Almost No Fat Banana Bread

This bread is so good! My kids love it too!







1 1/2 C flour or wheat flour (I usually do half and half.)

3/4 C sugar

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 egg whites

1 C mashed ripe banana

1/4 C applesauce

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bread pan with no calorie spray.



2. In large mixing bowl mix dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients. Don't over stir. Pour into pan.



3. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until done.



Slice into 12 slices.



1 slice =

128 calories

.2 grams fat

0 cholesterol

88 mg sodium

29.6 carbs

1 gram fiber

2.4 grams protein


Today's post compliments of Stephanie of The Blue Zoo!

Lentil Soup

Dual Mom here. There's nothing like a warm bowl of soup on a cold winter day. Soups make a great meal because there are always leftovers for lunches during the week. This lentil soup is absolutely delicious, and is one of those things that actually tastes better the next day.

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced
2 carrots sliced
8 cups vegetable broth - low sodium
2 cups dry lentils ( I use red lentil from Bulk Barn)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves
1 cabbage head
2 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

In a large pot, sautee the onions and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until onions turn clear.
Add the vegetable broth, lentils, pepper, thyme, bay leaves and cabbage.

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in lemon juice before serving. Makes 8 servings of lentil soup.
Each serving contains:


Calories 111.2 Total Fat 0.5 g Saturated Fat 0.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.2 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 144.7 mg Potassium 534.0 mg
Total Carbohydrate 21.7 g Dietary Fiber 7.9 g Sugars 3.0 g Protein 6.3 g

Vitamin A 79.5 %
Vitamin B-6 12.0 %
Vitamin C 54.3 %
Vitamin E 1.6 %
Calcium 8.1 %
Copper 8.5 %
Folate 34.4 %
Iron 14.3 %
Magnesium 9.2 %

This is a versatile recipe, I've been known to throw some brocolli in toward the end of the cooking. You can add your favorite veggies. Lentils are full of fibre and extremely good for you.

A Review On Some Exercise DVD's

Hey girls! I hope you are all doing well and finding ways to stay motivated.

I workout at home. With 4 little boys, it's just a HUGE pain trying to balance everyone's schedule and get to the gym everyday. So, I bought an elliptical and parked it right in my already crowded living room. On days when I want something different (and my husband isn't here to laugh at me) I workout with DVD's.

I am not very coordinated. And the results are often comical. But at least I'm getting a workout!

Here are a few that I have tried:


Turbo Jam - I borrowed a couple of the DVD's from a friend. I probably did the workouts a couple times a week for a couple of months. Turbo Jam is a really fun workout. The instructor is nice, and peppy. She's very encouraging. She says stuff like 'go at your own pace', and 'you'll be whipping through this in no time'. The choreography is fun, and not to terribly difficult. The music was surprisingly not annoying. Always a plus in my book! Overall I think this is a good set for beginners.

Slim In 6 - Another one I borrowed. From the same friend. Said friend brought this one over when I very first started exercising. Oh my! I thought I was gonna die. This DVD is not dance. So it's not hard to follow along. It's just an hour long workout. There are a lot of lunges. I couldn't sit comfortably the next day, my legs and butt were so sore. The music is extremely uninteresting. However, it's really a great workout. Yes, it was hard at first. But I really started seeing results, which is what it's all about!

Dirty Dancing Dance Workout - I should probably tell you that Dirty Dancing is my most favoritest movie ever! So as soon as I saw this I snapped it off the shelf faster than you can say "God wouldn't have given you maracas if he didn't want you to shake 'em!"

I just got it a couple weeks ago. ($9 at WalMart) On the box it says 'You'll learn 4 fun routines with music from the movie.' Not to be confused with 'You will learn 4 dances from the movie.' So I was a little disappointed at first. But the dances are similar.

What I liked the most - The options. You can learn all the moves first, or you can do the dances individually with instruction, without instruction, or you can do all the dances back to back with no instruction.

What I didn't care for - The annoying lady instructor. At first I couldn't even learn the dances cause I was so busy making fun of her. After awhile though she became slightly less annoying. I also didn't care for my smart mouthed 3 year old saying "Mommy, you's not berry good at this."

So I'm not very good at it. I won't be hitting the ballroom anytime soon. But overall it was fun, and a decent cardio activity.

Personal Training With Jackie - Miss Jackie Warner apparently has her own reality show called Work Out. I live in the sticks and had never heard of it. But I guess she owns her own gym and is a personal trainer. She charges $400 for her classes. I got the DVD at WalMart for $9! What a deal huh?

This DVD rocks! I like Jackie cause she gets straight to the point. You are here to workout. She is not here to be your friend. There isn't choreography to fall all over, just moves and exercises that will whip you into shape!

There are 5 different workouts to choose from. Four of them are 15 minute workouts and then there is one 40 minute workout. I did the 15 minute Ab Only Circuit. Holy Moly! My abs hurt for 3 days!! I've also done the 15 minute Lower Body Circuit, it's hard. But effective! I still haven't done the 40 minute circuit. I wanted to today so I could tell you all about it - my stinkin' husband held the TV hostage playing video games! Maybe tomorrow............

Well, there's my thoughts on a few of the DVD's Ive tried. Have you tried any of these DVD's? What are your fave DVD's to do at home?

Gluten-Free and Good For Me

Lighter Lasagna

1- 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach; thawed and drained

1 cup fat free cottage cheese

1 egg

1 onion, chopped

2 large garlic clove, minced

1 pound ground turkey breast

1 jar low fat pasta sauce (I prefer Classico Roasted Garlic)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

6 gluten-free lasagna noodles (I prefer Tinkyada)

1 cup shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix spinach, egg, and cottage cheese in bowl.

2. Coat skillet with non-stick spray, cook onion and garlic until onion is soft. Add ground turkey and cook until brown. Pour pasta sauce and water into skillet. Add rosemary, oregano, and basil. Let simmer.

3. Spray 9x13 pan with non-stick spray. Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of the pan, cover with 3 noodles. Spoon another 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles. Top with the spinach mixture, sprinkle with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Cover with last 3 noodles. Spoon remaining sauce over the noodles and cover with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Let sit for 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Let us know when you try this one! Mmmm.......

