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blech

It has been so long since I sat down and wrote a blog for this Space. As you may have already read, Nicole and I haven't exactly been the most model weight watchers. I have let my old habits slowly creep back into my life. Overall, I feel that I've done pretty well...every other time I have tried to diet, I have lasted maybe a day or two and then given up and gone right back to what I'm used to. At least when I have struggled and failed with these life changes, I have picked myself up and gotten back on the program. I am really going to try to keep going with the program and start to make these changes permanent. Nicole mentioned in a previous blog that I am emotionally attached to food. That has been the hardest part of this for me. I honestly get really depressed when I can't eat what I want or satisfy my cravings, to the point that I would rather not eat than eat something I don't want. Most days, I feel like I am just pushing food through my body to get the calories. I don't enjoy food anymore. I suppose that is a good thing, but it is really difficult to give up something that has brought you a lot of happiness, enjoyment, and comfort for most of your life. Food addiction is very hard to deal with - if I was addicted to drugs or alcohol, I could detox, go to rehab and conceivably be cured of my addiction. We can't live without food. I have to deal with my addiction every moment of every day - if I am not trying to decide what to eat, I am constantly thinking about the foods that I want that I can't have. Food is always at the forefront of my brain and I can't stop it. I don't know how to deal with my feelings and Nicole doesn't understand how I feel. She can appreciate what I'm going through, but she hasn't ever experienced the true addiction that I suffer from. I am very depressed and my school stress compounded by my food stress only makes it worse. I am really trying, but I am really failing, too. All I can do is keep picking myself up when I fall because I am imperfect and I will fall from time to time. Tomorrow's weigh in should be interesting. Nicole and I are crossing our fingers that we haven't undone our good work from last week. Amanda

THUD...

That's the sound of Amanda and me falling off the wagon. And what a fall it was. We each ate somewhere around 3-5 times our targeted caloric intake...as Amanda put it, we OBLITERATED our diet. My lazy, gluttonous self took over my new healthy, rational self. Last night we shared an extra large Brooklyn style pepperoni pizza, an order of cheesy bread and a pint of cinnamon dulce de leche ice cream. I am pretty embarrassed about it and it certainly didn't leave me feeling fulfilled. Not only emotionally have I felt like trash about it, but physically I have felt LOUSY. Intestinal cramps followed by a wave of nausea rudely woke me up in the middle of the night. I have felt sluggish, feverish, and sick to my stomach all day. I can't believe this is how we fueled our bodies every day before. We made ourselves calculate the total this morning and the most sobering thing was that with the rest of the day being healthy we still ate 3-5 times our needed calories. Amanda pointed out to me that with two other fatty meals plus soda we were easily consuming more than 10,000 calories on an average day of eating the way we did before. That was devastating to me. How could I ever let things get that far? Don't I value this life more than food? I find my former self disgusting, embarrassing, and revolting. I promised Amanda and myself that I wouldn't wallow in disappointment and self pity, so I am picking myself up and strapping myself firmly to the wagon. My life can and will change. I can do this!

Week 1 Weight loss results

Amanda
Previous weight: 278
Current weight: 273
Total loss: 5 lbs
Percentage lost: about 1.8%
 
Nicole
Previous weight: 222
Current weight: 216
Total loss: 6 lbs
Percentage lost: about 2.7%
 
Total loss for team: 11 lbs
Total percentage lost: 2.2%
 
A solid start to our journey! We are very happy and proud to be doing this.

