AND THE WINNERS ARE.........

1ST PLACE: STEVE LONGHURST - 5.5%

2ND PLACE: ROBYN LONGHURST - 4%

CONGRATULATIONS! THESE GUYS DID AWESOME, AND WHAT A TEAM! PULLING OFF A HUSBAND AND WIFE WIN!!

I'M SO PROUD OF ALL OF YOU GUYS! IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK AND DEDICATION, AND THE RESULTS WERE ACTUALLY VERY CLOSE! IT CAME DOWN TO JUST TENTHS OF A PERCENTAGE, SO EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T WIN, PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK FOR DOING SO WELL! IDAHO IS NOW 80+ POUNDS LIGHTER THANKS TO YOU GUYS! (oops and Washington too Heidi!)

WHETHER YOU'VE MET YOUR GOAL, OR ARE GOING TO STAY ON THE ROAD TO WEIGHT LOSS, I HOPE YOU'LL CONTINUE TO WORK TOWARDS BEING MORE FIT AND HEALTHY!

DON'T STOP EXERCISING
DRINK LOTS OF WATER
KEEP YOUR DIET BALANCED AND NUTRITIOUS!

ONCE YOU'VE LOST WEIGHT, ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS KEEPING IT OFF. EXERCISE IS THE KEY TO DOING THIS, SO DON'T GIVE UP THAT HABIT, EVEN IF YOU ARE TAKING A BREAK OR INCREASING YOUR CALORIES BACK TO NORMAL!

I AM GOING TO KEEP POSTING THINGS ON THIS SITE AND I HAVE A NEW FITNESS CHALLENGE IN THE WORKS. THIS WON'T BE MEASURING WEIGHT LOSS, BUT WILL PRESENT A NEW CHALLENGE THAT WILL GIVE US SOMETHING ELSE TO WORK TOWARD. CHECK BACK FOR DETAILS SOON AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS TO YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ABOUT NEW POSTS ON THE SITE!

AGAIN, I'M SO PROUD OF ALL OF YOU AND HOPE YOU ARE PROUD OF YOURSELVES TOO! IT'S BEEN SO EXCITING TO SEE WHAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED! THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING AND I HOPE YOU WILL ALL KEEP IN TOUCH!

CONGRATULATIONS STEVE AND ROBYN, YOU GUYS ROCK, AND I HOPE YOU HAVE FUN WITH THE $$$!

Final Week

I hope some of the things we've talked about in the past few weeks have been helpful and have motivated all of us to make some changes for the better, changes that we can permanently incorporate to help our overall wellness and health. Health should be our ultimate goal, and being able to maintain a lifestyle where we don't have to feel guilty for the occasional cookie or meal out, because we know that the majority of the time we are eating healthy and exercising.

For the final week, I am going to post a few random ideas and tips, starting first with some info on fruits and vegetables that you can find below.

I urge anyone that has anything they would like to share, to create a post for it. Although our little contest is almost over for now, I'm sure we all want to stay on the right track and would welcome any help that we can get!

I've noticed that it's a lot easier for many of us to do our weigh-in on Saturdays. So I'm going to change the final day for sending in your weight to Saturday, the 21st. This will give you one more day to lose those extra ounces!

What Color is Your Diet?

There was some great information given on CBS's The Early Show about having a "colorful" diet. This a simple way to help us incorportate more fruits and vegetables into our meals and snacks. When we look at our dinner plate, it shouldn't be dominated by "grays" and "browns". The presence of a colorful assortment of foods is a great indicator that we are getting more of the vitamins and nutrients that we need. Here is a link to a summary of the interview with Dr. David Heber on The Early Show: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/07/19/earlyshow/health/main515724.shtml

And here is a preview of the categories that he uses to group produce and the some of the benefits of each:

Red Group (tomatoes, can of V8 juice, pink grapefruit, watermelon) These contain the carotenoid lycopene, which helps rid the body of free radicals that damage genes. Lycopene seems to protect against prostate cancer as well as heart and lung disease. Processed juices contain a lot of the beneficial ingredients. One glass of tomato juice gives you 50 percent of the recommended lycopene.

Yellow/Green Group (spinach greens, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, yellow corn, green peas, avocado, honeydew melon) These are sources of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These are believed to reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Lutein is a yellow-green substance that concentrates in the back of your eye. It may also reduce atherosclerosis.

Orange Group (carrots, mangos, apricots, cantaloupes, pumpkin, acorn squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes) These contain alpha carotene, which protects against cancer. They also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. It protects the skin against free-radical damage and helps repair damaged DNA. Beta-carotene is also good for night vision. It's important to note that these beneficial nutrients can be received from other foods, too. For instance vitamin is found in dairy products and meat. But it's not as beneficial because you get high calories and fat along with it.

Orange/Yellow Group (pineapple, orange juice, oranges, tangerines, peaches, papayas, nectarines) These contain beta cryptothanxin, which helps cells in the body communicate and may help prevent heart disease. Also, an orange contains 170 percent of the recommended daily vitamin C. It's interesting to note that the skin of an orange is high in a protective fat that has been found to kill cancer cells in humans and animals, which highlights the fact that two-thirds of all drugs come from the plant world.

