Melissa's final stretch on the Pound for Pound Challenge!

The end is in sight! Losing 40 pounds by her 40th birthday in June is no small feat, but Melissa is finishing strong with only 3 pounds to go to help the Food Shuttle drive hunger from the community. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle will receive a pound of food for every pound of weight pledged on the Pound for Pound Challenge website. Many thanks to Melissa for sharing her experiences on the blog!

By: Melissa Wajnert Hartzell

"I can see the finish line...only 3 more pounds to go. So far I have lost 37 pounds in the Pound for Pound Challenge... Do you think I will be able to help hungry people by achieving my goal of losing 40 pounds by June 30th? I sure hope so... and I will take any and all advice, positive energy, prayers, pledges, etc. Thank you to my friends and family who have been supporting me... here is to the final stretch... Here is to the last 3 pounds in 14 days!"

Read Melissa's previous blog post here.

Melissa's fight against hunger has made it to the local news!

Do you remember Melissa and her fight against hunger by losing weight for the Food Shuttle and the Pound For Pound Challenge? Her story about how she's using social media to promote this process was recently picked up by NBC 17, and morning anchor Sharon Tazewell came in to interview Melissa! The story and video has been aired on NBC 17 and is now up and available to view in case you missed it! Click here to see the video! Watch Melissa and Sharon's conversation about Melissa's passion for the Food Shuttle and see her give Sharon a tour of the Food Shuttle and teach her a little bit about what we do!

Also, don't forget! You still have time to pledge for Melissa and the Pound for Pound Challenge by clicking here.

Quick facts about Amanda's healthy snacks!

Today’s guest post is from Amanda Sajczuk, one of our hard working Nutrition interns. You might remember Amanda from her previous guest blog post and her office workout video. She is the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Team Captain for the Pound for Pound Challenge at Meredith College, and has a passion for sharing fitness tips and healthy recipes through her personal blog. Her guest posts are just one of the many things that Amanda does to get the community involved and further the Challenge’s efforts! Eating small healthy snacks between meals will keep your metabolism going and also keep you from being too hungry by the time your meal comes which will help you to not over-eat. Keep in mind that a good snack shouldn’t be more than 150-200 calories, should contain a protein and 1 other food group, and you should try not to over-snack between meals.

Items to Have on Hand:

• fruit
• non-fat or low-fat yogurt
• low-fat cottage cheese
• almonds
• low-fat granola
• wheat germ
• natural peanut butter

Mix and Match Ideas:

• apple and peanut butter
• fruit and cottage cheese
• fruit, yogurt and wheat germ or granola
• nuts and fruit

Things to Avoid:

• high-fructose corn syrup
• trans fat/partially hydrogenated oils
• items with a lot of saturated fat
• items with long ingredient lists (the shorter, the better!)

Dont forget that it's not too late to pledge for the Pound for Pound Challenge! Click here to find out how!

Watch office workout tips with Amanda and Matt

Are you trying to lose weight for the Pound For Pound Challenge, but finding it hard to fit a workout in during your busy schedule? Check out this great 10-minute exercise routine that you can do while in your office! Amanda, one of our nutrition interns, is the Food Shuttle’s Pound For Pound Team Captain. This video is one of many things that she has done to get the community involved and further the Challenge’s efforts!

Watch as Amanda shows Matt how to do a quick and easy workout that only requires your office space! Stay tuned for a couple more videos to come to keep you motivated now that we’re halfway through the Challenge!

And don't forget that it’s never to late to take the pledge if you haven’t already at pfpchallenge.com!

Melissa's journey on the Pound for Pound Challenge

Thanks to our very own, Melissa Wajnert Hartzell, for sharing this inspirational story on the blog and for her committment to fighting hunger through personal health goals! Do you have a Pound for Pound (PFP) Challenge story?  Share it with us on the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle's PFP Facebook group by clicking here.

By: Melissa Wajnert Hartzell

So it has been several weeks since I first pledged to lose 25 pounds for the Pound for Pound Challenge.  I have had some success, a few setbacks (snow, sick kids, yummy food in the house) and there is still more work to be done!

Forgiveness & Focusing Beyond Self

The first thing I did is I forgave myself for the weight I had gained and committed to losing weight not just for myself but to help people who are facing food insecurity.  I have struggled with my weight my entire life… now that I am committed to help create solutions for people who are hungry and food insecure… my relationship with food has changed.  I view food less as a comfort and more of a critical resource that all people deserve to have access.  Food directly impacts our health whether we are faced with abundance or food insecurity.  Besides, it is not fair for me to expect more from my children to eat healthy than I do of myself. Bottom line, I can be healthier and that is what I am working so hard to do for my family, for my health, and to raise money and food for those that are food insecure.

New Habits & Get Up and Move

During the week I am doing pretty well with sticking to my new lifestyle…I refuse to use the word diet.  I no longer skip breakfast, grab junk at lunch and then go home to make plenty of comfort food.  Instead I have started new habits…I start my day with a protein smoothie and vitamins, for lunch I have either another smoothie and fruit or salad and then for dinner a well balanced meal.

