Black Team Week #1 Challenge thread-

Marla64

Andrew-- you kill me--

First-- LOL-- I'm dying-- I woulda never done the math. "Black team controversy--" you kill me.

Second-- um-- can't remember the second thing-- but it'll come to me....eventually. Us old farts have memory lapses, dontchaknow.

UM-- OH! Now I know-- duh-- no matter how many times I see your before and after pictures it brings a tear to my eye. You and Beth have done sooooooo wonderfully-- so proud of you.

Amanda-- that's how I felt last week. Couldn't get out of my own way. Had dreadful runs. Take it easy.

Later, team-- need to take my swollen digits and try to get some transcribing done.

AmandaJ

For those that don't know me a little about me:

Hi I am Amanda. I was a size 4 in highschool, got pregnant with ds in June after I graduated. Gained from there and never went back down. My ds is 14, 15 in March and my dh (his father) and I have been married for 13 years. Dh and I do math like Andrew and Beth. We also have two dds, one is 9 and the other is 5. Our 5 year old is our little angel. All of our kids are great, IMO, but Emmy was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome in April 2006. She is completely non-verbal, no hand function of any kind, walks but is losing that skill and soon I am afraid will be wheel-chair bound. She has seizures that are somewhat controlled with meds. Extreme anxiety, and while she is non-verbal, boy can she screamed. The worst of all this in my mind is that she knows exactly what is going on, but locked in her own body. Her laugh is priceless, her laugh makes the grumpiest person smile. She loves to "swim" in water and also loves watching the computer screen. She is the light of my life and my inspiritation. My dh is disabled due to a back and hip problems and so I realized real fast that Emmy is mine to take care of for the rest of my life or hers. I realized I needed to get healthy so I would be around a long time for her, but to be honest as my body is changing, I want my body back!

I homeschool my 9 year old and most days it is a battle but I know it is best for her. We are involved in church activities, also lots of 4-H activites. We have three mini Nigerian goats, geese, ducks, a rabbit, too many chickens to count, four cats as strays seem to know there is a "S" on my forehead and two big Golden lab dogs. I work 7 hours a week to pull some extra income and it gives me a nice break outside of the home.

Okay I wil shut up now! :laugh:

musicmom04

Good evening black team!:drinker:


Marla and Shuntae- I hear you on the artificial sweetner thing. I am trying to phase it out and actually enjoy my coffee black. (I know...crazy man) Still remember the anti caffeine challenge last year. That was an UGLY week.

Roni- Oh kids, I hear you. Love mine to death but they have a way of changing your plans. lol

Richie- It's early in the winter and I am DONE with the snow. Ever since changing the lifestyle I enjoy being on the road with my bike and running outdoors. Being a Mainer, the weather rarely cooperates this time of year. But the shovelling is great cardio!

Tamara-A sweaty black teamer is a beautiful black teamer. Keep it up you as always kick "butt" and take names. (happy marla?)

Lori-So i bet the "stinky" girl from the gym complains to her friends about the sweaty girl dripping all over everyone! lol

Sara- I am proud of you. SO proud of you. Not because you ate cookies. (In fact if you keep that up I will come find you and take them away). I am proud of you because despite having a rough workout yesterday you stuck with it today. I am PROUD of you because you understood that eating four cookies didnt mean the day was lost. You made up for it in the gym. you got up on your VERY NEXT oppurtunity. This is what makes people succeed. No more "I'll start over tommorow" stuff. Our society is stuck in a "I'll start over tommorow" rut. You my dear seized the day and made it yours. Well done!

Jeannie-Your back in it lady. Look out!

Here is the bad and the good of what I see. The bad- seems to be a good number of folks stumbling on the sweets thing. The good thing is that not one of you made an excuse. You all admitted that you fell and didnt come up with some "reason" why. You guys are great and I am so proud to be on this team with you all.

I thought the Marla's introduction was a great way to get the team familiar with not only her but the team they have joined. So I thought I would do the same.


