July 17, 2008

11 down and 1 to go

Keith Waterhouse

I just can not believe it.  11 weeks have flown by. 

Lori and Dennis, I love the attitudes.  I am not where I want to be as well.  I have make great strides and I am happy but not satisfied yet.  I will be adding a few more carbs back to the diet for more energy.  I must confess I am a little tired dieting and working this hard this long. 

I just can not say enough great things about Fitness Together Mtn Brook and my trainer Christian Crocker.  He has been encouraging yet demanding.  He is wise beyond his years and just a pleasure to work with and learn from.

I can’t wait to see everyone at the final party. 

American Heart Association Walk 8-23-2008?

Leah Hassard

Count me in on the walk. Beth,it’s a great idea. The Heart Walk is 8/23/2008 at Regions Park. This has been a great experience and I’m sad it’s almost over. I still have a long way to go to reach my goal but I see the light at the end of a very long tunnel. Ten weeks ago that wasn’t the case.I do have to say it’s a beautiful thing to put on your clothes and they are just way to big. Look forward to seeing everyone soon. Are we wearing workout clothes to our party? Dress attire? Any ideas? Ladies..... 

Surprised

Dennis Carver

Lori, I too, will not reach my weight loss goal. But like you, I am not upset over this goal. I will reach it shortly and over the next several months I will reach my long term goal of a weight loss of 105 lbs. What has been a major surprise to me is my endurance and my gain in strength. I never thought I could go over three miles and burn up over 700 calories in one workout. I never thought I would workout until I was a “good” sore, but I am doing that and more.It is now a “burn” and not a “pain” !  I know that as I lose more weight my knees and feet will feel much better too. I still have a lot of weight on my legs. And oh yes, I finally had to buy that new belt !!!!!!! Looking forward to the Birmingham Loser party.

July 15, 2008

No Regrets

Lori White

I had a revelation yesterday during my interview taping.  I was asked if I had lost as much weight as I had wanted during this twelve weeks.  The answer was NO.  When I began this program I needed to lose close to 60 pounds to reach my goal weight.  I knew that was an unrealistic goal for twelve weeks so I decided to cut that in half and shoot for 30.  As of my last weigh-in I have lost 20 pounds and with only a few days left in the contest I don’t think I will quite make it to my goal.  What surprised me was that I did not feel regret for not accomplishing my goal.  Usually I would have been devastated.  There are a few things that are keeping me from feeling let down.  First of all, I know that I did everything that I possibly could to make my experience a success.  I worked out every opportunity that I could squeeze into my day and I followed the diet without 1 slip.  I’m not bragging about my determination or willpower. I just wanted this time to be different.  I wanted to do my own “scientific experiment” to see if this approach would really work.  This brings me to the second reason I don’t feel down.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it works.  By making healthy eating and exercise part of my daily routine, it is just a matter of time before I reach my goal weight.  By making them part of my lifestyle, I will be able to maintain a healthy weight for the rest of my life.  The final and most important reason I am content with not reaching my weight loss goal is that I gained so much more from this experience than a lower number on the scale.  The things I have learned have been very empowering.  For the first time I feel that I have control over my body. 

Thank you so much Fitness Together and Healthy Connections.  This has been a life changing experience.

July 14, 2008

Let’s Do It!

Beth Gregory

September sounds Great!  I think a reunion would help keep us motivated!  Lori work on the details!  Dennis if you get info on any events you can let us know as well!  Hey, I am up for more than just one! We can exchange email addresses on our final weigh in so we can keep in touch!
Does anyone know how this competition is going to end?  Are we going to do our physical fitness test before hand or in front of each other?  What do they have planned for us?