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The End and The Beginning
Well hello all!  I am so happy to post my final post for the TBO Weight Loss Challenge.
It seems like just yesterday I was reading the newspaper looking at the ad for participants in the Weight Loss Challenge.  I KNEW when I saw the ad that it was MEANT for me to be a participant.  I KNEW I was the perfect candidate and that this was my time to do what I had been thinking and talking about for such a long time.
The journey has gone full circle from beginning to end and I prepare to start a new journey of self-exploration.  I am truly blessed to have an opportunity so have such powerful reinforcement from friends and family and am thankful to everyone!  I hope that I was helpful to at least one person to pursue their own goals, too.

Feb. 1 2007 June1, 2007 Change

Weight
226 to 179.5 46.5 lbs lost!!!
Size 18 to 12/14

3 dress sizes
Energy none thru the roof!!

I have re-discovered my love for exercise and shopping for new clothes and taking the best care of myself as possible so that I can take better care of everyone around me the best way that I can. 

My relationship with everyone around me has gotten better because of the changes I have made over the past 4 months.  And I’ve found that it’s because I’ve changed!  Not just physically but emotionally too.  I’m much to be around.  I’m calmer, happier, stronger, and all around better and because of that, everything around me is affected by it.  So one thing that I’ve taken away from this challenge is that you cannot expect change from anyone but from yourself.  Take action!

My next goal is to go from 179.5 lbs to 150 lbs by Sept. of this year.  My goal after that is to maintain the weight loss and to live my best life for the rest of my life and to help other women to be empowered to make a change.
I’m just so overjoyed that I’ve given myself another opportunity to live my best life and to not feel like I’m burdened by the being overweight.  It is almost hard to describe how good it feels to be able to shop in a regular size store.

Thank you to the whole TBO.com team for giving us this opportunity to have a community to support us...it was very empowering to have so much support and people rooting for us to do well.

I’ll be rooting for the next group of challengers!  My advise to all of you is to set a goal, plan how to attain it, set daily goals on how to get there and monitor how you’re doing.  If you get off track that’s okay...you’re human...you can learn from you mistake, correct it and get back on track...don’t give up...don’t ever give up! 

The universe rewards action!

Love you all and thank you soo much for sharing your lives with me!!!

Sonya

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I can’t believe it is time to say good bye.  What a journey this has been!  I have met so many wonderful people.  My teammates are the best, Marty and Patty and the rest of the staff at TBO have been awesome as well.  Thanks for the extra month!  I have learned so many things.  I have learned that I do not have to be full to be satisfied.  Smaller meals are plenty, especially if they are the right foods.  I have learned to make better choices.  I am now choosing healthier options.  I have been drinking a ton more water.  I have learned how to “grow clothes”.  What a garden it’s turning out to be!  I have learned to trust God when things are tough.  His word says that He will lead us out of temptation, and that all things are possible, through Christ who strengthens us.  These are scriptures that I held on to during this challenge.  This challenge has given me a sense of confidence.  Normally, I do not like to be in the spot light.  Being successful in my weight loss has given me this confidence that I can do anything that I set out to do.  So, if you are like me, and afraid to step out, please give it a try, you never know what could happen!  One of the biggest changes for me is the exercise!  I knew the true meaning of couch potato before the challenge.  I was afraid of exercise.  I now have found bike riding to be fun!  I also enjoy walking.  It is true what they say about finding something that you enjoy.  The best part is that my girls will join me.  This was one of my goals.  I want to set a good, healthy example for my girls.  It was such a great feeling the other day when we were all “suiting up” for a ride!  Momma was proud!  I would like to say thank you to everyone for their prayers and support!  Again to Marty and Patty, my teammates, my family and friends.  My co-workers, even the cafeteria manager would make special lunches for me!  My biggest fan, Jill for her precious encouragement!  My brother and Marianne for introducing me and coaching me in bike riding!  And most of all, God for giving me the courage and strength to do this challenge!

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The final results for the Challenge are: 21 pounds lost and 18.5 inches gone!!! I lost 4.5 pounds this last month and 2.5 inches. I am thrilled.

Good luck to the next round of Challengers--hope you have as much fun as I’ve had! (And plan on continuing to have.)

Say good night, Gracie.

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Waiting for the last “official” weigh-in is enough to make me eat a few peanut butter cups, but knowing not to munch my way through the wait/weight is one of the amazing concepts which has grabbed and held me these last four months. Gaining weight has grabbed my attention many times before, but this time it didn’t, wouldn’t, absolutely refused to let go. The time was right to retain all the ever present information, to digest it, to learn more about losing weight, and to change from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy lifestyle.

