conquer this challenge, you will receive a credit to your account according to how many pounds you lost rounded to the nearest quarter.  In the examples above, if you lose 5 pounds, you get a credit of $5.  If you lose 4.5 pounds, you get a credit of $4.50.  If you lose, 5.3 pounds, you get a credit of $5.25.  If you lose more than the challenge, you will also get a credit for those pounds.  Let's say you lose 7 pounds, you get a $7 credit!  However, there will be a cap at $8.  (That's 4 pounds/week, and after that, we're definitely getting into losing weight in a non-healthy way.)

Ok, here's the kicker-there always has to be one, right?!  If you agree to do this competition, but fail to meet the goal, you will pay what you lack.  For example, if you need to lose 5 pounds and only lose 3 you will have to pay 2 additional dollars.  If you need to lose 4.5 pounds and lose 2, you will have to pay $2.50.  Capeesh?

This is the end of the end, ladies!  We must kick ourselves into gear!!  Are you in??  I'm in!  And, I need to lose 5 pounds!! YIKES!  That's half of what I've lost so far in the whole competition.  I must, I must, I must DECREASE my bust! :-)  That's some good ole Punky Brewster humor for you!

Ok, so if you're going to play, let me know on Saturday's weigh-in and then, weigh in again on Wednesday, December 7th.  Good luck!!!!

Results, finally!!

I'm a bad blog host.  I've gotten out of control.  Late again posting results.  I'm so sorry.  But, it appears as though I'm not the only procrastinator, seeing how I got most weigh-ins late Saturday and even some on Sunday!!  So, at least I'm in good company!!!

I hope you all thoroughly enjoyed your Thanksgivings!!  Christmas will be here before we know it!!  Sorry to bring it up, I'm sure you don't need the reminder!  Anywho, to the results!!

The winner for the week is HOLLY!!

1.   Holly went from 0% to 1.11% this week, thus netting a 1.11% change!  Good work!!!!

2.   Raenetta 1.04%

3.   Jenny .70%

4.   Amanda .42%

5.   Jessie .36%

6.   Lesa 0%

7.   Dana -.95%

8.   Heather -1.28%

9.   Betty -1.49%

There are only 9 players because Leah had immunity this week!!  

And, the overall top ten:

1.  Raenetta 6.46%   WOW!!!

2.  Amanda 4.90%

3.  Jenny 4.90%   we're tied for 2nd at the moment, actually!!

4.  Lesa 3.00%

5.  Dana 2.75%

6.  Leah 1.74% (based on last Sat weigh-in)

7.  Heather 1.28%

8.  Holly 1.11%

9.  Betty -.65%

10. Jessie -1.03%

All right everyone!  Time to really dig in deep!  We've just got one more month to play and get this skinny show on the road!  We can do it!!!  Tune in later this week to find out about the upcoming 2nd mini-Minnie challenge!!!  Have a great week!

Mini-Minnie Competition

Sorry for the long delay!  Just trying to build the anticipation! The winner for the Thanksgiving Challenge is LEAH!!!!!  Great job!  You can stuff your face full of whatever you want and will not owe us a dime come Saturday, no matter what!  Lucky. (said like Napoleon Dynamite)

Here is a list of the results, remember 9 out of 10 of us played.

1. Leah lost 2.35%!!!!!!
2. Holly 1.66%
3. Raenetta 1.53%
4. Heather 1.30%
5. Lesa 1.08%
6. Jenny .73%  (weighed in at 203)
7. Betty .65%
8. Jess -.16%
9. Dana declined to submit today, thus dropping out.

Ok, well, I am proud to say that this competition really did the trick for some of you guys!  You stepped it up into high gear and lost some pounds!!  Great work!!  Like I said previously, I think we'll do another mini competition-Tinsel Edition!  Now, Christmas doesn't really fall on the calender as nicely as Thanksgiving did.  And, let's face it, Christmas is all about eating pretty much the entire month of December, not just concentrated all on one day.  So, this will be a challenge with a different reward.  I'll talk more about this in an upcoming post!  It's going to be an exciting challenge, believe you me!  It's going to start Dec 7, prepare yourself, ladies!

I hope everyone remembers to count their blessings this Thanksgiving holiday.  Don't forget what is important in life, and cherish every moment!  May God bless you and keep you safe as you travel.  Now, go eat some turkey!

Week 7 Results-Halfway there!!

I had to work today...it was a long day.  I'm truly persevering here just to get this post up.   I noticed that most of you must have been busy today too since I didn't receive but a few weigh-ins this morning.  No biggie since I was at work anyway.  Thank you everyone for checking in today!

Anyhow, I'm actually sad that we're halfway through since I'm not at my half-way point in my personal goal.  What's even worse, I gained a pound back, 205.5.  I can no longer claim to be in the "10 pound down club".  That was short lived.  I'm really not sure how it happened because I actually had a pretty good diet this week and worked out on Wednesday.  I know, only one day...but that's all I could squeeze in this week!  I'm definitely a pity eater because after I weighed in today with an increase I had one two doughnuts.  Followed up by Red Lobster rolls, some crab linguine, and Orange Leaf frozen yogurt for dessert.  Yeah, now I feel awful.  Never fails.  Unless I do amazing in the next 4 days, you can pretty much count me out for the Thanksgiving mini-challenge.  I guess you never know, though.  That's my attempt at positivity!!

Ok, here's the winner for this week!!!

1.   Lesa up 2.2% loss just from last week!!  Way to go!!! WOW!!
2.   Leah 1.74% up from last week!!  Great job!!
3.   Amanda .56%
4.   Heather .43%
5.   Raenetta .35%
6.   Jessie .05%
7.   Jenny -.46%
8.   Holly -.83%
9.   Betty -.93%
10. Dana -1.68%

And the overall top ten:

1.   Raenetta 5.42% (taking back the lead!)
2.   Amanda 4.48%
3.   Jenny 4.20%
4.   Dana 3.70%
5.   Lesa 3.00%
6.   Heather 2.56%
7.   Leah 1.74%
8.   Betty .84%
9.   Holly 0%
10. Jessie -1.36%

I'm not sure if Holly keeps up with the blog, so I'll see if she's up for Meet Me Monday this week.  And, Leah is on the roster for next week!!  Great work, Leah!

