If you’ve been reading this blog for more than four or five months, you’re aware that in an effort to lose a significant amount of weight and to avoid dying by the age of 35, I underwent lap-band surgery in March 2009. For those of you who don’t know, the lap band is a small band placed at the top of your stomach that allows you to eat about four ounces at a time and you should stay full for about four to five hours on only those four ounces.
Since February, when I started dieting in preparation for the surgery, I’ve lost almost 120 pounds. That’s more than an Ali. It’s almost a Britt. It’s not close to a LeSombre.
The last two months, though, haven’t been nearly as successful as the previous seven. My weight loss has slowed to a crawl. I’ve been under a great deal of stress, which causes me to eat more small meals during the day, not the three I should be eating. I also know of different ways to eat more, such as drinking water or liquids during my meals, eating liquids like ice cream, or eating really “slippery” foods like foods with a lot of Ranch or mayonnaise on them. I have not been working out, either. Combine these factors with the fact that my band is currently looser than normal (after an overtightening a month ago), and my weight loss has been almost zero.
In an effort to kickstart it again and continue on my quest to reach my goal weight of 225 pounds, the amazing and wonderful Karen Sugarpants and I are having a little competition (thanks to Matthew over at ChildsPlayX2 for the idea). We are going to see who can lose the highest percentage of weight by February 1. The winner gets the satisfaction of winning. The loser has to post a music video in which she dances to a song chosen by me. (Or, if by some amazing chance, Karen wins, I’ll dance to a song chosen by her.)
With Thanksgiving this week and Christmas around the corner, replete with fudge, cookies, and lots of other temptation, this should be interesting, but hopefully not a portrait of abject failure. Wish us luck, and if you have any suggestions for what song Karen should dance to when she loses, leave them in the comments.
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Twitter: kimt205
says:
Good luck to you both ! I need to do the same thing, and soon.
For Karen’s song I suggest “Doncha” by The PussyCat Dolls….or something equally annoying !
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@Kim, I don’t know that song. I’ll have to look it up.
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Going through my own personal hell with weight here and after some great success after starting a new medication (not weight loss pill) things have slowed down. I may just secretly join in on your challenge and secretly beat you both. (because, you know, THIS IS NOT MY CHALLENGE TO JOIN. HAHA)
I think when you lose, you should have to dance to What’s Your Fantasy, by Ludacris.
Ahhh, yeaaah.
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@Y, good luck with your secret challenge against us!
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@Avitable,
why, thank you. Really, this post just motivated me to kick things up a notch and try a little harder. So, thank you for that.
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Twitter: daksmom
says:
I am so glad you can post about these struggles….looking forward to that video!
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@Stacy, it took some time for me to be okay with posting this stuff.
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Twitter: VDog
says:
You’re gonna do great. Except when you’re in Vegas with me. Sorry ’bout that.
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@VDog, well, damn. I guess I can live with that.
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Wow! Congrats on all the success you’ve had! And *luck* with the challenge. I think Karen should have to do your “Milkshake” dance, btw.
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@BlondeBlogger, oooh, good thinking!
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Twitter: LeSombre
says:
Damn, I wish I could lose a LeSombre.
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@LeSombre, but then you’d be zero. And invisible. Wait, that could be cool!
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I’m going with “My Humps,” as it’s the most annoying song I can think of. However, I think that song should be the “winner” regardless of who loses.
Good luck to both of ya.
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@Chibi Jeebs, my choice as well.
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@Chibi Jeebs, but do we want annoying songs or a song that’s embarrassing to dance to?
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@Avitable, it will be as embarrassing as you make it – I’d be embarrassed to dance to it, especially if I was forced to mimic Fergie in the video…
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I love you both and yet would like to see both of you perform via vlog.
For Karen: Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok”
For Adam: Black Eyed Peas “Boom Boom Pow”
xoxo and good luck! (You both look fantastic, btw.)
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@Undomestic Diva, I don’t know either of those songs. I’m so behind on music.
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Oh! Karen should chose “party in the USA” for you! annnnnnd… I dunno a song for you to chose for her. I will think on it and come back.
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@bluepaintred, is that really a song that I can dance to, do you think?
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Twitter: VerdantDude
says:
Dude, 120 lbs so far is awesome! Good luck with the rest of it.
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@B.E. Earl, thanks, dude.
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Barbie Girl should be the Song of Shame… Haha!
