bobbi+mike

Well… we made it through our first month on the healthy train!!!!!YAHOOOOOOO!!!!!

The numbers are blowing my mind…

Our top 5:

Stacey Dickey – 7.88%
Rich Foster – 7.74%
Rebecca Dryer – 7.57%
Kristi Livingstone – 6.75%
Kayla Joy Hurst – 6.51%

WOOT WOOT!!!!!!

I’ve been LOVING the #healthytrain twitter accountability stuff… it’s so motivational. Thank you to those who are participating.

Now, as many of you already know… there is a Healthy Train Facebook group. You also know that I’m not the best at keeping up with it.I noticed that one of the healthy trainee’s had taken the reigns of the page… so I asked her to be an admin! She was a bridesmaid in a wedding that we photographed… and she’s from Awesome City, USA.

I went through the archives and found a photo of us from that wedding. Meet Stephanie… she’s on the far right. January, 2007… Oh, and that’s me… pre-healthy train

She’s an incredible motivator… and I’m excited to see what role she falls into with the healthy train.

This week she asked me if it’d be okay to start a spark people page for us… I said HELLLLL YES!  Just do it and tell me what to tell our blog readers and we’ll make it happen.Here’s what she wrote:

A handful of people on the facebook group have mentioned their use of the Web site www.sparkpeople.com.  This site is a completely FREE resource committed to healthy living through goal-setting and lifestyle changes.  They use a positive approach and emphasize the difference that small changes can make toward building momentum and reaching your goals (it only takes a spark to start a fire…I think that’s kind of the notion behind the name).  It has a nutrition and fitness tracker, fitness videos, optional meal plans, and TONS of articles and other resources on health, fitness, nutrition, weight loss, goal setting, etc.  In addition to the many resources, they have a very active online support network made up of millions of members.  When joining, members have the option to create their own “SparkPage” and network with others on the site via message boards and “SparkTeams.”

Here’s where Healthy Train comes into play!  :)  Due to the interest expressed on the FB group, we have created our own healthy train SparkTeam (“Bobbi’s HealthyTrain”).  At this time, the team is co-lead by Spark members/Healthy Train participants Kayla Joy Hurst and Stephanie Beck.  There’s a link to it on the fb wall, but the team is set to private (keeps random Spark members from accidentally joining if they aren’t familiar with Healthy Train).  If anyone doesn’t belong to SparkPeople but is interested in the team, it’s as simple as heading over to the site and creating an account (free like mentioned before) so that we can send an invitation.  The fab thing about SparkPeople is that you can use the parts you like and disregard the parts that you don’t.  They don’t push diets.  The site provides a whole lot of autonomy in tailoring it to your own needs.  When I joined, all I was interested in was the free nutrition tracker, but then I got completely addicted and started using pretty much everything on the site…and it’s been COMPLETELY worth my while given that I’m closing in on a 30-pound loss since I joined!  :)  There’s something about the site that just gets me excited and helps me stay motivated.  Even when my momentum wanes (as it does for anyone on this journey), I still find my way back because I really just enjoy being a part of the site – I’m constantly learning more about myself along the way.  Yup, did you hear that?  I’ve actually ENJOYED weight loss thanks to this site!  Who knew????  :)  [You'd think they're paying me to promote...but NOPE.  It's just great, and I love telling others about it.  They call it "Spreading the Spark." ]

So, in a nutshell… to join the SparkTeam: Create a SparkPeople account and then message Stephanie there to request access. Here’s her Spark profile

As for our personal healthy trainsI’ve lost 0.78%. and Mike lost 1.33%.CHOOOOO CHOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Not a lot but certainly no gain.

A couple of b*tchy business things to get off of my chest:

• For those who haven’t weighed in… that needs to happen first-ish thing on the Friday of a weigh in.
• I mentioned this when I announced the healthy train… if you don’t weigh in within two weeks of an official weigh in date…. I’ll unfortunately have to remove your name from the list. No exceptions.This healthy train is something that I, along with many of you out there, take VERY seriously… and those that aren’t taking it as seriously needn’t weigh us down. Pun intended.
• If you’re not already on the healthy train, please do not ask if it’s too late. I extended the deadline more times than I’m embarrassed to admit. No more.

