Week Five Results

Another 20.9 lbs lost!

Cheryl McClellan-1.6
Linda Bayliss -1.4
Sandy Bayliss -0.4
Chelsey Best -1.6
Amy Walsh +0.6 FF
Andy Walsh -1.5
Jodi Beachy 0 FF
Jenn Vaske -0.6 FF
Angie Michel 0 FF
Camille Opp -0.8 FF
Erin Maxwell -1.8
Todd Maxwell -1.6
Tom Jackson -3.4
Lori Becker +0.4 FF
Katrina Brown +0.8 FF
Isaiah McGee -5
Devin Rowling -3

Low Calorie Cocktails

It's been a long week, and you're looking forward to happy hour. But a night on the town can do serious damage to your diet, especially if you order cocktails made with high-calorie mixers. Still, happy hour doesn't have to be a diet downer. With a little planning, you can avoid diet disaster, and there are some alcoholic drinks that are relatively low in calories.

It's all too easy to overdo it with alcohol calories. We all know desserts are fattening. But when it comes to alcoholic drinks, sometimes the calories don't register, even though a single chocolate martini has more calories than a McDonald's grilled chicken sandwich. In fact, 1 gram of alcohol has 7 calories, compared to only 4 calories for a gram of carbohydrates or protein.

And calories add up even more quickly for mixed drinks than for beer and wine. The standard 1.5 ounce serving of 80-proof alcohol has 96 calories even before you add any mixers. A 6-ounce serving of orange juice has 84 calories, but add a shot of alcohol to make it a screwdriver, and the calories more than double.

Calories aren't the only reason to take it easy on alcohol. Not only do cocktails boost calories, they also have a powerful impact on your inhibitions. Your resolve can be really strong when you are sober, but after a few drinks, you may find yourself mindlessly overeating the nuts, another slice of pizza, or whatever food is within striking distance. Drinking alcohol can also make you feel hungrier because alcohol can lower blood sugar.

The number of calories in mixed drinks depends on several things, including the amount and proof of the alcohol; the mixers; and the size of the drink. It's the mixers, syrups, and sodas that really get people into calorie trouble, because most drinks start with 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits that only have around 96 calories, but mixologists can easily turn that into a drink with hundreds of calories.

Whether you're drinking a beer or a cosmo, the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories. For example:
80-proof vodka (40% alcohol; the most common type) has 64 calories per 1oz
86-proof vodka (43% alcohol) has 70 calories/1 oz
90-proof vodka (45% alcohol) has 73 calories/1 oz
100-proof vodka (50% alcohol) has 82 calories/1 oz

When it comes to portion size, the average serving size of wine and alcoholic beverages is probably smaller than you think. Beer, on the other hand, is more standardized in bottles and beer glasses.

Most glasses of wine contain 125-150 calories, but that can double depending on the size of the glass size and how full it is. At cocktail or dinner parties, glasses are often refilled before empty, making it especially hard for dieters to track their alcohol and calorie consumption.

Beer can range from 64-198 calories per 12 ounces. Light beers are a better choice because they contain the same amount of alcohol as regular beers but fewer carbohydrates. And, low-carb beer is just another term for light beer.

Another diet destroyer is the rising popularity of super-caloric cocktails. Some are desserts in disguise, from chocolate martinis to hot buttered rum. Creative cocktails are all the rage, and bartenders are tempting patrons with mega-calorie cocktails like the Key lime pie martini. It's creamy, delicious -- and loaded with calories, from the cream to the graham-cracker crust rim.

The trend in cocktails is to sugar the rim, add chocolate syrup or any number of creative sweet touches that boost calories, and turn the cocktail into a dessert. If you must have one of these, trim your dinner calories and enjoy your cocktail afterward as a dessert. Better yet, order a small after-dinner liqueur, like Amaretto, over ice and sip it slowly.

