Aaaaand, we're back!

Congratulations to all you new and returning tributes, on choosing to join in on the fun and suffrage!

I'm your hostess, Fatniss Blubberdeen.

Each week I will be posting your stats along with the others' so you know how you are ranking in the game.  I want it to inspire you, not discourage you.  I will also be sharing some tips and quips, although I pretty much drained my brain dry on the last round.  I do have a few more ideas to throw your way, but if I run out, I may just post the stats.  Please let me know if you have any requests.

For the newbies tuning in, here are some topics you can link to from my past posts, to help you get started:

• Hundred-calorie snack ideas and dastardly donuts
• CDC-recommended weekly exercise regimen, target heart rates, and a 30 day exercise challenge
• Provolone chicken pizza recipe

(Some of the previous posts are loading kind of wonky, because I changed the header and that made Blogger get very confused and disoriented.)

Lori Nichols will be sharing some good stuff with you too, when she gets back from vacation.  She's a certified holistic health coach.  You may have noticed this hottie-nurse walking around the unit (on her feet, not her hands):

I may be hiring her to be my nutrition coach.  She needs the money, obviously.  As you can see in the photo, she cannot even afford a chair.  Poor girl.

Until she returns though, this is what I'm eating for supper (which I think is what Lori must live on).

So here are week one's stats:

Have a great week!  Set your goals, write down everything you eat, and schedule in exercise that you enjoy!  And keep sending me those weights early every week (before noon on Wed., and even if they stink), so I can do my blogging for you. :)

Chow!  I mean, Ciao!
Fatniss

Week 8: Zzzzzz

I was up till 1:30 a.m. trying to see if some of the states were ever going to count their votes.  Then I gave up and went to bed.

Which brings me to my topic for this week... lack of sleep can hinder weight loss.

According to Harvard, there are several research studies that show a higher risk of weight gain for those who do not get enough sleep, compared to those who sleep 7-8 hours a night.

Why is this?

Researchers speculate that chronic sleep deprivation leads to weight gain because (1) it increases how much a person eats, and/or (2) it affects how much energy a person burns.

(1) Sleep deprivation may increase in calorie intake due to:

• Increasing hunger by altering the hormones that control hunger
• Giving people more time to eat
• Prompting less healthy food choices, including more snacking and eating out 

(2) Sleep deprivation might decrease energy expenditure because:

• Decrease in physical activity and exercise
• Sleep deprivation tends to lower body temperature, which may decrease metabolism

There is also a link between sleeping too much and obesity, but the causation is reversed.  Issues such as sleep apnea, obstructive lung disease,  depression, or cancer may be obesity-related, which causes the increase in hours sleeping.

You can read more about this on their website by clicking here.

If you have problems falling asleep, try the following routine:

During the day
Even doing half of the recommended weekly 150 minutes of moderate activity and 2 muscle-training sessions has been shown to reduce sleep problems in women by regulating body temperature and reducing depression and anxiety.

Two hours before bedtime
Mimic twilight by lowering the lights.  Also consider the color of the light.  Harsh white light like you get from fluorescent bulbs have a blue component that suppresses the body's release of melatonin.  Shop for bulbs that say "soft" or "warm" with 3000 kelvins or less.

One hour before bedtime
Dim your screens (TV or computer), which emit even more blue light than your light bulbs.  That light, plus all the brain-stimulation you get from exciting or disturbing content, will keep your mind churning.

Half hour before bedtime
Turn off your screens.  Experts recommend reading a book by dim lamp light.  Avoid any exciting books, or anything related to work or school.  It's chill down time.

I found an old SNL bit to share:

If you are still reading at this point, you will be happy to know that I finally ran out of topics to ramble about!  I hope somebody out there learned something new that was useful, or at least got a chuckle. :)  Keep those updated weights coming!

I will post again when I have some news, an incredible revelation, or an enormous amount of coffee intake.

Goodnight!
Fatniss

The Winner Is...

