The End!! *Week 8 Points*

WINNERRS!!



BRITNEE - (60) 478

MEGAN - (60) 478

Morgan- (54) 464

Kelsey - (56) 464

Steve - (58) 453

Gyle - (57) 449

Krista - (54) 438

Lori - (54) 414

MaryAnn - (60) 412

Suzi - (49) 404

Ryan - (48) 397 Good Job Dad!!!

*Week 7 Points*

Britnee - (60) 418
Megan - (60) 418
Morgan - (57) 410
Kelsey - (55) 408
Steve - (52) 395
Gyle - (58) 392
Krista - (55) 384
Lori - (54) 360
Suzi - (52) 355
MaryAnn - (52) 352
Ryan - (52) 349

Enjoy Foods You Love Without Cheating

Here's a big mistake people make when they set out to lose weight: They say to themselves, "Okay, I'm on a diet, so I'm never eating [insert tempting high-calorie food here] again." And then, inevitably, they slip up and binge on that food. They beat themselves up about it, write off their entire healthy-living experiment as a failure, and give up.

Sound familiar?

Living a healthy life is all about balance. You have to learn how to walk a line between self-denial and self-indulgence. It's the middle ground between the two that offers the best foundation on which to build your new life. Denying yourself little pleasures such as the occasional chocolate truffle will only make you feel deprived, frustrated, and ultimately hopeless about maintaining your discipline. A temptation is a lot less powerful if it isn't totally forbidden. This is where moderation comes in.

I will never be able to give up all the edible goodies life has to offer, but by practicing moderation I've found a solution to my weaknesses that I can live with every day. There's room for all foods, no matter how "bad" they are; it's just a matter of being conscious and careful of how often you eat them and how much. It's fine to have a piece of cake now and then — just not every day, and not the whole cake.

I can already hear what you're thinking: "If I eat a little bit, I'll want it all." We all have at least one food that we truly can't eat a little of without going overboard. Mine is ice cream. If you know that a particular food has that kind of trigger effect on you, try choosing an alternative. I will often have a few bites of organic dark chocolate instead of ice cream so that my sweet tooth will be satisfied but I won't end up with an empty ice cream carton in my hands. If your weakness is potato chips, try having some air-popped popcorn as a snack instead. Trust me — in time you can adapt so that small amounts of "cheat" foods will not set you off on a binge.

*Week 6 Points*

Britnee - (60) 358


Megan - (60) 358


Kelsey - (56) 353


Morgan - (55) 353


Steve - (58) 343


Gyle - (57) 334


Krista - (54) 329


Lori - (54) 306


Suzi - (51) 303


MaryAnn - (53) 300


Ryan - (50) 297

Tips for Controlling Your Appetite

If you suffer from constant food cravings, there are some steps you can take to remedy the situation. The first step is to make sure you're eating correctly for your metabolic type. If you're certain that you are eating as you should for your metabolic type and you still feel hungry all the time, consider these tips to curb your appetite:

Don't skip meals. You should be eating three square meals a day, plus one snack, and spacing your meals throughout the day so that you don't go longer than four hours without eating. This will keep your blood sugar levels and hunger hormones stable.

Drink tons of water. When you feel as if you're starving, pour yourself a huge glass of water or grab a bottle of seltzer — it will help quell the urge to snack.

Sleep! Two hormones, leptin and ghrelin, regulate our appetite, and both are directly affected by how much sleep we get. These hormones work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night helps the hormones work properly, which in turn will help curb your appetite.

Examine your hunger. The next time you feel hungry between meals, consider the last time you ate. If it was less than three to four hours earlier, your stomach isn't growling, and you're not weak or tired, you're probably emotionally unsatisfied in some way rather than genuinely physically hungry.

Think about what, besides eating, soothes you. Steer yourself toward positive feelings of self-worth and you'll choose activities and behaviors that inherently contradict self-loathing and self-destructiveness.

Don't panic. You can and will lose weight. Even if you're eating a little more than the meal plan calorie allowance, you can still lose — it just might take a little longer. Exercise is also crucial. Working out harder and more often will help burn the extra calories you might take in if you have a bad day.