And then there are the super-sized drinks. Some chain restaurants serve jumbo drinks, like margaritas with double shots and extra mixers, that could add up to 1,000 calories or more in one mug. A single giant glass of TGI Friday's frozen mudslide, for example, contains 1,100 calories.

5 Tips to Curb Alcohol Calories
So how do you keep those calories in alcoholic drinks from adding up so quickly?

1. Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to save calories. The savvy dieter finishes one cocktail, glass of wine or beer, then has a "mocktail" -- a nonalcoholic, preferably zero-calorie beverage (like sparkling water with a lime) that looks like the real thing. This strategy not only reduces the risk of over-consuming calories and alcohol, but it also helps you stay hydrated so your head will thank you in the morning!

It is a good idea to start the evening with a tall glass of water or sparkling water to satisfy your thirst so you won't use the alcoholic beverage to do it for you.

2. Choose wine, light beer, or simple cocktails made with low-calorie mixers. Just as you might order your salad with dressing on the side, don't be shy about asking for your cocktail your way. You can save 100 calories if you have a diet soda as your mixer.

Mix cocktails with water, club soda, low calorie juices, artificial sweeteners or sugar-free syrups for easy calorie savings. Fruit and vegetable juices can be good choices because they are lower in calories than some other mixers and also contain disease-preventing antioxidants. Still, be careful of fruit juices because even though they are more nutritious, the calories can add up quickly.

Some mixers that won't pack on the pounds include:
Diet soda or diet tonic: 0 calories
Orange juice (6 oz): 84 calories
Cranberry juice cocktail (8 oz): 136 calories
Light orange juice (8 oz): 50 calories
Light cranberry juice (8 oz): 40 calories
Light lemonade (8 oz): 5 calories
Coffee, tea: 0 calories
Baja Bob's sugar-free margarita or sweet 'n' sour mix: 0 calories
Lemon or lime juice (1/2 oz): 10 calories
DaVinci or Torani's sugar-free syrups: 0

3. Skip the mixer altogether. Try ordering your favorite spirit or one of the new flavored liquors on the rocks. Infused vodkas are very popular because they are not sweetened but infused with flavors, from jalapeno to peach, without adding any extra calories.

4. Dilute your drink. Another option is diluting your drink with club soda or sparkling water. Wine spritzers are a low-calorie standby. And if you usually drink vodka and cranberry, for example, try it with club soda, just a splash of cranberry juice, and a squeeze of lime. Garnish with a wedge of citrus or pineapple to add flavor and few calories.

5. Have a game plan. Before heading out to the cocktail party or happy hour, make sure you have a game plan. Decide in advance the number of cocktails you are going to drink and cut back on calories during the day in anticipation. But eat a light snack before you go so you won't get tipsy with the first drink and it will be less tempted to dive into the food. Always be aware of your own personal limits. Don't drink too much, and, of course, don't drink and drive.

How Many Calories in Popular Cocktails?
These calorie counts for popular alcoholic drinks are approximate, based on popular recipes, but may vary depending on ingredients and portions.
Pina Colada (6 oz): 378 calories
Mojito (8 oz): 214 calories
Cosmopolitan (4 oz): 200 calories
Chocolate martini: (2 oz each vodka, chocolate liqueur, cream, 1/2 oz creme de cacao, chocolate syrup): 438
Margarita (8 oz): 280
Skinnygirl margarita (4 oz): 100
Green apple martini (1 oz each vodka, sour apple, apple juice): 148
Martini (2.5 oz): 160
Port wine (3 oz):128
Bloody Mary (5 oz): 118
Red wine (5 oz):120
White wine (5 oz): 120
Alcohol-free wine (5 oz): 20-30
Beer (12 oz): 150-198
Light beer (12 oz): 95-136
Ultra-light beer (12 oz): 64-95
Champagne (5oz): 106-120
Coffee liqueur (3 ounces): 348
Godiva chocolate liqueur (3 oz): 310
Wine spritzer (5 oz): 100
Eggnog with rum (8 ounces): 370
Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps (8 oz): 380
Hot buttered rum (8 oz): 292
Spiced cider with rum ( 8 oz):150
Mulled wine (5 oz): 200
Vodka and tonic (8 oz): 200
Screwdriver (8 oz): 190
Mimosa (4 oz): 75
Gin and tonic (7 oz): 200
Long Island iced tea (8 oz): 780
White Russian (2 oz vodka, 1.5 oz coffee liqueur, 1.5 oz cream): 425
Mai Tai (6 oz) (1.5 oz rum, 1/2 oz cream de along, 1/2 oz triple sec, sour mix, pineapple juice): 350
Rum and Coke (8 oz): 185
Rum and Diet Coke (8 oz): 100
Mike's Hard Lemonade (11 oz): 98

