Welcome to the final week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ve kept all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We all pooled our  cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  In this final week, we asked the contestants how they felt about the contest as a whole?  Are they happy with their progress?  Or didn’t they really try at all?  Let’s find out what they had to say and let’s find out who won this damn contest!!  For the last time in 2013, here are the contestants in placement order, from last to first place:

Mr. Sombrero

I can’t believe it’s over. Whew, finally. Congrats fellow participants. It’s been a tough and excruciating journey. I started confidently with some minor weight loss, but that went downhill after few weeks. I am fully ashamed to admit that I have ended this competition with few extra, extra pounds. And yes, I’d do it over and over and over again. Soooo, have I won anything?

Mr. Sombrero gained 2.26% body weight.

Michelle M.

I didn’t lose the weight I wanted to lose, but then again, I never committed to the eating right or the exercising. Sigh. I do intend to get down to my goal weight by summer. I suppose the fact that summer is still a ways off is why I’ve been lazing around and stuffing my face. But I still have hope. In the meantime, I’m going to finish this cookie and give my congratulations to the winning contestant (if there was one).

Michelle M. gained .87% body weight.

Adam

UGH! It’s finally over. I didn’t lose any weight over the course of the contest – but at least I didn’t gain anything. I wish that I had tried a little. Maybe now I’ll start dieting?

Adam lost no weight. (Tied with Tam)

Tam

So how do I feel now that this excruciating exercise is over for another few months? Eh. I’m kind of disappointed I didn’t get my act together and lose, but given my last few weeks of stress and traveling, I can’t complain that at least I’m not up. Would I do it again? Sure, what the hell. If I’m going to be pathetic, I like doing it in a group.

Tam lost no weight. (Tied with Adam)

Polt

And sooooo, the contest is over. How do I feel about the contest? It’s fine, I suppose. I’m rather disappointed in my performance during the contest. Not at all surprised, but disappointed. I don’t yet know HOW well I did (didn’t do?) in the contest, but I hope I didn’t come in last. That’s actually my only goal now, to not finish dead last. But if I did…well SOMEONE had to be last right? And really, who needs an extra $40 anyway?

Polt lost 1.18% of his body weight.

Nathan

I barely lost any weight, but I didn’t get fatter, so that’s something. I have some free time coming up this month before I move to Japan so hopefully I can get something together before then, but I wouldn’t really say I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished this competition (almost nada)

Nathan lost 1.54% of his body weight.

TwoPi

How do I feel about the contest? What contest?!? I feel like I’ve been oblivious to the contest. There’s been no tension, and very little motivation to lose weight. I know it must be a pain to do each week, but I really miss the weekly progress updates, the chart showing where we all stand. I think those helped me last time in providing some peer pressure to lose, and some positive feedback when I did manage to make progress.

TwoPi lost 3.56% of his body weight.

Mikey

Am I proud of myself? Yes! Would I do it again? I would probably do the contest again, but I think I’m definitely going to continue to lose weight. I have been successful even if my weight lose regime has been boring. Oh god…I miss junk food so much.

Mikey lost 4.5% of his body weight …

AND WON BIGGEST C&R LOSER 2013!

CONGRATULATIONS MIKEY!

Welcome to the 13th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! IT’S ALMOST OVER!  (THANK FSM!) This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “BEYOND BC&RL3″ - The contest is almost over!  What are the contestants going to do after BC&RL3 ends?  Will their diets (?) continue or will you fall back to your old ways?  Let’s find out!

Mikey

I am actually feeling pretty good about my diet at the moment and I’m certain I will continue my diet. I know this is a shock…since I hate dieting almost as much as I hate exercise. However, I think for health reasons I’m making the right decision to continue. Boring!

Mr. Sombrero

Wait, what?!?! It’s almost OVER?! I haven’t even started my… Oh never mind. Ok, well I plan to get serious about exercising. I have made some good decisions about taking out certain foods out of my daily consumption and have been feeling very good about that. And I have also discovered a morning ritual of making tea which starts off my day in a Zen state of mind. Although it’s all shot to hell by the time I open my work email, it’s a start.

Nathan

I’ve been pretty busy the last few months so I haven’t accomplished too much, but between April and July I won’t have too much to do, so hopefully I’ll be able to get on track properly.

Polt

Beyond BC&RL3, what am i going to do after the contest is over? Probably exactly what I did while the contest was going on….absolutely nothing! No, that’s not true, I feel certain the doctor is gonna yell at me next month when I visit her, so I hope I’ll do more to lose weight and control my diabetes. But I do nothing buy lay on my couch and inhale all the wrong foods while my only exercise if pulling my fat ass up to go get more food….well, I won’t be terribly surprised.

Tam

Fall back in my old ways? Bwahahaha Maybe I’ll think about changing my ways. It’s never to late to start right? Right? Better late than never and all that bullshit. Sigh. I suck.

TwoPi

After BC&RL4, I thought I might start dieting and exercising.

Adam

I forgot that I was even in a contest! Whatnow?

Michelle M.

Welcome to the 12th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! THANKS BE TO THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER THAT THIS IS ALMOST OVER!!! Oh oops did I type that?  Anyway … This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “ Embarrassing Admission.”  Rosie O’Donnell once admitted to stopping at multiple Waffle Houses because she was embarrassed to order so much food from a single fast-food restaurant.  This week the contestants will tell us something embarrassing that they used to do BEFORE their diet began.  Here’s what they had to say.

Michelle M.

Hmmm. Something embarrassing I used to do BEFORE* my diet began**? Probably eating a whole bag of potato chips. I’ve been known (on numerous occasions) to bring a bag of chips to the couch for snacking purposes, and before I know it the entire bag is gone! It’s like magic.

* I have done this AFTER my “diet” began
** I haven’t even started my diet. That’s the embarrassing thing.

