3rd place!!!! Not the top spot, but I get my $100 back. Really it's like I got to lose over 20 lbs for the free :-D

My competitors were awesome coming is at 15% and 16% respectively. They were also larger men with starting weights of about 220lbs, so they had to lose a lot of weight to make those percentages. The top winner lost 37lbs. Oh snap! Our entire team lost 187lbs among the 11 of us. We rock!

Now I just need to maintain...I won't tell you how much food I've already eaten today. Let's just say, that I'm stuffed. Sooo...tomorrow its back on my grind.

I must tell you that I really really don't endorse 'diet' living. This was a hard 12 weeks, and if there wasn't money at stake, then I don't think that I could have done it. Truly a healthy diet w/limited splurges and a regular exercise schedule is absolutely the way to go.

153.6lbs!!!!!!! Damn, I'm good. Hungry, but good. I can't remember what my original weight was, but assuming that it was 178lbs, then that is a 14.8% loss. Whooo hoooo! We aren't releasing the final standings until everyone weighs in later today, so I'll let you know the placement then. However, everyone just take a moment and do a happy dance. Now I'm off to enjoy a delicious breakfast corissant :-D

Revisions! Revisions! Revisions!

Sooo...do to some useful and concerned feedback from my conscience, I have decided that the plan listed below may be a bit too extreme. Here are the problems:

1. 3 days is a long time to go w/o food esp. when you are planning to maintain the same level of physical activity.

2. Avoiding eating at work is going to be challenging.

3. A plan such as the one described below requires a slow re-introduction to food. Clearly I am not going to be reintroducing anything back into my system 'slowly'.

Here' is the new plan.

Friday:
- Eat normally while at work (I'll bring in yogurt and 100 cal packs just in case the breakfast and lunch offered are heavy. Usually there is salad or turkey sandwiches available for lunch).
- Prepare a dinner of steamed veggies.
- Special tea after dinner

Saturday:
- MC lemonade for breakfast and lunch
- Steamed veggie for dinner
- Special tea after breakfast & dinner
- Herbal tea (as needed)

Sunday:
- MC lemonade for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Special tea mid-day
- Herbal tea (as needed)

More reasonable, yes?

Ok, I've got it!!!! Friday - Sunday...we're Master Cleansing!

Here is the plan (taken from mastercleansesecrets.com)

The Master Cleanse Recipe

"The Master Cleanse works just how it sounds; you consume primarily lemonade for the entire time you're on the diet. So the recipes for the diet itself are fairly simple. You should drink a minimum of 60 oz of lemonade a day, but can drink more if you like. You can also drink as much water as you want. I suggest you consume your body weight in ounces of water.

Below are two different recipes. The first is for a single serving of the master cleanse lemonade. The second will make 6 servings

#1 (single serving):

• 2 Tablespoons of organic lemon Juice (about 1/2 a Lemon)
• 2 Tablespoons of Organic grade B maple syrup (not the commercial maple flavored syrup you use on pancakes)
• 1/10 Teaspoon Cayenne pepper powder
• Ten ounces of filtered water

#2 (60 oz. daily serving):

• 60 ounces of filtered water
• 12 Tablespoons of organic grade B maple syrup
• 12 Tablespoons of organic lemon juice
• 1/2 Teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

There are a couple important things to remember when preparing the lemonade.

For one, the lemon juice used must be fresh squeezed. This cannot be emphasized enough. It is necessary to use fresh produce. Canned juice won't work and will erase most of the benefits of using the master cleanser diet.

Also, the maple syrup must be grade B maple syrup, not the sugar filled syrup that is used at the breakfast table.

The cayenne pepper might seem unnecessary, but it is actually very important. Not only does it help to add a bit of a kick, but the pepper helps to break up mucus and increases healthy blood flow. It also is a good source of B and C vitamins, commonly referred to as Super Vitamins due to their many benefits for the body.

Mixing teas with the recipe is one way to help modify things, just make sure It's decaffeinated tea because caffeine can restrict blood vessels and we want to keep your body passages as open as possible.

Adding a Natural Laxative To Help Flush Out Your System

Taking a laxative will speed up the detoxing process, and help your body eliminate waste.

I prefer ingestible laxatives like, sea salts, and herbal tea. These are ideal methods for cleaning the colonic tract without the harmful effects of colonics and enemas.

Drinking 1 teaspoon of unrefined non-iodized sea salt mixed with 25-35 ounces of water will flush out your system.

It's best to use either of these laxatives (or both of them) 2 times a day. I've found it best to take them in the morning and before I go to bed.

Also, I advise you give yourself at least an hour and a half before you go out when you do this. These laxatives will work fast, and you will discover why you should probably be at home near a bathroom when you use them."

Here are my primary concerns...I have a group training on Friday, which will out my master plan to the other competitors. I mean its going to be pretty obvious that I am not eating. Maybe I can dip away during lunch time...stating that I am going to meet a friend. I can return after lunch and say that I've already eaten. Also, I have to pack a large jug of this stuff to take to work. Booo hiss to that. I am thinking of filling two large water bottles (1 for the morning and one for the afternoon) and discretely pulling them out when no one is looking. Maybe that will work. I'll take some herbal (not laxative...I think we can save that for the weekend) tea bags to have some variety throughout the day.