Surprising reasons you are gaining weight.

If you started taking in more calories than usual or cutting back on exercise, you wouldn't be surprised if the numbers on the scale crept higher. But what if you're doing everything the same as you always do and your weight still goes up? It's time to delve a little deeper into what else might be going on.

Lack of Sleep
There are two issues at work with sleep and weight gain. The first is intuitive: If you're up late, the odds are greater that you're doing some late-night snacking, which will increase your calorie intake. The other reason involves what's going on biochemically when you're sleep deprived. Changes in hormone levels increase hunger and appetite and also make you feel not as full after eating.

Stress
When life's demands get too intense, our bodies go into survival mode: Cortisol, the "stress hormone," is secreted, which causes an increase in appetite. And then of course, we may reach for high-calorie comfort foods in times of stress as well.

Antidepressants
An unfortunate side effect from some antidepressants is weight gain, which may occur in up to 25% of people taking them long-term. Talk to your doctor about switching to another drug if you think your antidepressant is causing weight gain. But realize that some people experience weight gain after beginning drug treatment simply because they're feeling better, which leads to a better appetite. Also, depression itself can cause changes in weight.

Steroids
Anti-inflammatory steroid medications like prednisone are notorious for causing weight gain. Fluid retention and increased appetite are the main reasons. Although weight gain is common, the severity of this side effect depends on the strength of the dose and length of time on the drug. Some people may also see a redistribution of fat while taking the drug -- to places like the face, back of the neck, or the abdomen.

Drugs That May Cause Weight Gain
Several other prescription drugs have been associated with weight gain. The list includes antipsychotic drugs (used to treat mood disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorders), along with medications to treat migraines, seizures, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Work with your doctor to find a medication that treats your symptoms without disrupting side effects.

Don't Jump to Blame the Pill
Contrary to popular belief, there is lack of evidence that combination birth control pills (estrogen and progestin) cause lasting weight gain. It is thought that some women taking the combination pill may experience some weight gain related to fluid retention, but this is usually short-term.

Hypothyroidism
If your thyroid (the butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck) is not making enough thyroid hormone, you're probably feeling tired, weak, cold, and gaining weight. Without enough thyroid hormone, the metabolism slows, making weight gain more likely. Even a thyroid functioning at the lower end of the normal range might cause weight gain. Treating hypothyroidism with medication may reverse some of the weight gain.

Don't Blame Menopause
Don't blame menopause and the loss of estrogen for your midlife weight gain. These may occur around the same time, during your 40s or 50s, but changing hormone levels probably aren't the cause. Aging slows the metabolism, so you burn fewer calories, and changes in lifestyle (such as exercising less) play a role. But where you gain weight may be related to menopause, with fat accumulating around your waist, not your hips and thighs.

Cushing's Syndrome
Weight gain is a common symptom of Cushing's syndrome, a condition in which you are exposed to too much of the hormone cortisol, which in turn causes weight gain and other abnormalities. Cushing's syndrome can occur if you take steroids for asthma, arthritis, or lupus. It can also occur when your adrenal glands produce too much of the hormone, or be related to a tumor. The weight gain may be most prominent around the face, neck or upper back, or waist.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS is a common hormonal problem in women of childbearing age. Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries. The condition leads to hormone imbalances that affect a woman's menstrual cycle and can lead to excessive body hair and acne. Women with this condition are resistant to insulin, which may cause weight gain. The weight tends to collect around the abdomen, putting women at greater risk for heart disease.