Mikey

When I had a roommate many many moons ago, I used to wake up in the middle of the night with a near starvation hunger for no good reason. I would sneak into the kitchen and eat her chocolate chips. It was terrible….I would wake up in the morning with chocolate on my face and an empty Nestle bag on my pillow.

Mr. Sombrero

Up until very recently I would add Reese’s PB candy bar to my breakfast – be it cereal or yogurt, flavored or not, it always ended up being chocolaty and peanut buttery and so heavenly delicious. I have promised (to me and someone else) not to indulge in Reese’s anymore so that embarrassing tradition is no longer taking place.

Nathan

I have, on multiple occasions, asked for a second pair of chopsticks when ordering a lot of Chinese food that I know I’m going to eat all on my lonesome to look less pathetic.

Polt

Today, we need to share an Embarrassing Admission. When I ordered a pizza, I would always say, “WE want…” and when I got the pizza and paid for it, I’d say “WE thank you.” As if to convince whoever the makers/deliverers were that I certainly was NOT ordering and entire pizza just for me alone! And then, upon getting to the table to eat it….I promptly ate it all. All by myself.

Tam

Well, I have been known to buy a pie, and call it dinner. Maybe not all at once, but perhaps 1/3 for dinner, 1/3 for snack and then 1/3 for breakfast. Is that bad if it’s a fruit pie? Or I have also just bought a giant piece of cake and ate that for dinner. Blerg. I want pie.

TwoPi

Embarrassing admission: I completely forgot to do this until after the deadline, like at 7:30pm Wednesday. Totally slipped my mind. And on a larger scale (so to speak), I must confess that I’ve been not terribly focused on weight loss, even though I’ve entered a contest… and had talks with my doctor about how critical it is etc…. Sigh.

Adam

Are you kidding? I never do anything that is embarrassing!! Except for everything that everyone has already said. I’ve done just about all of that stuff … Oh, and just about every time I go to the grocery store, I buy a little something extra as a “snack” for the way home. Then I stuff my face the whole way home. It’s usually cookies, candy, chips, mmmm now I’m hungry!

PS – I never wear suits … that’s the best photo I could find.

Welcome to the 11th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “WHAT’S IN YOUR CUPBOARD?” In a desperate attempt to milk the ‘what’s inside your fridge’ theme for another week, our contestants will show off their cupboards (or where ever they store your non-refrigerated foods) and describe it. (CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS)

Adam

top left: tall stuff, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, gum
middle left: oat meal, pepper oil, hot sauce, other ingredients
bottom left: spices and baking ingredients
top right: sugars, flour
middle right: popcorn, packaged meals, Indian food, rice, vitamins, etc.
bottom right: cans, sauces, crackers (imported from Canada!), lasagna pasta

Michelle M.

Our cupboard is tall and narrow – I couldn’t get all the shelves into the frame.

1. Canned goods – beans, vegetables, tomatoes, etc.
2. Nuts, popcorn, candy (this week it’s Snickers and Raisinets), cookies (usually there are no cookies, but it was Girl Scout season).
3. Rice (I always have Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice – I eat it all the time), pasta, lentils, split peas
4. Canned soup for when I’m too lazy to cook (Bean with Bacon is my favorite), broth (I’m running low at the moment – I make lots of soup) and bread
5. Oils for cooking, vinegars, hot sauces (Harry is big on hot sauce), peanut butter, pasta sauces, etc. And my granola bars. I don’t like that they are on this shelf – they don’t go.
6. Pretzels, rice cakes, crackers, chips (when I’m being bad). In the very back are chocolate chips for making cookies.

Other smaller cupboards hold Harry’s oatmeal fixings and coffee, my baking goods (flour, sugar, etc.) and the booze.

Mikey

What you are looking at is the contents of my cabinet. You can tell that I was probably the last person to use it since it is a mess. Ty would have made it neat as a pin. As you can see, we have some pasta, oatmeal, oils, spices and a bunch of other random stuff. I think my favorite is the front and center Gelatine. I don’t know why we have that.

Mr. Sombrero

My cupboard is a very…scary…and dark place. Well there are several of those places, scattered throughout the nooks and crannies of my tiny kitchen. [Is this more than one sentence?] Ok, so in it – some cans of corn, tomato sauce, black beans [go Goya], tomato soup [in case of a nuclear or environmental catastrophe]. Also, some herbal teas, raisins, walnuts, sugar, quinoa, pasta, etc. etc… that’s it, thank you all, have a great week!

Nathan

My cupboard is super boring because I live with my parents. They are doing a much better job than I am of being healthy people. Consequently, they keep anything easy and fattening out of their cupboards. Good for me, I suppose, because I’m cheap and it helps avoid temptation.

Polt

I dont actually HAVE a cupboard per se. Well I do, I have plenty of cupboard, but I dont really store food in them. I have my cans (soups, fruit salad) on shelves in the basementway. And I put most of my other foods out on the counter, see the photo. You’ve got your cereal, your bread, your sugar-free cookies (two different kinds), or peanut butter, your popcorn, your nut/candy snack thing, your cheesy crackers and a box of oatmeal (with coffee the breakfast of champions). There’s also a pathetic looking plant there I’ve had for over 13 years, named Janis. And off on the left is one of the greatest inventions known to man: A George Foreman-esque cooker.

Tam

My cupboard really doesn’t change much. I also have a cupboard that is full of baking things, flour, sugar, spices and another that is full of cooking spices, but you don’t get to see those.

My top shelf is starches, rice, couscous, pasta. The next shelf is usually canned goods, and it would appear in this picture and abundance of ice-cream toppings. Then we have two shelves of random stuff. Mostly crackers, cereal, chips, popcorn, snacks. The bottom shelf is potatoes, onion and garbage bags. I would say there is probably enough food in there to feed someone for a good week or more if you didn’t mind eating crackers and popcorn for dinner the last few days. I used to buy lots of things “just in case” but I’m more careful now and tend not to buy things unless they are super on-sale. But I always have pasta, sauce, rice, canned corn, cereal and a few snacks on-hand.