Don't forget about the Wednesday mini-challenge weigh-in this week!!  I'll post Wednesday afternoon/night sometime who gets immunity for the Saturday after Thanksgiving weigh-in.  And, Leah is, in fact, in the running as well.  So there are 9 of us total!  Can't wait to see who wins!  Have a good week, everyone!!!

Meet Me Monday - Heather!

Like how I added that exclamation point after Heather's name!  It made you "shout" Heather in your mind when you read it, didn't it??  And, now, you're super excited to learn all about her.  All with a punctuation mark.  So, Heather and I go way back.  I'm talking way, way back.  She's known me since I was a zygote.  Really.  She's my big sis.  I've pretty much been following her my whole life.  Purdue, marriage, career, kids.  What's next??  What bar are you going to set for me now, huh?! :-)  Actually, I think we should get Mom on board and open our own bakery...we could so do it! 

Anywho, here she is!

"Hi Minnies,

My name is Heather Knoy and I am Jenny’s sister. I am 32 years old and I have been married to my wonderful husband, Matthew, for 13 years. We have 2 beautiful boys, Mason, 5 and Cooper, 2. I work full time as a Quality Supervisor at Baxter Pharmaceutical. My hobbies include cooking, baking, reading, watching TV and movies and listening to music.

I have struggled with my weight my entire adult life. I have always been a “bigger” girl. I enjoy food, I love to cook and bake and I am not going to stop doing that. I have a stressful job and a lot going on at home, so I have a lot of stress and baking is one way I relieve that stress. It calms me.

Since I like to eat, I have figured that I need to move more to be able to lose weight. And here starts my struggle and why I have a hard time losing weight – my life is busy. After working 9-10 hours a day, I come home to 3 “STARVING” boys who demand dinner ASAP and then I have to clean up the kitchen, do some laundry, make lunches for the next day, work on homework, take kids to whatever sport/activity they are doing, … and the list goes on and on – just like for all of you I’m sure. I want to make exercising a priority – I want my kids to know how important it is to eat healthy and be active. So that is what I am working on now – how to make exercise a priority.

I wanted to share a recipe that my family loves and is so quick and easy and is good for you. It came from a weight watchers book - Asiago Crusted Pork Chops. I like to make this when dinner has to made in 20 minutes and I know my kids will eat it (even my picky 5 year old). Please try it and let me know what you think...

Asiago Crusted Pork Chops

4 boneless center cut chops - I usually buy the thin cut so it cooks quicker

1/2 C Panko (or regular) breadcrumbs

1/4 C grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

1 egg white

Fresh thyme and 4 lemon wedges (optional)

Take 2 shallow bowls, place the egg white in one and whisk briefly, add the breadcrumbs, cheese and salt and pepper to taste in the other bowl. Take a chop and dip in the egg and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Add to a hot skillet drizzled with olive oil and cook until done. About 5 minutes per side depending on the thickness. Remove from pan and add some fresh thyme and squeeze a lemon wedge over the chop. I don't always have thyme or lemons, and these are still delicious without them. I usually steam some broccoli and make a quick salad and dinner is served. I hope you enjoy these with your family.

So that’s me in a nutshell … Keep up the good work Minnies!!"

Aren't those boys beautiful!?!  Seriously.  I could eat em up!  I'm so glad that Heather decided to join in the competition.  I wish we lived closer so we could work out together or at least watch each other's kids for an hour so we could work out by ourselves!  You should see me in my tiny apartment doing any type of exercise.  The kids think it's funny and they think I'm dancing so they start jumping around and turning circles all around me.  It's everything I can do to not kick one of them in the head!  How do you explain that at the ER?!?  I am going to try out those pork chops tomorrow! I've had some in the freezer for awhile just waiting to find the perfect recipe! Sounds fantastic!! 

Week 6 Results!

Hello All!  First, let me thank you for everyone who responded with their weigh-in for the mini-challenge!  There are 8 of us playing for immunity after Thanksgiving!  I'm a little worried about my chances though seeing how much everyone has already lost since Wednesday!!  You girls are awesome!!  I didn't get weights from Leah and Amanda.  If either of you sent me your weight and I didn't get it, let me know what it was and I'll get it plugged in!  My weight on Wednesday was the same as it is today.  Now, I know this was a great big decrease from last week, but, I ate a large dinner the night before last week and didn't sleep very well Friday night.  So, I feel like my weight was slightly skewed last week and this week is more accurate.  Anyway, I'm really excited to say that I've lost 10 pounds now!!  Such a milestone!  Down to 204.5!  Let me just pat myself on the back a few times!!

And, I'll just keep tooting my horn because I am the winner this week for the weigh in!  But, that is just because of the aforementioned weigh-in from last week.  I lost 4 pounds, supposedly.  Here are this week's results!  I'm so proud of everyone!

1.  Jenny up 1.87% from last week!
2.  Dana 1.46%
3.  Raenetta 1.39%
4.  Heather .85%
5.  Holly .82%
6.  Betty .56%
7.  Amanda .14%
8.  Leah .009%
9.  Lesa -.93%
10.  Jessie -1.29%


And the overall results for the competition!

1.  Dana at 5.38%
2.  Raenetta 5.07%
3.  Jenny 4.66%
4.  Amanda 3.92%
5.  Heather 2.13%
6.  Betty 1.77%
7.  Holly .83%
8.  Lesa .80%
9.  Leah -.001%
10.  Jessie -1.41%

Tomorrow we get to learn all about Heather and meet her and her family!  I'm so glad that she decided to do Meet Me Monday because at the beginning she told me she had no idea what to say about herself.  Then she sent me her info today (I haven't read it yet) and said to shorten it if I need to!!  Love it!!

Next week, we'll learn all about Holly if she wishes to participate!  Yeah!!

Hope you are all having a great weekend!  Check in with us all during the week sometime and let us know how things are going!!

Turkey Day Challenge

Let's spice things up around here!  What do you say?!?  A mini challenge!!  Since this is impromptu, of course you don't have to join in.  But, I think it'll be fun and the prize is going to be totally worth it.

Here's how this is going to roll.  First we'll have a weigh-in tomorrow morning.  Yes, I know, short notice, so sorry.  There won't be any penalty from this weigh-in, i.e., no money due.  It'll be the baseline weight just for this mini challenge.  And, we'll still have our normal weigh-in on Saturday, keeping up with the competition as a whole.

