Week 17, Day 1

Wow. The first episode of Season 9 of the Biggest Loser was tonight, and I am so energized I can hardly sit still long enough to write this! No more holidays, no more coasting for a few weeks, no more excuses. The time has come to get back on track and get the rest of this weight GONE. I'm ready!

Each season it seems the contestants are easy from the start to feel close to. They're just like I am -- struggling with a body that's way too big, fighting their fears, wanting so much more than what life is right now. I just want to give them all a big hug! But I hope this season doesn't have all the drama Season 8 had. It was distracting. That said, I gotta say I think Daris is a cutie pie. I can't wait to see this kid when he gets skinny! He's never had a girlfriend, and if he takes the weight off, I guarantee that whole girlfriend thing will definitely change! Patti is about my age and weight, so I'm going to keep an eye on her. But gosh, the first week she lost a crazy amount of weight -- as did all the contestants. She's at 220 now, and I'm at 230. So I'll need to hit it really hard to keep up.

My back has been hurting the past couple of days. A lot. Dang. I thought I was past that. But I've been in bed with a sinus infection, and I guess being in bed so much has messed up my back. Didn't used to. But time and age do take their toll. Another snow storm is headed our way tomorrow, so I went to the store today to get some milk and yogurt and stuff, and I took advantage of the time out to do some walking. I'll spend some time on the bike when I get done here. I had a bit of a routine before -- walking at the store nearly every day, time on the bike, etc. But with the weather being ridiculously bad this whole past month, plus time away over in Iowa, I haven't done my walking. I think that has contributed, too, to my back issues. I really don't handle pain well, so I hope I can make it go away soon. I guess during these winter months I'll have to develop a different routine. My older son got me a Biggest Loser workout DVD and some resistance bands for Christmas, so I really don't have any excuse, right? Help me remember that, please. I need the reminders!

Today's Tip:
Holidays DO derail even the best intentions when it comes to diets. But that's okay as long as you get back on track when they're over. C'mon, let's get back on track together! We CAN do this!

AND...do you want to burn an extra 270 calories a day? Burn 'em up during those pesky TV commercials in the evening! Run in place, sprint up and down the stairs, do some jumping jacks, pull your stationary bike into the room and bike during the ads...anything to keep yourself moving during each 2-minute interval. That's all it is -- 2 minutes at a time during a 2-hour stretch of TV watching. Easy-peasy!