~ThatOneMom

A Frank & Honest Discussion About You-Know-What

Dual Mom here. We have a special treat for all you LIB's out there to kick off your week! Yeahhh for week three!!

I ran across Jack over at Jack Sh*t, Gettin' Fit a few weeks ago. I read and read and read some more, and after I stopped gasping for breath and wiped the tears from my eyes I asked him if he'd do a guest post for us. What man could resist entertaining all you fabulous beotches?  If you don't know his blog, I strongly encourage you to check him out. Don't walk, run. Ok, read his post below and then run to visit him. The man has lost 92.2 pounds over the past 40 weeks and has chronicled every step of his weight loss journey. He is inspirational, strong, and most importantly...he will make you pee yourself laughing. Seriously, this man is a genious!

So without further ado, I give you Jack.

A Frank & Honest Discussion About You-Know-What


I don’t consider myself a prude when it comes to talking about… well, you-know-what. Y’know… the four legged frolic, the mattress mambo, the bump and grind, taking the skin schooner to Tuna Town, passing the gravy, taking “Old One-Eye” to the optometrist. You know…

Really, even though I did pass out during our birds-and-bees talk with my daughters, Sallie Mae and Holly, I’m really perfectly at ease talking about… um… boom boom. You know, boffing. Boinking. Boning. Bonking. Boofing.

Why am I here talking about the old in ‘n out, scream ‘n' shout? I mean, I usually spend my time spouting off about weight-loss issues. I’ve written hundreds of posts over at Jack Sh*t, Gettin’ Fit, but not once have I addressed the subject of… um… harnessing the underwear unicorn.

But the two subjects are… um… interconnected quite a bit, and it’s about time somebody gave the discussion the serious look it deserves.

Here’s something that’s hard to believe: in a study from the Journal of Urology, obese men who did little exercise were 2.5 times at greater risk for not being able to maintain a… well… you know. Captain Standish. The roaring horn. The golden rivet. In one’s Sunday best. An Irish toothache. Morning pride. Old Hornington. That’s compared with men who were not overweight and averaged 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day. Men as young as 20 report… ummmm… equipment malfunctions… attributed to obesity or inactivity.

However, that’s the extreme case. Taking the bullet train through Yonker’s tunnel is simply much more enjoyable when you’re fit and healthy. A report in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that obese men reported significantly better hanky panky after losing gobs of weight.

The research involved 97 men (average age – 48), all of whom were “morbidly obese.” The conclusions are based on the patients’ own reporting of how their dippity doo da was going before and again several months after gastric bypass surgery that allowed them to shed significant poundage. I guess it’s not that surprising that… umm… batter dipping the corn dog was a better all-around experience at the lower weight.

A Duke University study found that even a 10% reduction in weight results in major improvements in all areas of the participants' whoopee making, including arousal, feelings of attractiveness and enjoyment of… y’know… hippity dippitty.

Best of all, half an hour of… umm… taking the love luge on the inbound loin line helps you burn anywhere from 150-350 calories, depending on the level of activity. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather spend my time putting sour cream on the taco than hanging out at the gym.

And it’s not just the pleasure involved with activating the special Wonder Twin powers that’s at stake. Researchers in Denmark studied nearly 50,000 couples and found that if both partners were obese, the chances of the couple having to wait more than a year to get pregnant were nearly three times higher than for a normal-weight couple. If both partners were simply overweight, the likelihood they would have to wait longer than a year was 1.4 times higher.

There are lots and lots of fantastic reasons for you to drop this weight, but a better experience during the mommy-daddy dance has gotta rank up there near the top.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go butter the muffin (no, really… I’ve having a muffin for a snack; what did you think I meant?)

Zumbalicious

I think its pretty well known that Ducky is a ZUMBA FREAK! to put it mildly. I fell in love with it about 4 years ago and for a long time it had me at the gym 5 days a week -its the only form of exercise that actually changed the shap of my body. Since having my child I have reduced the amount of time I spend away from home (ie at the gym) but still love Zumba as much as ever.
Many have asked questions and expressed interest but are still unsure as to what Zumba is (it's not a drink...sorry). The above widget is a sample of some music you might find in a Zumba class. Below is a description of Zumba and a few common Q&A's. The information comes via my Zumba instructor Mandi (thanks a million!!!). You can google Zumba videos if you'd like to see samples of what you may find in a class. Remember that each instructor will be adding their own flare to the class so it may differ a little, or a lot, from what you're watching. Get moving people!!!!

What the heck is Zumba anyway?

Zumba is an international dance inspired (mainly Latin inspired) aerobic interval training, meaning it alternates between fast and slower paced rhythms in order to get the maximum calorie burning benefit. It combines fun Latin moves from dances such as salsa, merengue, and cha-cha with an aerobic workout.

What is the history behind Zumba?
Zumba, originally known as “Rumbacize”, was created by accident in the 1990’s by Alberto Perez (a.k.a. Beto) in his native country Colombia, South America. Beto was getting ready to teach his aerobics class and realized he forgot his regular class music. He improvised his class by using his personal music he had in his car and combining his dance moves with aerobics and moving to the music! His class fell in love with his music and the dance moves he used, and thus, Rumbacize was born!

In 1999 Beto brought his class to the United States, and by 2001 he was approached by entrepreneurs, Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, to form a company that was based around Beto’s fitness program. The name was officially changed to Zumba.

How is Zumba different from other aerobic classes?
One is not necessarily better than the other; they are just different!

Zumba is dancing TO the music while aerobics is moving WITH the music. That means that each song in a Zumba routine has its own choreography as opposed to just doing some basics steps to one steady beat of music. Zumba uses different types of music which makes it more fun! Plus, Zumba has a lot of different moves as it uses a lot of actual dance steps. This makes it more challenging for your muscles AND your mind!

Zumba teaches you to hear the music and to move to the music. Zumba is not a dance class, so don’t worry about not being able to dance, or how you look, or if you are doing the steps just right. There is no “right.” It doesn’t matter! Just keeping moving, keep the heart pumping, and have fun with it! That is the “right” way to Zumba!