Now, this mini competition will run for 2 weeks, until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Did you know that the Saturday before Thanksgiving marks the half-way point of our 14 weeks??  Scary!  I know that I certainly am not on track to hit my half-way goal!!  Yikes!   Ok, back to business.  So, for the mini competition we will weigh-in again on the 23rd.  (That's the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.)

Let's summarize.  There will be two weigh-ins.  One tomorrow-a baseline.  One on the 23rd marking the end of the mini competition.  Simple as that.  Now for the prize!!!  I'm sure you know where I'm going with this.  If not, read on.  If so, read on anyway!!  Whomever has lost the highest percentage of their weight between those 2 weeks will have IMMUNITY on the Saturday weigh-in after Thanksgiving!!!!  Did you read that right?!?!  I'm talking Survivor here people!  You will be able to stuff your face with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, corn, rolls, pumpkin pie, cranberry salad, sweet potatotes with those little, perfectly toasted marshmallows on top, anything your little heart wants and you will have NO penalty when you gain a few pounds for Saturday's weigh-in!  You will still have to weigh-in, don't get me wrong.  You just will owe nothing!  I know, exciting!!

Ok, so, if you're going to play just send me your weight like we always do.  If you have any questions, as always, feel free to ask!  If this works out well and we have fun with it, we'll do it again around Christmas!

Now, for some reason I'm craving me some good, home cooked comfort food...

Meet Me Monday - Amanda

Good Morning!  Hope you all had a great morning, seeing how we basically slept in another hour!  Not much to say this morning.  I know, you're so surprised!

Today we get to meet Amanda!  As you know by now, I don't know Amanda personally and so I can't really introduce her to you.  But, I have read her bio already and it seems like she is a great lady with a crazy, busy life!  Wish we lived closer so we could get to know each other better!  We'll have to settle for bloggie friends!  Here's what Amanda has to say:

"Hi fellow Minnies :),

My name is Amanda Dorsett. I am 28 years old, have been married to my wonderful husband Cody for 9 years. We have four children. Ty our oldest is 7, Zach our middle son is 4, Trey our baby boy is 2 and I recently gave birth in April to our spoiled little princess, Caitlyn. I am a stay at home mommy because really, who can afford day care for four kiddos :)? I do enjoy being able to stay home..... well not work outside of the home and run my kids to school, sports, church and all the other various activities that keep us very busy. 

I am struggling to lose my baby weight this time around. With my son Trey, the weight just fell off and by the time he was six months old, I was minus eight lbs and the smallest I had ever been. When I got pregnant with Cait, I gained close to 40 lbs. While I have lost close to 30 of it, these last ten pounds have stubbornly hung on. On top of that, I want to be at a fit weight for my height, so I decided to try and lose a total of 18 lbs. I know it can be done! I weighed 175 after having my son Zachary. I did not lose any of the weight I had gained while pregnant. When I got pregnant with Trey, I weighed 135. I lost 40 lbs through diet alone, because I HATE to exercise and honestly I don't have the time! My husband works two jobs, he has a regular 9-5 job, well in his case 6-2, and then officiates high school volleyball, basketball and baseball. Some nights we don't get to see him until close to 10 p.m.! So it's just me and the kids several days a week, with help from our awesome extended family.

I was surprised as anyone to be at the top this week. I did gain last week, on Monday ( Halloween) I was plus 2 lbs :( However I have gallbladder issues, and had an attack Tuesday. I was told to fast for two days, drinking nothing but juice and water. It worked! However, I may have to have surgery in the near future :( So right there is motivation to eat healthier!! I also have my own small business making cookies, candies and confections. I sell these mostly around the Holidays but I do have to taste most of my product as I am making it and let me tell you, the temptation is there to sample several of everything I make! I have a huge sweet tooth! So I am also learning self control. I enjoy hearing from each of you and knowing I am not alone in my struggle to lose weight."

Thanks, Amanda!  Your kiddos are absolutely adorable!!  So sweet!  I too suffered with my gallbaldder!  Just yank it out, you don't need it anyway! :-)  

See you all back here tomorrow for the Thanksgiving Challenge!!

Results- Week 5

Daylight Savings Time means you fall back one whole day, right?! No?!?  Hmm, wish someone would have told me earlier.  You know, I'm still considered new to this whole DST getup, I do live in Indiana, ya know.  We've only been doing this for like 5 years or something.  Yeah, well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Seriously, I'm super glad for all of you minnies that had good weeks this week.  Count your blessings!  Let me tell you about a few of the minnies who didn't quite have good weeks this week, it must of been the Halloween curse.  First of all, Betty-along with Holly, who lives at the same abode, had their entire 3 story home flooded by an upstairs commode.  (Rhyming not meant to make light of the situation!)  It's a mess!   Leah, has been preparing for midterms and preparing for her Mom's Retirement Party, the latter, of course not bad! And, with so much on her mind forgot to pack her scale! Lesa, was closing down her Btown home for a life on the road in Florida for the winter-I don't feel too sorry for her, but she was still a little pre-occupied. And, she also forgot her scale, however, found one to weigh in on.  And then there's me, who felt sorry for all of the above minnies and put on a sympathy 2.5 pounds!  Your welcome.  And, truthfully, I forgot to pack up the laptop for the aforementioned Retirement Party.  Thus, the Sunday results post.  I know this was a bad week for most of us because at least $10 is being added to the pot this week, perhaps even $12-see below.

Anywho, here it is, kind of.  I'm still missing weights for Holly and Leah.  Holly will return home this evening and let me know.  And, Leah will be back in Wisconsin tonight and she'll weigh in tomorrow.  Now, I hate to be a stickler on the rules here.  But, it is what it is.  Because I don't have their weights, they  will each have to pay a penalty of $1, as if their weights didn't change.  And, when they get me they're results, if they gained they will have to pay the normal fine of $2.  Capesh??

The winner for this week is: DANA!!