Quitting Smoking
On average, people who stop smoking gain less than 10 pounds. Why? Because without nicotine you may:
...Feel hungrier and eat more (this feeling should go away after several weeks)
...Experience a decrease in your metabolism, without reducing your calorie intake
...Find food tastes better, which may lead to overeating
...Eat more high-fat, high-sugar snacks and drink more alcohol

If You Do Gain Weight ...
Rule 1:
Don't stop taking any medications without first consulting your doctor. Recognize the importance of the drug you're taking. It may be critical to your health.

Rule 2:
Don't compare yourself to other people taking the same drug. Not all people experience the same side effects on the same drug. Even if one drug caused someone else to lose weight, the same might not be true for you. Consult your doctor.

Rule 3:
Don't freak out if the weight gain is just from water retention, which is not permanent weight or fat. Once you've finished taking the drug or gotten the medical condition under control, the puffiness from fluid retention may subside. Stick to a lower-sodium diet in the meantime.

Rule 4:
Check with your doctor about another drug you can take. In most cases, your doctor can switch you to another medication that might not have the same side effects.

Rule 5:
Learn if the weight gain is from a decrease in metabolism -- from either a medical condition or medication. And if so, take the time to participate in metabolism-raising activities. Get moving!

Strength Training, Part Duex

Burn, Baby, Burn!
Research has shown that those who followed a strength training program for two months burned, on average, about 200 calories more per workout than those whose exercise regimen did not include strength training. The benefits of strength training even continue when you're at rest. Your metabolism stays raised for some time after you workout, even if you are inactive.

More Reasons to Pump it Up
Building muscle brings plenty of additional benefits, including:
...increasing endurance and flexibility
...protecting, and possibly reducing pain in, joints
...increasing bone mass (which helps prevent fractures and degeneration from osteoporosis)
...increasing your energy level

Getting Started
Doing exercises like sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups are components of strength training, so they're a good place to start if you don't currently do any form of strength training. You can also do your own modified version of weight lifting with household items if you can't afford a set of dumb bells right now: Hold a can of soup in each hand and do some chest-flies and curls. Move up to heavier items a little bit at a time at a time. Try filling up a small milk or water bottle with some sand or kitty litter and then increase the amount in time.

The Next Level
When you feel it's time to kick it up a notch, head over the your neighborhood's second-hand fitness equipment store where you're sure to find resistance bands and light-weight dumb bells (you may find you prefer bands to dumb bells so you don't have to purchase both). Some resistance band sets even come with videos that provide step-by-step instructions on using them.

Movin' on Up!
Ready to go big time? Make an appointment at the gym or the Y for a tour and strength training consultation with a personal trainer. Be sure a trainer takes the time to show you how to use each machine. You also need to know what weight level to start out at. You don't want to ruin any progress you've made by lifting too much, too soon, or by using the machine incorrectly or unsafely, which can lead to an injury.

How Much is Enough?
Just a couple days per week could do the trick: A 2001 study at the University of Arkansas showed that research subjects who strength trained two days per week reaped the same benefits as those who pumped iron three days a week. The twice-a-week study subjects did the same exercises as the other group, but they did the exercises for an extra five minutes. At the study's close, both groups has comparable increases in strength and flexibility, as well as similar amounts of body fat reduced and weight lost. It is recommended that you skip a day between strength training sessions to give your muscles a rest.

The Bottom Line
Ready to get started? Follow your cardio workout with some strength training every other day and you should see visible results in a matter of weeks! Don't panic if the scale shows a little bit of a gain when you weigh in; since muscle weighs more than fat, the number may go up, but you'll get proof it's working: Your clothes will fit more loosely because of the overall toning strength training provides.

