Week 5 Health Reports

Zoe: celery has 37% vitamin k which is good for bones. It also has phthalides which help to lower stress and regulate the stress hormones.

Norah: sugar snap peas are high in vitamin k. Vitamin k is good for calcium and for your bones. It has folate which is good or heart health and is also a good source of iron and beta carotene.

Eliza: Green peppers actually have more vitamin c than an orange. Vitamin c helps the immune system, skin, mucous membranes and bones.



Rachel: what are the health benefits of broccoli?
Broccoli can help your eyes, skin, bones, blood, nervous system, and can even protect our skin from the sun.
If you're sick, you should definitely have broccoli- it helps your immune system.


Mikael: what are the health benefits of carrots?
They make your eyes stronger, helps prevent cancer, helps your skin from getting sunburned, helps keep heart and skin healthy. Helps your body on the inside. Helps your teeth and gums.

Grant: what are the health benefits of cauliflower?
Has vitamin C, which helps in a lot of different ways. Keeps you from getting diabetes (that's cool)!. It helps you digest foods. It has protein, and phosphorous (the metal)

David: what are the health benefits of zucchini?
Makes your blood flow better, keeps away cancer, has vitamin C, keeps your heart healthy, and has Manganese!! It keeps your cells from rusting and makes it good for playing soccer and makes it so you don't get tired.

If anyone would like references, we can get them for you.,:-)

Veggie Recipes

Here is a tasty recipe my sister gave me for Zucchini Bites. It's super easy and pretty good too.

Ingredients: Zucchini, spaghetti sauce and cheddar cheese.

-heat your oven to 350 degrees
-Slice the zucchini into slices (about a 1/2 inch slice) and evenly spread them on a cookie sheet.
-then put a small dollop of spaghetti sauce (can use pizza sauce or tomato sauce) on top of each zucchini slice.
-place zucchini in the oven just until tender  check by using a fork. I can't remember the exact time.
-then take your grated cheddar cheese and sprinkle a little over each zucchini bite. Let the cheese melt a little in the oven an then you're all set for a tasty treat!

You might want to lightly grease your cookie sheet but I can't remember if you need to sorry!

Week 4 Health Reports

Eliza: Insulin is a hormone that allows sugar to get into the cells and gives them energy.

Norah: American's consume 22tsp of sugar/day. That is equivalent to 68 pounds of sugar per year. That is 18 more pounds than I even weigh! The recommended amounts of sugar for MEN is 9tsp and for WOMEN is 6tsp per day.

Zoe: Anything Mother Nature makes is the best kind of sugar to eat. It has fiber, vitamins and other minerals that helps our body break down the sugars in a more healthy way.

Our FAVORITE Fruits and Veggies:

Eliza - pineapple and sugar snap peas

Norah - strawberries & sugar snap peas

Zoe - grapes and carrots

Rachel: what are some health benefits of running?
We can lose weight, gain muscle mass, strengthen out lungs and heart through aerobic exercise. It has an effect on hormones that help you feel less stressed. And you get to see pretty stuff.

Mikael: what muscles do we use when we run?
Eye muscles
Heart
Lungs
Leg muscles
Arm muscles

Grant: what is the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercises?
Aerobic makes your heart and lungs stronger
Anaerobic makes your muscles stronger.

David: where are some fun/good places to run or explore in Utah?
When you go camping in the mountains. Explore in your town and in mountains and on roofs and attics. It's also good to run around the lake in Daybreak and swim in it.

Week 3 Reports

Rachel: what are some health issues that can be caused by eating too much sugar?
1.Diabetes. If you eat too much sugar, it can effect your pancreas where insulin is made and cause an imbalance which can lea to diabetes.
2.Sugar effects your immune system and weakens it.
3. Obesity- Carbohydrates are turned into sugar in your body and provide energy. If you eat more carbohydrates than your activity level needs, you never get to burn fat because it always has the easier to use and readily available energy from carbohydrates.

Mikael: what are simple sugars and how can they effect our bodies?
Simple sugars are found in candy. If we eat too much, we can get sick.

Grant: how does too much sugar effect our blood?
If we eat a lot of sugar then Te sugar in our blood goes up and down and up and down lower, and if it get's to low, then it's bad for our body.