TwoPi

Saw my doctor today; got the “your weight hasn’t changed in over two years of trying to lose weight; when will you actually start?” conversation. Sigh. So here’s the cupboard! Top shelf has various cooking oils, vinegars and other liquids (and some corn husks waiting for the next batch of tamales!). Next two shelves house random canned goods (including canned soups for when my kids turn up their nose at what I’ve prepared). Next to lowest shelf has garbage bags, and more canned soup and ramen (again for the kids). Bottom shelf is mostly nonedible storage. Oh, and in the foreground is Batcat, a 4 yr old cat rescued (with his brother Crazycat) from the streets as kittens. Batcat is the first cat I’ve met who likes peanut butter. Maybe if he eats more of it, I’ll eat less and actually lose a little weight. (Oh look, I’ve now resorted to blaming the cat for my lack of weight loss.)

Welcome to the 10th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “HOW ARE YOU FEELING?” Our contestants are about 2 months into the greatest diet of their lives.  How do they feel?  Good?  Bad?  Indifferent?  Let’s find out!

TwoPi

Diet? What diet? I’m not making any progress at all. In fact, right now I feel like a big ol’ tub of lard! (Or perhaps a pail of lard, since according to this 1919 advert, it was a point of pride that their lard was only sold in pails, not tubs. Who would imagine?)

Adam

I hate myself. Time to go goth!

Michelle M.

I feel like a pig.

Mikey

I am actually feeling pretty ok. I don’t hate what I am eating and I don’t feel hungry. I feel like I might actually be making some good choices lately about what I’m feeling. I guess this is what dieting is really supposed to be like.

Mr. Sombrero

I’m exhausted.

Nathan

This week, like other weeks, I’m feeling like I haven’t accomplished much. That being said, I’m cautiously optimistic that next week when I’m on March Break on my own that I can get things in gear.

Polt

How do I feel? Disappointed that I haven’t really lost anything, but insanely, unrealistically optimistic that I’m gonna have a marathon weight loss over the next four weeks and win this thing! But overall? I’m pretty apathetic about it all. I want to win (hell I’d just like to lose some weight), but I really dont think I will. Story of my life, yo

Tam

How do I feel? Well let me tell you how I feel. Stressed, panicked, freaked out… and none of it related to this contest. Then it’s dispirited, despondent and disgusted. The three Ds of doom. Thanks to the SPF (not sun protection), I have been eating things I should not, being lazy and not cooking properly and … yeah. Giant F for fail. Let’s leave it at that shall we?

Welcome to the 9th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “THE LITTLE THINGS YOU HATE” – Everyone is annoyed by something. What’s one of the ‘little things’ that bother our contestants? Maybe it’s the blobby fat hanging over their waist bands or the way that diet food always tastes awful. Let’s find out what bothers them!

Tam

The little things. Little tiny portions. Seriously, look on the package of some of your fave snack foods. 120 calories… for 8 chips. WTF? No one in their right mind eats 8 chips or 1 cookie. Get a grip manufacturers.

TwoPi

Annoyances? I’m annoyed that my weight seems stuck, just fluctuating between two numbers for week after week. And I’m annoyed that I keep forgetting that there’s a blurb due on Wednesdays, so I’m always dealing with these at the 11th hour.

Adam

Ya know what bugs me? The fact that junk food is delicious and yet it makes me feel bad about myself! I need liposuction and/or Lap-Band surgery. Too bad I spent my last $5 on this stupid contest.

Michelle M.

I hate that I have to wear jeans and long sleeved shirts when it’s 90 degrees because I can’t fit into my shorts and tshirts. So maybe I better get going on this weight loss thing. Summer is just around the corner (especially in San Diego).

Mikey

Little things that drive me crazy??? Numbers! All I do now for my diet is think about numbers: calories, grams, and amount of time moving. The only numbers that are not small that are driving me crazy are my weight and my pant size. THE HUNGER IS TO BIG TO BE A LITTLE ANNOYING THING.

Mr. Sombrero

I hate my job! Was that the question? I’m sick of people and I don’t even have time to diet these days. Somebody pay me to nap and be happy!!

Nathan

The little thing I hate the most is my own laziness! There is so much that I could accomplish if I were less lazy (the least of which is getting more done for this competition).

Polt

This week it’s the little things we hate about the contest. Hmm, I don’t think any of them are little. I HATE being fat in the first place. I hate having to diet. I hate having to exercise when I feel like blobbing on the couch. I hate that the food I’m suppose to eat, I don’t like, and the food I LOVE is bad for me. I hate not looking like a male fashion model. I hate Congressional Republicans and their policies. Wait….I digress….

What I hate most, I think, is the guilt. When I go to bed at night and I realize I haven’t walked, even though I had the time. Or when I order a regular Pepsi at a restaurant instead of just water. Or when I eat a whole freaking (small-sized) pizza instead of a salad. I hate the guilt the comes with it. But I’m used to guilt…I kill it by eating a Cadbury caramel egg!

Here’s a chart of final scores:

And now, some fun observations!  An impressive 100% of the Oscar predictors correctly chose Daniel Day-Lewis as Best Actor.

95.5% of the Oscar predictors correctly chose Anne Hathaway as Best Supporting Actress.  The only contestant that incorrectly chose Sally Field as Best Supporting Actress was none other than Polt (who tied for the least correct Oscar predictions).  Lolz what a dummy!

Each year we invite the contest participants to predict the Best and Worst Dressed Academy Award celebrity attendee.  Since these categories are subjective, they do not count towards final scores.  Here are the results for the Best Dressed category:

And the results for Worst Dressed:

That wraps up the results of this year’s Oscar Contest.  Thanks to everyone who participated!  Congratulations again to Mr. Sombrero!  You’ll soon be in possession of a 8 packs of candy and a Blu-Ray copy of The Last Airbender.  Hopefully this will not impact his BC&RL results!