A Little Q & A


What kind of shoes should I wear to class?
Something without a lot of tread - possibly a worn out tennis shoe. Dance sneakers are great. Running shoes are not.

Sometimes my knees start to hurt in class. Why?
Three things can cause this: 1) If your shoe has too much tread, then your not able to pivot on your feet as easily. Your knees are having to compensate for your feet sticking to the floor. 2) When you are pivoting/twisting you are probably not taking your knees where your toes go. Knees and toes should always face the same direction. 3) Ever hear me say, "Stick your butt out!"? It's not because I'm trying to get you all nasty!!! Keep your hips back and your knees soft (bent) so that whenever you make like a leg-squat motion your knees do not go past your toes. Never let your knees go past your toes. (If you need a visual on any of these, let me know!)

Can I do this? I'm not very coordinated.
Yes. Yes you are coordinated. Can you type? Can you tie your shoe? Do you walk, talk on the phone, vacuum, do the dishes? If you answered yes to at least one of these then YOU ARE COORDINATED! You may not get the moves exactly how I do them, but that's ok. That's what's great about Zumba. Add your OWN flare and style even if it isn't intentional! You'll get the moves. I promise you!


Will I look stupid?
No - exercising does not make you look stupid - your face does. (I kid! I KID!)


Where do you get your music and choreography?
All over! Zumba gives its instructors music and choreography every other month. We can choose what to do with the music and choreography. Some music I find on iTunes and some choreography I make up on my own.

check out:
http://www.zumba.com/
http://www.livestrong.com/, search Zumba

Surround Yourself With All Things Skinny

Hey girlies!! Stephanie from The Blue Zoo here. Some of you already know I lost 45 pounds last year. I am here to share my tips with you, encourage you, or if need be, yell at you to get your butt moving! I am in no way an expert. I am just a stay at home mom who needed to find a cheap way to lose weight.




When I first decided to lose weight it was hard. Really hard. Every morning I would check my email and see all these yummy, fattening recipes from newsletters I had signed up for. Ugh. Yea, that's just what you need to see first thing in the morning - a recipe for a triple chocolate brownie that looks delicious! I realized I needed to do away with all those newsletters! And I replaced them with healthy emails. Here are a few that I really enjoy:




WebMd - They have a great section on recipes, and losing weight, all sorts of stuff! (The email sign up form is all the way down on the bottom right.)




Everyday with Rachel Ray - Some great healthy recipes.




Eat Better America - I really like a lot of the recipes from this site. I really like how they take regular recipes and make them healthier.




Shape - I subscribe to the magazine and the emails. They have amazing workouts, and all sorts of tips and tricks.




Fitness - I subscribe to both the emails and the magazine. I think they have the BEST emails! I LOVE their website!! You can find all kinds of workouts, and even watch videos on how to do the exercises.




Last but not least Hungry Girl. I LOVE these emails as well! Her emails are FULL of useful info! She tells you about store bought products, restaurant foods, and how to make healthy versions of your restaurant favorites. She has several cookbooks for sale as well. I have the 200 Under 200 one and it is awesome! It contains 200 recipes that are all under 200 calories. I have made several of the recipes and I really enjoyed them!




Speaking of books, there are a couple I almost forgot! Sheesh!! I really truly LOVE these books to! They are called Eat This Not That! There are several different ones - one about restaurants, one for the grocery store, and one for kids etc.. Written by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, these books can help you make healthy choices wherever you may go. The books are SO awesome! They tell you the healthiest foods and which foods are not so healthy. And they name names. It flat out tells you which brand of orange juice is the best way to go. I carried the restaurant one with me in my purse at all times. Especially when we travelled. That way I would know the healthiest thing to order, and the items that were the worst items I could possibly order. Check it out for sure! You will be so surprised by some of the comparisons!




Well those are my top faves. I know there are LOTS more emails, and books, and recipe sites. If you have a favorite leave it in your comment for all to see!

Staying Motivated

I started working out again last week. Before Tuesday, it had been almost 4 years since I've walked my growing ass into a gym. Wednesday, I was a bit sore. Fortunately, I have a friend that is working out with me. Because I had to pick her up, I went back on Wednesday. On Thursday, I yelped as I rolled out of bed, but I had committed myself to picking up my friend again that afternoon, so I went back. Friday, I didn't hurt so much. Unfortunately, my friend called and she was sick. Did I go to the gym? No....

So how do we keep ourselves motivated? If we are making lifestyle changes, we can't rely 100% on others to keep us on track. We need to find something within ourselves to keep us on the straight and narrow. (I did do Wii Fit, btw. I didn't just sit around like a fat lump on a log. Yay!)

These are some things I do to keep motivated:

~I keep a picture of me at my thinnest hanging on my bathroom mirror.
~I have my total weightloss goal broken down into shorter, bite size goals, so I feel like I am making progress.
~I have a support group of friends to redirect me when I'm feeling out of sorts (Thanks, Bishes!)
~I have a super cute dress I want to reward myself with when I reach my goal.
~I read inspirational/motivational stories by people that have made this lifestyle change and stuck to it!
~I have filled The Man in on my goals and he helps me to stay on track.
~I have included my monsters children in the meal planning and healthy eating process of this journey.

What kinds of things do you do to keep yourself on track? How do you stay motivated, especially when you feel like you have taken steps backwards?

Pasta e Fagioli

One of my favorite soups ever is the Pasta e Fagioli at Olive Garden. And it isn't something that would be an avoid that, on the menu if I were out. However, I can't go to Olive Garden or any other Italian restaurant without eating two baskets of bread. It's my worst weakness. BREAD! Sigh.....

So, I played with the recipe at home. Guess what? This will taste exactly like you ordered it at Olive Garden, and better than that? You don't have to fight the crowds or the damn bread basket calling my your name!

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

2 links turkey mild Italian Sausage
2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2 Tbls dried oregano
2 cloves of garlic grated
2 15oz cans of low sodium chicken broth
1 Tbls red pepper flakes
1 can canneloni bean (white kidney beans)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato puree
2 Tblsp fresh parsley and basil

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Remove the casings from the Italian Sausage and add to the pot. Break up sausage and brown well. Add chopped onions, carrot, and celery and let cook until vegetables start to soften(about 5 minutes.) Add oregano and grate the garlic. Stir well. Add the beans and the chicken stock. Stir in tomatoes and puree. Add the red pepper flakes. Let the soup simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the pasta and fresh herbs and let the soup cook until the pasta is done. Remove from heat and serve.