David: what is sugar and how is it made?
Watch this video:
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=MIgavNuBRRA&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMIgavNuBRRA

Week 2 Research Reports

carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are in many foods. Some people have allergies to them like a sister in our ward. They are often referred to as "carbs". Carbohydrates give us energy and help us live. I've noticed that almost every cereal I have had includes carbohydrates as does bread, syrup, honey, and yogurt. They are found in fruits, veggies, beans, and grains.
When we eat them, they go to one of 3 places in our body. First they go to the liver or muscles. If those are full, then they are transformed into fat that ends up either in our bloodstream, our bellies, bums, etc., or worst, around our organs.
There are 2 types of carbohydrates. The first is bad, or simple carbohydrates. These are things like sugar and refined foods. They have no nutrients or energy for our body.
The second is good or complex carbohydrates. These are things like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. They have nutrients and energy and give our bodies stuff that they need.
Rachel.

Week One Research Reports

Hey Grandkids!  Here is where you post your first research project! I am soo excited to read all about what you have learned this week!

Stress vs. Weight Loss Quiz

When you get the chance, take this fun quiz Mom found to help you know how stress might be sabotaging your weight loss goals.

Is Weight Loss Stressing You Out?

Take the Weight Loss Expectations Quiz
  -- By Dean Anderson, Fitness & Behavior Expert
There’s no doubt about it: trying to lose weight can be a stressful thing! There’s nothing like trying to stick to a “simple” weight loss plan for bringing you face-to-face with the frustrating complexities of human nature and the limits of our rationality and will power. And even when we do manage to do what we know we should, often our bodies seem to operate according to a different kind of math—where a 3,500-calorie deficit doesn’t always equal one pound of weight lost.

The unfortunate part is that this constant stress can make losing weight more difficult than it needs to be. Research shows that chronic stress can affect your metabolism, promoting fat storage, and increasing cravings for sugary, high-fat “comfort foods.

There are lots of things you can do to manage this stress, ranging from yoga and meditation to a hot bath or a pleasant walk in the park. In this article, however, we’ll focus on how certain (very common) expectations about weight loss can cause stress, and how you can adjust your expectations so that you’re not stressing out about your own weight loss (or lack thereof).

To find out whether your expectations about weight loss may be increasing your stress levels, take the following brief quiz. Indicate whether you think the following statements are true or false. To benefit from this exercise, your answer should reflect how youhonestly feel most of the time, NOT what you think the “correct” response might be.

1. I have taken a careful look at my eating and exercise habits, and I have a good idea of what I need to change and how I want to do it.
2. I have accepted the idea that I need to make permanent changes in my lifestyle to lose weight and keep it off permanently.
3. I will feel successful only if reach my weight loss goal.
4. I know that it took time to gain weight, and I believe it is best to try to lose the weight slowly.
5. I am working on weight loss now because I really want to, not because someone else thinks I should.
6. If I can manage to lose the weight, I think many other problems in my life will be solved.
7. I am willing and able to do a significant amount of physical activity on a daily basis, including planned exercise.
8. I can lose weight successfully with no slip-ups.
9. I am ready, willing, and able to spend enough time each day planning and tracking my food intake and exercise activities.
10. If my weight loss slows down or stalls out, I usually lose my motivation and stop my program.<
11. When I am having problems sticking to my plan, I usually get on the message boards or the phone and talk about it with other people.
12. I have many stressful situations in my life right now, but I'm determined to be successful at weight loss.

Scoring the Quiz
Look at your answers to questions 1,2,4,5,7, 9 and 11, and give yourself 1 point for every True answer, and 0 for every False. For questions 3,6,8,10 and 12, give yourself 1 point for every Falseanswer, and 0 for every True. Add your total points up to get your score.

A high score (7-12 points) shows that your expectations about weight loss are more realistic, and you are more likely to reach your goal.

Each question you scored a zero for represents a misconception or unrealistic expectation that might be adding unnecessary stress to your weight loss efforts.

For example, a zero on Question 11 (you don’t talk to others when you have trouble sticking to your plan) may indicate that you tend to keep problems to yourself, which can add even more stress to the difficulties you are already having.

Scoring zero on Question 8 (believing you can lose weight successfully without slipping up) may mean that you are unrealistically expecting perfection. Slip-ups are inevitable, but they also help you learn from your experience. Expecting to be perfect creates more stress when things don’t turn out as desired. Plus, you will learn less about what does and does not work for you in different circumstances.

Likewise, a zero on Question 12 (determination for weight loss despite high stress in other areas of your life) may indicate that you don’t fully appreciate the difficulties of trying to lose weight, or the importance of modifying your weight loss expectations when other aspects of life become difficult. Sometimes, just holding your own and not gaining (or regaining) weight is a very significant accomplishment!

Finally, the most important concept—if you scored a 0 on Question 6 (believing that weight loss will solve many other problems in your life), you may be expecting more than weight loss can deliver, setting yourself up for problems both now and after you reach your goal.