My Name is Andrew. As you guys figured out I got nicknamed batman. It was either Marla or Jeannie that first coined that nickname. I assume is the whole superhero who dresses in "Black" thing. I guess that day I had done something worthy of the title. It stuck. The picture was actually in response to being called batman. Anyway, that's where that came from.
I'm a 29 year old father of two wonderful little guys. Aiden, who just turned 6 and Riley, 3. I have been Married to my wonderful wife Beth (musicmom04) for what will be five years this May. (I know, I know, Aiden 6.....5th wedding anniversary. black team controversy! eeeek!). Anyhoo, I have been big since my early teens. When Beth was pregnant with Aiden we both gained weight. Then we lost a bit for our wedding...then with Riley we gained again. I had spent most of my adult life around 250 lbs. Before I knew it I was 319. Tired, Depressed and hopeless. In November 2008 Beth and I decieded that enough was enough. We started getting active and found MFP in December. I logged in and saw that they were starting a biggest loser challenge. I signed up and was assigned to the Samantha's team (Bohlon15) The BLACK team. Over the last year I have learned so much about being healthy and taking care of my body. I started running at 250lbs and ran my first 5k in May of 2009. I've been in love with racing since. I was down to 194 In august and once the cold weather and holidays in I jumped back up to 208. (Lesson Learned) OMW back down. My job requires alot of travel and I work alot of hours so I don't take "I don't have time" as an excuse. If I have time....you have time. I am glad to have the chance to run the team this year as I am a type A personality (I'm sure those have been around a while know that.) And if I can help even one person get started then I'm a happy camper. Couple of before and after pics of the family to show what MFP and elbow grease did for us.

Summer of 2008



Summer 2009



Drink that WATER!:drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

actually, i believe the first pic is from 2007.

Tri_Dad

actually, i believe the first pic is from 2007.

And this folks....is why husbands have wives. I'm helpless I tell you. Helpless......

Marla64

My before-- first one is spring 2000 at my zenith-- roughly 221. I took off about 11 pounds over the next couple years and started at 210 here in June of '08.


After picture was taken just before Thanksgiving-- hovering around 170 or so-- goal is 160.



Black team rules!!!

Tri_Dad

For those that don't know me a little about me:

Hi I am Amanda. I was a size 4 in highschool, got pregnant with ds in June after I graduated. Gained from there and never went back down. My ds is 14, 15 in March and my dh (his father) and I have been married for 13 years. Dh and I do math like Andrew and Beth. We also have two dds, one is 9 and the other is 5. Our 5 year old is our little angel. All of our kids are great, IMO, but Emmy was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome in April 2006. She is completely non-verbal, no hand function of any kind, walks but is losing that skill and soon I am afraid will be wheel-chair bound. She has seizures that are somewhat controlled with meds. Extreme anxiety, and while she is non-verbal, boy can she screamed. The worst of all this in my mind is that she knows exactly what is going on, but locked in her own body. Her laugh is priceless, her laugh makes the grumpiest person smile. She loves to "swim" in water and also loves watching the computer screen. She is the light of my life and my inspiritation. My dh is disabled due to a back and hip problems and so I realized real fast that Emmy is mine to take care of for the rest of my life or hers. I realized I needed to get healthy so I would be around a long time for her, but to be honest as my body is changing, I want my body back!

I homeschool my 9 year old and most days it is a battle but I know it is best for her. We are involved in church activities, also lots of 4-H activites. We have three mini Nigerian goats, geese, ducks, a rabbit, too many chickens to count, four cats as strays seem to know there is a "S" on my forehead and two big Golden lab dogs. I work 7 hours a week to pull some extra income and it gives me a nice break outside of the home.

Okay I wil shut up now! :laugh:

Amanda,

Thanks for sharing with the team. We all have such different lives and each has incredible challenges. Children with special needs. Mothers with 9 and 6 kids. Husbands who work WAY to much. All challenges can be overcome. You all make me so damn proud.

Tri_Dad

My before-- first one is spring 2000 at my zenith-- roughly 221. I took off about 11 pounds over the next couple years and started at 210 here in June of '08.


After picture was taken just before Thanksgiving-- hovering around 170 or so-- goal is 160.



Black team rules!!!