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@Bre, oh, but I’ve already lip-synced to that one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeK08o2qiSU
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Twitter: ellemmes
says:
I need a challenge to shake my tree a little!
120 lbs is awesome! I understand the feeling of not being where you want to yet, though, and I’m wishing you the best. I’m looking forward to seeing the video, whoever it turns out to be.
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@Lisa, I would just like to get as close to my goal as possible, even if I can’t quite make it, and I know I can get a lot closer than I am now.
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120 lbs is amazing! I’ll make it easier for you to lose weight by not sending you homemade fudge this Christmas. I’m SUCH a good friend. Heh.
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@Sarah, you are a wonderful friend. And I’ll just pretend that your fudge sucks so I don’t miss it.
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If only bariatric surgery worked on the head as well as the stomach … Drinking while eating is a hard habit to break (for several months, I physically couldn’t, after my RNY) but I do stay full longer when I wait 30 minutes after eating to drink. Bah.
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@Monique, I usually wait 30-45 minutes after eating to drink any liquids, but in the last month or so I’ve been ignoring that rule and it’s allowed me to eat more. I need to stay disciplined to that if I’m going to succeed. It’s just sometimes that I want to eat more because the food looks so good.
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Baby Got Back by SirMixAlot.
Congrats on the weight loss!
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@melanie, that’s a good suggestion.
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Good luck to you! And I think you should make Karen dance to I am a Gummy Bear, by Gummibar. ;D
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@Joy, I’m so out of touch with music!
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@Avitable, I wish I was out of touch with this song too! But since I am not, I am sharing the pain, aka a trouble shared is a trouble halved and all that BS! This song came courtesy of last year’s Halloween Dance at my son’s elementary school. It has been killing me (not so) softly ever since… You can check it out on iTunes for a sample of its fiendish glory…
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Great idea, I recently kicked Dan’s ass in a see how quickly we can lose a stone contest. Worked well for me, but I think the embarrassment of losing to moi has meant Dan has hung himself, well he’s not returning my calls, so he must have done similar.
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@SingleParentDad, oh yeah, I remember reading about that. The contest, not the hanging.
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I vote for Three Little Maids from the Mikado. The loser should dance naked as an added incentive.
I played a wrestling game once and created a character that looked amazingly like your previous self, albeit bald (but covered with hair everywhere else). I named him Fatty McAss.
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@Grant, so you WANT me to dance naked?
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Twitter: Bellaventa
says:
Cross-posted on Karen’s blog: Damn. I feel like joining you guys. I need a kick in the ass to motivate me back into the losing weight game….
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@Robin, join the dark side!
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Twitter: missbritt
says:
Does this mean you don’t want me to bring you these 20 chocolate bars you bought from Devin?
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Twitter: karensugarpants
on November 24th, 2009 at Tuesday, November 24, 2009 @ 7:15 am
@Miss Britt, I think you should double his order.
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@Miss Britt, 20? I only have 16!
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I want to see you reach your goal weight, but I also want to watch you dance. Conundrum.
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@Shauna, I’ll dance for you either way.
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Good luck! A friend of mine who had RNY about the same time, has also stalled to a crawl in loosing. She’s only lost 77lbs, which is still fantastic, but most of her message board friends who had the surgery at the same time are at goal. She’s only lost a few pounds in the last 5 months, which she is really upset about.
I wish I knew the answer to help.
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@Jennifer, I think it’s just recommitting to the whole process.
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Regardless of who wins, I’ll enjoy the dancing. Snort.
Good luck!
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@Amo, yes, the dancing should be stupendous either way.
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Move the contest date to April, and that’s when I’ll be serving an eviction notice to this being inside me. That’s a huge percentage of weight, right?!
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@Andria, you’ll lose like 9 pounds in the span of a day, right? Best weight loss ever!
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Godspeed.
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@Badass Geek, is that a song?
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Twitter: alimartell
says:
I KNOW you can do this. I know it.
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@ali, thank you. I appreciate it.
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Twitter: elizabethbarone
says:
I can’t pick sides here, so I’m rooting for both of you. See, I started reading Jess’s blog before yours, and she and Karen are cousins. So the love is equal.
I can think of some good songs, however…
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@Elizabeth Kaylene, you did? Hm. I guess I’ll forgive you, then.
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Good luck! You’ve come so far that either way you’re a winner.
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@cat, awww, thanks.
