You've been asking

Several of you want to know "Are we going to do the Biggest Loser Challenge again?" The answer is Yes.

As most of you know, Bernita transferred and is now the McCracken County 4-H Agent. At the same time, they finally filled our vacant Family & Consumer Sciences Agent position. Amy started on July 1 and is working hard meeting community members and attending all the many trainings that are required of a new agent.

We are planning to start another Biggest Loser Challenge on January 18 or 25. We will send out emails/letters to everyone who participated and it will be in the newspapers. We will also post more information on here in late December/early January, so be on the lookout for more information.

Final Results

For those who weren't able to attend the Awards last night, you can see the Final Results here.

The Individual Biggest Loser was Sam Miller. Sam lost 57 lbs. That's 19.38% of his body weight! The Enthusiasm Award went to Mission Impossible and the Most Creative Team Name was Waist Management.

Everyone worked so hard. One thousands pounds! Wow! That is truly amazing.

We had a great time during the Challenge and we hope all of you did too. We will announce here and in the newspaper as soon as we have a plan in place for starting a new challenge. We will also mail out information to everyone who participated this time in case you are interested in doing it again.

Most importantly, don't stop eating less and moving more just because the challenge is over. Remember how much better you've been feeling and strive to continue your healthier habits.

Week Nine Results

Another fantastic week! Some of you really worked hard this past week to finish strong and it showed up on the scales. Great job!! You should be so proud of yourself. Now the trick is to keep going. Don't stop just because we've had the final weigh-in. Continue the healthier eating habits and exercising so you'll keep feeling great.

Unfortunately, you'll just have to wait until Monday night to find out who won! Be sure and make plans to attend - 6:00 pm in the Community Room at Citizens Bank in Hickman. We'll be giving away lots of prizes, so don't miss it!

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this challenge. We had a great time and we hope you did too.

Week Eight

Wow. 80 more lbs.! Everyone's doing great. Don't forget that next week is the final weigh in and must be done in person at our office. The awards ceremony will be on the 29th at 6:00 pm in the Community Room at Citizens Bank in Hickman. The winners will be announced and lots of prizes will be awarded, so mark your calendar so you don't forget!

Click here to see this week's leaders.

Week Seven

Things are slowing down a bit for some of you but don't give up. All teams combined lost a total of 59 lbs. this week. It's great that you are still working so hard! Only two more weigh-ins left, so keep moving so you can finish strong!

Captains- Be sure to remind your team members to weigh in each week. Once again, we had several that didn't call in this week.

Click here to see the leaders for Week Seven!

Week Six

You should all be so proud of yourselves for making this commitment to change to a healthier way of life. Eating less and moving more will help you continue losing until you reach your goal. Don't give up or be discouraged. You CAN do this and you will feel better and have more energy each time you lose a little more.

All teams combined this week lost a total of 93 lbs.! Click here to see the leaders for this week.

Week Five Results

We're halfway there! This week, all teams lost a combined total of 70 lbs! That is a great number (especially with it being a holiday) so let's keep up the great work! However, we did have a record number of no call ins this week. Remember team captains this is your responsibilty to make sure your team members have called in their weight.

Click here to see this week's results!

Recipes used for the Healthy Choice Event on 5/18/09

Fruit Smoothie
½ cup vanilla yogurt
½ cup fruit (your choice)
2 oz. of fruit juice (your choice)

Blend all ingredients together. Makes 1 cup.
*Optional: Grate nutmeg, add granola, or nuts.

Chicken Salad
3 Chicken Breast (boneless & skinless)
1.5 cups Lite Miracle Whip
¼ cup Relish (Dill or Sweet)
1 stalk Celery (diced)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook chicken breasts with a little salt and pepper in oven for 25-30 minutes or until juices run clear. Let cool, then dice into bite size pieces. Add relish, celery and then add miracle whip. Stir ingredients and set in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
*Optional: Instead of using bread, use a lettuce leaf to wrap chicken salad. Make a fruit salad to go along with it (apples and red grapes or cantaloupe and honey dew melon)

Chicken Poppyseed Casserole
1 Whole Rotisserie Chicken
8 oz. Plain Yogurt
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup (98% Fat Free)
1 sleeve of Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers (crushed)
2 Tbs poppyseed
Butter (spray)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Debone rotisserie chicken and shred meat. Mix yogurt and cream of chicken soup. Add chicken to soup. Spread chicken mixture in a non-stick pan (9 by 11). Next sprinkle poppyseed on top. Then layer crushed crackers on top. Spray top of crackers with butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust browns. Makes about 8 servings.
*Optional: Prepare a veggie to go along with casserole.