P.S. There is a myth that using weights can cause women to bulk up, but the fact is, using light or medium weights will not have this effect. So, if visions of a burly body builder pop into your head when you think of strength training, it's time to change your mind, because getting stronger will help you get slim quicker than aerobic exercise alone.

Strength Training to Lose Weight

Tired of sweating all over every piece of cardio equipment at the gym and still getting zero love from the scale? You need more iron. Not in your diet — in your hands. What you don't know: When you skip the weight room, you lose out on the ultimate flab melter. Two sessions a week can reduce overall body fat by about 3 percentage points in just 10 weeks, even if you don't cut a single calorie. That translates to as much as three inches total off your waist and hips. Even better, all that new muscle pays off in a long-term boost to your metabolism, which helps keep your body lean and sculpted. Suddenly, dumbbells sound like a smart idea. Need more convincing?

Torch Calories 24/7
Though cardio burns more calories than strength training during those 30 sweaty minutes, pumping iron slashes more overall. Those who complete an hour-long strength-training workout burn an average of 100 more calories in the 24 hours afterward than if you hadn't lifted weights. At three sessions a week, that's 15,600 calories a year, or about four and a half pounds of fat—without having to move a muscle.

What's more, increasing that afterburn is as easy as upping the weight on your bar. In a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, people burned nearly twice as many calories in the two hours after their workout when they lifted 85 percent of their max load for eight reps than when they did more reps (15) at a lower weight (45 percent of their max).

There's a longer-term benefit to all that lifting, too: Muscle accounts for about a third of the average person's weight, so it has a profound effect on your metabolism. Specifically, that effect is to burn extra calories, because muscle, unlike fat, is metabolically active. In English: Muscle chews up calories even when you're not in the gym. Replace 10 pounds of fat with 10 pounds of lean muscle and you'll burn an additional 25 to 50 calories a day without even trying.

Target Your Trouble Spots
As great as it might be to see the numbers on the scale go down, when you're on a strict cardio-only program your victory is likely to be empty. A recent study compared dieters who lifted three times a week with those who did aerobic exercise for the same amount of time. Both groups ate the same number of calories, and both lost the same amount—26 pounds—but the lifters lost pure chub, while about 8 percent of the aerobicizers' drop came from valuable muscle. Researchers have also found that lifting weights is better than cardio at whittling intra-abdominal fat — the Buddha- the kind that's associated with diseases from diabetes to cancer.

Just don't rely exclusively on the scale to track your progress in the battle of the bulge. Because muscle is denser than fat, it squeezes the same amount of weight into less space. Often scales won't drop as fast, but you'll fit into smaller jeans.

Start Pumping
Begin with three weight-training sessions each week. For the greatest calorie burn, aim for total-body workouts that target your arms, abs, legs, and back, and go for moves that will zap several different muscle groups at a time—for example, squats, which call on muscles in both the front and back of your legs, as opposed to leg extensions, which isolate the quads.

For each exercise you do, try to perform three sets of 10 to 12 reps with a weight heavy enough that by your last rep you can't eke out another one without compromising your form. To spark further muscle building, alternate moderate-intensity workouts of 8 to 10 reps with lighter-weight 12- to 15-rep sets and super-hard 3- to 5-rep sets.

And remember to fuel your workout properly. Too many dieters make the fatal error of cutting back on crucial muscle-maintaining protein when they want to slash their overall calorie intake. The counterproductive result: They lose muscle along with any fat that might have melted away. Recommending that you eat one gram of protein for every pound of your body weight that does not come from fat. For instance, a 140-pound woman whose body fat is 25 percent would need 105 grams of high-quality protein. That's roughly four servings a day; the best sources are chicken or other lean meats, soy products, and eggs.

Ready to turn yourself into a lean, mean, calorie-torching machine? Then go get pumped!

Out of shape? Get back on the saddle!

I’ll bet that each and every one of you has at some point thought, “Man, I am so out of shape. I’ll never be able to bounce back.”

