This is so cool!!!  *And a little bit scary*  A member of another team, Jen and I have a challenge going for our next weigh in... we both started at the same weight and weighed in last time with the same numbers, 244...  our goal for our little challenge is to get into the next 10 lb range... out of the 240's and into the 230's!  WOW  Not that many pounds... but when you have been challenged to do it, it kinda turns up the heat !  I've lost more than that in less time, but the last few weeks, I'm managing about 2 lbs a week... *if I'm "lucky"*  So... I'm going to blow you out of the water , lady... lol
 
The one who doesn't make it to the new range has to post a REALLY embarrassing photo of herself! So, come Monday... Please don't think you'll be seeing a new nasty  pic in my photo album...

~joi~

 Wow... Just reading comments and blogs people have posted about this have motivated ME!  How great is it knowing that such simple words really do make a HUGE impact... If for some reason you didn't get an invite *I've found several teams that I THOUGHT I sent to didn't*  Go ahead and check it out  at the link below!!

~joi~

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THIS WEIGHT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME Pledge

Hosted by: joi & brandon Date and time: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 11:30 PM View this event on Windows Live

I was getting a bit discouraged that this weight is coming off so slowly... but it is coming off!  I have to keep reminding myself the slower you lose, the more likely you are to not gain it back!  :D  Sooooo, we are running a pretty good average of about 2 lbs a week.  Right about what recommended weightloss is!  So... We are right on track... hahaha

I've been checking so many pages and everyone is doing so GREAT!  Don't get discouraged if you start slowing down... keep up the great work!  It is worth it!  Just think about how wonderful you will feel  and *look*!  I am so proud of everyone who is doing the Million Pound Match-up... Just committing to something like this for the world to see your progress is a big deal!

~joi~

I gave in and weighed myself yesterday.  I know I agreed to try the challenge, but the sweet seduction of the scale overcame my will power... haha.   I ended up gaining a pound... I think I need a constant reminder.  Call it a cop out, but I really feel so much better about myself seeing the change.  It seems to motivate me more and I can much more easily adjust the things that need to be changed. 

Is this strange thinking??  Does anyone else seem to have the same issues with NOT weighing yourself?  It wasn't just me, Brandon had the same thing happen to him as well.  Weird?

~joi~

Okay... this is a funny story and at the same time the whole thing kinda scared me.

I bought some low calorie snacks and one of them was rice cakes... my 4 year old, Kaidence, said she wanted one and my joking response was "no, sweetie... this is Mommy's medicine to make her butt smaller"  After begging and pleading *which she is VERY good at*, Brandon gave her one to split with her brother.  She came up to me after she finished her half and pulled her pants down and asked me "Mommy, is my butt smaller?"  After a few really good laughs from shock... I told her, "Hunnie, your but is *perfect*...you don't need to make it smaller"  

A few hours later she asked for another one, saying "I want a small butt, Mommy... I don't want a BIG BUTT!"  So I told her that Mommy was just joking about it being small butt medicine.  That she was perfect the way she was and if she kept eating healthy food she wouldn't have to worry about big-butt-itis.  

It kinda scared me though, because I get VERY upset when people make comments about either of my children "chubbing up".  My daughter is so far from chubby!!  My son is a big boy, but not FAT and there is a certain family member who always comments on "He is SUCH a BIG BOY" or call him "chunka" and I don't want my kids ending up with a weight complex from those comments.  It is really frustrating. 

So, when she said that it kinda bothered me that I might have just said something that could stick with her....   I want her to learn by example of how to eat healthy and exercise... not by being told "if you don't do this you'll be FAT"... you know?!?

Man, I am also doing the weighing once a week challenge and it is so annoying not seeing where I am at... lol  I can't wait until we weigh in on Monday... I get nothing but motivation from the scale... granted with only losing 1 lb last week it stunk... but having weighed myself through the week I knew it was coming.... I think it would have bothered me a lot more to find out a week later... lol  BUT I'm doing it!!!  I'm resisting the temptation, the sweet call of the scale.  hahahaha    

Anyone else having a hard time with the not weighing thing?!?! lol

~joi~

I have so much ENERGY now... it's such a nice change.  I don't know if it was just me, but I have really had the winter blahs.  I'm not sure if it is just the change in the foods I am eating, actually exercising, the high from losing weight or all of the above.  I already feel like a new person!  I'm invigorated! I don't feel like the person I see in the mirror anymore.  I feel like the one that everyone is going to start seeing in the new future.  The HEALTHY me!  

I'd like to THANK everyone for their words of encouragement, Rachel for "nudging" us to do this, and most of all Brandon for being the biggest *inspiration* with his total change, as well.  This is one of the greatest things I have ever done and I'm NOT going back!

