Week 2: Ben's Aches and Pains

Well its time for the weekly update.   This week did not go as expected in the Biggest Winner Program.  Sunday night I was pumped up to exercise again for the week.  I lost ten pounds during week one.  I wanted to start strong and come away with a 6-7 pound weight loss.   Monday was the beginning of the week.  Before and halfway through the workout I felt like this:

I thought I was unstoppable.   I went to pick up a weight bar and do some sort of workout.  As I bent over I heard a pop in my back.  I felt the worst pain in the world.

I hurt my lower back on monday and I can tell you I did not feel for like Superman for the rest of the week.  I felt more like this:

I was down and out for the next several days.  I could not get out of bed and I could not walk.  It was not a fun week.   Today is Sunday and my back is finally getting better.   I went to workout on Thursday and Friday.  My back survived two easy workouts.  Even though I did not workout as much , I still lost four pounds this week.  I attribute this weight loss to healthy eating.   I wanted so much to eat some comfort food like go to a buffet or eat a big burger with fries.  I decided the only way to lose weight this week was to eat right and that's what I did.

Saturday was the challenge for the competing teams.  It was a tough challenge.  It involved each team figuring out riddles and then racing from building to building on campus.  It was not easy because the campus of BYU-Idaho is so hilly.  Here is a map of our journey:

Alas, we did our best as a team.  We came in last.  But I was proud of the effort my team put in.  We did the best we could and thats all anybody can ask.  I mean our motto is WE LOSE TO WIN!    I think its fitting that we came in last.   In the end we will all be winners in this challenge we call life.

WEEK #!1 : We Lose to Win

This is the first of many updates for my biggest winner competition.   I am going to try and post every Sunday.  This week has been fun working out and competing with myself to work hard.    I haven't worked out so hard since my senior year of high school during football offseason in the summer.  This week we did some weight training and lots of running.  I'm loving every moment of it.

 Since I have started I have lost 6 pounds so far.   Its fun to get on the scale  and see the weight dropping.  My hope is that it will continue to plummet every week.

My team and I had to come up with a motto for our team this week.   The motto: We Lose To Win.   This has some significance to the phrase.   First it means we want to lose weight to win the competition that we are win.  But the real meaning is we lose weight to win back our lives. We work hard and eat right so that we may have healthy and long happy lives.    

Hard Work, Sweat, and Eating Right!

Well its been a couple of months and the blog needs to be updated.  I, Ben, decided to join a program on campus called "The Biggest Winner".  The program is similar to "The Biggest Loser" show on television.   Biggest Winner started on Monday, the 30th of January and will run through the 29th of March. Here is how the program works and hopefully I can give weekly updates about my progress.   My goal is to drop 40 pounds in the next two months.  Here is what the program consists of:

First I have been placed in a team of 6.  We are competing with six other teams.  We win by accumulating points throughout the next 8 weeks.   I am on the Turquoise team. There are four girls and another guy on my team.

(This is just a sample of the colors)

Second, my team has 4 trainers.  Our trainers help us out 5 days a week and we workout for one hour a day.  We do weight and cardio training. 

Third, I have a weekly appointment to a nutritionist to help hold me accountable for what I eat.  I went today for my first appointment and they set my calories at 1800.  I have been keep a food journal the last couple of days and find myself trying to make better choices on food.   

Fourth, every other Saturday there will be team challenges.  We will compete with other teams for points.  I am looking forward to this part to help build unity with my team.   

This is just a brief description of the program.  I will keep you all posted and if I improve enough by the end of these 8 weeks, I will post before and after pictures.  I am looking forward to the hard work and sweat.  I plan on being the Biggest Winner this semester.   

A Thanksgiving Song by Ben

To be sung to the tune of "O Christmas Tree."

Oh turkey meat, oh turkey meat
Oh how I love my turkey meat
I love it all, both dark and white
And everything that's by its side
Oh turkey meat, oh turkey meat
Oh how I love my turkey meat!

It gets stuck in your head, doesn't it?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Can we change it to "Black Saturday?"

Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, I look forward to getting up in the middle of the night and doing this:

It has kind of become a tradition among the women in my family. It's ridiculously crazy to get up so early to fight the crowds, but that's what makes it so fun. We always have a blast and I usually end up buying a bunch of crap that I don't need just because it was on a really good sale. Then we go to IHOP and then I go home and fall asleep.

This year on black Friday, I have to do this:

Except I probably won't look as happy as this random girl. And I don't have any potted plants near my desk. Seriously, being an adult is lame sometimes. I've never had to work on Black Friday before. I guess I'll just go shopping on Saturday with all the other sad people who have to work on Friday. 

ten things that make my husband adorable

1. We bought Halloween candy last week just in case we get any trick-or-treaters. Ben begs me every day to open it so he can have "just one piece," but I have to keep saying no because I KNOW that "one piece" will quickly turn into the whole bag.

2. He writes me the cutest notes. We have a notebook that we use to write notes back and forth to each other. I always look forward to coming home and seeing what he wrote to me!

3. He always sings in the shower. Loudly. Sometimes he makes up his own songs.

4. He dances with me in the kitchen.

5. He attempts to make the bed because he knows it's important to me. It always looks a little lumpy and crooked, but I know if it were up to him he would leave it unmade.

6. He gets up super early to do his homework so we can spend time together in the evenings.

7. He sends me emails while I am at work just to tell me that he loves me and is thinking about me.

8. He always takes my opinion into consideration when planning dates. If I mention there's something I want to do, we do it. He always puts me first.

9. He is a good sport even when I beat him at everything.

10. He tells me I'm the most beautiful girl in the world even when I'm wearing sweats and no make-up and my hair is a mess.

Yep, he's a keeper.

Go away winter, no one invited you

Every year around this time, I ask myself why the heck I still live here. Last weekend I was wearing capris and flip flops and enjoying the sunny 80 degree weather. Today I had to wear a coat because IT'S SNOWING! Hasn't this town ever heard of Fall? It's not normal for the temperature to suddenly plummet 40 degrees.  You would think with this being my fifth winter here I would be used to it. Nope.

The turn in the weather has brought a few good things with it, however. We have started drinking hot cocoa again! I just bought some mini marshmallows today to take full advantage of the cocoa drinking season (which will be at least the next six months...).  Did I say there were a few good things? Oh, I was wrong. That's the only one. 

At work we had a Halloween decorating competition and so the room I work in seriously looks like Halloween threw up everywhere. I'll have to try to snap a few pictures. It has so many decorations that it looks ridiculous. This motivated me to start decorating our apartment! So yesterday I dug out my one and only Halloween decoration:

And then today I found this cute plastic pumpkin at Walmart:

My favorite part is that I don't have to carve it! I hate carving pumpkins. Why would you willingly stick your hand in there and pull out the GUTS? Ewww. I'll pass. And what's October without some bread bowls that look like pumpkins?

Is that not the funniest thing ever? I've been craving broccoli cheese soup and I found these little bread bowls at the grocery store. I stood there and laughed for like 5 minutes. We will have to "carve" the pumpkins and then put soup in them. 

P.S. I got my hair cut a couple weeks ago! Here's the before and after:

P.S. Thanks to Darci Hill for giving our blog a much-needed makeover! Isn't it cute?