Do not beat yourself up! Sometimes we slip up, and that's okay — healthy living is not an all-or-nothing proposition. I'm here for you, and I know you can do this. Believe in yourself and try to incorporate my suggestions into your life, and let's see how you do.

*Week 5 Points*

Britnee - (60) 298
Morgan - (60) 298
Megan - (60) 298
Kelsey - (59) 297
Steve - (58) 285
Gyle - (56) 277
Krista - (55) 275
Lori - (54) 252
Suzi - (54) 252
Ryan - (56) 247
MaryAnn - (48) 247

*Week 4 Points*

Kelsey - (60) 238
Britnee - (60) 238
Morgan - (60) 238
Megan - (60) 238
Steve - (54) 227
Gyle - (55) 221
Krista - (53) 220
MaryAnn - (49) 199
Lori - (48) 198
Suzi - (49) 198
Ryan - (45) 191

We are half way!!

Build Your Own Healthy Network

From now on, I want you to surround yourself with supportive family and friends. Take the time to share your goals and aspirations with them, as well as the details about how you're going to lose weight. Give the people who are closest to you the lowdown on the types of foods you're eating and your workout schedule. Tell them how you feel about your efforts and how important it is to you that they understand your changing needs and continue to support you in this new lifestyle.
Now think of people outside your immediate circle of family and friends. People you encounter every day — whether they have a personal relationship with you or not — can help you stay on track. Your doctor can help you maintain your health while you lose weight. Your co-workers can refrain from pushing unhealthy office food. Think of everyone you regularly encounter in a day, from the guy who sells you coffee to your pals online. They are — whether they know it or not — your co-conspirators in creating a healthy new life for yourself.
If you patiently and consistently communicate what others can do to support you, you will build a network of strength that you can lean on when you feel discouraged or in need of reassurance.

Satisfy Your Family With Sizzling Steak Tacos

Craving Mexican food? There's no need to go out for a heavy, calorie-loaded Mexican dinner. Forgo the extra fat and calories, and instead create this delicious steak taco meal for your family. It combines savory and sweet flavors and can be prepared in less than 25 minutes!

Chipotle Flank Steak Tacos With Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients
12 soft corn tortillas
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder plus 1 pinch, divided
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
1 pound flank steak beef, trimmed of fat
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar Preparation

Preheat grill to high. Stack tortillas and wrap in heavy-duty foil. Combine oil, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small dish. Rub mixture into both sides of steak. Place the tortilla stack on the coolest part of the grill or upper warming rack, if possible, and heat, flipping once, until warmed through and very pliable.
Meanwhile, grill the steak for 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium, or until desired doneness. Grill pineapple rings until moderately charred, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the tortillas, steak, and pineapple from the grill. Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing very thinly crosswise into strips.
Meanwhile, dice the pineapple and transfer to a medium bowl. Add bell pepper, onion, cilantro, vinegar, the remaining pinch of chipotle powder, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; toss to combine. Serve the sliced steak in the warm tortillas with the pineapple salsa.

Makes 6 servings.

*Week 3 Points*

Megan - (60) 178
Kelsey - (60) 178
Britnee - (59) 178
Morgan - (59) 178
Steve - (58) 173
Krista - (60) 167
Gyle - (56) 166
MaryAnn - (51) 150
Lori - (50) 150
Suzi - (49) 149
Ryan - (49) 146

Friends for Life...and Health!

"Do you have a friend or relative who shares your goals and your desire to get healthy? Invite him or her to join you in your workouts! Working out with somebody else makes you less likely blow off your exercise routine.
Friends who value your new lifestyle and don't try to sabotage it are true friends. When you enlist a "partner in crime," each of you can inspire the other to eat right, work out, and stay motivated. Every day you stay on track brings you one step closer to achieving your goals."

Happy Monday!! Good luck this week.