So what did you think of this year’s Oscar Awards?  Any surprises?  Who really was best & worst dressed of the night?  Comment quickly before the Jaws theme plays you off!

Welcome to the 8th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “TEMPTATION” – Everyone is tempted by something (food, laziness, sleep) when they should be eating healthy and exercising.  What tempts the contestants?  Let’s find out!

Polt

So this week, it’s Temptation. My biggest temptation is: Gay Porn. ‘Well DUH!’ I can hear you all saying now, but I mean as it relates to this contest. See, if I give in to the temptation of the uncounted amount of gay porn on the Internet, then I spend time watching that and NOT out walking. And after watching gay porn, I’m generally in need of replenishing my…energies. So I eat. And usually it’s snacky-stuff, that’s not healthy for me. So if I could resist the gay porn, I could be exercising more and eating better. …..but yeah, we ALL know that ain’t gonna happen.

Tam

My temptations are books, I’m either reading one (Don’t ya love my snazzy red e-reader?) or writing one and Chapman’s oatmeal cookies and chocolate ice-cream sandwiches. But they were on sale. How could I not buy them? I’m just a lazy ass all around. I should be up doing something useful and energetic, but I’d rather surf the net and do reading-type stuff. Which would explain why there is no way in hell I am winning the $40.

TwoPi

I’ve mostly been eating what I want. I’ve gotten over my cravings for sweets (fairly easy) and for salty snack foods (harder). But what I’m so so SO tempted by is caffeinated coffee. My physician took me off caffeine last summer, and I’ve been successful staying off. But man, when I get behind on grading papers, get up early to get work done before the kids wake up, and I’m sipping my third cup of decaf wondering why it isn’t doing it for me…dang. I’ve been jonesing for caffeine pretty badly lately.

Adam

Lately I’ve been tempted to actually lose weight. I’ve been considering a visit to the gym. I’ve even thought about counting calories. Maybe I’ll actually succumb to the temptation!!

Michelle M.

What tempts me? My inner child. Grown up me knows she should eat right and exercise, but my inner child is quite the little temptress. What she says pretty much goes.

Mikey

My number one temptation is take out. Living in NYC it is sooooo easy to order anything to your door, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you will eat well. At least once a week I am tired enough to think about ordering…but my brain denies it.

Mr. Sombrero

I get tempted so easily. Mostly by peanut butter and anything else that starts with the word, “Reese’s.” Late at night when I’m watching Chelsea Lately, I think that should be exercising. Instead, I just close my eyes and imagine that I am Mena Suvari in American Beauty, being showered with rose petals. Except that it’s me instead of Mena, and I’m being showered with jars of PB. And then I get hit in the head and wake up. Then it’s time for bed.

Nathan

My biggest temptation is eating delicious quick unhealthy foods. I’m a sucker for pizza. Making healthy choices is more expensive and more work, and I’m just lazy I guess.

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Welcome to the 7th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is always a Biggest C&R Loser favorite!  It’s time for: “What’s Inside Your Fridge?” Let’s see what our contestants are hiding behind the refrigerator door!  This week each of our contestants will show you a photo of their fridge and describe the contents. Here we go!

Nathan

My fridge at home looks a lot like the one in this photo. Now that I’m leeching off my parents for practice teaching, they only have healthy things in the fridge. It should be good for me as long as I don’t splurge on my own! Which I won’t, because I’m broke.

Polt

Ah yes, this week is the fridge picture. And here we go! Top shelf: OJ, milk, butter, Ginger ale; next shelf: eggs, carrots, celery, salsa; next shelf: Salad stuff, and meat (to make chili tonight); next shelf: Diet Coke, baking soda, two bottles of wine, one bottle of beer; In the lower drawer is an onion, for the chili; The door shelves contain condiments, then yogurt, the applesauce. Healthy, I know! But now I’m really looking forward to the chili tonight!

Tam

So. Our fridges. I tried to have it neater this time so Adam wouldn’t freak out. I only got groceries on Sunday so I’m surprised it’s not fuller (more full?). My freezer is stocked up and yes, that is two containers of Hagen Daas. But come one, it was $3 off, and it’s next to the box of Weight Watchers egg mcmuffins so I think that has a moderating effect on the ice-cream calories. I tend to fill up the freezer, then don’t buy anything until it empties out. Just restocked. Our top shelf is usually lunch stuff, pudding, juice, etc. There are some leftovers in there this time, I usually have an average number of fruits and veggies in the bottom and we have lots of juice and soda in the door along with various bottles of sauce, relish, whipped cream in a can, marinade, salad dressing, etc. Oh and that little drawer inside is chock full of cheese. (Sorry Michelle) So an average fridge? We take our lunch to work/school every day and we cook dinner at home 13 out of 14 days, so we usually have a lot of staples on hand to make it fast and easy.

TwoPi

Atop the fridge are several boxes of cereal, bottles of dishwasher detergent, and vitamins. Freezer is packed, mostly with frozen fruit, ice cube trays, and coffee. The main section of the fridge has waaaay too much stuff in it, with the bottom shelf dominated by a pot of broccoli-bean-and-lemon pasta, and various other containers of leftovers. Good luck finding what you’re looking for in there!

Adam

In the freezer I have some frozen veggies and pitas. On the fridge door I have some condiments, seltzer, rice milk, canned fruit and water. In the fridge I have some Fresca, veggies, fake cheese, leftover taco “meat”, apples, hummus, peanut butter, tofu and tempeh. YUM! Now I want to go eat it all.

Michelle M.

