Weigh In on Biggest Loser Contest!

The stakes were raised this week when one of the "bosses" announced he'd contribute an extra $100 on top of the "pot" (about $220) if any one of the (3) women from our company wins.  Another boss got caught up in the excitement and said he would give $100 if that person had kept if off six months later!  Do I work in a great place, or what?!  There is nothing like money to motivate me to do something I've been obsessing about doing in the first place!

So, the initial weigh in was on the Tuesday following New Years, then we weighed in again that Friday.  I had lost 1.5 pounds, not bad for a few days.  This week I eliminated 2.6!  And the funny thing is: I'd only changed a few things.  Granted, they were major things, but I still overate, had too many starches, and didn't exercise quite enough, so maybe next week I'll keep up the rate I've set for myself: 2.6 is a very decent weight loss per week. According to the experts.

37 here, 20 years ago.  Before baby and weight gain.  Actually I had just lost 40 pounds.  I had been running and lifting weights for a year.  They say it takes half the time to get back once you've gotten "there."  We'll see! 

What I did right?  I eliminated most sweets.  I had no candy, pop, cake, cookies, or crackers.  I've been finished eating for the day by 7:00 p.m., 7:30 at the latest on a couple of days.  I began a weight lifting routine on Saturday, every other day/upper body.  I'll start on the lower body soon.  Right now my lower body consists of my yoga.  I just couldn't shock my body any more! I was so sore I could not straighten my arms for several days!

What I did wrong?  I have had a very healthy portion of oatmeal for breakfast on a couple of days, complete with brown sugar, molasses, raisins, cinnamon and whole milk.   I didn't walk every day, too rainy and cold.

This week felt very natural, not too drastic, definitely a way I could live for the rest of my life, and that's what I'm shooting for.  I didn't count calories, like I said, I felt too full after more than one meal, so I know to eat less.  I'm eating protein and veggies with a small amount of fruit, more nonstarchy veggies than not, but some starchy... if I don't, I find myself craving them, so I figure my body knows what's best.

I re-learned that after a few days of saying NO to sugar, along with answered prayers, my desire for sugar has virtually disappeared.  This Saturday I will start the Master Cleanser with hopes of going ten days.  Yes, it is extreme, but I've done it many times in my life and always feel refreshed, revived, renewed... cleansed.  So, check it out (just net search master cleanser), I think you'll be glad you did.  One of my bosses was (actually) listening once when I talked about it and he started asking questions and acting like he wanted to try it, so I'm grateful to maybe have company doing it this time around.  It's already making for much more interesting conversation (for me) in the mornings at the office!

I'll end this blog with a quote from my son: "I love my life!"  Appreciate it.  It gets better.

The New Year - 2012

I guess I'll join everyone else blogging about the New Year, but I must tell you, my heart isn't in it all the way yet.  Time for truth-telling.

I'm beginning my 57th year here on this planet.  I've started many things and never finished.  I have a very blunt, critical mom who reminded me of that lately.  I appreciate her for that.  I could get lost in always beginning something new.  I've grieved the last few days over my apparent shortcomings and failures.  I think a dose of that periodically is healthy.  I love the little posts on facebook by my friends far and wide, little reminders of encouragement.  Every choice I have made in my life and for you, too, results in something else not chosen.  It is only in hindsight that we can see where one choice might have been better than another, for everything chosen, something else is left behind.  It really is much healthier to see the good that has come from each choice, as there is always good in it all.  I loved this blog:  http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/12/25/30-challenges-for-30-days-of-growth/   So, my first and foremost "resolution" is to finish as many projects as I can that I've begun and left sitting for way too long.  Thanks, mom! I have to admit to a bit of jealousy whenever I see my artist friends post about their recently acquired commissions.  As I thought of unfinished projects, I realized that I have 3 outstanding commissions!  Woo hoo!  And as I complete them, the portfolio I have committed to building will grow! 

We have also started a "Biggest Loser" competition in my office building today.  My weight has been one of those "if only"s for me for a very long time.  The last time I took off 30 pounds (and kept if off!) it was due to one of these competitions.  I didn't win in the basic sense, but in the big sense, I did.  I can say I weigh less than I did several years ago, and that IS something.  Now it's time to get another big chunk (and I mean that in every sense of the words) off.  I'm shooting for 30 pounds in 13 weeks.  I'll keep you posted, maybe even pics, ugh.  As I was cleaning and organizing my studio this weekend (in anticipation of all those wonderful new projects I can finish later!) I ran across a couple of things.  One was a note to myself in 2006: "my heaviest weight ever: 250 pounds."  And a picture one of my students had taken when I first started teaching in 2004.  I'm sure I was close to that weight then.  There are a couple of other pics, along with the ones taken today at the weigh in.  I'm not too proud, because I will also post a pic of me when I was 36 and had just lost 30 pounds after many months of running (a half marathon, one of my proudest moments) and weight training.... you can even see the cuts beginning in my abs.  I don't know what I'll look like at this age when everything seems to be sagging, drooping and wrinkling... I may be a bag of wrinkles, but I'll be firm and fit underneath it all!  And, that really is what I'm going for.  I want to feel good again, and not be held back by my lack of fitness, flexibility or energy.  Hm, sounds like a pretty good purpose to me.  Hope you find yours while you are doing your New Year's whatever you want to call-ems.