Perhaps you’ve never been in great shape and now you’re considering any efforts toward that goal mission impossible. Or you could have been in terrific shape at some point and then boom — life happens and you feel like you’ve taken 20 steps backwards.

Either way, you’re looking to change things up and dream of hopping into that ship-shape saddle and trotting off into a world of looking and feeling great.

Folks, this is all about regrouping. I’m here to tell you we have some wonderful mentors from whom we can learn lots about turning it around in our lives when all hell breaks loose.

Adapt and Adjust to Life’s Twists and Turns.
Charles Darwin’s statement "it isn’t the strong or smart who survive, but instead, it is those who can adapt to life’s stresses who live." At the very core of survival is your ability to adapt and adjust to whatever tries to smack you down. Whether you were once athletic and then let it go, or you’ve never been in terrific shape, look at your life and figure out mini-strategies to adapt and adjust. Low on funds? Walk outdoors instead of on a health club treadmill. It’s never easy, but it’s always possible. Every day, hone your adapt and adjust skills. They’ll save your life.

Whatever happens in life doesn’t define you.
Whether it’s a medical condition, a physical disability, financial stresses, work, or personal challenges, don’t let the speed bump consume you. Stand up and take a long deep breath and say, “Nothing will ever touch my heart and soul, my inner core.”

Then make a plan and strategy to navigate your stress every inch of the way while also caring for yourself. Stop plowing through piles of pizzas when you’re feeling hopeless, and pick yourself up right now and take control of your life and your destiny.

Don’t just survive. Thrive. Live, laugh, love.
Those are the words by cancer survivor, Michelle Conley. She wanted to show herself that by laughing and loving, she could live life large. She’s a thriver, and she teaches all of us that the goal is not to eke out a joyless, unfulfilled existence, but instead to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and slug it out to reach your goal.

Keep Your Eyes on the Goal.
People, spend most of their time regretting their past actions and dwelling on their current state of overweight and lack of fitness, wallowing in hopelessness, helplessness, and defeat. We shall have none of that!

Sit down and create a blueprint for how you want to take the small steps toward getting in shape. You know my rant and rave. Look at every aspect of how, where, and with whom you live and work and begin to make changes that will allow you to get healthy.

Know your goal and keep yourself focused on the achievement. Use goals like: de-clutter the house, throw out junk food while cleaning the fridge, sign up for the walk/run for charity and begin to train, volunteer to help others at a nonprofit, reorganize your desk.

Notice that each of these objectives requires you to get up, stay vertical, and move around. What a win-win. You’ll have a clean space to get allow you to pursue your healthy living goal. And you’ll be cooking calories along the way. Then click onto the WebMD Food and Fitness Planner and let’s realize your healthy body goal.

Come on. Stand up tall and take command of your life right now. Choose to live. Get off the couch and hop right into that ship-shape saddle and ride away laughing, loving, and living.

Week Four Results!!

Well this week, not so fantastic for a lot of us, but keep an open mind to starting new again this week! Honestly, it is anyone's game at this point...those that have been losing may begin to even out and those who have started slow may gain momentum. Keep it coming, this pool is going to be a big one!! We are only four weeks in and already at $200!!
Even if you are not playing to win and just want the accountability, this is the time to make it happen...get your but moving baby and cut those calories!!

Total Pounds Lost = 12.2!! Pool Total = $200

Cheryl McClellan -0.4 - FF
Linda Bayliss -1.2
Sandy Bayliss - -0.4 - FF
Chelsey Best +1.8 - FF
Amy Walsh -0.8 - FF
Andy Walsh -.5 - FF
Jodi Beachy -0 - FF
Jenn Vaske - No Weigh In - FF
Angie Michel -1.2
Camille Opp -1.6
Erin Maxwell -1.8
Todd Maxwell -1.4
Tom Jackson -2.4
Lori Becker -0.6 - FF
Katrina Brown -1.4
Isiah McGee - No Weigh In - FF
Devin Rowling -1.3