Week 5 Lineup
1.  Dana up 1.45% weight loss!!
2.  Heather .43%
3. Amanda .28%
4.  Jessie .06%
5.  Holly 0%
6.  Leah 0%
7.  Lesa -.27%
8.  Raenetta - .90%
9.  Jenny -1.17%
10. Betty -1.77%

And, for the overall comptetion:

1.  Dana has taken the lead with an overall loss of 3.92%
2.  Amanda 3.78%
3.  Raenetta 3.68%
4.  Jenny 2.79%
5.  Leah 1.74%
6.  Lesa 1.73%
7.  Heather 1.28%
8.  Betty 1.21%
9.  Holly 1.11%
10. Jessie .11%

Alright, for those of you in the top four this week, great job!  You guys rocked it! (and you must of kept your paws out the Halloween candy!!)  For the rest of us, let's step it up before Thanksgiving!! Speaking of which, I'll announce the Thanksgiving Challenge next week on Tuesday!  Be ready!!!

Come back tomorrow and learn all about Amanda, as she's agreed to do Meet Me Monday!  And, next week-our runner up will have a turn!  Yeah, Heather!!  (if you're up to it!)  Email me your bio and a picutre or two or three or whatever!  Can't wait to learn more about Amanda tomorrow!!!!

Have a great week Minnies!!!

Harvest Soup

Here's a Thursday morning recipe for you to try.  It's a great way to incorporate some of the fall veggies and fruits you may have around!  I made this a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was just ok.  Now, I know that doesn't sound very convincing for you to try it, but, I was a little out of my box on this one.  If you like the ingredients, I'm sure you'll love the soup!  The only thing extra I did was add a few spices.  I thought it was overwhelmingly carroty, so I muted that with some cinnamon and a small amount of curry.  Give it a try!

Havest Soup
adapted from PARENTS magazine, October 2011

1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 c copped carrot
1/2 c chopped celery
1/3 c chopped onion
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 medium apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
ground pepper to taste
spices to taste

1.  Heat oil in a big soup pot on medium heat.  Add your chopped carrots, celery, and onions.  (You don't have to perfectly chop these, as you'll be pureeing this soup.)  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until tender and starting to brown.  Add your squash, apples, and broth.  (I used Gala's from Huber Farms, and they were quite small, so I cut up 3 or 4 of them.)  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender.  Cool slightly.

2.  Puree soup using your preferred method. I use an imersion blender, a fun little kitchen gadget in my arsenal!  But a blender or a food processor will work just as well.  Taste and add your spices to taste.  Enjoy!

Nutrition info per 1.5 cups serving size. (Makes 6 cups)

185 calories
6g protein
4g fat (1g sat fat)
35 g carbs
6 g fiber
88 mg calcium
1 mg iron
531 mg sodium

If you make it, let me know what you think!  It actually is a really rich and creamy soup.  And, the best part...no cream!! 

Hope you all are surviving the week well.  I'm not sure if you remember me saying I was going to jump back on the diet wagon earlier this week...well, I jumped and fell flat on my face.  That stinking Halloween candy is doing me in!  Hopefully, I can pull it together by Saturday! 

Not sure if you all realize it, but in only 3 weeks from today, it is National Food Binge Day, aka Thanksgiving.  And to prepare for that, I have a challenge for us!  I'll post more on that soon!  Check back!!

I know this is becoming an extremely long post, but, wanted to throw this out there.  If anyone wants to post a recipe for everyone to try, email it on over to me and I'll get it up here.  Now, I've taken several pictures of the food I've prepared, but when it comes time to post them, I'm too embarrassed.  First of all, my photography skills are that of a 6 year old.  And, secondly, I have a small, horribly lit kitchen.  The picture I had for the soup made it appear very unappetizing.  I'll try better in the future!

Toodaloo!

Meet Me Monday - Lesa aka Mom

Good Morning!  I hope you all had fabulous weekends!!  I nearly forgot that today is Halloween as I've already gone trick-or-treating twice!  There is way. too. much. candy in my house.  Seriously!  And, I've been really bad and helped myself to a lot of it.  Time to cut it out and get back on the diet wagon.

Anywho, today you get to learn all about my mom.  Her name is Lesa and yes, it is spelled with an 'e'- get it right, or pay the price! And by price, I mean, nothing at all, just a little annoyance.  I mean, I think we've all had someone get our name wrong once or twice, and admit it, it's just annoying.  And, my poor mom married a man with the last name of Snedegar...it's over, she knows it, everyone screws it up!  Well, here she is, Lisa Snedinger!  I kill myself!

"Hello Skinny Girls!!

I am Lesa, Jenny & Heather's Mom and Raenetta's Aunt.  Most of you know me, so I won't bore you with many details.  I think the only ones I don't know are Jessie & Amanda.  I very much enjoyed Jessie's "Meet Me Monday" last week, and I guess I might be seeing Amanda's next week.  Congrats!

First of all - aren't "The Big Bad Wolf" (Wyatt) and "Little Red Riding Hood" (Katelyn) adorable!!!!  Yes! They are - OK!  I might be a little biased!  Who cares?

I signed up for Skinny My Minnie with hopes of having incentive to drop 10-15 lbs.  My weight gain began last year while helping care for my brother, who passed away with Cancer in August, 2010./  Too many late nights, drive thru, un-healthy meals took a toll on my body.  So what is my excuse over a year later?  Don't have one!  I have been a member of Curves for 5-6 years now.  I do try to go 3x a week and enjoy their workout system.  Even that took a back seat last year and I amanged to get back into it this year after recovering from 2 shoulder surgeries!  Even if my weight does not reflect my efforts, I do have to say - I can see some changes in toning!  Along wiht Skinny, I signed up for Curves "Not for Sissies" challenge for October.  It began Oct 3rd and finished on the 29th.  It entailed a commitment to 3 workouts per week, as well as weight and measures, food journaling, healthy recipe contests, Mammogram (since Oct is Breast Cancer Awareness Month), and donations to the Middle Way House.  With each of these items, points are awarded.  Tomorrow is my final weigh in and they will tally all the points this week.

A few years ago, I was given a book called The New Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat by H. Leighton Steward, Morrison C. Bethea, MD, Sam S. Andrews, MD & Luis A. Balart, MD.  We were out in Cody, WY on vacation and met Leighton Steward and his wife Linda.  He gave me the book (and autographed it).  I read it on the drive back to Indiana, and though, "I can do that!"  It isn't as hard as you might thing, although sugar is one of my major food groups! I am a total sugar-alholic!  You simply eat like you are a diabetic, for the most part.  There are no carbs or calories to count, just sugar or anything that converts to sugar.  The first week of using his method, I lost 4 lbs and continued to lose 20 overall.  This was before Jenny's wedding AND a class reunion!  Later, I purchased the shoppers guide to use along with the original book. 