Servings = 6

Calories 283, 6 grams fat, 19 grams protein, 30 grams carbs, 12 grams fiber
Note: I did not subtract out fiber or sugars to get net carbs.

Everyone in my family loves this! Hope you enjoy. ~Zgirl

Spicy Turkey Chili

I love Chili, and this recipe is fantastic! You won't miss the beef, I promise. What could be easier than a meal that takes 30 minutes or less?

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 medium onion chopped
2 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. chili powder
2 Tblsp cumin
2 Tblsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 can black beans
3-4 tsp favorite hot sauce or tobasco

In large soup pot saute onions in olive oil until transparent. Add turkey and brown. Once all the turkey is brown add chili powder, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and cumin. Make sure all of the onion/meat mixture is well coated. Add beef broth. Let the broth reduce by half. Add can of black bean and hot sauce. Mix in crushed and diced tomatoes. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

Makes 6 servings. 238 calories a serving, 22.8 grams carbs, 26 grams protein, 7 grams of fat, 8 grams fiber

Let me know if you have any questions! ~Zgirl

Feeling HOT HOT HOT - Caribbean Spicy Chicken

Happy Friday Bitches! Below is a recipe post from Daffy! I will post a couple of recipes late this evening or first thing in the morning as well so that you all have some recipes for your trips to the grocery store this weekend. Remember our tips! Don't go shopping hungry! And plan, plan, plan your menus! Love! ~Zgirl

Add some spice to your palate with this diabetic friendly, low calorie, low carb, high protein chicken dinner. Certainly heats up a boring chicken breast. Easy to prepare...even for the kitchen-challenged individual!

Caribbean Spicy Chicken


Serves: 4

Spice Mixture:

½ tsp curry powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg


What You Need:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

½ cup sliced onion

2 garlic cloves finely sliced

1 cup canned stewed tomatoes

½ cup chopped fresh parsley (fresh is better, but dried works too)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper


What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In small bowl combine all spices. Season chicken with salt and pepper and coat with spice mixture. In a non-stick skillet sauté chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat 4 minutes - turning once. Add red pepper, onion, garlic and cook 1 more minute.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover chicken with vegetables and bake 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (if you don’t have an oven friendly skillet, after stirring in remaining ingredients and cooking an additional minute, transfer everything to an oven safe dish, cover chicken with vegetables and bake).


**Caribbean Spicy Chicken is great paired with a side of rice…white rice or brown rice…both are great!



Nutritional Information:


200 calories, 28g protein, 9g carbs, 6g fat, 2g fiber

got questions? email Daffy at batcrapcrayblog@gmail.com

Mint Infused Ice Cubes

Boil 4 cups of water and add 2 packed cups of fresh mint leaves and steep until cool. Strain out the leaves. Place 2 to 3 small leaves into each ice cube hole on the tray and fill with the cooled mint infused water. Place into freezer and when the cubes are ready add them to your glass of water or iced tea.

Its a great way to use up your mint leaves (my mint plant went all spazzoid-growy on me) and an easy way to add a wonderful mint taste to favorite drinks. It even works to soothe an upset tummy!

4 cups will fill 3 ice cube trays - just reduce water amount for fewer trays.If you don't have an abundance of mint leaves like I do, you can reuse the mint leaves from the steeped water. Its just that those leaves aren't quite as pretty after being steeped. They tend to turn a dark green or brownish color which doesn't look quite as nice in the ice cube but will still work!

It's all about ME(or You)!

Happy hump day bitches!  Most of us are at the 10 day mark.  Can you believe that?  You made it that far already.  There has been some belly aching (names withheld to protect the whole lot of us).  There have been a few slips(shame shame, I know your names), but all things considered?  IT IS WORKING!

So I read a very good post today.  Great post actually.  One of the things that I think everyone needs to remember is this is about get healthy (not just losing weight).  Feeling better about our total health.  And health my friends is not restricted to just our bodies.  It's our mental health too ladies (and gents if you are here).  BODY IMAGE is important.  This is a journey to self discovery, and self acceptance.  Right?  Right!

Please go check out my friend Holly over at 504 Main.  She posted a great blog regarding weight loss and body image and it was inspiring to me, so of course, I want to share with all of you.

The post drove home something else that resonated with me this week.  I was watching The Today Show (no judging, tv junkie here) and there was one of those financial experts on blathering about women and finances and blah blah blah.  But what really struck me was how different men and women really are.  Men know to take care of themselves first.  It is instinctual.  With women, we take care of everyone else first and put our needs, on the bottom of the list.  Example:  when you are getting ready to take off on a flight and the attendant goes through the spiel about seat belts, and exits, and how you can use your seat cushion as a flotation device should there be a water landing.  The flight attendant explains that should the cabin lose air pressure the oxygen masks will deploy and demonstrates putting your mask on first before attending to other passengers(children).  Yeah, ladies, just so you know, that is for our benefit.  Men know to do that.  We think of the kids first.

So, the point, that I am ever so round about getting to is this, YOU are important.  YOU need to be taken care of, by you.  You need to make time to exercise.  You need to make time to sleep.  You need to make time for you.  If we don't recharge our batteries, put the right fuel in our engines, we cannot do the things we want to do well.

So ladies, it's time to share with the rest of the class.  Tell me, what are you going to do, FOR YOU, this week?  Consider it homework.  An assignment of sorts.  Spill it.  All of you participating in the challenge.  One thing you will do for yourself this week!

Keep up the great work bitches!  I am so proud!  96 followers in 10 days?  UNBELIEVABLE!  You all rock my world!  Love!  ~Zgirl out!

Getting The Most Out Of The New You

Welcome to week two! Zgirl’s idea has grown faster than my Oreo eating ass (that says a lot!). Congrats to making it to week two in your journey. We have excited and phenomenal new bloggers joining every day which means with the variety of tips, resources and weight loss approaches you are sure to find something that works for you!


