The "not-so-much" Biggest Losers

By special request from Minnehaha Mama, I am posting an email that I sent to all of my siblings and their spouses back in January. Let me give you a little background on what provoked this email. Sister J in December proposed that the family have a "Biggest Loser" contest. Each married couple would be a team and whichever couple lost the most percentage weight over their starting weight would win. After the end date (April 1), they said they would all go out to a Manny's steak dinner...losers pay. Me, not wanting to feel left out of this fun, family competition, volunteered to be the diet coach. I saw it my duty to live up to this role and offer encouragement to these "losers." Now that the contest is over, I can say that it was the most pathetic attempt at weight loss I have seen! Perhaps my coaching tips were not up to par. That given, I have included my revised list in red line.

Hey Losers,

Hmmmm...some challenges, huh? I think you all have to find a diet that is tailored to your needs and weight loss plan. Some of you may want something stricter than the others. My biggest challenge for you all is to start making some lifestyle changes.

For instance, the "no chips" rule should be happening all the time, not just for one week. Instead of thinking of this is a "diet" that ends on April 1st, think of it as a lifestyle change where you can get into some healthy habits that will stay with you long-term. There is no point in losing weight short-term if you are just going to go back to your regular eating habits in the spring, right? Try finding some healthy alternatives to chips and other bad foods. This is not to say you should never eat them, but I think you should really, really, try to cut them out of daily diet. I'll throw out some random thoughts that should always apply and hopefully at least some of these will appeal to all of you.

1. Throw out your crappy food. Just throw it out or give it to your kids or something. Don't even buy it, because it is just tempting you by being there. If your kids eat this stuff, keep a separate cabinet just for them. You need to stock up on lots and lots of food that is good for you that you can eat as alternatives. (Baby carrots, snap peas, cereal, cottage cheese, grapes, nuts, turkey, ham, yogurts, hard boiled eggs, prunes (tastes good, very nutritious...and they help "drain" you out) If you haven't already, get your kids involved...if they know what you should and shouldn't be eating, they'll help discipline you. Minnehaha Mama and Eric got their 4 year old son interested in cooking and...Whala! They didn't even WANT to eat his creations!

2. Drink lots of liquids. Water, milk, gatorade. This fills you up...thus you eat less. Drink a glass of something before and during every meal. Try the liquid diet...may I recommend Happy Hour at Figlio's? $2 beers and you drink right through dinner!

3. Sit-ups, push-ups, stretching and leg lifts are great exercises to dowhen watching tv. You can even do the girl push-ups on your knees...still agreat work-out. Butt squeezes are great when you're driving. Do them until your butt is sore. Seriously. Use hand weights when you walk on the treadmill. I still like butt squeezes...but try them while blogging now as we will probably get more in that way. Blogging butt squeezes!

4. Treat yourself. Nothing wrong with a little treat every once in awhile, but be smart about it. Try light ice-cream or frozen yogurt, but get in the habit of getting the low-fat kind. Edy's has great 1/2 the fat ice cream that tastes delectable. Scoop it up in a mug instead (you'll have less, but it still feels like a full portion). Ginger snaps are good too because they satisfy your sweet tooth and help with digestion. Or have sugar free hot chocolate with milk. Bailey's over ice, white russian...just a little nightcap. And if you have enough, you can pass out and won't get those midnight munchies!

5. Be creative with condiments. For example, I made tunafish with spicy mustard, pickles and olives the other day and ate it like a salad. It was yummy and filling. Bread does taste good without butter! Put mustard instead of mayo on your sandwiches. Put salsa on your salad instead of dressing. Try applesauce on an english muffin. Hey, I still have fun with this one...but might add sweet potato and Prego sauce to the list.

6. Be active in the little things you do. Take the dog for a walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator, run down the driveway to get the mail. Even if you find yourself with limited time for a work-out, 10 minutes of anything somewhat active is better than nothing. These little things make a difference! Who am I to talk? I live across the street from my office and still drive to work!
Multi-task...again, blogging butt squeezes.

7. Music. Sometimes I put my iPod on and listen to the Pointer Sister's "Jump" and I dance around my condo like Hugh Grant in Love Actually while I am cleaning. Upbeat music helps in anything you are doing...walking, dancing, sports, etc. Find some songs/music that work for you. Black Eyed Peas get me going...I actually ran all the way around Lake Calhoun yesterday because their songs pumped me up so much. I felt like Rocky. Other recommended tunes include: Mary J. Blige, Sara Groves

8. Hang out with a friend/relative who is active. Exercising is always more fun when you can do it with someone. Find a racketball buddy, join a volleyball league, or set up a time to walk with a friend every Wednesday. I know you are competing with each other, but maybe you can find activities you can do together. Remember, I am always available for walks, runs. Anyone want to take a Cardio Kickboxing class with me Mondays at 6pm in St.Louis Park? How about a Belly Dancing class on Wednesdays? Didn't I tell you about belly dancing? If anyone had taken me up on this offer, you would've been able to make fun of me while getting a great ab work-out!

I can keep going, but I think this is good for now. Hope this helps! I support you all and am available for personal consultations any time! Hey...why didn't anyone take me up on this?