Ladies!  Keep strong and we all can have healthier lives, look better in our clothes and feel so much better!"

Thanks, Mom!!  Love you! 

So sorry for the late results posting this week!  I've been busy today doing this:

I know, right?!  So cute!  We trick or treated for the first time this year.  Yes, I said first, we will be doing it at least one more time, if not two!  I'm exhausted already.  Anyway, in case you can't tell, Wy is The Big Bad Wolf and Katelyn is Little Red Riding Hood.

Anyway, the winner this week is AMANDA!!!!!  Good work, girl!!  Here are the results for the week!

1.  Amanda had a 1.68% change from last week!!
2.  Jenny 1.63% (weighed in this week at 207!!)
3.  Betty 1.02%
4.  Raenetta 0.55%
5.  Heather 0.42%
6.  Leah 0.38%
7.  Jessie 0.05%
8.  Holly 0%
9.  Dana -0.11%
10. Lesa -1.00%

And, the winner overall so far:

1.  Raenetta 4.58% hanging on for another week!!
2.  Jenny 3.96%
3. Amanda 3.50%
4.  Betty 2.98%
5.  Dana 2.47%
6.  Lesa 2.00%
7.  Leah 1.74%
8.  Holly 1.11%
9.  Heather 0.85%
10.  Jessie .05%

There you have it!  Week 4 wrapped up!!  We'll learn all about my Mom on Monday!  And, next week we'll learn all about Amanda next week if she's game!  I'm most interested in learning about her because I don't personally know her!!  Not that I don't love reading about everyone else!!  Well, we'll end with another picture of my cute kids!  HeHe!!

Black Bean Casserole

Ok!  This week has been super crazy!  This will sum it up for you, I haven't been home any earlier than 7pm everyday this week!  But, finally, I am ready to post this fantastic recipe.  It is delish!  Try it tonight!

Southwest Black Bean Casserole
borrowed from Pinch of Yum 

1/2 lb. ground extra lean turkey

1 chopped onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, diced

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

5 garlic cloves, minced

2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 chopped seeded tomatoes

1/4 cup crumbled bacon

1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (optional-I opted not)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and a handful of the onions to the pan, sauteing until meat is browned. Remove turkey and set aside.
3. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, pepper, and jalapeno, sauteing for 4 minutes and stirring occasionally. Add salt, cumin, red pepper, and garlic. Saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly (I added a tablespoon or two of water to keep things from sticking in the pan.)
4. Stir in broth and black beans. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Mash beans to desired consistency.
5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with turkey, bacon, tomato, and cheese. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Top with green onions and let cool for atleast 10 minutes (otherwise it will be too runny).
6. Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, on tacos, on a salad, or just eat it plain!

I found this recipe here.  Check out her site! She has some great recipes!

Enjoy!!

Meet Me Monday-Jessie!

Good Monday Morning to you all!!  Hope your weekends were fantabulous!  Today we're going to learn all about Jessie!  Yeah!!  Jessie is my bff Leah's friend from college.  We both walked down the aisle at Leah's wedding.  And, that's about the extent of my correspondence with her, unfortunately!  I've heard lots of great things about her though.  And, if she's friends with Leah, then I know she's a superstar!!  Here's what she wants you to know about her!

"Hi everyone!  My name is Jessie and I'm excited to be doing this competition.  If you're wondering, who is this Jessie character?  Well, let me tell you!  I live in Milton, WI (about 45 minutes south of Madison) and teach middle school band.  I have been married to wonderful guy named Jamie for more than 2 years, and we live in a cozy little house with our two cats, Maestro and Belle. 

We enjoy traveling and exploring new places, landscaping, spending time with family and friends!  We dislike thinking of dinner ideas.  We do not currently have children so you'd think we'd have time to cook delicious, healthful meals and take a daily walk BUT you'd be wrong!  My husband works at least 12 hours a day and I tend to have many after school or evening responsibilities/rehearsals.  Because of our schedules and general lack of motivation when we get home from our respective careers, we resort to a lot of eating out, frozen pizzas, and TV watching...especially during the winter.  That is our downfall and I'm admitting it.

You may be asking yourself at this point, how does this person know Jenny?  I've never heard of this Jessie.  Well, I know Jenny (and Dana actually) through Leah!  Leah was a college roommate of mine and is a very good friend.  It was actually while living with Leah (and two other lovely ladies) that I felt I was at my perfect weight.  I have to say that being at college was actually very beneficial for my weight. None of that freshman 15 for me.  If you think about it, you walk a lot and people make food for you.  I felt like I always had good options to choose from and generally took advantage of it (except for the occasional Lucy's homemade chocolate chip cookies).

I've tried several of the fad diets over the years and have found I CANNOT deprive myself of the things I love the most...I need to just learn to limit my serving size.  I am a person who really hates to be hungry.  In fact, my husband and family can attest to the fact that a lack of food makes me quite crabby.  So I am trying to make and freeze several healthy but tasty soups.  I've heard that a more liquidy diet can be beneficial.  I also find myself feeling more full after having a bowl of soup.  Besides soup, I have added some other very important and tasty things to my diet that are helping I think.  #1 Kashi GoLean cereal!  It's super fibrous...I believe it is the best cereal out there.   You will be very regular girls!  #2- Dannon Greek Yogurt-it has a ton more protein than regular yogurt and is more creamy.  I like the type with the fruit at the bottom.  #3-An apple a day.  I've decided to add an apple each day because I find they make me feel full which of course equals a happier Jessie.

So that's that!  I'm really hoping that these lost pounds will start adding up!  Good luck to all of you!"

Thanks Jessie!!  Keep up the good work!!  I just made butternut squash soup last night that was pretty tasty.  Perhaps I'll post the recipe soon!  Later this week, I plan on posting an excellent black bean casserole recipe!  Delish!  Have a great week everyone!

Results Week 3

Sorry this post is sooooo late today!  Work plus movie that needed to get back to redbox tonight that I had to watch took precedence!  Sorry to put you in a corner, baby!