We’ve already seen tips for getting back into the gym or on your treadmill, journaling your food journey and been given links for some really awesome support sites.

Your journey should be one of a lifestyle change if your ultimate goal is for the weight to truly be gone.

 One day at a time…one meal at a time…

Here are a few more tips and reminders to help get the most out of your healthy eating habits and new active life style.


1. When running errands park as far away from the door as you can (unless of course you are shopping in a really bad area of town. Then park close unless you pack heat or have studied with a Ninja lately)

2. Working exercise into your day even in 10 minute increments IS beneficial. So get up and walk around at least once every hour. Always take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you have bad knees try taking the elevator for every other floor. Walk a flight…take the elevator…walk a flight…elevator until you build up to all stairs.


3. DO NOT skip meals. You’d think this would help reduce your calorie intake for the day thus drop the pounds. Not so…this will actually counteract your efforts in the long run. It messes with your metabolism by sending your body into survival mode. The goal is even blood sugars throughout the day to maintain your energy level and curb your hunger. BREAKFAST is your most important meal!

4. DRINK DRINK DRINK! Not Vodka but water (that was for me…not you…kind of a NOTE TO SELF thing…). If you’re thirsty, you’re dehydrated. Being dehydrated can trigger the hunger signal in the brain (or stomach or ass…wherever yours in located). Diet sodas and sugar free drinks don’t count. Sorry. Water is the key. If you hate water try adding Lemon or Orange peels to your pitcher and refrigerate. I love to infuse my water with mint flavored ice cubes. I’ll do a post on how to make these. SUPER EASY and you can add them to iced tea (unsweetened of course) or Lemonade (sugar free of course).

5. While on the water bandwagon, sometimes we misunderstand our body cues and think we are hungry when we are really bored or upset about something. Try drinking a full 8 oz of water before giving into the munchies desire. If you’re still hungry after the water, a healthy snack is fine. Remember…level blood sugars…it reduces the spikes and drops your body experiences which can also falsely signal HUNGER to your brain!

6. Don’t stand at the sink or kitchen counter to eat or snack. Take your portion/serving and put the rest away. It’s harder to keep track of how much you’ve actually eaten if you just ‘guess’ while dipping your hand in and out of the bag. This still rings true even if you’re munching on carrot sticks.

I’ll stop preaching there. These are things that work for me and have been drilled into me over the years from all the dietians that come and go in the life of a diabetic. I am always open to new tips and idea so feel free to share in the comments what changes in your everyday life work for you. There are TONS more than what I’ve listed here. This is interactive though so…have at it!



CHEERS! For week two! Keep moving ladies!  ~love~Duckalicious

Contributers

Coming Soon!

The Challenge

Coming soon!

LIB Recipes

Coming Soon.

What Does a Pound Look Like?

We hope everyone is enjoying the great recipes posted. I have tried the almond chicken this week and it really is tasty stuff. Love me some chicken boobies. As most of us prepare for our first weigh in I thought it appropriate to discuss what a pound of weight actually looks like. Some bitches have weighed in already and a few have commented that they have "only" lost 2 or 3 pounds. This is SO not the attitude to have ladies and you need to stop it, RIGHT NOW.

I know, I know, you're all thinking, "Dual Mom, you don't need to tell me what a damn pound looks like...I SEE my ass, I have a mirror." Just humour* me people. Go to the fridge and take out a pound of butter and put it on the counter. THAT is a pound. So you've lost three of those and you're using the word "only"? You have lost that off your ass, or your stomach or wherever it has come off! Think of it in reverse, think of putting three of those onto your ass....I bet you would not use the word only. So why use it when taking the lbs off? Stop that crazy talk. Every pound lost is a pound closer to your ultimate goal. I have an actual image of a pound of fat, but it's pretty gross, and while I'm all about grossness and shocking people I know some of you probably don't have the fondness for such things like I do, so I'll refrain from posting it.

Over the past week I have been reading many a blog sites regarding weight loss. There are some pretty inspirational stories out there but when I stumbled upon this last night I had to share with you. First off, he's a guy, so he tells it from the male perspective. Secondly, this guy...... this guy had me laughing so hard my stomach muscles hurt this morning. AND he's lost 90.7 pounds over the past 37 weeks and still going strong. His sidebar indicates a list of goals at various weight loss levels; at 90 pounds lost he says he's getting a mani/pedi or sacrificing one of his dogs to the brazilian demi-gods.

This is a sampling of one of his posts:

More Weight-Loss Nursery Rhymes

The Wise Old Owl

A wise old owl blogged ‘bout his weight.
The more he wrote, the less he ate.
The less he ate, the more losses occurred.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

Baa Baa Fat Sheep

Baa baa fat sheep,
Have you any determination?
No sir, no sir,
Need some motivation.
Some to make me eat less,
And some to make me move,
And some from all the blogs
That keep me in my groove.
Baa baa fat sheep,
Have you any will?
Yes sir, yes sir,
Now I’m made of steel.

I have no idea how he makes that shit up but that's a very SMALL sampling of the hilarity that is Jack Sh*t Gettin Fit. Go visit and give him some LIB love. Perhaps we'll convince him to do a guest post for us? Hmmmm Mr. Jack, hmmmm??

Be sure to let us know when you have your weigh in posts up ladies and gents so we can cheer you on and offer our words of wisdom. We're all about the wisdom here at LIB, dontcha know?

That's all for now.
Dual Mom

* No, humour is not spelled wrong, that's how we roll here in Canada. We like to put extra letters in our words just to make the English language a little more complicated.

Six Can Chicken Tortilla Soup

I think to be skinny you have to find healthy foods you can love. I love, love, love this soup. I could seriously eat it everyday for lunch and dinner. I got this recipe from AllRecipes.com, like I do a lot of my favorite recipes!



1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers


Fresh Cilantro, chopped - to taste


totilla chips - Whichever brand has the least amount of fat and calories.




1. Pour everything (except chips) into a large pot. Heat until simmering and the chicken is heated through.




Count out a serving size of tortilla chips and toss into your bowl. Save the rest of the soup for lunches for the week. Or dinners.