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I am barely up on the hip songs these days, so I won’t make a suggestion. (Except NOT the Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow” because I hate that fucking song so much it makes me want to murder people!)
But you lost more than a Sybil! That is amazing!!!
I think Britt, Hilly and Faiqa should all be your coaches. Set up some obstacle courses for you, etc. One could wear steel toed boots, one a loud, loud whistle, and one a whip.
Get that on video.
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@Sybil Law, ooh, but now I know how much you weigh!
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@Avitable, Yeah, that doesn’t bother me. I weigh 114. No biggie. Now, get to work on that video!!!
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Dieting dude dropped dozens; doesn’t, depressed. Determined, dares darling to dance, depending on density.
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@avatgardener, Justify my love or Dress you up in my love, both by Madonna.
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Twitter: hellohahanarf
says:
i’m so proud of you for the 120. i know you can keep going. good luck!
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@hello haha narf, I can do it!
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Twitter: karensugarpants
says:
May the best fatty mcfatterson win.
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@Karen Sugarpants, it is so ON.
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Good luck! And that’s so awesome! Keep up the good work
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@christie, I’m gonna try!
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Twitter: Whatsananna
says:
Ah buddy is this not kind of normal for the weight loss to slow down? Doesn’t that make it more sustainable?
I’m with those who want to see a video with BOTH of you in it. And to something old twangy and country. Now THAT would be fun!
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@Nanna, well, yeah, it’s normal, but I’ve plateaued for two months.
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Twitter: lceel
says:
Good luck, man. Normally I’d have some really witty but slightly fucked up remark to make that would demonstrate I’m just as left of kilter as you are – but in this case all I really want to say is – anything you can do to inspire yourself to lose weight – I’m all for it. I’d rather deal with a svelt, ugly, LIVE Adam than the memory of a big Adam.
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@lceel, so wait, I’m ugly? You know you think I’m hawt.
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Twitter: Jayman3768
says:
So does this mean that we should all get either “Team Avitable” or “Team Sugarpants” t-shirts?
120 lbs is a pretty amazing accomplishment.
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Twitter: laurenacarlton
on November 24th, 2009 at Tuesday, November 24, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
@Jay, I’ll take a Team Sugarpants shirt. Extra large *hangs head*
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Twitter: msmegan
says:
I’m not quite sure this is a fair bet, but I bet Ms. Sugarpants can do anything she sets her mind to, so I’m looking forward to seeing you dance. I have some ideas for songs, too. Every heard of Vanity 6?
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@Finn, well, it’s fair because I need to have the discipline not to eat lots and lots of ice cream. And that’s hard.
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Twitter: hismuse
says:
I just spent 4 days with Gwen, who likes to bake. Can I give you the mini-pies so I can still fit through the front door?
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@Robin, oooh, mini-pies.
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Good luck with it – try allowing yourself to eat a little bit of all the things you love, and then dance between each meal. Dance until the floor is shaking! If you burn off enough calories, you can have another morsel!
And if you film the dancing, we’ll all have some entertainment!
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@pixielation, instead of dancing, I’ll just masturbate. That burns calories too.
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@Avitable, oh God no – there is another indelible image burnt on my retina.
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@pixielation, here’s a cute kitten to help remove that image: http://bit.ly/cutekitteh
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@Avitable, AWWWW! You’re so forgiven!
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@pixielation, umm, click that link again and wait on the page for a second or two.
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@Avitable, Now I REALL have something horrible burnt into my retina. It was more like 20 seconds delay though – 20 seconds of lovely little kitty, 1 second of irreversible damage to my psyche.
And then a lot of giggling. A LOT.
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Twitter: themuskrat
says:
good luck to both of y’all!
she should break it down to “girl you know it’s true” by milli vanilli, like i did on a stage in mobile, alabama after a wedding in 1998 like an idiot.
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@muskrat, is there video of said dance?
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Oh, good luck to you both! I’m sure that you’ll both do well, and you, my dear Adam, will look even yummier than you do now.
Still, gotta say, 120lbs is pretty damn awesome already!
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@Nenette, awww, thanks. <3
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Good luck to you – it’s a hard time of year to embark on it, but think of how great you’ll feel when you get to make her dance to that song!
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@Meg, I figure if we can do it during the holidays, we can do it forever!
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I know this is so not about me (yes it is) but this will help me too. You are the person with whom I share the penchant for loving the “nice meal” so yanno. Plus we can now do more walking! Faiqa is back this week and it is on like Hilly Kong!