That being said, just looked at the google doc and less than half of you have weighed in…. many of those that haven’t weighed in were the ones BEGGING me to extend the deadline. This takes a lot of time for me to organize and put together so… time that I don’t really have.Please please PLEASE do not let me down again… because if you do I’ll send Jack Bauer to punch you in the belly. k? k.

I’m SO sorry to be such a hard ass… if you knew the big picture of all of this, you’d understand.(wow, two “bad” words in one post… I’m on a roll!)

Alright, back to being positive.  Remember… it’s allllll about big picture, not week-to-week. Don’t let yourself fall off of the train for one or two bad decisions. This isn’t an all or nothing kind of thing. Just keep heading in the right direction… that’s all you can ask of yourself.

Much love friends… and keep on chugging! CHOOOOOOO CHOOOOOOO!!!!!!

~bobbi

PS. Vegas in two weeks… wish us luck!

 

HELLOOOOOO HEALTHY TRAIN!

First and foremost: I am BEYOND proud of each of you. Seriously, you have NO idea how proud of you I am! Can’t wait to see your after photos. It took guts to send those photos… and I’m REALLY proud of you. To swallow your pride and take that photo… (ESPECIALLY of the scale!!!!) I KNOW that this is going to be our most successful train yet. I just KNOW it!  This time is going to be different, I have 100% faith in it.

Official final number of healthy train participants: 209.

TWO HUNDRED AND FREAKING NINE! AKFKM??!?!!!!?!!?  YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSKI!!!!!!!

First, some business.

 

HEALTHY TRAIN IS BACK!!!! WHO’S IN?!?!!??!

What does that mean?

Get your “before photos” ready betties!IT’S CONTEST TIME!

 

Wait, what’s the healthy train?

It’s something I started back in January, 2008 for personal accountability with my health.

You see, at that point in my life, I’d gained 50 pounds since getting married and was just plain miserable.  I knew it was time for drastic measures. So, I started sharing my weight loss journey online.

I asked people to join me and it was glorious

Well… by the third installment of the healthy train, I asked that our readers to take it a step further… I asked them to send in their “before photos” and six months later I asked them to send in their “after photos”.  The person who’d lost the largest percentage of weight won.

With your encouragement, after three years of being on the healthy train… I’ve lost more than 20% of my total body weight.

 

What exactly do I need to do to compete?

Send in your photos!

1. photos of your front, side and back.
2. a photo of your starting weight on your scale (yes, I know this is a new addition to the contest, and it’s an incredibly sensitive thing to send… but I need a way to keep everyone honest. I PROMISE you I don’t care how much you weigh, I’ll love you regardless.  I also promise to never show ANYONE… not even when the healthy train concludes).
3. Your goal weight. I’m asking for that simply because sometimes telling someone else what your goals are is an incredible motivator and it will keep you accountable.

Send those to me before next Friday. (for 100% clarification… I’ll need them before 11:59 on January 13th) I PROMISE not to post it!  In the end, only those who send in your “after” photos will be shown.Send all photos to healthytrainbobbi@gmail.com

DO NOT WORRY… JUDGMENT FREE ZONE!!!!   PLEASE know that I’m not a judgmental person in THE LEAST.  I think you’re all beautiful and love you regardless! We all have to start somewhere, right?! I’ve showed you all my before photos, photos of me as a sweaty mess, hair lookin’ all crazy, etc… so, please know that I will NOT judge you! :D  So, swallow your pride and send it over!

BEFORE PHOTO TIPS

• wear something that is easily comparable to another outfit for your “after” photo. For example… I wear a black shirt and blue jeans… that way, as I lost weight… I could just wear smaller jeans and a smaller black shirt so that it was easy to compare.
• DO NOT  wear super loose fitting clothes. I know it sucks now to see yourself that way but trust me… you’ll thank me later!
• stand somewhere that has a clean background… a white wall works perfectly.  Standing in front of clutter makes it difficult for you to see your outline.
• if space allows, take the photo with your camera more zoomed in rather than zoomed out. also, try to place the camera level with your belly button.  (Mike takes mine from about 10 feet away with a 50mm lens on a 5D mkII)

If you don’t want to compete… but still want to be on the healthy train… PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE JOIN US… The MORE THE MERRIER!!!!!!