We always have the following in the fridge: juice, salad dressings, condiments, fruits, veggies, Harry’s beer and my zinfandel (Beringer’s!), dill pickles (Adam’s favorite) and salsa. There are usually ingredients for a meal or leftovers from my cooking, but I didn’t cook this week (lazy!), so the fridge is a little bare. There are some leftover fajitas from the Mexican restaurant where we had dinner the other night. And the yogurt (yuck!) is Harry’s, he’s been making smoothies.

In the freezer: 1st drawer: frozen veggies. 2nd drawer: popsicles (Harry had a cold/sore throat), ice cream and vodka. I find when I freeze Thin Mints, the box will last longer than a day. That hummus is soooo garlicky – when Harry eats it, the house reeks of garlic. That’s why it was banished to the freezer (until I’m out of town or die). 3rd drawer: Lots of leftovers (in the back), some Lonely Man dinners and a big old bag of strawberries for Harry’s smoothies.

Mikey

What’s in my fridge? Not a lot at all as you can see. There are a lot of condiments though…I’m on the all condiment diet you see. Lots of flavor…very little health.

Mr. Sombrero

Now that I look at this picture I realize how crammed, small, messy and badly-lit this fridge is. Maybe I should be on Food Hoarders, if there is a show like that. It does have good things in it. Lots of veggies and fruits, some protein and leftovers. Yummmmm!

Welcome to the 6th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “MEAL PLAN” – each contestant will show you a meal that they’re particularly proud of. Do they eat this healthy at every meal, or is it a rarity? Who knows! Here’s what they had to say:

Mr. Sombrero

This organic vegan place down the street has these awesome smoothies. This one is called “green power”. Ingredients are: pear, banana, almond butter, soy milk aaaaaand [drum role please] kale!!! It’s tastes really good, despite the fact that it looks like swamp water. I had it for breakfast couple of times this week and it’s a nice change from standards like oatmeal, yogurt or nothing.

Nathan

I mentioned the banana smoothies I have in the morning before, but I came to the sad, pathetic realization that I’ve done very little cooking from scratch (except pasta, which isn’t very diet-y) While living in residence at teacher’s college. So I guess I have to stick with a paltry smoothie offering for this round.

Polt

It’s a salad from a local buffet and a Diet Coke. And that’s healthy, right? The only problem is, this photo is from a few years ago. But I DO try to eat salads and healthy foods, more often than not. Well sometimes. Well, I WANT to eat healthier at times, at least. That counts, right?

Tam

As a rule we eat pretty healthy. Most dinners are protein, vegetable, starch, lunches are usually sandwiches of some kind. We rarely have dessert but it varies from fruit to pudding to ice-cream if we have some in the freezer. I forgot I had to take a picture, so I found pictures of dinner I made Monday evening. Bulgar pilaf, pork loin, green beans and I confess I may have snuck a cruller that day, but that is the first donut I’ve had in… months.

TwoPi

Most of my progress evaporated on Super Bowl Sunday, with its horrid temptations of beer and chili and chips and … and… (and that incredibly delicious buffalo chicken dip that Craig blogged about in 2008, back when Craig blogged.) But this week’s another week, and another opportunity to start eating right and exercising. (Bwahahaha!) Anyways, a fairly frequent meal in our house is a chicken and veggie stir fry. Lately I’ve been increasing the ratio of veggies to chicken, and cutting back on the Thai fish sauce to minimize sodium. It still tastes awesome, is easy to make, and my kids are even willing to eat a little bit of it.

Adam

I’m so proud of the meal in this photo! It’s what I eat every day for breakfast … nothing! People say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but they can go fuck themselves. Plus the calories that I don’t eat for breakfast can be used later in the day (and I feel less guilty when I eat 10,000 cookies per day).

Michelle M.

This meal consists of: vegetarian lentil stew (yummy!), a garden salad (with no fat Italian dressing) and a wheat roll. We had this the other night. I didn’t take a photo, but this is approximately what it looked like. Absent is the butter I put on my roll . The meals I cook are healthy. It’s the fact that I snack (chocolate and chips), eat late at night and don’t exercise that gets me in trouble. If I could cut all of that out, I’d be golden!

Mikey

This is not the single healthiest meal I’ve eaten all week. I haven’t eaten very healthy at all this week. I took hot dogs, covered them with Jack Cheese and wrapped it in a pizza in honor of 30 Rock‘s finale. I stand by my choice.

Welcome to the 5th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST?” —  Our contestants have  accomplished nearly an entire month of dieting.  What do they miss the most?  Foods?  Laziness?  Here’s what they had to say:

Mikey

I miss the sense of abandon I had before this all started. When I felt like getting dessert, I got dessert. Now…when I eat anything at all I have a philosophical argument with myself that would make Kant proud. The upside could be the successful publication of my treatise called the Metaphysics of Eating.

Mr. Sombrero

I wish I was able to stick to the healthy stuff. All the stress eating, which sometimes I’m not aware it’s even taking place until I’m done, is not helping. What I miss is having time to exercise… and being lazy.

Nathan

This month, I’ve done an excellent job of not eating any fast food. I might not have been perfect so far, but that’s something!

Polt

So, after a month of dieting, I have to list what I miss the most. hmm, how about losing weight? I do miss doing that, since I’m not losing any. Course, if I actually tried to diet and exercise more, that may not be an issue. Nah, let me think…what do I miss most? How about my $5. God knows, the way I’m going, I’m never gonna see that money again.

Tam

I miss mindlessly stuffing my trap without thinking about, just rating what I want because I want it. More or less. However of um going to win this damn contest I need to step up my game.

TwoPi

I found one last candy cane this morning, stashed in a coat pocket. I saved it… and devoured it on the drive home from work. Now that they’re gone I miss them, even if they were spearmint instead of peppermint. And more generally, I miss the holidays, the weeks of planning for festive meals filled with family, fun, and comfort foods. But hey, Valentine’s Day is coming up, and our tradition is no gifts but a really nice dinner cooked at home. So that’s something to look forward to!