At least two negative things can happen when you start looking at weight loss as the “magic” solution to everything. First, this puts an awful lot of pressure on the daily ups and downs of your weight loss journey. Every slip-up or bad day, every weight plateau, becomes magnified in importance because, in your head, it is linked to so many other important things. You can imagine how much extra stress you generate if going over your calorie budget or skipping an exercise session has come to mean that the career or the relationship you want is that much further away.

Second, the belief that you have to lose weight before you can start living the life you want only keeps you from creating that life right now.

When healthy eating and exercise are just a small part of what you do to care for yourself, you'll likely decrease stress and progress towards your weight loss goal. A big part of making a successful lifestyle change is putting your weight in meaningful perspective—and you can start doing that right now!

8 Lessons from "The Biggest Loser"

Here is a great article Mom found to help us with our Biggest Loser competition! :)

8 Lessons from ''The Biggest Loser''

Advice to Take Away from the Show
  -- By Jason Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer
They say that people love a winner. Well, I love losers! In October 2004, NBC introduced the reality show called "The Biggest Loser." Today, after completing its fifth season, it is a fan favorite. The show features individuals, couples, and — coming next season — families, who sign on to get fit and lose weight. These individuals are assigned to weight loss teams (and trainers) and then compete to see who can lose the most weight and the title, "The Biggest Loser." Although there's only one winner in the end, all participants change their bodies and their lives and become winners by becoming losers, too.

The transformations that occur on the show are nothing short of extraordinary. The biggest losers of all typically drop more than 100 pounds by the end of the 12-week period and many go on to lose even more. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, these folks morph into totally different people thanks to their newfound lifestyles. As a personal trainer myself, it gives me great satisfaction to see them succeed and to recapture a healthy body, mind and spirit. It is not just a physical transformation, but a mental one as well.

Perhaps one of the greatest things about the show is that it offers so many lessons, whether you're striving to live a healthier lifestyle, make exercise a habit, or reach a healthy weight. Here are eight realizations that I think are worth noting:

1. You shouldn't go it alone. Do you think that the contestants would be as successful if they went at it alone? In season five, for example, the Blue Team was a serious force to be reckoned with. Roger, Mark, Jay, and Dan seemed to never lose a challenge or a weigh-in. Did you notice how they supported and encouraged each other to push harder, work out longer, and stick to their diets? The support and camaraderie they exhibited definitely helped them succeed as often as they did.

Lesson: There is strength in numbers. Doing everything by yourself can be lonely and discouraging. But having a buddy — or a team of supporters — can help you to stick to it when the going gets tough. Instead of just going solo on the treadmill or bike, consider taking a group fitness class or joining a team sports league. When you need a word of encouragement, post on the Message Boards or join a SparkTeam here at SparkPeople!

2. Your attitude matters. The wrong group can drain your motivation and energy. Did you notice the Black Team in season five? Granted, they were fighting an uphill battle and constantly facing the elimination room, but they were so down in the dumps that they often reminded me of a group of Eeyores. That negative energy could have contributed, on some level, to their constant struggles.

Lesson: Surround yourself with positive people. A fitness buddy with a negative attitude isn't fun to hang around, and that can be detrimental to your workouts and your consistency. And if you find that the negative attitude is coming from you, chances are you won’t stick with it. Change your perspective and stay positive for good results!

3. You won't always see results. It happens every season — some of the participants actually GAIN weight instead of losing. Whenever they'd stand on that scale, only to see the numbers pop up as a “plus” instead of a “negative,” I wanted to cry with them! But just like ups and downs are part of the show, they're a reality for the rest of us, too.

Lesson: Losing weight isn't as simple as a mathematical equation. Sure you need to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight, but even when you do everything right, sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. Is it frustrating? You bet! But when it happens, all you can do is accept it and continue on. Trust that your efforts will show eventually. Remember, that even when the scale doesn't budge, your efforts are making a difference. Try to focus onother ways to measure your progress — like how you feel, your health improvements, and how your clothes fit. If all else fails, take steps to bust through your plateau!

4. You have to train your brain. Bob and Jillian know that exercise and training will reshape the body. But they are great at training the contestants mentally too. Along the course of the show, they all learn to believe in themselves. Whether they make it to the end or get eliminated along the way, most of the "losers" say the same thing: What they had accomplished on the campus had previously been nothing more than a dream.

