sad day

I'm sorry your friend was being insensitive. Sometimes people just don't realize the things that come out of their mouth can affect others.

As for suggestions...you have to remember that losing weight and getting healthy is to make your entire LIFE better. If you win the contest, great. If not, SO WHAT. Staying on track and making a lifestyle change is going to benefit you so much more than some prize you win at a biggest loser contest. As long as you are doing your best, don't stress about the small stuff.

I dont want to be the bearer of bad news but .... I would say apart from doing what they do on the Biggest Loser ranch - eating 1200 calories/day and exercising 6-8 hours a day, 7lbs a week is highly unlikely.

Im 325lbs and I would LOVE to lose 7lbs a week but I know it's not gonna happen.

PS...The greatest thing you'll be winning is the battle against this in the long run. So you dont win the BL contest at work. What have you really lost? I think you're gaining a lot more than anyone losing fast. You're gaining what it takes to keep the weight off permanently. Losing weight fast almost guarantees gaining it back IMO.

9 pounds is alot to be proud of! i cant wait to lost my first 9.

I looked at your food diary a little and while im no professional by any means, if i could make a suggestion, cut the cheese, switch to egg whites, and cut the salt!! i noticed that youre way over your sodium limit most days!!

keep your head up! you can do this!

Hi. You look great! Start your day off saying positive things about yourself! You have your arms, legs, eyes, nose, ears....ENJOY what you can do with your body! Enjoy who you are! Then, go out and get involved with things you love to do...find a dancing studio (I loved when Jillian found that dance place for the lady and her daughter in "Losing it with Jillian"...they had so much FUN and burned calories, too). Go hiking, walking, etc. These things keep the stress level down (stress keeps the pounds on) and lets you enjoy the outdoors as well as workout!
Bring friends along side of you! Bring your co-workers to challenge you while you challenge them!
CELEBRATE the small victories! You've lost 31 freaking pounds...that's the size of a 3 year old! You've done so well! And you know you'll keep doing well BECAUSE YOU'RE WORTH IT! )

Drinking your daily water amount really does help also. Good Luck!

Ok, I haven't looked at your food log, but just some general tips-

Oatmeal is a good breakfast, coupled with a piece of toast it will stick with you longer than most other foods

Lean Cuisines are great quick lunches excellent portion control

for your snacks make those your fruits or veggies- celery is my favorite but not everyone is crazy like me and likes plain celery

Edy's Natural Fruit bars- 80 cals excellent for filling a sweet too/ 25 cals for the popsciles not to high in sugar sweented with splenda, and made from real fruit
Try switching up your work outs- try a local crossfit (Google crossfit) it cost money not to much though and really helps you get your body into shape, its for people who are severely out of shape and for people in the best shape like the marine corps and seals- its a great support system. Most crossfits have a 1 week trial period that is free you can try it out and see if you like it or not.

Now, as far as winning the biggest looser- things like that are meant to motivate you to encourage you to do more, but it seems as if its only making it harder for you- You have to do what works for you if being part of the biggest looser only makes you doubt yourself then pay no attention to it, set for your self for intensity duration duration during your work outs. As long as your workouts are improving getting harder, you will continue to loose weight. MOST importantly you have to stay positive, when you get sad depressed down, your body also begins to hold on to weight its a coping mechanism. Don't give up YOU CAN DO IT.

Don't be sad. Remember that it's not about the contest. It should be about your life. Most of the people that participate in the Biggest Loser competitions at my office are the same people every year. And what I mean by that is that every year they lost 20-40 lbs. And every year they need to lose that same weight all over again. Dropping it quick just to win a competition won't change your lifestyle forever, which is what we all need - a healthy lifestyle.

That said, I checked out your diary and it looks like you finish every day with over 1,000 calories extra! EAT!

I know it seems incredibly ironic and ridiculous, but I jumped into my office competition and ate WAY too little at first with an "I'm gonna win!" mindset. My loss lasted for about a week and then died. Completely. I wasn't eating enough. Not by a long shot.

Try and eat some of those exercise calories. You have to fuel your body or it freaks out. I'm honestly a little surprised that you are not too exhausted to maintain the workout schedule you have on that little food. I bet eating more would help your energy level a lot and no doubt your mood.

Also, I bet if you ditched that high sodium intake you'd watch a few pounds fall off just from water retention. And besides your weight on the scale, the lower sodium is so much better for your general health. But personally, I can hold on to between 3-5 pounds just from having that much sodium for a couple of days.

Remember, it's the long term that counts. If you continue to lose weight successfully, in the end you will be the winner no matter what. Faster isn't always better.

Let me begin with saying well done. It's not that you've ONLY lost 9lb, it's that you HAVE lost 9 whole lbs. I know that people can be hurtful and very insensitive :flowerforyou: at times but you must try to stay focused and remember why you have decided to change your life and improve hour health and well being.

I am by no means an expert so I am just sharing with you what I've learned since I started my journey. I looked at your food diary and it appears that you are eating too much fast food. Staying within your calorie limit is great but what you eat is also important - a calorie is not just a calorie. Just think, if you consumed your day's calorie allowance by eating chocolates and cookies do you think that would get you the results you want? I think not.

