Today's the Day! (Ashley)

Day 1 of the McElroy Family Biggest Loser Contest--

Don't forget to email me or call me with your starting weight by 6:00pm MST tonight. Then, in 2 weeks, on 7/25/09, contact me with your weight loss so I can calculate everyone's percentage.

A few hints/tips/etc. I've learned over the years; hopefully it'll help some people:
1) Visit www.sparkpeople.com. It's a weight loss community that's free, but even if you don't count calories, all the articles are really helpful.
2) SparkPeople also has a sister site for pregnant women, Stephanie--I believe it's BabyFit. I know you're not in the contest, but you might like it, anyway.
3) SparkPeople has another related site called www.sparkrecipes.com with some really good stuff.
4) Try to drink at least 64 oz of water a day--but you really need more if you're going to be exercising.
5) Try to eat three meals and two snacks throughout the day. This will keep your metabolism going, and give you more energy throughout the day. Also, if you eat healthy snacks, you won't be starving and overeat at mealtimes.
6) ALWAYS eat breakfast.
7) A combination of carbohydrates and protein is the best snack.
8) To get a more accurate measure of how you're doing, don't just depend on the number on the scale--get a measuring tape and start recording inches lost around your arms, thighs, hips, waist, and chest.
9) For night snackers (Luke's one of these), set a time at night after which you won't eat anything to prevent yourself from giving into temptation.
10) Try to get a full 8 hours of sleep if you can. If you exercise, your body needs it to recover, and you won't be as prone to overeat.

Feel free to post your own tips to share with others!


Ashley