The recipe says it makes 6 servings. But I portion it out to 4 servings. It has so little calories that you can eat a lot of it!




Nutritional info (Without the chips.)




Calories - 215


Fat - 4.9 g


Protein - 17.2 g

Crockpot Meal - Cranberry Pork Roast

Now before you write this off as "sounds gross! I'd never eat that!" Give it a try. My SUPER picky family actually likes this one. I don't have a pic to include of it because I recently prepared this meal - as in BEFORE the inception and my inclusion on Lose It Bitches. Be sure to come back and leave a comment should you try it for your family. We'd love to know if you liked it and what sides you paired it with!

Cranberry Pork Roast


You’ll Need:
1 16oz can Wholeberry Cranberry Sauce

1 medium onion - chopped

1 5.5 oz can apricot nectar (I just drained the juice from a can of apricots…worked just fine. Save the apricots to pair with some lowfat cottage cheese for tmorrow's snack!)

½ cup of sugar**

½ cup of coarsely chopped dried apricots

2 tsp distilled white vinegar

1 tsp dried mustard

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 ½ pounds boneless pork loin roast - well trimmed

What to do:

Mix all the above ingredients.

Reserve a small amount to pour over pork.

Pour ingredients into crock pot

Add the pork roast

Pour reserved amount of sauce over pork

Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours


**Can substitute ½ cup of Splenda for ½ cup of sugar. Will slightly reduce carbs for meal.

Nutritional Info:


373 Calories; 31 g Protein, 43g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 8g fat (3g Saturated); 84 mg Cholesterol, 359mg Sodium


questions/comments email me....batcrapcrazyblog@gmail.com

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Party People in da house!  Yo girls and guys!  There have been lots o' questions.  How do I join?  What's the Challenge?  How do I participate?  Who are these crazy chics?  Can I add content?  Can I link to you?  Can you add me?  How do I get on the blog roll?  It has been a regular 20 questions up in here!

Let me first say, the response to this has been overwhelming!  I set this site up Sunday afternoon and within the first day we had 40 followers.  We are quickly on our way to 70(only need one more) in just four short days!  People that is inspiring!  I am in awe!

Second - EVERYONE is welcome to join us.  "Can I join" is a silly question.  Of course you may!  This is not an exclusive club.  Come one, come all.  Anyone looking for a fun way to make friends, share experiences and get fit is welcome! 

So I have a little problem.  There are SEVERAL of you that have asked questions, and I can't respond to you because your email isn't viewable.  Please go into your profiles and change the option to make email viewable.  Otherwise, the team and I can't get back to you.  All your comments go unanswered or worse to noreply-comment@blogger.com  If I haven't answered your questions this is the reason.

I am going to work on the blog roll over the weekend.  If you aren't listed already and you want to be added please leave a comment and remind me.

If you left comments telling me you would like to link to me, or contribute content based on your expertise, etc...I want you to send me an email.  I couldn't respond to you because of above said email issue.  My email is adrienzgirl@gmail.com

A couple of you have broken down and hit the drive-thru at good ol' Mickey D's, or cheated in some way or other.  I want to offer you encouragement and tell you don't give up.  Look, there are 7 days in a week.  At least 3 meals a day.  That's 21 meals in a week, and 84 in a month.  Just because you eat badly one meal doesn't mean you throw in the towel.  There are 20 other meals in the week to make up for it.  Hey, that's still a 95%, and that is an A for effort!  Right? Right!

I will post recipes for you all on Saturday morning or late tonight.  We have some cued up and ready to go.  That way as you sit down and plan your meals for the upcoming week, and plan your run to the grocery, you can purchase the items you need for meals that look good to you!  My last tip, relates to this run to the grocery store.  DO NOT go to the grocery store hungry.  You will buy things you don't need.  You will buy things that will tempt you.  Just don't do it.

That's it for today.  Remember to fix your email, and send me emails if you want to contribute something.   ~Zgirl OUT!

Write It Down, Bitches

So?  What did you eat today?  I bet you can't tell me everything you put into your mouth today.  If you don't know, how do you expect to lose it, bitch?  If I've learned anything over the years about weight management, it is to write down EVERYTHING I consume.  Food journaling is one of the most critical parts of managing your weight.

So once you've written it down, what should you do with it?  Good question....  Once upon a time, back when I had a real job and stuff, I paid a personal trainer to evaluate my food journals and tell me what to do next.  These days, not so much.  But don't fret darlings, you don't need the bank roll of a Hilton to make your food journal work for you.  There are countless resources online (I'll post some links at the bottom.) that will digest all the information you enter and tell you what it means.  There is also the "old fashioned way" of reading labels and figuring it out yourself, but really, who are we kidding?  No one wants to do that!

So your goal is to write down EVERYTHING you put into your pretty little mouth, determine your caloric intake for the day (or points if you're doing the Weight Watchers point counting thing), and make sure you are expending more calories than you are consuming.  Some even encourage writing down your mood when you eat to determine if you are eating things for the right reasons. (You mean I shouldn't have eaten that whole box of Twinkies while I was angry at The Boy for being lippy?  Hmmmmm.)

So?  What does a food journal look like, you ask?  Well, it's really as simple as having a notebook with blank pages, writing down what you ate and at what time, the serving size, and IF you're calculating "the old fashioned way", the calories, fat, and protein consumed.  But if you are as anal as I am, you may want to use a form of some type.  Never fear, there are a TON of web sites that offer them for free. Here is a list of free, printable versions offered online:

• 
  
  
  WebMD
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  All Diet Source
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Personal Nutrition Guide
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  The Project Girl
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  About.com
  
  
  
  

These are a few options, or you can google "printable food journal", or you can make your own...  Whatever works best for you.

My favorite site for tracking what I eat is Livestrong.com.  Not only does this site have a crazy big library of brand name and generic foods, but you can add your favorites if they are not there!  It also has a quick little questionaire you answer and it tells you how many calories you can eat to meet your goals...  AND if you enter your info as the day progresses, it will tell you how many you have left for the day.

Some others are My Fitness Pal, Fitday, Slim Tracker, and extraPounds.com.