Adam

I miss NOT feeling guilty before I eat cookies. And I also miss the cookie that I just ate. I want another one!

Michelle M.

What do I miss the most? Well, since I haven’t started dieting or exercising, I would have to say, nothing .

Welcome to the 4th week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “EXERCISE” – How have our contestants changed their exercise habits?  What are they doing to stay in shape? Are any of them even trying? Here’s what they had to say:

Michelle M.

Well, so far I haven’t been exercising at all. I have been thinking about getting Zumba. Someone was selling it fairly cheap on Craigslist, but it was snapped up before I could buy it. I’m still on the look-out for it. In the meantime I’ve been thinking about walking around the neighborhood lake…

Mikey

Have I exercised any differently since this started? Well I’m writing these blurbs each week…so that is different. Other than that I have not really changed what I’m doing exercise wise. I know this has to change, but if there is something I hate more than exercise I haven’t found it.

Mr. Sombrero

I haven’t had much success with athletic activities recently. But in two weeks fitness classes start at work again. So I’m looking forward to squeeze in some calisthenics and yoga time. In the meantime, I’ll exercise by eye rolling every time Amanda Bynes does something stupid.

Nathan

I haven’t really been exercising at all. It’s ridiculously cold outside (below -40 tonight!) and I’ve mainly been changing my eating habits.

Polt

This week’s I’m to talk about my exercise…or lack thereof. I’m actually trying to get back to walking every 2-3 days instead of every 4-5 days like it has been. But really with as cold as it’s been, I don’t see myself walking much at all until it warms up. This will be me during the cold snap:

Now, if only I had a purple sofa to eat my popcorn on.

Tam

Yeah. That pic pretty much sums it up. Today I will blame it on the frigid -40 temps, but that doesn’t explain last week when it was above freezing. Bah. It was a crappy week for me contest-wise. So let’s just move on people, nothing to see here. *beached whale*

TwoPi

Exercise? It is on my to-do list. I’m currently working on physical therapy, then will start on the exercise bike, and once I’ve built up some stamina the plan is to hit the Y. But I haven’t been a total slug, I’ve been going to the YMCA regularly! Mostly just to watch my kid’s swim class, though.

Adam

It’s effing cold outside and I haven’t exercised at all. Scratch that … I’ve been chewing a lot. Nom nom nom!

Welcome to the third week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “DIET” — the contestants were asked: How has your daily diet changed?  What are you eating now that you didn’t eat before?  What have you given up? Here’s what they said:

Adam

I’ve had a stressful couple weeks and my diet has suffered.  Cookies are delicious! They’re all I want to eat! Nom Nom Nom!  I promise to be better next week.

Michelle M.

My diet hasn’t really changed that much. Probably because I have not started dieting yet. Well, I have cut back on the amount I’m eating. I’ll be cutting way down on junk food (soon). These are some of the foods I intend to miss the most.
*Consumed since starting this round of BC&RL.

Mikey

I am slowly adding veggies and salads to my routine. After the stress of the wedding, I got back into some bad habits like eating nothing but cheese and bread….those days are gone. So far….I am starving.

Mr. Sombrero

My diet hasn’t changed much, except in quantity. I try to avoid sugary and late night snacks. But it’s soooooo haaaaard. I drink more hot teas and have added a daily dose of (Adam’s favorite) an apple cider vinegar drink. It’s a spoonful of vinegar diluted in a glass of water, sweetened with agave nectar or honey. It’s suppose to aid in the weight-loss fight. Bottoms up!

Nathan

I’ve mainly been doing two things. 1) making sure I eat breakfast and that my breakfast is a banana. 2) making sure that I don’t eat at any restaurants/get any take out. It’s been going pretty well, though this week’s been a little shaky.

Polt

This week, we talk of out diet. Well, the biggest change is, since the holidays are over, I’m no longer eating Mama Polt’s Homemade cookies. And candy. And peanut brittle. And pies. And big meals with all the trimmings. I’m back to what I was eating before the holidays: salads and meat and cheese and little to no carbs. Yum….I guess….

Tam

My “diet” consists of regularly telling myself not to stuff so damn much food down my gullet. No more than 15 peas and 25 grains of rice per meal. (ha! right) Not sure it’s working. But my basic premise is just cut down on the amount of food, which in theory equals fewer calories, which should equal weight loss. I’ve not been tracking very well, but am just trying to be more conscious of what I eat and how much.

TwoPi

These past couple weeks have been incredibly stressful at work (start of a new semester), so my diet lately has been heavy on comfort and convenient food, not so heavy on healthy choices. (The silver lining in that: steak and scalloped potatoes. Mmmmm.) And I did everyone else in the house a favor by taking care of all the leftover candy canes from the holiday. (Seriously, it *was* a favor. By the time I thought to buy any it was Dec 23rd, and all I could find were ones from some off-brand candy company, and their flavor was just a tad off. More spearmint than peppermint.) I swear I’ll start my diet for realz really really soon now. (And in spite of all this horrible eating, I managed to lose a bit more than a pound this past week. Must be the stress.)

This contest has closed. Any new entries will not be accepted.

COCKY & RUDE OSCAR CONTEST BALLOT

This contest has closed. Any new entries will not be accepted.

In the comments, tell us your favorite movie, actor, actress or director of the year, whether or not they were nominated. Good luck & thanks for playing!

Welcome to the second week of Biggest C&R Loser 2013! This year we’ll be keeping all of the results and placings secret until the end of the contest. We’ll also be pooling our cash to award the 2013 winner the largest prize we’ve ever awarded … a whopping $40!  This week’s theme is “GOAL & PRIZE” - Everything is easier if there’s a goal & prize in place.  Each of the contestants will tell us what their personal goal and/or prize is and how it will motivate them to lose weight.