Look at you Marla! I'd whistle but general patten kinda scares me. But I'm even more afraid of my DW. lol
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Looking good lady!

AmandaJ

:flowerforyou: Marla, you are looking awesome, You should be so proud!

AmandaJ

Okay I posted pics of me on here and then I took them off and now after Lori and Marla's comments I want to cry. So I will put them back on......

Here is me at 180 pounds, my fat face, UGH! :grumble:



26 pounds lost, halfway there!

72lori

Andrew and Beth- they are great pics no matter when they are from! I guess I'll do my story and mine.....

I'm Lori. Have 4 kids, both DH and I have 2 from previous marriages (not quite the Brady Bunch). 3 boys and 1 girl ranging in age from 14 to 9 1/2. It works well for us. All of them live with us full time. DH is in the Air Force, we are currently stationed in Florida, on the gulf coast in the panhandle.

I have my degree in Elementary Education, with Early Childhood as a minor and quite frankly, anymore, the idea of teaching (especially those little ones) makes me shudder. I'm sure I could do it if I had to, I'm sure I would get 'used to' it again, but I'm happy NOT being in the classroom with little munchins all day long. I laugh all the time because I did work, since I was 16 I always had a job. Then DH and I got married, his two kids came to live with us, we moved from my homestate of PA to MD and DH said "You don't have to work if you dont want to." Mistake. LOL The youngest was only 4, so not in school yet and I enjoyed my half a year with him before he went to kindergarten. I think maybe DH meant I didn't have to work then... I have never really gone back!

I started my weight loss journey in September '08. DH deployed, he was going to be gone for 9 months and I decided I wanted to lose 50 pounds while he was gone. I lost 47 by the time he came home in May. (Yes, I know what my ticker says now- we won't go there.)

I have never been and never will be 'tiny'. The only weight I can find from high school is 148 in 10th grade. I suspect by the time I graduated I was 160's, when I got married, 170's (or more), after my first baby high 190's or low 200's and stuck there for over 10 years.

I have learned a lot about myself through this journey. I had 'dieted' many times. I had lost weight, even up to 25 pounds, but I never kept it off. I never made life changes. I never embraced exercise like I have this time. This time it's different. I read alot. I try to stay informed. I pay attention to not only how much I eat, but what. I exercise reguarly and truly enjoy it. I think maybe when I grow up (:laugh: ) I would like to think about doing something in weight loss/exericse/nutrition. I think about it, but I'm not there yet. Mabye some day.

I still love the feeling when my kids see a picture of me before and say "That was you!?!" That will never get old. Of course they know what I used to look like, but they have forgotten.

Of course like most women (yes, I'm calling myself out) I want more. My original goal was 50 pounds, now it's 60. To start out I wanted to be toned, now I want muscles. In the beginning I was happy to walk for exercise, now I push for more! I distinctly remember when I wore a size 16 saying, "If I could just wear a 12 I'd be thrilled." I'm wearing a few 10's, mostly 8's but 6's would be cool.

I'm anal. I'm with Batman with the Type A crap. Trying to learn to relax a little with it. It can be good and bad, depends on how you use it I suppose. I have an obsessive/persistent personality, so when I do something, I like to do it full out to the best of my ability.

I took the true before pics. Front, side, back. They were horrifying. I wanted to cry when I saw the one of my backside, but I'm glad I took 'em. September '08. Yeah, I know, I look thrilled.


These are my latest pics, not much has changed (:grumble: ) since I took them, but I should do some recent ones. I believe I took them in November '09.

72lori

Gosh, while I was posting, lots going on here!

Amanda- thanks for sharing. Funny, I felt I knew a decent about you, but still learned some things. You look great in your pics too! How much of a difference 25 pounds make.

Marla- love the comparision and that pic of you in November, not only cause you look great, but because I know how special that event was and how happy you were to be there.

I will never tire of these pics. Really. I could look at them every day.

Marla64

Lori-- you're so sweet-- thank you! Love your happy face in your afters--

Amanda-- I love your pictures-- you look wonderful. God bless you, my friend!

See newbs? This is just a great big lovefest.