Wow!  What a roller coaster!  Well, it appears as though we're trending pretty steady here, girls.  We have losers and gainers this week again.  Please have no fear if you're a gainer, there are MANY weeks left in this competition!  I don't want anyone getting discouraged!  Be proud of yourselves for being on this journey and for being good to your body!  Let's face it, we're all women and our bodies do so many things for us.  Can we really blame it if we carry some extra water from week to week??  Really?!?  And of course, if you're down this week celebrate the milestones!  Good work!

Well, I was up again this morning at 3 am.  Seriously.  I love working Saturdays 2 hours away from my home.  Pure. Joy.  So, when I weighed in this morning at 3:30, I was 210, for those of you keeping track at home, that's only a half pound weight loss this week.  I weighed in again when I got home at 1 pm and it was 209.5.  If it's okay with all of you I'm going to put it in as the 209.5.  It's a loss either way, and I feel like it will make it all the harder next week to start off at the lower number.  Does that make sense?  Leave a comment if you're anti that other half pound.  No worries either way.

Anywho, for the big news of the week! The winner this week is RAENETTA!!  Now, not to take anything away from her for sure, but if you read her comment last post you'll know that poor Raenetta was sick, sick, sick this week!!  We hope you are feeling better!!  I mean, I'm sure we will all take a weight loss however it comes!!  Raenetta also took over first place overall!! Congratulations!!

Here is week 3's top ten!  See, I made us all seem like winners! :-)  We all made the top ten! Rah! Rah! Rah!

1. Raenetta 2.36% change from last week!!!
2. Lesa 2.34%
3. Leah 1.12%
4. Amanda .84%
5. Dana .79%
6. Betty .66%
7. Jenny .47%
8. Heather -.42%
9. Jessie -.86%
10. Holly -.97%


And here is the overall top ten!!  Woo-hoo!!  We all made this list too!!  Great work!!

1. Raenetta 4.02%
2. Lesa 3.00%
3. Dana 2.58%
4. Jenny 2.33%
5. Betty 1.96%
6. Amanda 1.82%
7. Leah 1.36%
8. Holly 1.11%
9. Heather .43%
10. Jessie 0%

Check back Monday to Meet Jessie!!  And, Mom!! That's Lesa, if you don't know who you are...haha. You'll be next if you'd like to participate!  Raenetta, of course, already went, and you're in second place!  Spotlight's on you!!

Good luck this week, everyone!  Looking forward to posting a new recipe sometime this week for you all!

Yeowch!!

Ok, so I stepped up the ante.  And I have regretted. every. moment!  After scraping by last week, I decided I would try to get some "real" exercise in.  A few weeks back, I found out that we have "on-demand" exercise routines on our cable box.  Lots of them!  I'm talking yoga, aerobics, dance, any type of routine you'd like to try!  It's actually really nice.  Really.

Anyway, for whatever reason, after working a million hours the past few months, my schedule has lightened up consideralby.  So, it was a perfect week to start back up in the excercise world.  Now, I've always been pretty athletic.  I've never had the perfect athlete's body, but I've kept myself in somewhat ok shape.  Until the kids came.  It was over after that.  I've gone downhill very fast!  And, let me tell you, that there hill is a steep one to climb back up!  Wow!  So, Monday, I was home a little after noon, and I had strong intentions to do a little workout that afternoon.  But, it just so happens I got home right at nap time.  At our house, this involves 3 books, and usually by the second one, I'm out.  I promise I did lunges in my dreams though.

Tuesday morning I only had one patient, which means I didn't have to get to work until 10:45, which equals sometime after 11 for me.    Yep, I'm good like that.  So, early that morning, after searching through all of the exercise programs and ruling out pole dancing, I chose something like 10lb Slimdown-Total Body.  Yes, I set my sights high.  Too high.  During the workout, I pretty much just felt like a joke.  I couldn't keep up.  I encouraged myself by saying at least I was DOING something.  And, even with the kids climbing all over me thinking that I was being a bridge to crawl under or over, I finished the long, grueling routine, and checked the clock.  What?!?  20 minutes?  Seriously.

Ok, so I took a needed shower, as Wyatt let me know that I was wet and sweaty all over. And left for work.  I was feeling pretty good until I hit the stairs.  I'm so glad no one was there because I nearly fell down an entire half flight.  Jello-legs!  Pretty much the rest of the day my legs kept trying to go out from under me!  And then, I woke up yesterday morning, paralyzed.  OMgoodness!  I have not been so sore in a really long time.  So, I wasn't paralyzed but could barely move my legs.  You should have seen me try to sit on the toilet to go pee!  I had to do one of those reach back and with as straight as possible legs lower yourself until your arms can't hold your weight anymore plop downs.  Pain. 

Needless to say, I did not do a second round of 10lb Slimdown on Wednesday.  But, you'll be proud of me to know that I did do a 10 minute Yoga wake up session.  The report today is a little better, still sore, but manageable.  The plan tonight is to try and do another episode, like upper body or something that doesn't involve too much legs.  But, you know, life is happening otherwise-Katelyn threw up several times last night and spiked a 102.4 axillary temperature, down to 101.5 this morning.  So, we'll see how she's doing.  She may ask me to just skip exercising this ONE time and snuggle with her all night.  We'll see. 

Hope you guys are having as much fun as I am!  Happy Thursday!

Meet Me Monday - Dana

Why, hello Skinnier Minnies!  I am so glad to say that everyone has officially lost weight since the beginning of the competition!  Don't you feel so proud of yourselves!  Great work and keep it going!!  We're in the beginning of week 3 and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some junk food!!  Just keep telling yourself to PUT IT DOWN!  You'll thank yourself in January when you're hotter than all of your friends! 


I completely forgot on Saturday to post my weight. So sorry!  I was really worried because I gained mid-week and couldn't seem to lose it!  So, I practically fasted all of Friday-not really-have you seen me!?  But, I did eat a lot less, even denying myself Wyatt's unfinished Wendy's french fries and pizza later during the night!  It was tough, for reals!  And then, in a last ditch effort I let Katelyn nurse pretty much the whole night!  She loved it! And, so did I when I weighed in at 210.5!  Whew!


Ok, enough about me! Let the spotlight shine on Dana!  Dana is one of my bestest girlfriends.  We met in 3rd grade for those of you who haven't heard Jan Sinn tell the story a million times! :-)  She moved into the Gentry Estates neighborhood and into Mrs Woods 3rd grade class.  It was pretty much instant friendship between her, Leah, and me!  I love her dearly and miss her tremendously!  I can't wait until she moves back down to Bloomington! (hehe!!)  Here's what she wants you to know about her!!