Adam

When I win Biggest C&R Loser, I’m going to let Mr. Sombrero buy me an entirely new wardrobe! We’re going to go shopping at Abercrombie & Fitch and buy one of these weird-shaped sports balls. That’s all I’m ever going to wear!

Michelle M.

My goal for this round of BCRL is to lose enough weight that I can throw away my fat jeans! Or burn them. Or both!

Mikey

I am playing to fit into all of my clothes….and to make sure that when I go shopping for clothes I don’t have to constantly buy a size up. I hate that.

Mr. Sombrero

This time around I hope to get serious about my weight loss. I’ve gained a small ton in the past six months and have almost doubled in size since I met Adam. [hmmm?] And all for good reasons: health, general well being and a bunch of clothes that no longer fit.

Nathan

My goal in this competition is to be healthier and look better. Hopefully like the guy in this photo. It’s important to aim high, so that even if I don’t quite make it, I still get quite far.

Polt

What’s my goal and prize for doing this? Well the weight loss will be nice, but my main reason for doing this (other than the money) is my diabetes: I want to get my A1C to 7.0 or below (which makes me a controlled diabetic. Normal people are 6.0 or below). Last March, it was above 9, my doctor yelled at me and put me on a diet. I followed it and in three months, dropped to 7.1 in June. Because I slacked off, in September, it was 7.4. Now, over the holidays, I’m sure it’s gone up again. And this coming Monday i have a doctor’s appointment, where I’m sure she’ll yell at me again. But with her yelling and this contest, hopefully, I can get it back down around or below 7.0. That’s my goal. the prize? Having better health and not dying as soon.

Tam

Okay, I was really not mentally prepared for this whole process to start last week. I seemed to be still in the post-holiday sugar-craving mode. Enough. I need to track my food consumption more carefully. No more chocolate. My goal is 15lbs. I know that’s kind of wimpy, but if I don’t set my sights too high I might actually make it and more would be a bonus. Better to aim low and succeed I always say. Well, mostly. Whatever. Reward? I don’t know. Maybe new shoes. I’m always up for new shoes. (And no, I don’t really want pink sequinned sneakers, but something.)

TwoPi

My “prize” is a cruise with my immediate family, hitting various ports along the Baltic. For me, the challenging part of this trip will be its physical demands. I have arthritis in my lumbar spine, and can’t (currently) be on my feet for prolonged periods of time. This will put a serious crimp in our site seeing at the ports of call. I’m working on physical therapy to try and regain some motion and strength, but one thing that would make all of that more effective is weight loss.

To: Xi-Heather / From: Chris D.

My regift from Chris wasn’t obviously a regift, falling squarely in the “shiny!” category of objects. It’s a color changing glowy thing with etched cubes: this one had a balloon. I’d initially thought it could become a Christmas decoration on account of the lights and color, but I’ve been informed by the kiddos that it needs to stay out year round. Apparently I’m not the only magpie in the house. Thank you!

To: VUBOQ / From: Josh

Words are inadequate to express how I feel.

To: Ty / From: Talita

Talita regifted three souvenir shot glasses. One was damaged in transit, but the other two were ready for use. I tried to fill them with the candy and Luna bar she included, but it just didn’t feel right. If only I had had something more appropriate…

To: TwoPi / From: DrPara

From DrPara, I received the “I Can’t Sleep” book, which is “a journal for passing the time when insomnia strikes”. Each left-hand page has a sleep-related quote from a famous person (Samuel Butler’s quote in the photo is pretty apt), while the right-hand page is lined, available for journaling. I like many of the quotes – they seem likely to prompt interesting journaling. And no doubt this book will be more effective than what I currently use in the middle of a sleepless night: kakuru. He also sent two cds, one a collection of The Cure (with a couple tracks by Air Liquide and Bjork), and the other The Orb’s “Orbus Terrarum”, which I’ve had in my laptop for a couple days straight now. (As a bonus, this gift led me to discover “Picard” by MusicBrainz, a fab bit of software to help identify individual music files and reveal their associated artist and album info.) Thank you!!!

To: Tam / From: Nathan

I got my regift from Nathan, these uber-groovy modern mix-tape kits. Each cassette tape has a space where you put in the memory stick. Now my next big decision is who will be the victim, um, I mean lucky recipient of my mix-tape love. Hmmmm.

To: Talita / From: Michelle M.

I received my re-gift items from Michelle M. She sent me a pretty pink clock and matching frame, that I plan on using. She also sent me delicious peppermint bark, that did not last by the time this photo was taken. The best part of my package was the dog toy she sent, Preston loved it as you can see!! Thanks Michelle M. you’re the best again!!!

To: Polt / From: FDot

FDot had my name in the regift, and he sent me this book. I’m kinda surprised that someone had gotten him a Superman kids books but even MORE surprised that he’d not want to keep it for himself forever! Shocked even. But it’s a fun book that will fit in well with my Superman collection: You can feel Superman’s cape, see how his x-ray vision works, pet Krypto’s fur, etc. And seriously, is there a better gift for me than being able to “Touch And Feel” Superman???? Thanks, FDOT!

To: Nathan / From: David P.

My gift from David was a snowman shaped mug with one serving of cocoa and several suspicious looking chocolate chip cookies. Apparently, people know that I like to drink. Thusly, I put some Bailey’s in my cocoa and it was actually quite good. Thanks, David.

To: Mush / From: Mel

My regifter was the lovely and clever Dr Mel who sent me two balls of awesome yarn AND low-sugar chocolate bars.

To: Mr. Sombrero / From: John

For the regift exchange, John sent me a whole bunch of goodies. My favorite is the ‘Hub Man’ which is a USB splitter that looks like a happy little guy. He also sent some delicious Cranberry Bog Frogs candy, a Dilbert calendar and some ‘Hope’ word magnets. I don’t know if any of these awesome items were actually regifted (they seem too good to be regifts) but I don’t really care … Thanks John!