Try to prepare your meals each night for the day ahead - I do bulk cooking on Sundays and freeze my balanced healthy meals for the week so I always have the right foods available.

Your diary shows that you somtimes miss breakfast (I think it may be to do with your working pattern as your profile says that you're a 911 dispatcher) but if it's not due to this then be sure to have a good breakfast, it gets your metabolism going for the day.

Try to eat little and often, roughly very 3 hrs. (be sure the include lean protein each time you eat)

Drink at least 3 litres of water everyday.

I know this is a lot to take on but I'm sure these things will help. I say this because due to a medical condition I recently put on about 12lb even though I was eating right and exercising like crazy. Putting the things above in place was the only thing that broke the cycle of weight gain for me.

Please stay positive and be proud of your achievement so far.

You will do this and you will achieve your goal.

Hang in there I did notice on your diary that you eat pre-marinated meat you may want to make your own marinade or use low sodium seasonings, also stay away from prepackaged food or fast food...In moderation is better. The other thing I noticed is you are not drinking enough water...make sure you do that. You'll be ok just make your life change and don't worry about winning a challenge. In the end this is for you not them.

I definitely agree with what most of the others have said - YOUR SODIUM IS KILLING YOUR PROGRESS!!!! You definitely need to get that in the target range - that is the biggest factor in my weight loss - paired with water intake!

You also don't seem to be drinking enough water - I drink on average 12-14 cups/day. I know water can be hard to drink, but try the propel packets or crystal light packets - they can make it easier to drink.

Watch the fast foods/frozen dinners because they are all high is sodium.

Don't skip meals - I know you may have a rough schedule to keep, but pack at least a quick snack or something to keep your body fueled for the day - If I'm busy I will grab a meal replacement bar - I like the special K ones - although you have to watch the sugar - or I really like Cliff Kidz Chocolate Chip ZBar - a really good "energy" bar that I will use to replace a meal off an on.

Change up your exercise routine - if you have been doing the same thing for a while - like a month or more - your body may have adjusted to it - try changing it up do a workout DVD, intervals of walking/jogging work well for me, or just add some different strength training exercises.

Try to eat your exercise calories - but make them good calories - healthy snacks, fruits and veggies.

Just a few suggestions to keep you going - while 7 lbs a week is a lot to ask for you will definitely see some better results if you take some of the suggestions everyone has listed here. Keep your head up - we are all here to support each other when we have good days and bad days - but most importantly don't quit - you are doing this for you and no one else - keep your goals in mind and keep pushing through!!!!:flowerforyou:

First off I think you need to make sure your goals are realistic - 7lbs a week is a lot for anyone and is not a very healthy goal. While I know you are wanting to win the competition you don't want to put your health at risk.

Take the suggestions listed on here - lower sodium, limit fast foods/frozen/processed foods, make sure you are hydrated, change up you exercise routine, and watch sugar, and don't skip meals.

I know it seems like a lot, but once you get into the habit of making better choices you will feel so much better and the weight will start melting off!!!

My diary is public to friends - feel free to add me if you want to take a peek - I eat what I feel are "normal" foods - I have a family of 4 and the super healthy/organic/clean lifestyle doesn't work all the time for us so I do what I can and the changes I have made have made a huge difference. You have to find whats right for you keep your head up keep pushing forward - you can do it!!! :happy:

I don't really have anything to add that the others haven't said, but I want you to know you should be so proud of losing 31 pounds! That is awesome! Your friend probably didn't mean to insult you, and like someone else said, perhaps he doesn't even see in you what you saw in yourself when he made that comment about the other person. All I can say is keep working at it and you will see results. I know winning a competition is a great accomplishment, but being healthy and energetic for the rest of your life is worth even more! Who knows... the people who started off losing a lot in the beginning could plateau and not lose any weight in the end. 7 weeks or however long that is left in the competition is a long time and anything is possible! Just be confident that you are doing it the right way and that you will experience a lifetime of benefits!

:flowerforyou:

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have another question I love tacos and use that pre packaged taco seasoning. The sodium is high and I need some other suggestions.

Just eat it sparingly....i don't know how much you eat tacos but if you eat them say 4 times a month cut it down to 2, and remember its a life style change its not about not having something ever its about portion control and frequency. balancing healthy food with the "bad" food. Eating tacos once or twice a month isn't going to kill your progress, infact if you are really good most of the time the sudden influx of something different will cause your body to process it quicker. - so said a personal trainer a few years ago.

heres a rule of thumb i use, i have one "bad" day a week where i let myself indulge in 1 thing. wither that be ice cream or tacos or whatever just 1 thing though, I have also learned other healthy indulgences that are nice like 1or 2 miniatures of dark choc filled with antioxidants and the miniatures are like 35 cals each. smoothies are good, and the fruit bars all good indulgences

Homemade Taco Seasoning:

1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. each ground cumin, garlic powder, paprika, powdered oregano and sugar

Equivalent to the package seasoning. But no sodium.

AWESOME!!! i'm gonna have to try this soon!!