Blog from 01/11 that wouldn't post

Okay, so school started back (I'm a grad student) and in the process of getting back in the swing of school, I got behind on my food logs.  I am going to put them on here all together and hopefully get my time scheduled better so that I can do this everyday.  Speaking of time scheduling, it is amazing how much time it takes to eat healthy compared to eating trash before. My day used to go something like this: Wake up around 8:00 and either skip breafast or go get some fast food breakfast, go to school and eat out forlunch or skip lunch all together, grab some fast food for dinner or come home sit on the couch watching TV and call and order a pizza, a 2 liter, and some cheese sticks...consume half of all three share the rest with Amanda.  Physically, I felt like trash most the time and it was obviously horribly unhealthy, but it was fast.  Everyone at the food places waited on me and fixed me food while I sat on my fat, lazy butt.  Today is Day 7 of the challenge for us and my life is dramatically different.  Now a typical day looks something like this: wake up around 6:30 and fix breakfast for Amanda and me (which takes until about 7-ish), eat said breakfast and then get ready while Amanda fixes our lunches and snacks, walk or drive to school (depending on the weather), be at school and take the stairs instead of the elevator, at noon eat lunch that amanda made, back to school work, eat snacks around 4 or 4:30, go back home and make dinner (usually with Amanda's help).  By this time I might get an hour of veg-time or it might be time for bed.  I'm assuming that it will get faster as we get used to everything, but for now it's really hard!  I feel much better physically (except that I am tired since I'm waking up so early).  The hardest part for me has been giving up caffeine because I was addicted to it since I've been drinking several sodas a day since I was young.  I had headaches for DAYS, but I have been caffeine and soda free since January 1!!!  I don't tend to be an emotional eater so I haven't had that struggle.  My problem is that I have a whole mouth full of sweet teeth and I'm lazy and will eat whatever someone else is eating or will eat whatever is convenient, which is usually garbage for your body.  I've actually really enjoyed the food we've been eating.  The hard part for me has been doing so much cooking and dishes.  Also it's been hard because Amanda does have an emotional attachment to food, and it's hard to watch your best friend feel empty and hurt and not want to make it better.  I know that if I caved it wouldn't really make her feel better and that I would just be enabling.  She really has had some struggles and I, who tend to be a follower and the lazy one of the pair of us, have had to try to step it up and help her to make food choices.  I hope that I am being supportive and helpful, but I really don't knwo what to say or how to help her break her addiction to food.  All I can do is try to make sure that breakfast and dinner are healthy and filling and try to make eating healthy seem fillinf and satistying sometimes too.  I know that we can do this...I just hope that I can be motivating and kind enough.

Nicole's food diary from day 2

Yesterday was day 2 and though it was easier than day 1, it wasn't easy.  It's hard to cook a lot when you aren't used to cooking at all...so much cooking, so many dishes!  I made it though and I hope at the end of the week it pays off :).
 
Friday, January 4th - Day One
 
Breakfast:
1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
Simple Harvest Multigrain Cereal made with 1/2 c. 1% milk
1 mini banana
2 oz. orange juice
 
 
Lunch:
Subway 6" Turkey on wheat with veggies (no sauce), apples, and water (Fresh Fit Meal!)
1 c. Fat Free No Sugar Added Strawberry FroYo (frozen yogurt :))
 
 
Dinner:
4 oz. Chicken Breast cooked in 1/2 T olive oil with onion and garlic
1/2 cup steamed corn (no sauce)
1 No Sugar Added Fudgesicle
 
Snack:
1 small banana with a T of peanut butter
low sodium V8
1 package of grapes
 
TOTAL: 1526 calories
 
fruits/vegetables: 8 servings (4 fruits/4 vegetables)
proteins: 3 servings
whole grains: 2 servings
extras: 195 cals (200 allowed)
water: 68 oz. (8 and 1/2 glasses!)

Food Diary from day one

This is MY first blog :). Amanda has done most of the work on the space so far so this is my first addition to any of it.  Today was my day two of the Match-up and it hasn't been easy, but I feel really good about it.  I am used to eating a lot...on Wednesday Jan 2, Amanda and I shared a small tray of Chik-fil-a nuggets, and on Thursday we shared a whole pecan pie, but yesterday we began to share something much different: a chance to change our lives.  I discovered quickly that eating less calories (1540) does not equal eating like a bird. Yesterday I felt like all I did was eat all day which was surprisingly very frustrating.  Today has been a bit better though. Looking up calories and getting my calories to match the Biggest Loser pyramid has been a bit of a challenge, but so far it has been met with success.  To this point I've only changed my diet, but starting tomorrow I am going to exercise...until then I wish you all good health!
 
Nicole
 
Friday, January 4th - Day One
 
Breakfast:
1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
2 strips turkey bacon
1 mini banana
2 oz. orange juice
 
Snack:
1 package baby carrots
4 oz. low-fat cottage cheeze
whole wheat tortilla with 1 T. peanut butter and 1 T. all fruit spread
 
Lunch:
whole wheat tortilla with 2 oz. reduced fat cheese, 2 oz. chicken and 1 T. taco sauce
1 c. romaine lettuce with 1/2 c. grape tomatoes and 1 scant T. light sesame ginger dressing
 
 
Dinner:
3 oz. salmon with 1/2 c. brussels sprouts and 1/2 c. baby lima beans, no sauces
 
Snack:
4 oz. low-fat cottage chesse
low sodium V8
1 package of grapes
1 navel orange
1 No Sugar Added Fudgesicle
 