 

When does this contest start?

IMMEDIATELY!!!  Start making healthy choices RIGHT NOW!  Lunch plans to go to Cheesecake Factory are going to have to be canceled.  It’s a NEW YEAR!

Weigh yourself first thing tomorrow morning… that’s your official “start weight”

Unfortunately only the weight you lose during the current healthy train time period (Jan 7 – July 1) will be counted towards your percentage lost. This also goes for people who’ve already lost weight

 

When does this contest end?

July 1st (25 weeks… about 6 months) Progress pic

 

What is the prize?

An “after” photo session taken by yours truly…. in Indianapolis… within 4 months of the finale date.If you don’t want a photo session or aren’t local… oh well… jump on anyway!Doesn’t matter… JOIN JOIN JOIN!

Oh, and if you were in the last healthy train… you’re more than welcome to join up again! We’d love to have youUnfortunately, to keep things fair, only the weight you lose during the current healthy train time period will be counted towards your percentage lost. This also goes for people who’ve already lost weight

 

Where and when do I weigh in?

We’ll weigh in the first Friday of every month. You’ll not report how many lbs you’ve lost but instead your percentage lost. Total loss just isn’t fair… As some people only have 15 pounds to lose… while others have 100.

Once I get all of the competitors info… I’ll be setting up a google doc where people can enter their percentages lost in an Excel style format.

FIRST WEIGH IN: February 4th.

The following weigh ins will be March 4, April 1, May 6, June 3, and finally July 1.

 

Uh-oh, I can’t compete right now… can I hop on the next one?

Bittersweetly… This may be the final installment. (is bittersweetly even a word?!)

So, why may this be last one? Well… for a few reasons.

1. I have about 20 more lbs to lose to reach my final goal. Hopefully I’ll be able to knock that out this round.
2. Maintaining the healthy train is incredibly time consuming. There are changes I need to make that give me more time to spend with my husband… this is, unfortunately, one of them.
3. I’m turning 30 in June… seems like the perfect finale date!
4. It’s a lot of responsibility and pressure… and I take that very seriously.  Sometimes when I’d be too busy to blog about it this last time, I felt some serious guilt. I knew I was letting a lot of people down. Over the last couple of years irrational guilt has become something that I struggle with.  (I’ll talk more about that in a future healthy train blog entry)
5. Last healthy train, we received 144 “before photos.” I was BLOWN AWAY!  How many “after photos” did we get? ELEVEN! If you’re doing the math… that’s less than 8%. While I was SO proud of those 11, I was also incredibly disappointed in the success rate. Bottom line, it’s a lot of time and work to keep track of people who aren’t following through. Not trying to be a jerk… just letting you know how I feel.

Now, all of this may change by the end of the summer… We’ll see. But for now just know that this could be the last one.

 

Anything else I need to know?

1. I canNOT stress this enough… MEASURE YOURSELF!!!!! When the pounds aren’t coming off… sometimes seeing the inches fly away are FABULOUS for the motivation.  I measure my waist, arms, thighs, bust and hips. Mike measures his waist, chest, arms, thighs and neck.
2. If you’re a twitterer… And you’re on the healthy train… and you happen to twitter ABOUT the healthy train.. be sure to tag it with #healthytrain  K? k. If you’re interested, here’s my twitter feed.
3. I started a “bobbi’s healthy train” group on Facebook… ANYONE can join… not just the people with the before pics. My trainer is also a member… so if you have fitness questions, ask ‘em there!  It’s already been a great place… as it’s SO much easier to do this in a group than by yourself. We’d love to have you there…Though, to be perfectly fair… I’m not a super active contributor. However,  many of our members are fantastic at giving good advice, feedback and encouragement.

 

Your support and encouragement means more to me than I could ever express… and I can’t thank you all enough.

I’m pumped up… hope you are too!

LET’S DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!

Love!

~bobbi

 

Are you guys ready for some incredible transformations? No? WELL GET READY!!!!!!!:D

To the people in this post… I adore and respect each and every single one of you.