To: Mikey / From: Marcus

Marcus sent me these three printouts of neon colors.

To: Michelle M. / From: Enrico

My regift was from Enrico – it featured everything I love. He sent me the “Made in America: Our Best Chefs Reinvent Comfort Food” cookbook. It has lots of recipes I’m eager to try. He also sent me the BEST MIX CD EVER!!! In a little mug (which I shall use for my hot chocolate) were a bunch of chocolate truffles (which will all be gone by the time you read this). Last, but not least, was a little travel clock, which I hope to use soon. Maybe on a trip to visit Enrico to thank him in person… Thank you Enrico!!

To: Mel / From: Justin

Although I admittedly opened this with some trepidation, I was pleasantly surprised to get something so useful. Oven mitts and potholders are always handy. Thanks, Justin!

To: Marcus / From: Mikey

For the regift I received a marshmallow shooter and some marshmallows from Mikey.

To: Kristen / From: Mr. Sombrero

I was surprised to learn this was a regift since it was so nice. This cute little notebook is just the size to fit in my pencil case at school so I can definitely make some good use of this. Thank-you so much Mr. Sombrero!

To: Justin / From: TwoPi

For the regifting portion of this year’s Bloggy Gift Exchange, my gift-giver was TwoPi, who gave me an item that only the Japanese could think of: an Eco Otome Toilet Noise Blocker (as explained at the website http://www.odditycentral.com/funny/eco-otome-japans-solution-to-embarrassing-toilet-noise.html ). I’m not entirely sure what makes this item “Eco”, and even less what makes the “white color motif” a “save the earth” design per se. I did get a good chuckle out of it. I’ll let Mark’s words speak for themselves: “I had read several years ago about the ‘sound princess’” – he had? What’s a sound princess? “… and was intruiged … so when an opportunity arose to get an Eco Otome import, I naturally” – naturally? – “ did so. It’s not quite what I expected” – what in heaven’s name DID he expect? – “but it does have some humor value. (Perhaps some practical value as well…)” I can’t attest to the practical value, but I can definitely confirm for TwoPi that it has significant humor value – as did the card Thanks, Mark, for a very amusing gift!

To: Josh / From: Kristen

Kristen regifted me plastic bugs! Which is actually an incredible gift considering that JT & I’s apartment is chock full of animal statues/figurines. Our collection, which currently features 3 pigs, 1 seal, 1 octopus, two snails, 1 walrus, 1 turkey, 3 elephants, 3 dogs, 1 frog, 2 cats, 2 whales, 1 fish, 1 monkey, & 1 cow, now has a (semi) brand new ant, grasshopper, lady bug, & 2 stick bugs. THANKS KRISTEN!

To: John / From: Jere

Jere gave me the best re-gift of all. (That’s right bitches, get in line, I got the best re-gift.) Jere knit me a scarf! He said it fits the re-gift criteria as he received the skein of yarn as a gift and decided to make it into something useful. I love it! It goes perfectly with my black jacket. Thank you Jere, I really appreciate you taking the time to make such a great gift!

To: Jere / From: Xi-Heather

From the lovely Xi-Heather, I was regifted an 8-piece set of coffee mugs. I promptly continued the regifting cycle by making candy and hot cocoa gift packs for all the people who surprised me with unexpected gifts this year (so I wouldn’t feel guilty I didn’t get them anything). I did have one mug left over, which I am currently using to finish off the leftover hot chocolate packets with the help of some Peppermint Schnapps.

To: FDot / From: VUBOQ

My regifting bloggy person was VUBOQ! I received 3 items from him. First, I unwrapped a small box labeled “I Ching”. I wondered why VUBOQ would send me a box of racist jokes. Upon further reflection, I remembered that the I Ching is actually a divination system, sort of like ancient tarot cards. I used to be able to read tarot cards, so this should be fun to use.

Second, was a pair of Healthy Chinese Balls which Mr. Fuzzywitz has already appropriated for his nefarious uses. If I can get them away from him, they will make for some nice relaxation therapy.

Thirdly, the above two items were in the package surrounded by obviously sensitive, yet shredded documents. I will be painstakingly recreating the scenes in Argo where a group of small, underpaid children piece documents just like these together. Whatever secrets I discover, I will share with you all.

To: Enrico / From: Adam

For the regift exchange, Adam got me a Sin City graphic novel, the movie Rent, and this wonderful little statue, which I have placed on my bookshelf.

To: DrPara / From: Mush

As you can see, the box opening inspired a real “what the fuck is this?” moment and I’m still kind of confused by the wooden grasshopper that is now sitting on my computer. The sauces bring forth everything in life that makes me uncomfortable, creamy white stuff and I would have slapped the person who gave me the Suduko game. All and all hilarious and thanks the other Michelle M, I never knew there was two … learn something everyday.

To: David P. / From: Craig

I received two books from Craig. One is a collection of posts from the Overheard in the Office website. The other is a humorous book about hating your job. I’m sure I will enjoy both of them.

To: Craig / From: Polt

For his regift, Polt gave me this um special wire sculpture of a beehive. It’s really quite um something. I can’t imagine why he would ever want to part with something so um different. Thanks Polt!

To: Chris D. / From: Ty

Ty sent me a “Pin the Macho on the Man” game. It was a leftover from his bachelor party. I think I’ll save it for a special occasion. Thanks Ty!

To: Adam / From: Tam

Tam sent me a beautifully hand-painted unicorn figurine! I promptly took the figurine to a local art dealer, who appraised it at somewhere around a $100,000 (a bit over the exchange budget). The artist is a reclusive and little-known Canadian artist named “Kristen” (just one name, much like Cher or Madonna). The dealer dated the piece back to approximately 2005. Thanks Tam!!!

Thanks Everyone!