Week Four

Wow. Four weeks in and still going strong. All teams combined lost a total of 80 more pounds this week! That is amazing.

Click here to find out who the Week Four Leaders are.

The last two weeks we've had several who have not called in their weights. Captains-Please remind your team members to weigh in on Mondays. If they are unable to, you can call or email their number in for them.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Our office will be closed on May 25th, Memorial Day. You'll need to weigh in or call in your weight on Tuesday, May 26th.

Week Three & Its Challenges

Week Three proved to be a great week for some and alot of frustration for others. My advice to you is not to give up. Let's keep proving to ourselves that "we" can do it. This is a lifestyle change with rewarding benefits but it takes hard work. Learn to eat healthy (incorporating all the five food groups), learn portion control, reading food labels for serving sizes, and of course EXERCISE (finish your spring cleaning, plant a garden, mow the lawn, and etc.)! Every week will not be perfect but you are off to a great start!

If you have any questions at all about any of the above, feel free to call the office.

Don't forget about Monday, May 18th at the Citizens Bank in Hickman at 6pm: Healthy Food Choices. My goal is to show you that you can take traditional unhealthy dishes and make them healthy ones!

Week Three

Week Three Leaders are posted here. Great job everyone! All teams combined lost a total 84 lbs. That is excellent for Week Three!

Don't be discouraged if your weight stayed the same or even if you gained a pound or two. Just get back on track and next week will be better!

Week Two Winners

Another great week everyone! All teams combined lost a total of 204lbs.!

To find out who the Week Two winners are, visit our website.

Remember - Calories In - Calories Out. Reaching your goal will be a snap if you concentrate on eating less and moving more. It's that simple.

Good News...

The Body Shop in Hickman has agreed to give a discount to our Biggest Loser Contestants for the duration of the Challenge! $20 for the month of May and $20 for the month of June for each person. If you choose to take advantage of this opportunity, all you have to do is go and sign up! He'll have a list with your name on it! Good luck teams.

Team Captains

You asked for it, so here are the ones who have given permission so far! If any team captain would like to know their team's total beginning weight and losses, send me an email.

Calorie Crusaders - Bernita Cheirs

Fatabulous Five - Michael Burnette <<<< Number Three - Week One

Fat Fighters - Amy Dluzniewski

Flab to Fab - Stephanie Everett <<<< Number One - Week One

Just Lose It - James Bridges

Mission Impossible - Joanie Cruce

Pound Cakes - Sue Werner

Saggy Bottoms - Pete Morgan

Slim Quick Clique - Amy Tyler

Steppin' Up - Tatia Bradshaw

Ta-Da - Fonda Swain

The Honey Buns - Stacey Howell

Waist Management - Brittney Carlisle

Week One

Great job everyone!! Keep up the good work! All teams combined lost a total of 299lbs. in the first week!

Check out who the Week One Top Three Teams are here.

If anyone would like the information that was covered Monday night at the "Knowledge is Power" Event, just stop by the Extension Office.

It's the Weekend

How's your weekend going? Are you staying on task? On Monday, we'll find out how everyone's first week went. Please remember that the goal should be for a healthy gradual loss. People who average a one to two pound loss each week, have a much better chance of keeping the weight off long term.

During the week at the office, many of us are surrounded by people who are also in the Challenge and we've developed a routine and are working on it together. The weekend can be a bit more difficult if you are the only one in your household who is participating. Just remember, you CAN do it and you are not alone. We are all in this together and we ARE going to make positive lifestyle changes and be much healthier going forward.

Don't forget to call or email your weight in on Monday between 8:00 and 5:30 or if you prefer, you can come in and use the scale at our office. Also, the "Knowledge is Power" event is Monday night at 6:00 at the Community Room at Citizens Bank in Hickman. We hope to see you there!

Welcome

We decided to start this blog with the hope that it might be an encouragement to everyone participating in this Challenge. Reading about how others are coping or feeling will hopefully help you to realize you are not alone. Everyone is facing difficulties on some days and great success on others.

Please use the comment section to share your struggles, triumphs or tips that you’re learning along the way. This blog is for YOU, so please comment as often as you’d like and if you have any questions, just ask and we'll do our best to answer them.

We are so proud of each of you for taking this important first step to a healthier lifestyle. Good luck to everyone!