AmandaJ

You know what is great about this team, is that I have never met one of you and probably never will but I consider you all my friends and you all mean the world to me. You are so appreciated and loved!!! :flowerforyou:

zippy111

Wow! You guys are amazing. I can see logging on to this sight will be my new addiction. Beth and Andrew - I remember seeing those pictures of you guys last year when I first signed on to MFP. I didn't join any teams back then...I'm glad I am now. You guys look absolutely amazing!

I want to tell you my story but I am exhausted as I am never up this late! Promise I'll come back and tell you all about me.

Lori, my DH(I'm guessing that stands for Dear Husband and not anything else:laugh: ) just came home from Afghanistan before Christmas! Is your DH still active? I live in your old homestate of PA but originally from NJ

....promise to write tomorrow.....goodnight my new favorite color team! BLACK!!!!

Marla64

Wow! You guys are amazing. I can see logging on to this sight will be my new addiction. Beth and Andrew - I remember seeing those pictures of you guys last year when I first signed on to MFP. I didn't join any teams back then...I'm glad I am now. You guys look absolutely amazing!

I want to tell you my story but I am exhausted as I am never up this late! Promise I'll come back and tell you all about me.

Lori, my DH(I'm guessing that stands for Dear Husband and not anything else:laugh: ) just came home from Afghanistan before Christmas! Is your DH still active? I live in your old homestate of PA but originally from NJ

....promise to write tomorrow.....goodnight my new favorite color team! BLACK!!!!

okay-- now you must tell me where in Jersey!!!

AmandaJ

Andrew and Beth- they are great pics no matter when they are from! I guess I'll do my story and mine.....

I'm Lori. Have 4 kids, both DH and I have 2 from previous marriages (not quite the Brady Bunch). 3 boys and 1 girl ranging in age from 14 to 9 1/2. It works well for us. All of them live with us full time. DH is in the Air Force, we are currently stationed in Florida, on the gulf coast in the panhandle.

I have my degree in Elementary Education, with Early Childhood as a minor and quite frankly, anymore, the idea of teaching (especially those little ones) makes me shudder. I'm sure I could do it if I had to, I'm sure I would get 'used to' it again, but I'm happy NOT being in the classroom with little munchins all day long. I laugh all the time because I did work, since I was 16 I always had a job. Then DH and I got married, his two kids came to live with us, we moved from my homestate of PA to MD and DH said "You don't have to work if you dont want to." Mistake. LOL The youngest was only 4, so not in school yet and I enjoyed my half a year with him before he went to kindergarten. I think maybe DH meant I didn't have to work then... I have never really gone back!

I started my weight loss journey in September '08. DH deployed, he was going to be gone for 9 months and I decided I wanted to lose 50 pounds while he was gone. I lost 47 by the time he came home in May. (Yes, I know what my ticker says now- we won't go there.)

I have never been and never will be 'tiny'. The only weight I can find from high school is 148 in 10th grade. I suspect by the time I graduated I was 160's, when I got married, 170's (or more), after my first baby high 190's or low 200's and stuck there for over 10 years.

I have learned a lot about myself through this journey. I had 'dieted' many times. I had lost weight, even up to 25 pounds, but I never kept it off. I never made life changes. I never embraced exercise like I have this time. This time it's different. I read alot. I try to stay informed. I pay attention to not only how much I eat, but what. I exercise reguarly and truly enjoy it. I think maybe when I grow up (:laugh: ) I would like to think about doing something in weight loss/exericse/nutrition. I think about it, but I'm not there yet. Mabye some day.

I still love the feeling when my kids see a picture of me before and say "That was you!?!" That will never get old. Of course they know what I used to look like, but they have forgotten.

Of course like most women (yes, I'm calling myself out) I want more. My original goal was 50 pounds, now it's 60. To start out I wanted to be toned, now I want muscles. In the beginning I was happy to walk for exercise, now I push for more! I distinctly remember when I wore a size 16 saying, "If I could just wear a 12 I'd be thrilled." I'm wearing a few 10's, mostly 8's but 6's would be cool.

I'm anal. I'm with Batman with the Type A crap. Trying to learn to relax a little with it. It can be good and bad, depends on how you use it I suppose. I have an obsessive/persistent personality, so when I do something, I like to do it full out to the best of my ability.

