Theresa and I want to thank Team Blue and Team Bulging Bridesmaids. They were every bit the worthy opponents that we expected....and more. It sounds like a cliche, but in this case I hope that it rings true, that everybody came out of this winners.

To Diana, Terry, Marisa, Brandi, Ana, Val, Dean, Julia, Brianne and the rest of the WGN/Bally crew thank you for the fun and we'll keep you apprised on our future weight loss endeavors.

Derrick & Theresa

Team Spark!!!

Here are the numbers:
Team Blue: 91.2
Bulging Bridesmaids: 89.7
Team Spark: 93.32

Enjoy Maui!

The winners haven't been announced yet, but just saw the reveals of all three teams. Wow, everyone looks amazing!

Can't wait to see who goes to Maui...

I can't believe tomorrow makes 8 weeks! I feel fantastic, and I look pretty good too!! I think we are all winners already!!

To all of those we have inspired along the way- keeping going, don't give up!! It's totally worth it!
If I can do this for 8 weeks, I can do anything- and you can too!!

Michelle and Allegra, I've spent more time with the two of you in the last 8 weeks than with anyone else- I think I'm going to go through withdrawal next week!!! It has been a pleasure!

Thanks again to everyone and we'll see ya tomorrow- bright and early!

Only one more day until the big reveal! It's amazing how much you can accomplish and learn in 8 weeks. I'm so grateful to have had such an amazing opportunity. Thank you WGN and Bally Total Fitness for putting this on. Also I want to thank all of my family,friends,and fans for all of the support the past 8 weeks :) And of course I would not look how I do today if it weren't for our amazing trainer Allegra :) Thank you Allegra! I' have learned to many things from her that I will take with me even after the challenge. I also want to give my Mom an extra special thanks because it was her idea for us to apply and she was an amazing supporter the past 8 weeks ~ thank you Mom :) Well I know this sounds like a huge thank you note~ it kind of is~ without the support from all of the people I mentioned I wouldn't look how I do today~ which by the way you will have to wait till tomorrow to see how far Jeanne and I have come!! That reminds me~ I want to give a huge thank you to my sister-in-law Jeanne for agreeing to do this contest with me and encouraging me the entire way~ thank you Jeanne :) Good luck everyone~ see you tomorrow morning!

Well, this is our last post before the weigh-in on Thursday. Before I go on there are people that Theresa and I would like to thank. The staffs at the Bally's Hyde Park and Countryside locations have been gracious hosts......and of course Darren, Aaron, Stoney and Zo and the staff at the Bally's 87th Westport Commons have been big cheerleaders for us from day one! We would also like to thank the WGN family and Bally Fitness Centers for making this possible.

When Team Spark embarked on this magical journey almost 2 months ago, our goals were to: 1)Become stronger 2)Become leaner 3)Improve our cardio endurance 4)Lose weight long term and 5)Have fun. While it has been a hard road to hoe, we are very proud to say that not some but ALL of our goals have become reality. Although we're not where we totally want to be, we are well on our way....and we have been the receipients of the best trainer in the history of the world(okay, maybe the United States then!). Gretta has helped us to reach our goals by getting us into a strict, yet fun, regimen and encouraging us to push our fitness boundaries. We feel totally blessed to have her as our trainer and we are truly in her debt.

Good luck to everyone.
Team Spark

This is it!!! The last week! I can't believe it!
I want to thank of all of our supporters- especially my husband Bill who has been so helpful and encouraging- you are the BEST, Bill! Allegra, our trainer for keeping us focused and changing our bodies from flab to fab! My mother-in-law for suggesting Michelle and I enter the competition and for all of her supportive posts, WGN and Bally Total Fitness for this amazing opportunity!! Vi, for joining us at the gym- you were the only one brave enough- and to everyone else who posted a comment, or sent along encouraging words- thanks!! It all helps! And it's not over yet, so we need your help and that final boost to get us through the home stretch!!
See you in a week!

Okay I had the weirdest dream about food last night. Yesterday I was craving peanut butter which is what I have been missing the most in these 7 weeks!!! I wanted crackers and peanut butter really bad but only having a week left I concurred my craving and stuck to my healthy eating. Well this morning when I woke up I remember a dream I had where I just kept eating Ritz crackers with gobs of peanut butter on them! It was so yummy in my dream and I felt so sick and guilty about eating all of it. I did not let anyone know in my dream that I was cheating! It was so funny because I woke up and told my kids about it and was telling them how good those crackers and peanut butter tasted. I did get on the scale this morning to make sure it was just a dream and it was! :) See you all in a week, I can't wait to see how well you all did! We are all winners in what we have learned from our trainers! Thank You Bally Total Fitness and WGN for giving us this great opportunity!!! Lisa (Team Blue)

Wow another week has gone by! We are in the final stretch now!! I'm so excited to see how everyone looks next week. I've learned a lot of new stuff about diet and exercise from our amazing trainer Allegra :) Even when the contest is over I will be able to use the stuff I have learned. Good Luck everyone! See you next week!

It's been a while since I submitted a blog, but with 9 days left we're all dialing it in and marching towards that finish line(or scale, if you'd like to put it THAT way!).

I was in San Diego over the weekend and I'd like to give a big shout out to the Bally's in Mission Valley. I worked out there Friday and Saturday and the staff couldn't have been more gracious. Tell 'em you're in a contest and the waters open like Moses was standing next to you! Sunday and Monday the weather was so nice(80's....jealous?)I walked and worked out right along the ocean....then got on the plane yesterday with shorts on and frowned when the captain got on the intercom and declared that the temp was 5 degrees celsius(about 40 in conversion).

This has been a eye-opening experience and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone next week.