Biggest Loser kick off!

Today is the beginning of the Biggest Loser competition that I joined for the Military Spouse forum (online) that I am a part of.  I've been a member of this particular group for over 2 years, and have gotten to know quite a few people (and met a handful in real life too!).  I really think it's going to be a lot of fun, and great motivation to keep up with all the other ladies trying to lose weight over the next 12 weeks!  We post our starting weights today (you think I'm telling you???  HAha, NO WAY!!), and we also post starting pictures!  Yikes!  You want to be motivated to lose weight?  Just take pictures of yourself in workout pants and a sports bra and then show them to total strangers.  ICK.

At the recommendation of my friend Jaclyn (otherwise known as the Girl Scout Biggest Loser Queen) I am using Myfitnesspal to track calories in, and using my Bodybugg to track calories out- so far it seems to be a pretty good system!  Weight loss really comes down to the basic premise of calories burned vs. calories eaten.  As long as you are honest with yourself about both, you can successfully lose weight (barring any health complications).  If you are on MFP add me as a friend, my username is mgmama.  :)  The food tracking part of MFP is really user friendly and has a ton of brand name foods in it with relatively accurate calorie counts.  I am enjoying using the bodybugg to track my calorie burn and exercise levels, but the food entry system they use is really not up to par.  It doesn't have all varieties, or all brands, and it is just an antiquated feeling program.  They can do better- especially since they charge people monthly to use their system beyond what people already pay for the BB.  I got a 12 month subscription with my purchase and I don't know how much I'll use it beyond that (because let's face it, I'm gonna be at my GOAL weight by then....right??).

I'll keep you posted of my progress using the little ticker icon on my blog, and maybe occasional stories here and there about how it is going.  If any of you want to join me in a 12 week challenge for better health, jump right in!  I enjoyed gaining all this weight while growing baby Maverick, but I'm going to make 2011 the year that I lose this weight for the LAST TIME!

My new (used) treadmill!  We got this from another military family that moved it here and decided they didn't really want it anymore.  I'm SO glad to have it, especially since it hasn't gotten above freezing here in weeks. Now I can work out without having to wait for Marshall to get home to watch the kids, or wait for it to warm up.  Yay!!