Find one that suits you and start this new habit!  It will only help you in the long run!

Today's tips were provided by That One Mom of Chronicles of an Only Parent.

tips

Coming soon!

5 Tips To Getting Started On A Healthier You

Hey girls!! It's Stephanie from The Blue Zoo. This post was one of my very first posts over at my blog. I thought I would share it here with ya'll cause I happen to think it has some good advice! I'm wishing you all the best of luck and am here to offer encouragement, or to yell at you to get your lazy butt up and workout!! Your choice....

A little over a year ago I realized I weighed way more than I wanted to! I weighed just as much as I had when I was 9 months pregnant with my twins. I had been skinny my whole life. Only really gaining weight when I was pregnant. I ate junk all the time. I never worked out. Hated it actually! And somehow the pregnancy weight always dropped off with no effort. Until my last pregnancy. Some of the weight hung around. It didn't drop off. I was eating a ton of unhealthy foods. My only exercise was cleaning house, obviously it wasn't enough to make any difference in my jiggly butt!

Over the last year and a half I have managed to lose 45 pounds. I am now at a healthy weight. But it still takes a lot of effort to eat healthy and workout. People are always asking me how I did it. It wasn't easy. It took a lot of will power and good friends. Here are some tips on how I got started.

5 Tips to Getting Started On A Healthier You

1. Don't think of this change as a diet. Don't even tell people you are "on a diet". Because being on a diet implies that one day you will be off the diet. Think of any changes you make as simply stepping toward a healthier life. Because that's what it's all about - being healthier and happier inside and out. (Being a skinny bitch definitely makes me happy!!)

2. Find a friend or family member who wants to get skinny with you. (This is where I say THANK YOU JESSICA to my BFF. She is awesome. I would not have reached my weight loss goals without her!!) For me this worked out great. Because we both wanted to get healthier and skinnier. We were both focused. Your buddy needs to be someone you can call when you are craving fries, so she can remind you what your butt will look like if you eat them. Your buddy also needs to be someone who will kick your butt out of bed and make you exercise if need be. While bloggy friends here are great and wonderful, if there were someone who could physically drag your ass out of bed that would be awesome!

3. Measure your portions!! I cant stress this enough. This is the first thing I tell people when they ask for my advice. Get out all your measuring cups and spoons. If you want PB&J for instance, measure out the exact amount of peanut butter and the exact amount of jelly that it says is a serving on the package. Just from doing this one little thing I lost like 4 pounds that first week. (Before I started exercising or anything else.) I was shocked that I often ate 3 times the recommended serving!

4. This kinda goes with #3. Write it all down! Keep a food journal and write down everything you eat. If it has calories and you put it in your mouth, write it down! At first I just kept track of the calories and fat grams. Later I started tracking my protein and grams of sugar too. Calories add up fast. There's just no way you can keep track of everything you eat in your head. Plus it helps to know that if by the afternoon you've already eaten 1400 calories, maybe you should pass on the 900 calorie piece of cake in the fridge!

5. Exercise. Really. I know, it seems obvious right? However when people ask me for advice, exercise is the last thing they want to hear about. I think they are really hoping for some magical pill or something. But no. Working out is the answer. When I first started I was chubby and out of shape big time! So I started small. Luckily my husband bought me my own elliptical that I set up in the living room. I was lucky if I could finish 10 minutes on the darn thing! But I kept at it and now I can do an hour. I also started walking as fast as I could while cleaning around the house, doing squats while cooking dinner, and crunches while watching TV in the evening. So start small, and gradually add more and more ways to add activity to your life.

I found that cute little hula hoopin' gal at Webweaver's Free Clipart.

Contact Us

Email The Bitches:

libgals@gmail.com

Follow us on Twitter:

@loseitbitches

What? You want to play favorites?

Brandee can be found at Think Tank Mama

Email: adrienzgirl@gmail.com

That One Mom can be found at The Only Parent Chronicles

Email: thatonemom.onlyparentchronicles@gmail.com

Tamara can be found at Mad Boastings of a Cheapskate Mom

Email: cheapskatemom@live.com

Stephanie can be found at The Blue Zoo

Email: lifeinabluezoo@yahoo.com

Dual Mom can be found at We're At Dads That Week

Email: dualmom@gmail.com

Daffy can be found at Batcrap Crazy

Email: batcrapcrazyblog@gmail.com

Meet and Eat With Daffy

Meet the Quack Duck:

Duckalicious AKA Daffy treading water in the Batcrap Crazy pond. Adrienzgirl lovingly refers to me as the skinny bitch she dragged here. Not so I say! I came willingly. Frequently some oh-so-nice person will snidely ask why I’m drinking a diet coke and what reason do I have for dieting? Not only would I like to throat chop these people but also ask why they choose to dress the way they do when the circus only comes to town once a year?1? Shutyerignorantpiehole!



I am an insulin dependent diabetic. My life depends on my food choices just as yours does, regardless of my size. I also battle thyroid disease which means if I even dream about food I wake up with 10 extra pounds clinging my ass. Bottom line is not the number but how you feel in your skin. So whether you have 10 pounds or 100 to lose, if your goal is better nutrition or to physically be able to run a 5k, we all have something to gain (no pun intended) from being here.


I’m bringing the diabetic perspective to the table along with recipes that work in my home as well as tips and tricks for everyday weight and health management. Feel free to email me with questions or topics you'd like to see me talk about. I'm not a registered dietitian nor do I have a PHD in these topics. I do have over 10 years of experience and I'm still alive so that should count for something. Now, on to the eating part.

From my kitchen to yours I'd like to share:

Almond Crusted Chicken

Super Easy! Serves 4

You'll Need:
1/3 cup finely chopped almonds

¼ cup brown sugar**

½ TSP garlic salt

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 TSP finely chopped parsley/or 1 TSP dried parsley - optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees


Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Dredge chicken in bowl -coating both sides well.

Arrange on baking sheet and firmly pat any remaining mixture on top of each piece of chicken.


