Week Three: Now We're Really Rolling

I have been impressed with the dedication of my family. We are still learning, but we are trying really hard. Even the folks who were a little slow at the start have stepped up their games. My husband has even forgone his ritual of post-dinner Ben and Jerry's . I did have a rather comical conversation with a sister, who shall not be named, about alcohol consumption and weight gain. I told you we liked our wine. Some weeks we even like a glass or two everyday. 

Cady, Gabby, Scrawny-Vegan Evan and I have settled into a nice gym routine. I imagine if you are a fellow gym goer you can only assume that we are insane. Here is some visual evidence as to why.

Yes, those are the headphones I wear to the gym. There is no shame in my game. I am a fan of the skull candy uprocks. When all of you discreet ear bud wearing gym rats are suffering from tinnitus you won't think my headphones are so silly. I will have my audible senses in tact thank you very much. 

Disclaimer: I have no scientific evidence that ear buds cause tinnitus - but both my little brother Ed and my friend Izzi told me that they do; I am not taking any chances man. I really enjoy hearing things and have no desire to suffer from the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound. (Thanks for the definition Wikipedia)

In addition to wearing big blue headphones and making faces like this at the gym, I also send my ipod flying off the treadmill at least twice every time we are there. Just as I am really hitting my stride I snag the wire to my headphones with my arms and whip my ipod of the deck of the treadmill with enough force to disconnect it from my headphones and cause it to become airborne. It is really a sight to behold. 

While the rest of us are trying to shed a few pounds Scrawny-Vegan Evan is trying to bulk up. He also wears the best gym outfits as evidenced by this gem.

Big headphones. (His mama taught him well.)

Multicolored striped socks.

Red converse.

A mohawk.


He is the envy of all the men at the gym.

He is not a participant in our contest, but like everyone in our family he is working on being a healthier person.


And we dance. A lot.

Why do we dance you might ask? Because we are awesome. After this weeks weigh in, Cady announced that as a family we have lost 60.1 lbs. We pretty much rock.

I hosted dinner and made Slow Cooker Chicken and Stout Stew. Gabby made Indian Vegan Dal as our meat free option this week.

Week Two: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor.

This is like the Hunger Games. Minus all that business of kids killing each other. Okay, so maybe it is not like the Hunger Games at all.Most days I wouldn't kill my fellow participants for a snickers bar...but some days it is touch and go. In all actuality I am never hungry. Twigs and berries are very filling. Alright, I am not eating twigs and berries. I am eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies and lean meats. I have replaced white and bleached flours with whole grains. I am making sure that I am counting my calories and eating foods that will help me stay full longer. I am a fitness warrior.

Everyone is in full on competition mode now. Breakfasts have gone from grab and go or not at all to an intention meal to start the day. Lunches are packed and usually contain carrot sticks. Dinners are made from recipes that contain all the nutritional values. We are full steam into a healthy lifestyle. Well, most of us are.

While the rest of us eat dinner and then resist snacks or desserts afterward, my husband has had post dinner Ben and Jerry's twice this week. He has made some small changes like cutting out soda and using Stevia in his coffee instead of cream. He has also started walking in the evening. I, however, have become a gym demon. I go to the YMCA at least 5 times a week. I have met with a trainer and started a weightlifting. Just look at me. I am a beast.

That's right. That is my feet moving so fast on the treadmill that they are a blur. I am kicking some fitness butt. There is no way that my husband will beat me. He eats ice cream, I go hard.


The second weigh in was at my parent's house. Everyone weighed in privately in the bathroom so that they weren't obligated to share their weight. Most of us were excited to share the pound or two that we lost after a week of hard work.

You know who was most excited to share their weight loss success? My ice cream eating husband. He lost 4.2 lbs in the first week. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I have treadmill feet of fury and he lost almost a pound more than me. Sometimes genders just ain't fair.

I am proud to say that in week one all 13 members of our family either lost weight or maintained their weights from the last week.

My mom made a delicious White Chicken Chili in both a meat and vegan version. Both were delicious and I recommend giving them a try.

Week One: Initial Weigh In. Let the games begin.

My sisters spent the week leading up to the first weigh in carb loading and eating everything that they love that they knew they were going to be limiting or cutting out of their diets. I started eating healthy and working out a week before them. Rookie mistake - while I was a week ahead of them the weight that I lost that week didn't count for the competition.

Our first family weigh in and Sunday dinner was hosted by my sisters Cady and Erinn. While the weigh in was happening there was a decent amount of groaning. Some of us were even chubbier than we thought.

The weigh in may have been lack luster, but dinner was fabulous.

My oldest son Evan is vegan so Cady made two dinner options. Both were delicious.

The vegan option was squash, chick pea and red lentil stew. You can find the recipe here.  The entree of the evening for carnivores was wine and tomato braised chicken. You can find that recipe here. Both recipes are from the website Eating Well. I have tried several recipes from there and have enjoyed them all. Both dishes were low calorie and nutritious.

Most of us are using My Fitness Pal to track our calories and exercise. Sometimes I think that it is a little generous with calories burned for working out, but other than that I find it very helpful.

A few of us have joined the YMCA, some of us are walking, doing kettle ball work outs or using the elliptical at home.

Cady dances at the gym.

Also in case there is any confusion. Here is a disclaimer. We have no idea what we are doing. We are just working together to make healthy choices, work out and still enjoy food. None of us claim to have any advice or that what we are doing is the only or best way. It is just our way.

Waste the Fat, Where's the Food, What the F*@K.

On January 5, 2013, thirteen members of my family started a competition to get healthy, lose a few pounds and attempt to win $260 dollars.

My family likes to eat. We also like to occasionally imbibe in a glass of wine (or 3). Years of eating and imbibing made us chubby. It's okay to say it. We own it. We are happy chubby people, but, we decided that we would like to be happy healthy people. We recognize that it is time to drop a few pounds. We have decided that we will be more successful if we do it together, probably because we all like to win. We are happy, chubby, competitive people. 

Okay so we admit it. We would like to drop a few pounds. Who wouldn't? However, what is more important to us is getting healthy. We are taking steps to live a healthy lifestyle. You aren't gonna find any crazy fad diets here. There will be no starving ourselves. Remember when I said we like to eat? I wasn't joking. We REALLY like to eat. 

How does our competition work? Every Sunday we have a family weigh in and dinner. We weigh in at the same time each week before we eat. We are weighed three times and the weights are averaged. My sister Cady has created an excel spread sheet that tracks the weekly data. Everyone kicked in $20 so that there would be a cash incentive. The prize is for total percentage of weight loss. The competition lasts 4 months. If at the end of the four months you have lost the highest percentage of body weight you get the dollars and the bragging rights. 

In addition to weigh ins and family dinners, we have also been getting together to work out. There is nothing that makes you wanna run a little harder on that treadmill than a desire to be faster than your sister. 

So there you have it. Healthy food, portion control, family dinners, weekly weigh ins, trips to the gym (complete with gym dancing) and family walks.

Can we keep it up? Will we lose the weight? Stay tuned to find out.