I took the true before pics. Front, side, back. They were horrifying. I wanted to cry when I saw the one of my backside, but I'm glad I took 'em. September '08. Yeah, I know, I look thrilled.


These are my latest pics, not much has changed (:grumble: ) since I took them, but I should do some recent ones. I believe I took them in November '09.

Lori, amazing doesn't even begin to describe your transformation in your pics. You look wonderful, you have worked hard and it shows!

Girlmom282109

I will do before and after pics on Sunday! Going shopping tomorrow for a dress for a friends wedding cause I have NO dresses in a size 12! Actually I have No dresses at all!!

Great pics and great stories everyone!!

bryannakay

Wow!!!! Andrew that is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And to comment on your Type A thing.....that made me laugh so hard because as I was going through the group and seeing all that you have done I was thinking "HOW CAN HE DO ALL THIS?!?!?!" But, being type A explains alot!!!

Well, my name is Bryanna....not pronounced like you think. It is actually pronounced like the Brie cheese with anna on the end. Not that it matters because we don't talk but, this is personal stuff so I figured I would share.

I have been up and down with my weight FOREVER!! But, since I hit the 200 mark (actually 206) I was DEVESTATED!!! So, I joined LA WeightLoss....and lost 36 pounds only to have them go bankrupt on me so, I have been at that 175/177 mark for quite sometime.

I have some before and after pictures but I can't get them combined....Lori....how did you do that???

Well, I am here to stay and excited about being a Black Team member!!!!!!!! Maybe this next halloween I will be a sexy Cat Woman!!

bryannakay

And also....how do you "quote" things???

mumsanutter

Good morning, you are all an inspiration! Your pics are amazing - I don't have many pictures of me as I would always be behind the camera (i hated seeing pictures of myself and would delete them from the camera or before that throw them away). I am working this afternoon from around 12 till 4, so will go on my bike when my extra children leave. I am due to do the rowing machine today, but have a muscle twinge between my shoulder blades and don't want to pull or aggrevate anything :huh: I must also do my situps etc

I am 35 years old and have been married to Rob for 13 years. We have 4 boys, Samuel (13 in May - he's our honeymoon baby was just conceived 7 days on my wedding day!), Thomas (10 on sunday), John (5 on 18th Jan) and Christopher (2, 3 in Aug).

When Rob and I got together I was already 168lbs if not more, and I piled on another 70lbs when pregnant with Samuel, I then lost this weigh through joining weight watchers and got to 147lbs before falling pregnant with Thomas. My weight then went up to 200+, and I did the Atkins diet and got to 140lbs, but didn't look got as no exercise and as soon as i started to eat properly the weight went straight back on plus more. I then fell with John and up until last February I didn't really try to shift the weight.

What happened in February - I visited my husband who was working in NYC and he took me to Woodbury Common, and it hit home that I was big as I couldn't buy anything nice to fit me!! I was a UK size 18/20, and decided that it would be nice to be a size 14. I decided to calorie count and used a book a friend gave me and a spreadsheet I made on the computer. The weight moved a little, but when Rob went to work in Tokyo,and I found this site it just clicked. The weight doesn't seem to have shifted that fast, but the inches do as I am now wearing a size 12 which is something I never remember doing before, and have just brought some size 10 jeans (they are still snug on my thighs but I can work on that! )

As you can probably tell my husband works away from home alot, he is out of the country probably 5-6 months of the year, in varying lengths of time (is scheduled for 2-3 months in NYC from March, and other various countries after that!). I find it easier to count my calories when he is actually away, as he is a super cook and I love his cooking!

richardsrm

Mums:flowerforyou:
Thanks for sharing , if you can do it so can I

3babybeans

I'll have to do the "story" later. LOVE 'em! Even though I've known most of you since the early days of your weight loss journeys, they still make me cheer! WTG, guys! You are all such wonderful & determined people! *hugs*

Water is going REALLY well. I'm getting that "junk detox" week goin' on & the scale is lovin' me for it. (Yes, I'm still an addict to that damn thing). I got a recipe for 25 calorie chocolate cookies yesterday & had to try them...they were "Meh." so I only had one. Woot! :drinker: Takin' away my sweets. Geesh. :grumble:

Have great days, y'all!