~joi~

Oh man...  so, our BEFORE photos are up now... We finally took them today.  Boy oh boy... was that an experience seeing on them upload.  "Do I REALLY want the world to see me like this?" I mean, duh... I'm overweight... but I just felt so "naked" in those photos... no make-up, no sleeves over my arms, and right after we worked out (to make matters worse).  But... I can honestly say , it is the worst I have ever seen myself... well.. no... there are worse pictures floating around out there, but this is different.  It's kind of more of a reality than just publicly admitting my weight... it's *showing* my weight, my rolls, all those things that are usually disguised in other photos that I show people.

On the plus side... what better motivation than knowing just how bad you look?!?!  You really want to change that as quickly as you can!  SOOO... We will continue to update our photos... in the same manner over this journey.  I'm still not sure how often we will do this, whether it be a certain time frame  or every ____ pounds.  We'll figure it out.  Maybe we will just take photos on the day we take measurements... I don't know. 

Thanks for reading...  :)   

~joi~

I am so proud of Brandon!!  He is doing so great and it's awesome hearing him talk about calories and noticing where we both have been eating poorly in the past.  Turning down all those little things you don't really realize are LOADED with fat & calories...

We weighed in this morning...  I only lost *ONE* pound this week, but its a pound that is no longer there!  Every little bit counts!!!  Brandon lost another 2.6 pounds!   :)  We have both been working out and I know it's making a difference!  As far as marking progress we are still trying to decide if we should do measurements weekly or monthly... any thoughts?!?! 

Well, time to work out! :)  I've been checking many pages out there and everyone is doing  SO GREAT! Keep up the great work teams!!! 

~joi~

Brandon and I were both able to do the workout today... wee hoo! I was a little apprehensive about a few parts, thinking he wouldn't be able to do them and get pissy about it... I was wrong!  LOL  He has WAY better balance than I gave him credit for. *oops*  Although, getting the kids to stay out of the way so they weren't trampled underfoot was a whole new task to figure out.  They just wanted to work our, right along with us... Not the safest situation there folks.  An byt eh time we got to the cool down, when we were both in runner's stance, they kept crawling and weaving in and out from between our legs. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited they want to do this with us, but we may have to limit it to our floor exercises for a while.  at least until they understand which <---direction----> we are going or we don't have all this extra weight on us to quickly aid in the smothering of the wee ones, should we topple over... haha

So, with this I sign off... must get to work in the studio... many new designs waiting to be created! ;)

~joi~

so, I had a bit of a shocker when I did the Biggest Loser DVD.... owie!  I didn't realize just how out of shape I am.  I mean obviously I know I'm not in shape but wow... I felt it... a lot! My legs felt like rubber bands... or jell-o...  I guess since they have a similar consistency and jiggle that is only fitting.  *wink* But I'm sticking to this regime and i know its obviously working if i'm feeling it this much...lol 

It was the lunges and squats that got me.  I did the workout almost 8 hours ago and I can STILL feel it... so I am going to keep at it and I know results are coming around the corner.  Changing the way I eat has never been the hard part for me... it's easy to slip into the old ways with food... but healthy eating isn't as hard for me to accomplish as exercise.   So heres to the million lunges and million squats that are going to have my body in better shape than it's ever been! :D

~joi~

I am SOOOOO excited!  :)  Brandon is TOTALLY into this!  He actually let me program a profile into our scale for him! :D  We've had it for nearly a year and I've been asking him to do it since we got it!  YIPPEE!  He came home and told me everything he ate and all the stuff he DIDN'T eat that was offered to him.  He was so proud of himself... and of course, I was extremely proud of him!

We are starting the Biggest Loser workout tomorrow... 6 days a week.  It is a 6 week workout regime.  I've had the DVD for about 5 months and have yet to do it... lol  So, I'll do it today when the kids take a nap *if they take a nap* and then we start it together in the morning.

We both took our measurements this morning and it is REALLY odd to see where I am bigger than him and vice versa.... lol  My arms are bigger than his, yet his CHEST is bigger than mine!  Who would have thought!!!! lol  So weird!! 

Oh my... I'm just pumped about this!  I want to go out and run 5 miles... hahaha *yah, right*   Well, I do... I know I can't right now though.  That is my goal... to be able to RUN!  Really just get out there and feel the wind in my face, sweat dripping off of me RUN!!! 

He was curious about how many calories his lunch was, which I've NEVER heard him ask.  This is so invigorating for him to be excited by this... :)  He told me just before measurements "I'm committed to this! Just as much as you are."

This is truly a dream come true!  I've been able to lose SOME weight before but when it is just one person doing it, it makes it so much harder.  We have the companionship and the support that I think we both desperately need to do this once and for all! :)

~joi~