Dearest Tributes,

Please join me in congratulating the winners!

Drum roll please...

First Place - $240 goes to How the Hell Did This Happen? ...Kathy Lester

Second Place - $168 goes to Plumpish ...Alisa Bengs

Third Place - $72 goes to Fifty Shades of Weigh ...Carie Mossman

You winners worked very hard and I applaud you!

Several of you did a wonderful job of improving your health.  If you did not win money, just think of this as a relatively cheap weight loss program.  Haa!  For those of us who did not manage to shrink ourselves, we have more potential for winning in the next round.

I shall now indulge myself and share my before and after pics...
Before:

After:

Thank you all for playing!  And thank you so much for your kind support of my efforts.  Have a very Merry Christmas!

If you want to save any of the files I've included on previous blog posts, now is the time, because I plan to take this blog down very soon.  It's laden with copyright infringement.  To be able to see all the posts, click on the top banner where it says "NICU Hunger Games", and you will be able to access all the posts in order from newest to oldest.

Per popular request, Hunger Games II will be coming in January.

Peace Out,
Fatniss

Week 7: Water

Hi Tributes.  I decided to talk a little about water today, because I realized just how little of it I drink.  At the end of a workday last week, I figured out that all I had was most 8 oz of coffee, the milk on my cereal, and another 6 oz of water.  Since our brains are 75% water, this might explain why I am such an AIR-head... and struggling with weight loss.  Here is an info-graphic I found.  The face is kinda Halloween-creepy, but the rest of it is good.

You may have heard the 8 x 8 rule  "Drink eight-8 oz of fluids per day."  This is pretty close to the Institute of Medicine's recommendation of 9 cups of fluid/day for women and 13 cups/day for men.

Now, I get pretty bored with water, so I did a search for ways to make it taste better.  Here is a link to an article on Food Network.  It has suggestions and pretty pictures.  I'm not too sure about the tomato-basil infusions. Water that tastes like spaghetti might be a bit weird, but if you try it and you like it, let me know.

Here is a link to a water infuser on Amazon.  It has good ratings.  I'm ordering one today.  It has an insulating sleeve that would effectively hide the fact that there is food in your water, there in Hydration Station.  Just don't be tempted to crunch on your cucumbers back there.  Big no no.
https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-O2-Fusions-Infuser-Insulated/dp/B01EW50G9I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1478099797&sr=8-5&keywords=water+infusers

 I am really proud of the competitive spirit in you all.  I think I like the fact that you are waving food and candy under each others' faces.  I'm not sure which I enjoy the most... watching you help each other, or watching you try to sabotage each other.

I did not receive very many home weights this week.  If I get better participation next week, I will post them on the blog.  In the meantime, I will email updates to those who have updated me, just to be fair to those who have been "revealing" themselves.  :)  

Soon I will be posting info on the final weigh-in.

Ciao!
Fatniss

Week 6: Pizza the Pie

Hi Tributes!  We are celebrating half-time at the Hunger Games, and what better way than with pizza?
I want to share a recipe that I use often, and my family loves it.  It's easy to make, and I'm always glad I chose this tasty, healthier version over those incredibly high-calorie, store-bought ready-made or home delivery pizzas.  I get my pizza fix, but I don't feel greasy or queasy afterwards.  My favorite time to make it is when fresh garden tomatoes are available at farmers markets.  I often bring leftovers for lunch.  Confession:  I do add a few more slices of provolone than this calls for.  Bad me.

Provolone Chicken Pizza

 

Here is the link to access it from Taste of Home.  It's probably easier to print it from their page.

Hey, here is a photo of another pie that I want a piece of.  I call this excellent work of photography art "Harvest Moon."  The colors are so RICH!  I hope you find it inspiring.  Take a look...

If you stare at it long enough, you can start to make out a face.  Yeah, it's one of my best pieces yet.  Don't show Evan Kokoska.  He might feel threatened by my skills.