72lori

And also....how do you "quote" things???

Click on the quote at the bottom of what you want to comment on, scroll to the bottom and start typing.

As for combining pictures, mine are small enough I didn't leave a space between them so they are one right after the other and appear to be all one. Picasa Photo Editor will allow you to create a collage and save it as one print. It's free and fun to play with.

72lori

Morning team. Good golly am I tired and sore. Did I mention sore? Didn't sleep so well. DH has a cold, he usually doesn't, but he's snoring like there is no tomorrow right now and coughing. Add to that the 3 times I was up to go pee in the middle of the night (cringing and holding on to the wall to sit down, I'm that sore, then hurling myself back up into our really high bed) and it didn't make for the best of night's sleep.

Anywho. Nuff' grumbling. One off to school. Gotta get dressed and get the middle school bunch out the door. Can't wait to eat, been starving since last night for some unknown reason. The gym is calling, shhhh, don't tell my sore legs, they will find out when we get there.

Have a wonderful day!

72lori

By the way, love the stories.... keep 'em coming!

healthworks

Good Morning team


WOW- eee.... what AMAZING stories and transformations...

Your all turned... hotties!! Congratulations to you

I am struggling a bit... with the same old thing... TIME :grumble: But I am going to go for the good choices today!!- FOR ME!!

Thank you for being a ++ support... team!!

tamelab

Good morning black team...I don't have any after pictures yet but I posted some pictures of what I currently look like on my profile. Hopefully in a few months I can post some new ones to show my progress. My goal right now is 150. I plan to get there and then reevalaute and see if I am happy there. I enjoyed looking at all your pictures and reading your stories. Thanks for sharing! Going thrift store shopping with my step-mom today and the gym this afternoon, don't have to work today. Everyone have a great day!

arewethereyet

I started this journey in June of 2008. Wow...really??????????? Ok June of 2008. I was my heaviest at about 170 or so, but I did not weigh myself in fear I would eat an entire chocolate cake in retribution.

An automobile accident had left me with a bad neck injury and it was my excuse to sit and do nothing. I went to bed in excruciating pain at 6 pm each night. Lay there watching TV, icing my neck, popping pills............and crying because I was no longer who I had been. Even overweight for 15 years, I still sodded my entire back yard on my own. I was very active and loved to work in the yard. The accident and injury took this away.............or so I thought.

I fell upon this site when searching for a weight loss site that was free. MFP popped up and it turned out I had already signed up in Jan of 08. Hmmmm I thought to myself, how many times will you do this?

I wanted to lose a few pounds because we were going to the beach for 4th of July, and the whole inlaw family were to be here. As I started eating better I found I wanted to move more. I added elliptical exercise 20 min each day and burned upward of 400 calories when I did (now 20 min gives me 100 cals but that is because I am in better shape!!

When I saw I needed to lose 60 pounds to get to the lowest of my BMI, and that I had actually BEEN a healthy 105 at one point in my life.............I almost gave up. What's the use I said, I will never be able to lose 50-60 pounds.

Then I saw Tamtastic's bio. At the time she had lost 98 pounds or so and was in such high spirits. She PMd me and said she did it all with exercise and diet and I could do it too.

At that time I started to use the message boards for support. In Jan of last year I had lost about 25 pounds and it was getting really hard. I joined the Black Team and over a year have lost another 10 pounds.

It is slow when you do it right. The change in my life is for ever and as I say in my ticker...........

"I am going to eat less and exercise more to get healthy.........if I lose a few pounds along the way BONUS!!!!!"

Jeannie

iamladibeast

Jeannie,
:flowerforyou: thank you for sharing your personal journey. wow, it gives me hope as I am still recovering from two blood clots..I started my journey again in mid November and have my good and bad days...thank you

musicmom04

ok, since we're sharing our before and after (or during in my case) here are mine

summer of 2008 (200 lbs at 5'1'')



and fall of 2009 (about 140 lbs)