TOTAL: 1539 calories
 
fruits/vegetables: 7 servings (3 fruits/4 vegetables)
proteins: 3 servings
whole grains: 2 servings
extras: 200 cals (200 allowed)
water: 8 8oz. glasses
 
 

food logging

Hello world - This is my first individual blog. I am struggling with this program and it's only my 2nd day! Sheesh...I have deep emotional issues with food and not being able to hang out with my 'friends' yesterday was hard. I broke down a couple of times, which is sad and embarrassing. Nicole and I weighed in last night, but I wasn't all that surprised about my weight: 278 lbs.
My highest weight was in August 2006 when I checked in at 289 lbs. A few days after getting that shock, my doctor diagnosed me with hypothyroidism and insulin resistance. At first, I was pretty faithful with my medications and diabetic diet. (I skipped a few days here and there, but I got myself back on track.) But after a few months and a weight loss of about 15 lbs, I gave up. I had a sleep study and found out I have sleep apnea. I had an allergy test and found out I have a host of allergies, including an allergy to Candida, a yeast that grows in the body. I now get allergy shots every week and am supposed to follow a strict diet that minimizes the amount of yeast that grows in my body. I tried that diet for about a week and have never really gone back.
My typical diet consists of fast food breakfasts (or no breakfast at all), fast food lunches and fast food dinners, usually delivered pizza. Nicole and I sometimes go out and eat extravagant meals that we shouldn't eat and can't afford. It is very different for us to make all of our meals at home and stay within a calorie budget. We have both done that before, but not lately.
Nicole and I have decided to blog about our daily food logs to keep us accountable. I finally reached my calorie total for the day (1946), but it was laborious. I felt like I was eating all day, but not in a good way...I struggled to find things to eat and fill up the 4-3-2-1 pyramid from The Biggest Loser Cookbook eating plan. I plan on continuing to blog daily, but we'll have to see how things go when school starts back next week.
 
Happy eating,
Amanda
 
Friday, January 4th - Day One
 
Breakfast:
1 whole egg and 2 egg whites
4 strips turkey bacon
2 oz. reduced-fat cheese
1 package Grape Bites (cool packs with pre-washed red grapes!)
 
Snack:
1 package baby carrots
6 oz. fat free blueberry yogurt
whole wheat tortilla with 1 T. peanut butter and 1 T. all fruit spread
 
Lunch:
whole wheat tortilla with 2 oz. cheese, 2 oz. chicken and 1 T. picante sauce
1 c. lettuce with 1/2 c. grape tomatoes and 1 T. light sesame ginger dressing
 
Snack:
1 oz. turkey
3/4 oz. light cheese wedge
 
Dinner:
3 oz. salmon with 1/2 c. brussels sprouts and 1/2 c. corn, no sauces
 
Evening Catch-up Snacks:
1 c. Multi-Grain Cheerios with 1/2 c. skim milk
2 baby bananas
1 oz. reduced-fat cheese
1 sugar-free fudgesicle
 
TOTAL: 1945 (one short!)
 
fruits/vegetables: 7 servings
proteins: 3 1/2 servings
whole grains: 3 servings
extras: 198 cals (200 allowed)
water: 8 10 oz. glasses
 

breaking the ice

Hello, world! We are Amanda and Nicole, roommates and best friends, from Nashville, TN, and we are making this Windows Live Space for The Biggest Loser Couples Million Pound Match-Up. We are supposed to include a statement about why we are entering the competition and why we think we should win, so we decided to blog!

We are entering this competition to push ourselves to lose weight. Amanda has been overweight since childhood and has struggled to live healthfully. Nicole has always been chubby but in the past five years has gained at least 75 pounds. Over the years, we have tried various church weight loss programs, at-home programs and countless plans and books and have failed them all. We want to start and finish this; it has the potential to save our lives. We both suffer from several weight-related illnesses: hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, insulin resistance and hormone imbalance for Amanda, PCOS, joint problems and a disease called pseudotumor cerebri for Nicole. We both need to lose weight for our health.

We believe we will win no matter the outcome of this competition. If we can lose weight, change our lifestyles and build our self esteem, we will have won more than any contest can give us. Don't get us wrong, though, we're in it to win! We will be the best motivators and will hold each other accountable. We will also work together to make our Space the best one out there. We may be low-tech, but we are definitely creative!

 

Here's to good health!

Amanda & Nicole