Lesson: Believe in yourself! When you're out of shape and overweight, it's easy to beat yourself up and lose confidence. But you don't need Bob or Jillian in your back pocket to change that. With every small step you take towards your goals, your confidence will build. With every goal you achieve, your self-esteem with sky-rocket. The key is to just start. It's always better to try—even if you mess up along the way — than to never try at all.

5. You have to change your lifestyle. The participants on the show understand that this is a complete lifestyle overhaul— a total transformation for life, not a diet for a little while. No matter how hard they work or how much weight they lose while on campus, it will come back if they revert back to their old habits at home.

Lesson: There are no quick fixes. Getting healthy and managing your weight it is not a temporary thing. It's a series of day-to-day, meal-by-meal choices that you have to stick with for the long haul.

6. You have to work hard. Sometimes when I'd watch the Teams work out I'd think, "Their trainers are heartless!" In reality, those trainers know that weight loss takes hard work. You see them exercise when they have nothing left, choose the healthy foods even though they'd rather have their favorite comfort foods, and even leave their families for weeks at a time — these things are not for the faint of heart.

Lesson: It won't always be easy. Lots of people want to lose weight, but most aren't willing to pay the price or make sacrifices to get there. You will not be successful with a half-hearted effort or by looking for shortcuts or the easy way out.

7. You can have fun! I always enjoy watching different challenges each week. Although they were often physical, they're not what I'd consider traditional exercise: trying to stay on a moving escalator the longest; running and placing empty soda cans from one bin to another; or traversing a ravine on a zip line.

Lesson: Boredom will kill your exercise routine. Mix it up and keep your body guessing and keep it fun. Instead on going to the gym for a mindless half hour on the stairclimber (more like the “stairmonster”), get outside and do some hiking or biking. Forgo the weight machines one day and head to a playground to swing from the monkey bars, climb, jump, run and LAUGH!

8. You have to be consistent. No matter how much the show changes from season to season, one thing is always clear. Those who lose the biggest are consistent. They make healthy eating and exercise part of their daily lives — even after they go home. And even when they encounter setbacks along the way, they don't give up.

Lesson: Consistency is key. No matter how close (or far) you are from your goal — or even if you're there already — the habits you learn along the way have to continue if you're to be successful in the long term.

Who would have thought that watching people sweat, exercise, grimace, and go through the rigors of losing weight could be so fun? Here’s to all the losers, and to hoping you can use this advice to be a loser, too!

Editor's Note: SparkPeople.com is not affiliated with "The Biggest Loser" or NBC.

Future Goal

Anyone interested in running a half marathon with me at the end of August? This could be a good goal to shoot for during our competition. I have always wanted to run the Top of Utah Half a marathon and thought, this is the year!!!! The race will be held August 24th and registration begins on March 1st. The fee is $50. If you have any questions let me know or check out the top of Utah website but make sure you're looking at the info for the half marathon, not the full marathon.  It'd be fun to have some running buddies!!!! ;)

Food for thought: the ultimate prize!

We all know that getting motivated and staying motivated to exercise can be pretty difficult. We want to find a way to keep us all motivated for the duration of the competition. I think we need to have some sort of ultimate ending prize to the competition. An idea that we've had is some sort of cash prize. Our idea so far is to have every couple/individual contribute $50 to the prize pot. This seems like a reasonable amount and totaled with everybody would equal quite a nice cash prize for the winner. I'd love other ideas, but I think the ultimate prize needs to be something we will stretch ourselves for. I don't know if a set of movie tickets or restaurant gift card will keep us all motivated to really work hard to be healthier. Anyways, send your ideas this way and I can't wait to hear them!!

Ashley :)

Team T-shirts!

We would really like to get t-shirts for the two teams to really make this competition legit. In order to give me a better idea of what we need to order please post or text me your t-shirt size. (Grand kids too!!). We've found some great bulk t-shirt websites.

Hello Family!!

Welcome to our Biggest Loser!: Weiss Edition blog!  I hope that everyone received the invitation to view this blog.  As you can see the blog is still under construction.  I hope to organize and start our own Weiss Family Biggest Loser Competition this spring!  The details of the whole competition are still in the works, but I'm getting really excited about some ideas I have come up with to help us, as individuals and as a family, to become healthier and happier!  Right now I would just like to use this blog to get everyone's decision about whether or not they would like to participate in our challenge.  I hope that everyone in the family will want to participate (even the grandkids!!!) but it is optional.  (The more the merrier though!)  I would also like everyone's ideas about how we should organize this event, challenges, etc!  If you have any questions please let me know!!  I hope this can get us all excited about being healthier and interested in a little friendly family competition!  Can't wait to hear from ya'll soon!!!

Ashley :)