Red/Purple Group (beets, eggplant, purple grapes, red wine, grape juice, prunes, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, red apples) These are loaded with powerful antioxidants called anthocyanins believed to protect against heart disease by preventing blood clots. They may also delay the aging of cells in the body. There is some evidence they may help delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Green Group (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage or bok choi, kale) These contain the chemicals sulforaphane and isocyanate and they also contain indoles, all of which help ward off cancer by inhibiting carcinogens. It's a fact that ten percent of the population - like George Bush Sr. - doesn't like broccoli. But it is important in diets because of the beneficial chemicals it contains.

White/Green Group (leeks, scallions, garlic, onions, celery, pears, white wine, endive, chives) The onion family contains allicin, which has antitumor properties. Other foods in this group contain antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol.

The government recommends a minimum of 5 servings of fresh produce every day. Most of us aren't hitting that target, but as you can see from some of the evidence above, it is well worth our while to include these foods in our diet.

The Pros of Protein

WHAT IS PROTEIN?

Proteins are made up of amino acids, which are essential building blocks for the cells in our body. The proteins that we eat are broken down and used to build and repair all of the muscles, tissues and organs in our bodies.

Protein is found in the following foods:

• meats, poultry, and fish


• legumes (dry beans and peas)


• tofu


• eggs


• nuts and seeds


• milk and other dairy products


• grains, some vegetables, and some fruits (provide smaller amounts of protein relative to other sources)

Most people probably consume enough protein, but is it from the right sources? The struggle that most of us face is to replace high-fat protein in our diet with lean, low-fat sources. Overwhelming your body with too much high-fat proteins can lead to kydney disfunction and other health problems over time.

Here are some suggestions for incorporating healthier protein options into your lifestyle:

• Choose meats that are leaner cuts and trim away any fat you can see.


• For chicken and turkey, remove the skin to reduce fat.


• Substitute pinto or black beans for meat in chili and tacos.


• Choose low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt.


• Choose low-fat or fat-free cheese.


• Choose egg whites or pasteurized egg white products.


• Limit animal protein to one serving a day, focus on eating more soy, beans, and legumes

My family eats a lot of ground beef which can be very high in fat, mainly because the fat is mixed into the meat and cannot be removed. I try to always buy the lowest available fat composition and limit our consumption to once or twice a week. Usually the lowest fat option that I can find is 93/7. Lately I have been substituting ground turkey for ground beef and have seen great results. It is much lower in fat, and as long as I don't point it out to my family, they never notice the difference. In fact, the other day my husband commented that the dinner we had was the best I'd ever made it. The only change I had made was switching out the beef for turkey!

WEIGHT LOSS AND PROTEIN

Normal recommendations for protein intake say that about 46 grams for women and 56 grams for men (per day) are sufficient to maintain your body's health (you may need more depending on your weight). However, studies have shown benefits to increasing your protein while attempting to lose weight. Experts say that your body can handle any where from 10-35% of your daily calories to come from protein (as long as you don't have chronic kidney problems). I usually aim for 75-99 grams of protein per day, but have heard people recommend getting up to 120 grams. If you make a substantial increase in your protein intake, make sure you don't eliminate the other food groups that you still need. I really like this quote found on Webmd.com:

"It is all about balance," says Tallmadge, author of Diet Simple. While she recommends including lean and low-fat sources of protein at every meal, she says it should be part of a calorie-controlled diet that's also rich in 'smart carbs' such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, along with healthy fats like nuts, seeds, olives, oils, fish, and avocado.

When dieting, we sometimes fail to eat enough protein which can result in loss of muscle mass and slowing of metabolism. Alternately, if we are exercising and getting enough protein, we can build muscle which burns more calories and most importantly speeds up your metabolism (muscle is much more metabolically active than fat, so replacing fat with muscle is A++++ for many reasons!).

Recent research has also shown that protein aids greatly in hunger control when dieting. For many people, it helps them to feel full longer and does not result in the constant cravings that you might have if you were to eat a diet high in carbs. For best appetite control, aim for eating small meals/snacks, more often during the day and incorporating lean protein and/or low-fat dairy into each of those.

Here are examples of protein found in common foods:

• Milk, 1 Cup: 8 grams


• Cheddar/Swiss Cheese, 1 oz : 7 grams


• Cottage Cheese, 1/2 Cup: 12 grams


• Yogurt, 1 Cup: - 7 grams


• Chicken, 3 oz: 25 grams


• Egg (1): 6 grams


• Turkey, 3 oz: 27 grams


• Beef, 3 oz: 20 grams


• Pork, 3 oz: 21 grams


• 1/2 cup cooked kidney/navy/pinto beans: 7 grams


• Salmon, 3 oz: 17 grams


• Halibut, 3.5 oz: 26 grams


• Peanut Butter, 2 tbsp: 8 grams


• Walnuts, 1/4 cup: 6 grams


• 1/2 cup vegetables: 2 grams


• 1/2 cup most grains/pasta: 2 grams

I know this is a lot of info, but to summarize, it is highly beneficial to incorporate healthy sources of protein into your diet. It is one of the major things I try to focus on every day.

Along with fruits and vegetables, here are a few of my favorite EASY snacks that have provide decent amounts of protein:

• Hard-Boiled Egg
• Celery w/ Peanut Butter
• Herbalife Protein Snack Bar
• 1/2 Cup Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
• Yoplait Light Yogurt (I also add 1 TBSP of protein powder to bump it up a little!)