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11.25.2011

Busted!

Did you know the average person gains 5 lbs between now and January 1st? If you are anything like me, you probably ate a lot of turkey yesterday. And mashed potatoes, pies, cookies and stuffing. From now until after the new year, it will be hard to stop. Yesterday marked the first day of a long downhill stretch and a rolling snowball of food, eating, making merry, drinking and hanging out with friends (in order to eat, drink and be merry!)

Those 5 lbs which took only a mere month to put on will take at least 3x that long to take off. So, instead of falling into that trap, I chose to join up with Amanda to take charge of that extra weight. I am saying, "back, vile extra pounds, back, I say!" Enter the Holiday Booty Buster Challenge.


What exactly is this HBBC, you ask? Well, you get points for any activities you do as well as extra points if you eat at least 7 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Here are the point breakdowns.

1 Point per mile (run/walk)
1 Point per 3 miles biked
1 Point per 20 minutes of weight lifting, Pilates, yoga, stretching or abs
1 Point per 15 minutes of low impact cardio (i.e. low impact aerobics, easy biking, skiing, skating, water aerobics, snow shoeing)
1 Point per 10 minutes of high impact cardio (i.e.spinning, kickboxing, lap swimming)
1 Per day where you reach a minimum of 7 servings of fruits and veggies (here are details on what is a serving)

It started November 20, but you can join up at any time. It ends January 7th. You can go to Amanda's page for more info, but there are prizes and everything! Or you can just do it to help keep those vile pounds where they belong! I think that keeping track of what you eat and what activities you do really helps to keep you accountable.

I keep track of my miles using Dailymile and RunningAHEAD, because each one gives me a little something different. Both are not only great for keeping track, but they also give you routes to try, race info and information about where your friends are running! And my favorite thing about dailymile is that it tells you how many donuts you have burned (earned) so far!


In order to keep track of my food, I use LoseIt. I know a lot of people have also had success with MyFitnessPal. You can use this app on your phone or the computer, so it's easy to do it every day. It really makes you realize how much better a correct portion size is as well as what you would rather put in your body, for instance a) a glass of wine b) a handful of cheeze-its or c) a cup of baby carrots, 2 tbsp hummus and an apple. I realized that the cream I was putting into my coffee was adding up to 200 calories a day (yes I drink a lot of coffee! Or maybe I should say a lot of cream with a little coffee!)

So, this week (Nov 19 - Nov 25) I ate 7 servings of veggies every day and I ran 25 miles, so I have 32 points so far. My goal for next week, since I am in the taper and will not have high running mileage, is to incorporate something else, whether it's yoga, or some crunches or a few push ups.

Don't forget to go to Jill's blog to check out the other Fitness Friday blogs! Also, it's only 9 DAYS until the marathon! Yikes! Eeek! Egad!

What are you doing to combat the vile pounds this holiday season? Do you have a plan? Are you going to do the HBBC?

11 comments:

  1. I don't have a plan! But in the past, I have not gained weight during the holidays... Mostly because I can't have most of the treats that tempt others, like the cookies and such. And I live alone, so I have total control over my environment. I don't buy treats/sweets, so I just don't have the temptation! If i lived with or near my parents - then yikes. I would be in trouble because my mom is all about baking and cooking and making sure everyone has a full belly ALL THE TIME.

    That said, my plan is to keep making time for exercise!

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  2. I signed up for HBBC but haven't tracked my points on her chart yet - whoops. I'll get to it, it seems like a great way to stay on track during the holidays.

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  3. This is pretty cool! I don't really have a plan either, but judging by the way I feel today - I need one. I think over the course of the day I drank a bottle of wine, ate french toast and then one plate (loaded with food) at dinner.

    Sigh.

    I will probably use MyFitnessPal throughout the month of December.

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  4. I SHOULD do the HBBC - such a great idea!

    I ate two deserts yesterday on top of all the food - yikes! So yummy though. :) Will hit it hard for the rest of the week and hopefully get back on track with eating!

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  5. I am also doing the challenge. I doubt that I'll win any prizes, but it's nice to have something to prompt me toward a helping of veggies instead of another piece of pie and a reminder to make time to exercise.

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  6. And I have another challenge for you to sign up to...

    http://the-running-mom.com/2011/11/winter-100-challenge/

    The Winter 100 Challenge... run 100 miles between Dec 1 and Feb 29... no problem for you I know.

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  7. Love the concept of 'have a plan', and the 'HBBC'. I wish I had started on 11/20, but it's never too late!

    Fit Fridays with Lani

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  8. I totally need this. Thanks for sharing because I'm SO doing it.

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  9. I am doing HBBC - but not as well as you are!

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  10. You are totally kicking butt..way to go!

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  11. Awesome start Kyria. I'm doing HBBC too and loving the motivation. I hope the momentum lasts through the holidays.

    Off to check out Running Ahead. Thanks for the link!

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