 

Angie Livesay | 6.79%

 

Jennifer Hughes | 10.57%

 

Chelsea Moore | 11.4%

“Since Healthy Train… I have completed my first half marathon, wore a shirt that I loved but was too small (it’s actually too big for me now!), and been in more photos with my friends and family! I walk taller and smile bigger. I feel amazing! I can’t wait to board the next Healthy Train….choo choo!”

 

Jerrie Haskin | 12.22%

“I wrote in my first emai, that I will probably be the one who ends up pregnant!  Well….I’m 12 weeks pregnant!! haha!!   I am so happy that I got to start this pregnancy with 12.22% less weight than I would have at the beginning of this year!  At my first prenatal visit, I asked my Dr about my weight because I dont want a high risk pregnancy.  He told me “your weight is fine!”  It meant the world to hear those words!! I havent heard those words from anyone besides my husband in 6 years!! I still have plenty more to go, but I wont be able to for another 6 months.  But I started this pregnancy healthier (thank you Bobbi), so I intended on keeping it that way!”

 

Kelly Ritter | 17.33%

 

Krystie Hill | 4.52%

 

Marta Von Grey | 8.7%

 

Kim Robinson | 15.5%

 

Alison Douglass | 6.37%

“I am not where I hoped to be but I am so much farther than I thought I could ever get! This round I have lost 6.37 percent, which I am proud of.  The last year and a half has been the hardest time in my personal life ever and I have fought hard to keep going.  I have given myself permission to just maintain for  a little while when things were really rough and I just didn’t have the energy to focus on continuing the loss.  So far, since September 2009, I have lost 22.54% of myself!!! That just blows my mind!  When I reach my goal, I will have lost 1/3 of myself, which is amazing and also a bit sad to realize how much I have carried around all of these years!”

Since the last healthy train | 22.54%

 

Chris Rivera | 21.09% (he was our winner the last time)

“I want to thank you sooo very much for the train.  As you know from the start of this second round, that I am here to lose weight and watch and congratulate someone else for doing something outstanding.  You have helped a bunch of folks do some very great things and in the process, you have also lost a great deal of weight.  I applaud your ability to motivate and inspire and share your passion of photography along the way.  I have done well this round.  I am pleased in the size 34-36 pants and size Large shirts I can fit into.  It is quite odd to not have to buy shirts that have “X”‘s in it, much less XXXXL that I originally wore.  For me it is about not feeling tired and needing to always take breaks.  It is about taking my children to amusment parks and riding on the children rides with them.  (I have a 9 and 4 year old)  I am so happy with myself now it is crazy.  I just can not wait to see the pics of everyone!! and congrats in advance to the winner!!”

Since the last healthy train (starting in October, 2008) | 45.26%

 

:::::::::DRUM ROLL PLEASE:::::::::

Our winner

Jill Pollitt | 21.64%

“I lost a total of 37 pounds and I am so proud of myself even if I don’t win your awesome contest.  I am hoping to lose another 10 to 12 pounds in 2011 to be at the weight I was before I had my first baby who will be 12 in January.  I just want to thank you again for doing this.  It really helps to be held accountable!”

21.64%!??!?!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!?! Now THAT’S impressive!!!!! Jill has been in the number one spot since the beginning!

High fives Jill!

 

 

Now… My turn.

Bobbi Sheridan | 8.02%

I could tell that I’d lost weight in the front view photo… but wasn’t feeling like there was a huge difference. THEN I put THIS together. I 100% see it most in my butt. BTW, don’t mind the jersey shore jeans I’m wearing… they just fit me best when I went jeans shopping last month

Since the last healthy train (starting in October, 2008) | 23.54%

I hardly recognize that Bobbi.  I’m not the same person I was then… and I’m not only referring to physical changes.  Self esteem is a powerful thing.

So… where do I stand now with the healthy train? I still have 15 lbs to lose to feel 100% healthy.  Healthy train 5.0 here we come! It’ll start in January… so stay tuned for that

I love our blog readers.  Can’t thank you enough for your support, love, friendship, encouragement and high fives.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Love.

~bobbi