Now for the part you've all been scrolling for...

Gray = no weight sent to me this week

I sense a turning of the tide.

Just want to wave these numbers in front of your face.

1st place - $240

2nd place - $168

3rd place - $72

Your Frenemy,

Fatniss

 

Week 5: Brotato Chips

Fatniss here.  I just got back from vacation and guess what?  I undid what I had done.  Well, that's okay, I'm back home and back in the game.  I'm pretty sure I will not be winning money, but I still want to ride our collective momentum.

I have heard some Tributes losing heart.  That is not the blood-thirsty attitude that I wish to foster.  We are about half-way through now, and I want you to rally up some MORE pumpkin-butt-kicking attitude, my broheims.

Butt, speaking of pumpkin, here is a recipe for Pumpkin Lasagna: 

I've made this before and I like it.  It's only 310 calories/serving, and it's a filling comfort food that is so very autumny.  Here is the link if you wish to get it straight from Taste of Home.

If you feel as though you are floundering, I ask you, have you found a SERIOUS accountability partner?  I have.  We have been texting each other each day (except for while I was on vacation) to keep each other on track with our exercise challenge.  I get scolded if I don't do mine, and I get praised when I do.  I'm telling you the truth, it really helps.  If your ally is high-fiving you when you fall off the wagon, you are in the wrong alliance... a cool friend whom you really love maybe, but not a teammate in your serious pursuit.  Chances are, you have someone in your life who really, truly needs a teammate.  If you are progressing and she is not, reach out.  Shake hands on it.  Draw up a behavioral contract.  Mentor each other.  Never abandon each other if one is down.  Like birds and brotato chips.

Okay, so here is the the stuff you really wanted to know... grayed out means I never heard from that Tribute:

Keep pushing forward!
Hope to be seeing less of you (and me),
Fatniss

Week 3: 100 calorie snacks

Hi Losers, Fatniss here.  I want to warn you about what evils lurk in the nurses' stations and doctor's rooms... especially on the weekends...

Not me, you sillies, it's the doughnuts!  I love those stupid things.  Let's "pop the top" and take a closer look at their evil badness...

A cake-type doughnut, plain or glazed, 3" in diameter, has about 195 calories and 10 grams of fat.
A glazed yeast doughnut, medium, 3.25" in diameter, has about 242 calories and 14 grams of fat.
A jelly-filled yeast doughnut, 3.5 x 2.5", has about 289 calories and 16 grams of fat.

As you and I well know, they have almost no nutritional value, and serve only to spike your blood sugar and replace that hangry feeling with a happy feeling.  Our shifts cause us to go 6-7 hours between meals, and we run our butts off and work up a ravenous appetite.  No wonder we struggle in the face of temptation.

Instead, let's keep our drinks in the hydration stations and avoid going into whatever room the doughnuts (or the bagels, or the Maylock Masterpieces) are lurking.   Lets pack our snacks the day before our shifts so we have another choice.  And lets tell ourselves that it's the only choice in the building, and plug our ears when our coworkers talk about those amazzzing Amish doughnuts. ;)

Here are some 100 calorie snack ideas:

Okay, now to the good part...  lets see who is

As a group, we have lost a total of 68.8 lbs!!!    (Maybe more, as there are 4 weights I don't have.)

I have more great news!  Next week I will be in Vermont trying to learn how to paint from a modern day master named Michelle Dunaway.  What this means for you is, you won't be sending me your weights next week.  No offense but... I frankly won't care if you laid off the doughnuts or not, because I will be in a dimension far, far away, floating in a euphoric abyss of enlightenment.  We will pick it up again the following week.

I want to leave you with this Wendy's commercial.  Most of you have probably seen it.  It still makes me laugh though, and I can totally relate.  In fact, this will be me tomorrow morning.
https://youtu.be/d_USd5Cjxk0

Hope to be seeing less of you,
Fatniss Blubberdeen