BONUS $s TO CARRY OVER... AGAIN!

Congratulations, Dan and Jenny on a solid week 4 performance. Since there's a tie the bonus $s will carry over and the person with the highest combined points (from this week and next) will win the bonus $s for both weeks.

Note: Everyone is eligible to win.

Although the total points are dropping a bit we still managed to lose another 16 lbs this week. Way to go!

Please comment on anything you'd like to see done differently in future competitions. You can respond anonymously if you'd like. One suggestion I heard is to raise the weekly pay-in amount for the lowest three point earners. What are your ideas, thoughts, comments, or concerns?

THE BEST WAY TO LOSE YOUR MIDDLE - CUTTING CARBS OR FAT?

Which should you cut back on first if you want to trim belly fat -- carbs or fat?

You might think that dietary fat goes straight to your middle, but research suggests that too many empty carbs is really the first thing to do your belly in.

Dueling Diets
In a study, healthy overweight men and women went on two consecutive 8-week diet interventions. The first diet period was focused on weight maintenance and the second aimed for weight reduction by cutting calories. Through each phase, the participants followed either a reduced-fat or a reduced-carbohydrate diet. When all was said and done, both groups lost weight. But it turned out that the group on the reduced-carb diet -- which, incidentally, also focused on quality, low-glycemic-index carbs -- lost 11 percent more deep belly fat compared with the group on the low-fat diet. Plus, the low-carb group lost more fat mass overall.

(Try these quick and simple low-carb recipes.)

Jon Stodola wins the first two week bonus dollars ($10) for a combined total of 22 points - WAY TO GO!

After a magnificent start in week one we fell off by 15 points this week. Let's see if we can beet our week one total of 122 points as a team.

Weekly Tip: Jon Stodola is using www.livestrong.com to track calories. "It's been extremely helpful in actually seeing what I need to do verses just feeling good about what I eat." "If I get towards the end of the day and I've consumed more than I should have, I go for an extra run, walk or Rollerblade to keep the net calorie intake below MY recommended amount."

THE BEST START EVER!

The group lost a cobined 27lbs this week. Way to go!!! A special congratulations to Tom and Dan for leading the pack, and thank you for giving us all a chance to win the bonus dollars from week 1.

Note: Please report your points as soon as possible so they can be posted online Sunday night.

If you have an idea for a blog post – i.e. stories, recipes, pictures, etc. please feel free to send them my way. I’m happy to put them up for all to see. Don't forget to provide tips, tricks or trash talk by commenting on any of the posts. To get things started, tell us what your favorite exercise is (keep it clean).