"Hello there, my name is Dana. I have been a best friend of Jenny's for about 20 years now. We met in Mrs. Wood's third grade class, Bloomington, IN. Below are a few things you should know about me!

I consider myself quite the little treehugger, having studied/worked in environmental science and also enjoying being out in nature as much as I can. I live in Bay City, MI and work with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality protecting our lakes and streams. I am not married, have no children and own no pets, beyond the plants I try to keep alive. I LOVE cooking and all things food-related. My boyfriend Joel and I love being in the kitchen experimenting and also trying every ethnic restaurant we can get to! Joel is still down in Bloomington and I can't wait to get back there! (the photo is of Joel and I hiking in Lake George, NY this summer).

I have struggled with my weight all my life, and finally got to a happy/healthy place after college. But after a few years I decided to go back to graduate school, and boy did the pounds climb back onto this backside!!

So...now I'm up here in Michigan attending workout classes, cooking healthy meals and trying to stay active and positive before winter depression sets in! Ugh. I look forward to getting back to my fit self, and am excited to be on that journey with all of you lovely ladies.

As I mentioned, I love to cook, and find most of my meals on eatingwell.com It's a great site and I have had success with almost all the recipes I've tried there. I will say they almost always leave out a good amount of sauteed onions and garlic where I would always add them. But short of that, good stuff. Below is a meal I've had several times and is perfect for this cooler, fall weather! Enjoy!

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Good luck ladies!!"

Thanks Dana!  It's so funny because I had already typed up my part of the post before Dana sent me hers!  Thank goodness for Mrs. Wood's 3rd grade class!!  

Next week's Meet Me Monday will be Jessie if she wishes to participate, as she was the weeks winner!!  Send me a bio and photos that you would like to post.  If you don't wish to, just email me and say you'll pass!  Thanks!!  

Week 2 results

Good afternoon!!

First let me help us all keep track of how big the pot is from last week!  Up $5, thank you to the contributers!!  This week we will add $6 more!  That means the winner will receive $151 up to this point!

Here are this weeks results!  The biggest loser for the week: JESSIE!!!  Way to go!! From 9th to first for the week!  That is AWESOME!!!  Leah gets honorable mention as well, from last to 2nd!! Now this is just this weeks results and below you will find the order for the whole competition to date!

1. Jessie up 1.41% from last week!!!!!
2. Leah 1.24%
3. Raenetta 1.18%
4. Heather .85%
5. Amanda .70%
6. Jenny .69%
7. Holly .14%
8. Dana -.34%
9. Betty -.47%
10. Lesa -.66%

For the competition so far, the winner as of yet:  HOLLY!!!!  Keep it up!!

1. Holly 2.08%
2. Jenny 1.86%
3. Dana 1.79%
4. Raenetta 1.67%
5. Betty 1.30%
6. Amanda .98%
7. Jessie .89%
8. Heather .85%
9. Lesa .67%
10. Leah .25%


Now, Leah pointed out that I had made a mistake with her percentage lost last week and she was very right!  I was allowing Excel to do my math for me and there was a mistake in there!  So this week I checked all of last weeks and this weeks results myself.  Let me tell you that was difficult for a Saturday morning!  But, please feel free to re-check my numbers and if you feel there is an error let me know!!!  I edited last weeks post to show the correction.  Leah's was the only number that I found was off.

Good luck on week 3!!

Yeah, I'm still here

Sorry it's kind of been a crazy week.  But, I'm still here, yes, I am!  Actually, 1 pound more of me is here.  Yikes! I better kick it into high gear today and tomorrow!  How are you all doing this week??  (Please leave me a comment! Look at me, begging you!!)

My gain is tradition's fault. (I surely can't blame myself here!)  Yesterday, I worked near Louisville, but only in the afternoon.  So, we took advantage of my company paying for the mileage and went to Huber Farms in the morning.  It was great.  Let me tell all of you Huber lovers out there a word of advice. NEVER go to Huber farms over the weekend again. It is so worth it to take a day off and head over there during a weekday.  I mean, besides a few field trips, there was no one there!  We had the whole patch practically to ourselves.  And, there were so many pumpkins!!  All varieties, all sizes, all colors.  Pumpkin heaven.  Anyway, be prepare to be inundated with pictures.  Here we go!

  

  Doesn't get any cuter than this, folks!  Wyatt's favorite thing to do, get on any and every truck or tractor!

Tried to get a picture of Wyatt with the pumpkins, this is what I got.  After the 4th one I decided he was trying to tell me somthing!! 

 Here's Katelyn with our choice pumpkins.  Look at that stemage!  And then notice all of the pumpkins in this patch!  So many to choose from!  Katelyn is apparently partial to the white one there...just like her momma!

Enough of that.  One can only handle so much cuteness on one page! :-) 

So, I've decided since Dana was the biggest loser last week she gets to be the next Meet Me Monday guest!  Send me some pictures and a few words, if you will! 

Still need some checks from some of you.  I haven't cashed any of them yet.  I was planning on cashing them when the winner is announced.  But, if you'd like me to cash one sooner, let me know. I know that I'm not fond of having a check out there in limbo when it comes time to balance the old check book.  So far, I have checks from Dana, Leah, Lesa, Heather, and Betty.  Honestly, I haven't even put my $14 in yet either.  So, we're half way there!  Let me know if you need my address again!

Don't forget to weigh in on Saturday!!  Good luck!

Meet Me Monday - Raenetta

Good morning!  It's time for another exciting installment of Meet Me Monday!!  This morning you'll be learning a little bit more about Raenetta.

I've known Raenetta all of my life, you know, since she is my Mom's, Brother's, Daughter.  Also known as, my cousin.  While we didn't grow up in the same town, I fondly remember playing many games of baseball, beauty salon, and pool at our Grandma's house during the holidays!

Here is what Raenetta has to say!

"Mamma and wife!! That about sums it up. LOL!! I  live in Cloverdale, IN with my handsome husband 

and 4 wondeful and unique children (David 9, Kaydence 6, Logan 3 and Marley 10 M).

Doing this to give myself a little bit of much needed attention to be more healthy and loose the baby weight that has well been around for about 6 years ;0). best wishes to everyone!! God bless each of you in your journey and together as women and with God by our sides each of us can accomplish anything."