Most importantly...ya'll pray for me :-( This is going to be the toughest challenge ever as I have NEVER (and probably never will again) gone w/o food for three days. Pure madness, I tell ya! I have a great book that I want to finish on Saturday, and Sunday I believe that I will clean my house...got to stay busy you know!

Last seven days! Whoooo Hooooo!

Lets see. I did a pretty decent job of working out last week. I got in 6 out of 7 workouts. Friday got dropped b/c I simply couldn't force myself to wake at 5:30 am for a 3rd day in a row, and I had after work plans. My evening exercise (a walk) was foiled by several inches of snow. However, I ate well and was really pleased with the week. I was somewhat at a plateau for most of last week...rounding out the week at 159.8lbs. However, yesterday morning I weighed in at 157.8lbs, which was nice to see. There is hope for 155lbs by Monday.

Here is the plan for this week.

Sunday - 1 hr swim
Monday - 1 hr yoga
Tuesday - 1 hr swim
Wednesday - 1 hr swim
Thursday - 1 hr yoga
Friday - 1 hr swim
Saturday - 1 hr swim & sauna
Sunday - 5K walk
Monday - 1 hr swim & sauna

I'm also going to try some sort of last minute fruit/liquid diet on Saturday and Sunday, but I haven't yet figured out what exactly to do. I am looking into this today.

Wish me luck!

To honor my peeps...

I'll keep the chain going w/this deal here:

1. I can’t believe I’ve never…...

gone away for spring break

2. Every time I think about … I still cringe

twisting my knee

3. I wish I’d …when I had the chance....

studied abroad

4. I’ve never felt so out of place as when I…...

tried to hang out w/the 'cool' girls in elementary and high school

5. … is/are my guiltiest pleasure.

Candy!!!!

6. I hope … knows how grateful I am for …...

mom...all of her love and support

7. In my darkest hours, I secretly blame … for my dysfunction.

myself and my up-bringing

8. … changed my life forever.

Meeting Mr. Right

Not diet related, but lifestyle related...and that's also what this blog is about.

So I weighed in this morning at 160.3 lbs. No lbs lost...well that isn't completely true. I weighed in last Friday at 162 lbs. However, since I was about 160 lbs two weeks ago, then there is no major change there. My goals are still the same as they were in the last post. If I can get down 5 more lbs in the next two weeks (tough, but do-able based on my earlier success), then I'll feel good no matter what the competition outcome is.

This is also my last day of exercise freedom. Beginning tomorrow, I will be exercising everyday until the end of the competition. Its only two weeks, which is why I feel like I'll be able to make it through...but with out a doubt it will be tiring. I'll be getting up early to hit the pool about 3 days out of the work week, which makes for wonderfully free nights, but somewhat sleepy afternoons.

The snacking hasn't really turned around yet, and I haven't disciplined myself to get back onto my food diary. Basically I've been dining out (or snacking) more, which are calories that are hard to count. Since those episodes throw off my daily totals, then I have sort of abandoned them all together. However, there is no time like the present to get back into it. I will be away from the goodies that exist at my client today, tomorrow, and Sunday, so that will give me three days to get back into the habit before I get back to work on Monday.

Let's see...what else can I tell you. I think that's all for now, but I will try to find some fun dieting/workout tips to post later on. I know that you're tired of hearing me whine ;-)

I have NOT BEEN GOOD. I haven't been tracking my food/calories, and I have been snacking at work. Honestly, I am just tired, and my resolve has slipped some. I'm struggling to get back on track and get my iron-clad will back into place. I am still working out 5 times a week, and I am pumped for my last two weeks of non-stop exercising. However, I really just want this competition to be OVER. I don't even know why I want it to be over. I mean I don't really want to fall right back into my same old snacking habits, for which I am really at risk. However I do want to be able to stop feeling guilty about eating like a normal person. For instance, we went out for a team lunch yesterday, and I had curry vegetables with brown rice. It was delicious! However, I was feeling guilty about not choosing a salad. That's the type of thing of which I am ready to be rid. Here's my final 2.5 week goal. I'd like to get to 155lbs. That's 5 lbs in 2.5 weeks. Do-able, but it will take some effort. That would be a total of 24lbs and 14.5% of my body weight lost in 12 weeks. Now if I can't win with that, then screw it! I would have given it my best shot, and feel very pleased with myself. I'm going to get focused on skipping the snacks, cutting down on water intake (for the last weekend of the competition), sticking to my workouts, and even hit the steam room (last weekend of the competition). That's all that I can give it...beyond that I'm DONE!

I hit up the gym for an early morning swim today, and it was actually quite enjoyable and relaxing. The water was warm, and the pool was quiet and un-crowded. I also made an interesting discovery. The gym is full of black women first thing in the morning. I normally only see a handful of other African Americans at any given time. The demographic is typically majority white and Asian. However, I've noticed that the early morning crowd is about 80% black (well, at least in the women's locker room). I don't know what to attribute the difference to, but its actually pretty nice. These ladies are far more personable, and have sort of a community feeling about themselves. There is gentle chatting while folks are getting ready for work and a chorus of "Have a good day" when you head out. Me likey!