Ok, just this week...and maybe Christmas

Last week was tough, again, for the MWC participants. Three of us (James, K.C., Dad) did not even weigh in! Jillian - you were the biggest loser again with a loss of 1.2 lbs! Jillian has been very consistent, and has been working hard to keep up her weight loss through the holiday season.

She knows that now is not the time to give up.

So, mom tells me that you all want a reprieve this week from weighing. Fine, I will grant you a reprieve - but you must give it your all to eat well and exercise between now and Christmas. I will be collecting weigh-in numbers on Dec. 1.

Eat what you want this week, but stick to small portions. Please read the advice James emailed out to all of you yesterday. It has some great nuggets of advice.

Good luck this week everyone. I will be checking in with you next week!

Bummer dude

Simply put, this week sucked for most of the MWC participants. We collectively gained 7.1 lbs! I think it's a big case of the "the weather is colder and the holidays are here so I don't care about dieting" syndrome. Now is the worst time to give up because it's a slippery slope of quick weight gain if you do.

You must get moving and exercise.
You must watch what you eat.
You must support others!

So come on, get back on the bandwagon. It's good for your health, longevity, and mental well-being. Oh yeah, and there's no getting around this fact - you will be on a tropical beach in March. Just think about it.

On a more positive note, I'm proud to announce that this week's biggest loser was Jillian, with a loss of 2.4 lbs! She made fantastic progress by amping up her fitness routine. Jill is fortunate to have a personal trainer friend, which is a great motivator. Great job, Jillypoo!

"The Skinny on Holiday Eating"

Here are some useful holiday eating tips courtesy of weightwatchers.com. I think #3 is an especially great tip.

The Skinny on Holiday Eating

With these seven simple tips, you will make it through the holidays with all of the jingle, but none of the jiggle. And you can thank us when the ball drops on New Year's and you're still fitting into your "skinny" pants!

1. Don't go to a party hungry.
You know not to grocery shop on an empty stomach, so don't hit a holiday shindig on one either. "It's way too difficult to make healthy decisions when you're that hungry," says Samantha Heller, MS, RD, senior clinical nutritionist at New York University Medical Center. "Everything looks good—even the ornaments." Take the edge off before you go with a piece of fruit or small container of yogurt so that you're not starving and tempted to storm the buffet table upon arrival, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, Nutrition and Exercise Specialist for The Wellness Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

2. Don't eat just to be polite.
"I couldn't refuse the apple strudel—Aunt Gertie spent hours slaving over it!" Sound familiar? We often fall off the wagon during the holidays for fear of crushing our hosts' fragile egos, but that's a poor excuse, says Heller: "Your thighs don't care that you didn't hurt their feelings." The next time you're being strong-armed into eating a high-calorie confection, simply say, "No thank you, it looks great, but I'm trying to lose weight." If Aunt Gertie's on clean-plate patrol, that's her issue.

3. Get your priorities straight.
The holidays come but once a year, and so do some of the season's quintessential treats. Ask yourself which foods you won't likely see again until next year—then savor them in moderation, says Jackson. For instance, pass over the mashed potatoes, which will likely reappear at the next family dinner, and make a beeline for the pumpkin pie.

4. Keep a friendly distance from the food.
Stay an arm's length away from the buffet table, says Jackson. You'll be less tempted to mindlessly nosh while you're mingling if you back up a step or two. And when you're finished eating, ditch your empty plate—it screams for second helpings. Instead, grab a glass of club soda so you'll have something to do with your hands while you talk.

5. Add it up.
Never leave a party without knowing how much you've eaten, says Jackson. Yes, that includes those seemingly innocent yet addictive canapés! At a cocktail party, allow yourself one pass of the hors d'oeuvres so that you can pick your favorites. Zero in on those you like best and keep count—it's a good idea to keep a "diet diary" and log what you eat. This technique works well on baking days, too—your diary won't let you "forget" those extra tastes.

6. Go easy on the drinks.
Alcohol, which tends to flow freely during the holidays, packs a double whammy. It's chock-full of calories, and it lowers our inhibitions, making us dive into dishes that we'd have a fighting chance at resisting if we were sober. Try following every drink with seltzer or diet soda, Heller suggests. "You'll save yourself extra calories, a hangover and embarrassment at the office the next day."

7. Get moving.
Sure you have a shopping list to plod through, but that's even more reason to hit the gym. After a half-hour on the treadmill, your mother-in-law's impending visit and the holiday cards you have to mail won't seem quite so overwhelming. "If there's ever a time to exercise, it's during the holidays," says Jackson. "It's one of the most stressful periods of the year!"

Maybe the earthquake explains the loss?

The big winner/loser this week just so happens to be me - I lost 3 lbs. What's crazy is that this week was my worst week in terms of fitness. I also ate out a few times, which doesn't help matters. Maybe the 5.6 earthquake here in California on Tuesday spiked up my metabolism?

Halloween just ended so we've now officially entered the holiday season (you'll realize this if you go shopping). This is the time of year when people forget about diets. But the MWC participants must not! Once December is over Maui will be right around the corner. We don't have the time to backtrack or gain what we've lost. Keep up the good work, and let's encourage each other to stay on track.