*Megie*

*Week 2 Points*

Britnee-(60) 119
Morgan-(60) 119
Megan-(60) 118
Kelsey-(59) 118
Steve-(57) 115
Gyle-(57) 110
Krista-(55) 107
Lori-(51) 100
Suzi - (50) 100
Mary Ann-(49) 99
Ryan-(51) 97

An Easy Way to Save Money and Calories

Happy Friday Everyone! How is everyone doing this week? Is it getting harder or easier?? Well I get emails weekly from Jillian Michaels from "The Biggest Loser" and "Losing it with Jillian" and I thought I would share once a week some information she emails. This one is called "An Easy Way to Save Money and Calories".

"Are you having trouble staying within your budget, both for dollars and for calories? Then ask yourself: How many times a week do you eat at restaurants and fast-food joints? If you're serious about losing weight, you need to keep dining out to a minimum.

The simple truth is, when you don't make a dish yourself, you really can't know what's in it or where the ingredients come from. You can ask all the right questions about whether the chef uses organics; you can speak up and ask to have your food grilled instead of fried; and so on. But unless you're in the kitchen with the chef, you can't know whether the quality of the ingredients is good or whether they're being prepared in healthy ways. Restaurants are businesses, and they are out to make money — many of them use the cheapest ingredients possible, like trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, nonorganic meats and vegetables...the list goes on!

By cutting back on eating out, you'll save a fortune — money you can spend on healthy groceries! Plus, you can guarantee that everything you're putting into your mouth is fresh and healthful. And you can control your portion sizes.

Of course, you can't always make your own food or control your environment. I do still eat out, but for no more than five meals a week, and when I do, I order white fish or wild-caught salmon, healthy whole grains such as brown rice, and plenty of vegetables. Your options may not always be perfect, but it's still up to you to make smart choices".


Remember to email me your points this Sunday. Love you all!!

*Megie*

*Week 1 Points*

Yeahh everyone, Good Job!! One week down..

I hope you are seeing results, I know I am.

Looks like its going to be some stiff competition which is great for motivation!

Britnee -59
Morgan -59
Kelsey -59
Steve -58
Megan -58
Gyle -53
Krista -52
Mary Ann -50
Suzi -50
Lori -49
Ryan -46

Good Luck everyone this coming week!! :) LOVE YOU ALL!

Free Day Clarification

Some people have wanted to know if you could spread out your free day throughout the week. For example, not record your exercise point on Monday, your sugar point on Tuesday, your water point on Wednesday. You cannot do this.

Basically, we should just be having one "free day." The only reason that the exercise points can be recorded separately is due to the fact that some people might not want to exercise on Sunday. I didn't want these people to be forced to always take Sunday as their free day because of the exercise rule.

Also, you have to take a free day in regards to your points. You can choose to be extra vigilant and remain perfect on your "free day" but you will not get points for that day. For example, you can't decided to not take a "free day" but eat sugar everyday and still get 60 points for the week (earning bonus points for not taking a free day to make up for losing a sugar point everyday).

Hopefully, I haven't totally confused anyone!!!

Health Challenge BEGINS!!

Today is the first day of the challenge! Remember..you can choose one day each week to have "off". Dont forget to email me your points each Sunday evening..GOOD LUCK!!!

Competition money due and start date

Welcome to the Walker Health Challenge blog!!

*The competition will start July 5th and will end August 29th( 8 weeks). All money is due by Thursday July 1st (or at least put in the mail by that day). The money signifies your commitment.

*All contestants will need to donate $20 to the pot to be involved. Winner takes all the money – unless we have a tie and then we will split it.

* No Sugar - 1 point
No Unhealthy Snack - 1 point
Healthy & Correctly Portioned Breakfast - 1 point
Healthy & Correctly Portioned Lunch - 1 point
Healthy & Correctly Portioned Dinner - 1 point
Take Multi-Vitamin - 1 point
No Food After 8:00 PM - 1 point
Exercise 45 minutes - 2 points
Drink 64 oz. of Water - 1 point

The total you can earn in a week is 60 points. If you choose not to take the "free day" you will not get points that day and can not add them to your total points.

Please dont forget to report your points to me every Sunday by midnight or 1 point will be deducted for everyday you are late. I will send out emails and post on the blog everyone's points.