Bake 18-20 minutes



Nutritional Information:
254 Calories, 29g Protein, 15g Carbs, 8g Fat, 188mg Sodium, 1g Fiber


**You can substitute the brown sugar with Splenda’s version of brown sugar to cut the carb count even further.

Almond Crusted Chicken pairs nicely with a fresh green salad or side dish of green beans.



got questions? email me: batcrapcrazyblog@gmail.com

The Dreaded E Word

Dual Mom here. Can I just say holy shit? Can I swear on this thing? Hello, does this thing work? The reason I say holy shit? Thirty-three followers in one day and so much enthusiam and support for everyone who has decided to join the crazy train. You guys are just full of the awesome.

One of the comments on the previous post asked how to get started exercising. I'm sure Daffy and any one of the other lovely ladies could answer this question better than me, but I have a big mouth and I'm jumping in on this one. Three years ago I could run 5k in under 30 minutes, I exercised at 5:30 in the morning at least five days a week. I ran outside, in rain, wind and snow. This morning, I found myself winded climbing one flight of stairs to my office. I tell you this because I know what it does to ones body and self esteem to be completely and totally out of shape. I also have a bit of experience in how to change all of that.

Let's talk about resting heart rates for a minute. Do you know what your resting heart rate is? Put your fingers to the pulse in your neck and count beats for 10 seconds then times that number by 6. I know math is hard....but give it a try. Your resting heart rate is important. The lower it is, the healther your heart is. American Heart Association indicates your heart rate should be between 60-80 bpm. It will generally increase with age. However, physically fit people have a lower resting heart rate. How does that work? Well, if you have a lower resting heart rate, it means your heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood through your body. This is important, the harder your heart has to work over a prolonged period of time, the quicker the ticker is going to wear out. A worn out heart is not a good thing people.

Exercise increases your heart rate, hence the gasping for oxygen. But it only increases it for short periods (while you're exercising). This is good for you. So how do you get started with exercising? It's easy, just move. Walking is one of the easiest, safest forms of exercise that you can do.

- Start small - you're not going to be able to go out and speed walk for an hour if you haven't exercised in awhile. Plus you'll end up hurting yourself which will totally defeat the purpose.

- Stretch out your legs, shin splints are a bitch.

- Try to do some sort of physical activity at least three days a week. This is important for a couple of reason. Anything less won't give you results. Also, it's important to get into a routine.

- Try to work hard enough to sweat. Sweat is good for you. Each of those droplets running down the side of your face contains toxins that are being expelled from your body.

- On the flip side of that, drink drink drink. Any bitch that has lost weight will tell you how IMPORTANT it is to drink water. Yeah, you'll piss 600 times a day for the first little while, but just think of all that fluid coming off your ass!!! It will even itself out and you'll be back to peeing like a normal person in no time.

- Music makes exercise easier. Yes it does, trust me on this. The louder the better.

I went to the gym this evening after work for the first time in almost three years. This morning while packing my gym bag I realized I had one pair of gym pants that fit me. Sigh. I did 50 minutes on the treadmill. I was slow, so slow. I started thinking about how far I've fallen and had to immediately shut those thoughts down. Halfway through when I realized I was going to actually finish the workout without dying I was filled with an incredible sense of accomplishment. Something I haven't felt in a long time. My muscles were burning and my calves were bawling but I did it. And you know what.........you can do it too. I know you can. So c'mon, how did you work it today?

Welcome to Lose It Bitches!

Welcome to Lose It Bitches!  This is your blog center of support for losing weight and getting healthy.  Some are overweight, others want to get in shape, some others have been there done that, and want to offer encouragement, others are on special diet requirements due to diabetes.  Whether you are seeking encouragement, recipes,  friendship with others fighting the battle of the bulge, it doesn't matter.  Click that follow button and join us.

Let me introduce everyone.

There's me Think Tank Momma aka Adrienzgirl.  Many of these folks call me ZGirl.  I am on a quest to lose weight and get fit.  I have 100 lbs. to lose.  That is my goal.  I am a Foodie, which is also affectionately referred to as a food addict.  I love food, but I love myself more, so, I will be learning how to love food without LOVING food.  If you get my drift.

There is Dual Mom.  She started this whole thing.  She posted this back on December 2nd.  So I took it as a double dog dare, even though she didn't call it that exactly, and threw down the proverbial gauntlet, here.  The rest as they say is history.  Dual Mom started organizing.  I got my friend Tamara over at Cheapskate Designs to design a button for us.  And I must say, I am so proud to see you all displaying it so proudly!  Dual Mom's goal is to lose 29 lbs.

There is Daffy aka Duckalicious.  She is our resident diabetic.  Her need to stay healthy and fit includes keeping her feet, and eyesight, and so on.  Daff is here for moral support and she will be providing us with great recipes that are healthy and cater to the low sugar, low carb crowd.  She is also a ZUMBA fanatic.  I will let her tell you all about her exercise regime.  She is a resident skinny bitch, so no hatin' on her.  She is here to help us!

Next up, Stephanie from The Blue Zoo.  Stephanie lost 45 lbs.  She has lots of get skinny tips and tricks.  She will be sharing her secrets with us.  Her blog has many tips and she also has a recipe tab.  You can check out her blog, she is super cute and super funny.  She is another skinny bitch, but she has been chubby and did something about it.  So, be nice to her too!

Next, my good friend That One Mom, That One Mom of Chronicles of an Only Parent.  That One Mom wants to add her support.  She is part of my Blackberry Chat Group, along with Daff.  She will be making sure we include Gluten Free recipes as that was definitely something that never occurred to me.  She also will share her exercise tips.

I am waiting to hear from one more blogger, and I will introduce her when she accepts her invitation.

So the Challenge.  The Challenge runs from January 3rd (I know some of you started earlier) through April 30th.   This is for those of us losing weight.  The person that loses the most body weight percentage will get cool stuff from those of us who can participate.  AND better than that BRAGGING RIGHTS!!!

Seriously though, the challenge is just for fun.  If you don't want to send anything to the winner, or can't, Lord knows the economy sucks for all of us, that's o.k.  This is really about getting healthy.  Getting fit.  And feeling better about ourselves.

So join us.  Let me know if you would like to offer tips.  Send me your favorite recipes to share with the group.

This is above everything else a support group for all of us!