Grabbed by the snippet in the paper to enter the Weight Loss Challenge, I had loud, conflicting thoughts---"Why not?” and “It’s so public!” So I took the first step by sending an email to friends asking for their opinions, subconsciously acknowledging the truth that I couldn’t do this alone. They, too, had conflicting thoughts ranging from, “Are you crazy?” to “It’s a perfect fit.” ( Personally, I think both assessments are right!) When informed I was one of the lucky Challengers, I sent another email imploring my friends to regularly read my blog, this time consciously acknowledging the truth that I couldn’t do this alone--another big step.

The third step was reconnecting with thoughts, emotions, and facts which evolved into the lessons I needed to help me through the coming days. Eating NO sugar, keeping a food journal, structuring exercise into every day, drinking enough water, and acknowledging hunger is not always about food are a sampling of these thoughts I needed to remember and repeat.

I have learned that peas are more than green vegetables! “Patience” is my mantra--so much more difficult to practice when you really need it. (What only 2 pounds lost?!) “Persistence” works with my mantra when I use the positive definition, “maintaining a stand” ( Yes, I will lose weight.) and not the other definition, “difficult to alleviate” ( Guess I can try, but you know how hard it is.) “Passion” is mandatory. Without that burning desire to look better, be healthier, lose aches and pains, weight loss just can’t be done.  ( I want this! I am committed! Toss that cheesecake in the wastebasket!) I am still learning to blend the peas with the “p’s” as I practice putting patience, persistence, and passion into my pounds prevention program. I know I have hit the mark when there is a certain clear and calm, yet aware and alive, peace in my life.

I have learned my asking “Why?” was a barrier I built specifically to delay the action I needed to take. If I sat pondering why I decided to eat myself into size 24 jeans, I could pretend I was working on the problem while finishing off a gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream. I need the balance of contemplation and action to achieve the peace I do so love. The peace that comes from doing or not doing. The peace that ignores trying. A wonderful result of balance and peace is reveling in the big and small rewards along the way! The heady feeling of zipping up a pair of jeans 4 sizes smaller, the glorious comfort of actually fitting in the plane seat, feeling the thrumming steady, slower pulse rate during a workout, looking down and seeing your feet, not your belly, hearing the surprise in folk’s voices when they say, “Look at you!” It is an ongoing journey. I want to lose 30 more pounds, and the lessons I have learned are going with me, every step of the way!

I truly mean this with all of my heart--thank you! Thank you to the creators of the Challenge, my 5 teammates, and the gang at Curves. And thank you to all my friends who have used their precious time reading the blogs, responding to the blogs, clipping articles from the paper, asking how it was going and yelling out, “Hey, Skinny!” I needed your encouragement and help--you gave me your all!

The decision to lose weight comes from deep inside; however, the losing comes with loving support from the outside--so is the beauty of balance.

Eat Less. Do More.
- The Inner Yoda

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And proud of it! Not often we can say that.

At Curves early this morning, only three of us in the room working out and realizing we had lost an entire person among us. A person weighing 140 pounds, to be exact. My mind boggles at this accomplishment. One of the women has lost 70 pounds. She said it took her a long time, but she has also kept it off a long time. There she was, still committed to her workout routine. The perfect happening for me as this Challenge draws to a close. Soon the person we lost is going to weigh even more and I will be weighing even less! 

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Today at Curves an alert, shy little boy came in with Grandma who was inquiring about joining. He sat very quietly in his chair and watched us as we marched in place and worked the machines. Tilting his head and watching with bright eyes, you could just see all the thoughts running through his head and the surprise on his face as he gazed upon our gyrations. Then he slipped off his chair and started marching, too! Swinging his arms and just enjoying--the movement, the music, the marching. It hit me, once again, how much children learn by watching. Maybe the children’s obesity problem is one of these learned behaviors and maybe this “watching” could be one of the answers. This little guy could hardly contain himself--he wanted to march some more and he wanted to see how he could work those machines. No matter who we are, we are always setting an example.  This little one, with wonder in his eyes, enjoying the feel of his body working--this is an example to remember and cherish.

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I don’t know who thinks of these things, but it’s fun! A lucky penny is one you find on the ground, but is ONLY lucky if it is face up. Happy searching!

My “two cents"----Eat Less. Do More.

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A good time and a good flight. Now I am back and making up for the week. Good news, I didn’t gain any weight while gone, but didn’t lose any either. So I went to Curves this morning, did laundry, caught up on phone calls, etc and am now off to work. Cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it was to actually fit in the plane seat--no rolls falling out into the aisle and no hips on the other passenger’s seat. IT WAS GREAT!

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Like Sonya, one of my goals is to be a healthier family.  I want to lead by example with my girls.  This evening when we arrived at home, my youngest daughter wanted to go for a bike ride!  I was very tired, but felt this was important for us to do.  So away we went.  We just rode for about 30 minutes, but it was great to be out there riding with her.  Not only exercising, but talking as well.  So don’t give up, and grasp onto every little opportunity to spend quality time with your family! 