As difficult as it is to find the time to work out I am enjoying when I do go to the gym especially now that my pants that were once tight are loose and much more comfortable.  If I was to give myself a grade: nutrition solid B+; exercise C.  The good news is I am not failing, I feel better than I have in years, and have a solid foundation to build on.  That bad news is I still struggle to make time for exercise.  If I don’t make it to the gym more than a day or two, I dance with my kids in the living room.  At least it is a start to moving more.

Asking for Support & Celebrating Small Successes

I tell everyone I have a personal relationship with that I am losing weight and I ask for their support.  They keep me in check when they ask how things are going and I feel accountable to people beyond myself.

I celebrate the little successes: Walking by desserts and no longer craving them, losing a pound on the scale, feeling great all day, having my kids reflecting back to me ways to make better choices while we are shopping at the store.  I am grateful for the access I have to healthy food and celebrate that I am helping people in our community have better access to healthy food.

Results

Since January 1^st , the good news is I am down a size, lost 15 pounds and raised 15 pounds of food for people who are food insecure in our community.  I feel less sluggish and have more energy.  I am so excited that I am already a 1/3 of the way towards my goal, I decided to challenge myself more and ask my friends and family to help me help others who are food insecure!  Last week on my Facebook page I posted:

“I am pledging to lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday for Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Would you please consider making a pledge to donate $1 per pound I lose by June 30th?”  More than 55 people have joined the cause because of me and several have committed to support Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and my weight loss by pledging a $1 for each pound I lose! I am excited that the work I am doing to live healthier is making a difference and serving as a catalyst for others to help.

Healthy tips to manage your PFP weight loss pledge

Today's guest post is from Amanda Sajczuk, one of our hard working Nutrition interns. She is a team captain for our Pound for Pound Challenge at Meredith College, and has a passion for sharing fitness tips and healthy recipes through her personal blog.  

Thanks to everyone who has pledged to lose weight! (If you haven't pledged yet, visit http://www.pfpchallenge.com. For every pound of weight you pledge to lose, a pound of groceries will be given to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle!) I’m sure it’s been a great motivator for you to become healthier while helping us out with our cause to fight hunger. I hope you’ve had some luck losing the weight you pledged, and to make it even easier, here are some tips!

The smallest changes can sometimes be the biggest help, so in addition to getting enough daily physical activity, do simple things to help you lose weight.

• Always choose skim or 1% milk instead of whole milk - you get much more calcium for much less calories and you’re taking away lots of unnecessary fat!
• Make sure you get lots of dark green veggies and other bright colored fruits and veggies.
• Choose whole grain breads and pasta, and make sure when picking out your bread it says “100% Whole Grain”, and not something like “an excellent source of whole grain” because those don’t count as a whole grain.
• Make sure to get enough protein - it’ll keep you healthy, strong and fill you up! Choose lean protein like grilled or baked chicken breast or tuna fish (made without mayo!) instead of hamburgers and steaks.
• Eat beans! Black beans are also a great source of both protein and fiber.

All of the whole grains, vegetables, and fruits are high in fiber which is very helpful when losing weight.  It keeps you full longer without adding extra fat and calories, as well as helping to get rid of some extra cholesterol in your body.

Here are some links to help you in your endeavor to lose weight:  www.calorieking.com ; www.nutritionmd.com ; www.mypyramid.gov

Take the Challenge!

The Pound for Pound Challenge, that is! For every pound of weight you pledge to lose on this website (http://www.pfpchallenge.com), a pound of food will be donated to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. It's a neat way to meet personal weight loss goals in 2010, while helping our neighbors who are hungry in the Greater Triangle. A number of staff members and interns have already pledged weight loss goals on the website and we'd love for you to join us!

After you pledge, what are some other ways you can help out the Food Shuttle?

Try looking at the Challenge from a different perspective—become an advocate to your community by telling everyone you know about the Challenge and ask him or her to pledge for the Food Shuttle! It’s important for the Food Shuttle to get your pledges so that we can help those who are food insecure even more!

If you’re on Facebook, join our Food Shuttle Pound for Pound group and post your motivation story for why you’ve pledged!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=248262053027&ref=nf

Take the pledge in the Pound for Pound Challenge!

Lose weight to help feed our community!

For those who are not yet aware, the Biggest Loser's Pound for Pound Challenge began yesterday! Food banks across the country have started gathering folks to pledge to lose weight in this competition. For every pound pledged, the Pound for Pound Challenge will donate a pound of food to Feeding America - the food will later be distributed to food banks across the country who are members of Feeding America! Top food bank performers will receive a monetary cash prize.

How can you get involved and help the Food Shuttle?

1. Visit http://www.pfpchallenge.com/Default.aspx and pledge to lose some pounds for Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (when pledging on the website, make sure to enter a zip code in the Food Shuttle's service area. You can use 27620 to ensure that Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is your preferred food bank to support)

2. Pass on the link to your friends through email, Facebook, etc and encourage them to pledge for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle!

3. Share your success story with us to inspire others to be motivated to meet their goals.

Thanks for all of your help pledging pounds and passing this information about the Pound for Pound Challenge on to your friends and family! Stay tuned for updates on the Challenge with success stories from participants and updates from Food Shuttle staff.