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@Hilly, I’m definitely up for more walking.
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Twitter: Zakary
says:
Wow, 120 pounds? That’s awesome.
I say make her dance to “Can’t Touch This”. In spandex.
And if you lose, just dance to whatever. Just do it naked.
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@Zakary, I’ll do a private naked dance just for you, okay?
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challenges are sometimes the best way to do this kind of thing — i wish a tie for both of you!
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@Crys, thanks. Don’t you want to see me dance? Call me!
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I wish you luck! How much do you need to lose to get to 225?
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120 pounds is truly incredible. I know a lot of people who got lapband and it didn’t work because they didn’t change their eating habits. It had to take a lot of hard work to get where you are, and you should be proud!
I’d like to see y’all dance to some Lady Gaga. Or Britney.
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@Laurie, I’ve changed my eating habits, but I hate to see them slip back a bit, too.
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Twitter: s_csr
says:
Good luck!
I’m so proud of you!
I mean, uh, yeah fatty, get to dancin! <<see? I'm not being nice to you anymore!
PS Please don't lose LeSombre. I'm kinda fond of him.
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@Sheila (Charm School Reject), but maybe if I lose him, you’ll focus all your online lust on me!
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Twitter: Faiqa
says:
Hmmm. I’m so torn. I want to support you and help you win. But, I want you to be humiliated in a video on the Internet for my amusement. Life is full of difficult choices.
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@Faiqa, but you get to humiliate me on a regular basis in person, so you win either way.
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Twitter: poppycede
says:
Bestest of luck to both of you!!!!
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@Poppy, thanks.
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I personally would like the winner to recreate the Risky Business dance scene. Or, Adam Lambert’s performance from Sunday night.
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@Andria, but naked, right?
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@Andria, Oooooh, BEST idea! Works for whoever loses and is slightly more funny than embarassing…I think!
P.S. I am conflicted on this one too…Karen’s my sis, but I do have a soft spot for Adam. So, I guess a tie is the only fair way to go!
P.P.S. What would happen in the case of a tie? Tandem Risky Businees dance? AWESOME!!
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Twitter: Readerwrites
says:
One word: Exercise. Walk. Do squats. Run like mad for the post office or the bank or whatever it is. The more you sweat, the more you lose.
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@Nina, so does masturbation count?
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Twitter: Zoeyjane
says:
I’d love to think that Karen will win and you’ll be stuck doing Single Ladies or something, but the fact is, in Canada, they put weed in the water. And we all know that weed leads to munchies. Delicious, Cool Ranch Dorito and Chewy Chips Ahoy munchies.
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@Zoeyjane, yes, but I was born with munchies. It’s in my genes.
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Plateauing doesn’t have to be a bad thing. But healthy competition can be fun too! Good luck, and hope you get to a New Lynda loss soon. I don’t know if you want to lose the Old Lyndas. (191lbs & 227lbs)
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@Lynda, two months of plateauing is too much for me!
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@Avitable, I totally understand that, and I have been there. I am pretty sure you don’t mind blunt, so I’ll just say that you do know what you are not doing and what you need to do. It’s easier said than done, but start doing what you need to do again.
I’m a stress eater also. Is there something you can do to replace the food. Take a short break to walk or meditation or something? The worst is giving up and undoing what you have done. (I did that too. Also, I’ll get off the soap box now.
)
Also, feel free to do this to me when I blog about how my weight loss is going meh.
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Good luck to you both – and thanks for sharing your struggles, Adam.
Dance-wise, something from Lady Gaga … or maybe something old school like “Shake your groove thing”.
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@Janer, thanks for the visit and comment!
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Twitter: perpstu
says:
Good luck to you both! I need to get my own Fatty McFatterson ass in gear. I have a 40 pound weight loss goal that needs to get a move on!
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Weight loss surgery and the after math can be a bitch for sure. I’m 15 years out on gastric bypass and I my weight has climbed a time or two. I can’t eat a ton at a time but I can eat OFTEN.
Luckily, I corral myself and get back on track always and I think you will do the same. xo
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Twitter: GrandeMocha
says:
The Thong Song for either of you!!! I need to loose myself.
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Twitter: Mommycosm
says:
I vote for Single Ladies, complete with dance ala Beyonce. Hmm…or Baby Got Back.
Good luck! 120lbs is impressive – I’m having a hard enough time losing 10.
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