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I went for an hour long bike ride this morning and along the way, my 13 year old daughter rode with me on her way to school this morning.  We had about 25 min of mother/daughter time.  With my busy day that time was GOLDEN!  I had such a good time just riding and chatting with her.  She is a beautiful girl and I can see how quickly she is growing into a young lady.  She’s battling with her weight as much as I did when I was her age.  It’s my hope that I can be an inspiration to her to get the weight off early and not wait until she’s my age to get control of it.  I’m making sure there are healthy food options at home and having a healthy lifestyle. 

I’m down to 185 as of 5/14 and feeling like I’m 10 feet tall.  There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishing a goal.  Every time I get on the scale I have to get on and off to re-weigh myself because I just can’t believe it.  It’s not really a feeling of excitment that I feel...it’s more like...hmmm, how do I put it into words...It’s like “this is how I should have felt all of my life...this is how I should have maintained myself all of my life and I’m thankful now at 39 to be given another opportunity to live it.  Yes...that’s it.  I have more energy to live my life...to be more outgoing, to be more interactive with people and to have other people look and judge me NOT because of my being cute-faced overweight person but because of what I say and do and how I add value to things and people that I’m with.  :o)

Some people have asked me what I’ve been doing to loose the weight.  I eat only very lean proteins and low glycemic carbohydrates.

Example: Canned Tuna in water, Salmon, Egg Whites, Fat Free and Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Fruits/Veggies
Grapes,apples,oranges, grapefruits, pears
I drink 1 gallon of water per day (I know that sounds like a lot but I have a 1/2 gallon water jug that I got from Walmart and I just fill it 2x/day and I’m done) Sometimes I’ll add flavor to it with Crystal Lite or Calorie Free Green Tea

No Caffiene/no coffee
No Dairy products (milk/high fat cheeses)
No Bread or Grains

I do exercise 5-6x/week. Mostly cardio on my bike or walking for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at a moderate intensity… and light weight training 3x/week.

If this helps just one person...then I’m happy share my journey to bring someone else along with me....:o)

Have a great day everyone!!!

Sonya

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It’s an amazing thing, but true--I made it to Curves this morning--through the rain and cold to a place which had a few more machines than I have worked before. Sometimes I think it looks like a torture chamber; however, it doesn’t feel like torture and it works its magic! Last night I ate asparagus and a sweet potato instead of salad. Could not face another leaf of lettuce. So, over all, so far so good. Of course, it helps when people are so amazed at the difference. I admit, I am loving it!

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As I meet up with many old friends, I am also eating lots of salad. Seems as if one way to spend time with lots of folks at once is over a meal while enjoying the company. Who knew there were so many different kinds of greens?! Called about the hours at Curves and since they open nice and early, I will be heading out that way in the morning.It is great fun to see all my Ohio friends plus the rain and green grass, too.

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Tomorrow I will be winging my way to Ohio for a short visit--couldn’t resist the cheapo flight. I have in my possession a visitor pass so I can still hit Curves while I am there! Now this is really a first--planning on how to exercise and stay on my program. It is mind boggling. I WILL NOT eat my way through this visit. No try, just do.

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Just a quick note to say “Happy Mother’s Day”.  Our get together walk/run was cancelled due to the lovely smoke in the air.  I was looking forward to seeing everybody.  Hopefully we can get together soon.  I’ve lost one more pound.  I have not been exercising as much this week due to end of the year band concerts, meetings, etc.  The same going on next week.  Every night we are out until 8:30-9:00 p.m.  After next week things will slow down a bit.  I will be able to get on a better schedule.  The amazing thing is that I miss it!  Never thought I would say that!  Ladies, I can’t wait to “plant” our clothes garden!”

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Yesterday was my day off from work and I spent the day getting ready for a date with a Tall, Dark and Hansome Man...My husband, Ernest. :o)

A few hours in the beauty shop getting my hair washed and off to the mall for a new outfit.  I started out at Macys and couldn’t find anything that I liked.  My taste seems to be much more conservative than the current trends.  So, I wandered over to what used to be my favorate plus-sizes store—Ashley Stewart.  It caters to 14w-30w sizes.  I tried on a few outfits only to find that ALL of the outfits were ill fitting and too big.  wow what a great feeling.  So I went over to Dillards and tried on a few linen outfits and had the best time that I’ve had in a long time trying on clothes.

Later that evening, hubby and I went to see Earth, Wind and Fire in concert.  It was their BEST performance yet!  We had a great time and then went to dinner at GrillSmith. 

Hubby was very complimentary to my new outfit and my weight loss progress.  Such a great feeling!!!  I’m even more motivated to kick off these next 30 lbs.  I can see it and feel it!!!

Sonya

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