Thank you Raenetta!  And lots of luck to you to get rid of that baby weight!  I know a thing, or two, about that!!  

And the week's winner is...

DANA!!  Good job, girl!  She lost 2.1% of her weight!  Rock steady!!  Keep it up with that boot camp and great food skillz!!

Let me tell you that I was a bit worried this week about my own weigh-in.  I started out great losing 3.5 lbs by Tuesday.  But, a Wednesday night trip to Red Lobster, a gift from my in-laws, did not go so well for me.  I passed up three of those buttery, garlic rolls.  And, then ordered fish and chips on top of that.  Hello, fried food.  I was good the rest of the week until the bloating started.  We're all girls here, so I'm just going to say Aunt Flo is-a knocking.  Also, I had a long week of driving for work this week-15 hours total.  That's a lot of butt time, girls.   It was a good thing I started out losing the 3.5 lbs because I gained one back and weighed in at 212 this morning at 3 am.  Yes, that's right.  I had to get up that early for work.  Yes, that's right, it's Saturday.  I'm not bitter.  You can tell, right?  Right.

Well, check out the results from week one below to see how everyone's doing.  We have a little bit of everything this week.  It's listed from this week's biggest loser:

Dana - 2.13%
Holly - 1.94%
Betty - 1.77%
Lesa - 1.33%
Jenny - 1.17%
Raenetta - 0.49%
Amanda - 0.28%
Heather - 0%
Jessie - -0.54%
Leah - -.99% (edited due to a mistake! Sorry, Leah!!!)

All righty.  There it is!

I also need to say Happy Belated Birthday to Jessie!  Sorry we missed it!  And, Leah's birthday is tomorrow!  Happy Birthday, Minnies!!!

Tune in for Meet Me Monday, Raenetta style!

My Fitness Pal

Tippity tap tap...is this mic on??  I'm glad to know that Dana and I are doing good so far!  Way to go, D!!How about everyone else?  I know, we all lead busy lives, don't we!?!  Just a few words though, would be nice to know how it's going! (and to know that you are reading along!)

Anyway, I promised a post on this awesome app/website.  You should really check it out.  I know some of you already use it.  In fact, Betty and Holly showed it to me!

Nothing drives me further away from a diet program than when I have to keep a food journal or counting my calories!  Let me tell you, this takes all of the pain away!  If you have a smart phone, (droid or iphone) you can get the app My Fitness Pal or you can check out their website here.  I haven't actually spent anytime on the website but I use my app ALL of the time!

First, you put in your height, weight, and your goal weight and it keeps it in a chart for your viewing pleasure.  It's so satisfying to watch that line go down, down, down!  Then it computes for you the amount of calories you should be intaking daily.  Then throughout the day you add what you've put down your trap.  They have a place for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.  They have almost any type of food and its nutritional information that you can think of.  I've never not been able to find what I ate on there, even restaraunts.  There is also a place to log your exercise which it then subtracts the calories burned from the calories consumed.  I mean rocket science people! 

One more cool thing you can do on the phone app is if you have a product wrapper you can scan the barcode and it enters it in for you!!  Ah, technology!

I'm sure it does a million other things but this is the part I use it for.  It's amazing!  Check it out!

Don't forget to email me Saturday with your first weigh-in!!

Checking In

Hey Minnies!

Just checking in with you!  How's the first week going?  Everyone staying on track??  Leave us a comment on here and tell us all how you're doing!

As for me, so far so good! No soda, plenty of water, reading The Word, and I cleaned my house for 2 hours on Sunday-that counts for exercise, right?!?!

Funny story, I was being so good yesterday and brought one of those bagged salad kits for lunch at work.  I was actually pretty excited about it because it was a Pear Gorgonzola kit.  Yum!  I checked the back, because that's what you do when you're on the "D" word, and it was 240 calories for the bag-SCORE!  So, I cut it open and...no kit.  Bummer!  It was just a bag of lettuce!  Where was the pear vinaigrette, the sliced pears, and candied almonds!!  What a disappointment.  Good thing I had a Fiber One bar in my arsenal!  Now, I understand how these things can happen.  I mean, imagine being the QC person in the Fresh Express warehouse, blink and you could miss the bag with no kit in it, too!  To right their name, I did call the company and they are sending me a coupon for a free bag! No harm, no foul.  Somebody please explain that to my stomach though!!

Hope you all enjoyed meeting me yesterday!  Next week, we will all be meeting Raenetta!  You're up girl!  I already have your info, but if you'd like to send me a few pictures I'd love to post them for you!  Shoot me an email.

Stay strong, ladies!!  Power to you!  And, all of those other encouraging words!

Meet Me Monday-Jenny

Well, sorry about not posting Sunday.  Time got away from me.  Can't promise that won't happen again! Anyway, before I get started on Meet Me Monday, I would like to point out that I added a 'Follow me by email button' over there on the right side.  So, now when I add a new post it will show up in your email if you opt for that.  And, I will write the post that I eluded to Saturday later on this week.  Now for your reading pleasure.  All about me follows.

This kind of reminds me of a 7th grade, first day of school English assignment.  You know, write a 2-page paper all about yourself.  Don't worry, this won't be 2 pages.  I loved writing those papers.  I mean, really, how hard is it to write all about yourself!?  What I didn't love was middle school-and if you're normal-you didn't either.  It's such an awkward stage in everyone's life.  I look at middle schoolers today and feel embarrassed for myself all over again knowing that I acted how they do.  Ok, moving on...

I am a mother of 2 beautiful children,

Wyatt -3

                                                                         Katelyn -1
I love how I chose pictures of them both looking sideways in different directions!  Totally on accident.  I am married, of course, for 6 years to a wonderful, caring husband who just asked if I wanted some of his Mt. Dew!  Sabatoger!! And, here we are...awwww!

I work full-time as a PET/CT technologist for Alliance Imaging, which is a mobile company.  Meaning, I work at a different hospital or clinic site everyday.  It definitely keeps me busy and driving a lot!  In my spare time, I enjoy baking, cooking, reading, knitting, crafting in general, and long walks on the beach-of course.  I'm looking forward to this competition and being able to get out all of my clothes I've been hoarding just knowing that some day soon I will fit in them again!