First let me apologize for being away for so long. I think my last post was the beginning of Jan but now I am back and ready to fill you in on the last 14 weeks. A lot of things have happened with the kids and I'm happy to catch you up...later. This post is about me and where I have been.
A friend that I normally work out with approached me in Dec and asked if I would like to be on a team of 4 women and participate in a body fat challenge. There were tons of rules but ultimately, it wasn't about pounds lost but BODY FAT lost...2 completely different things. The first thing I said was..."Is this because I have the most to lose?"
It is no secret that after three children, running a business, being what seems like a million miles away from family, keeping my household together and running properly, I have put on weight. I would work out and do real well and then Jeff's schedule would change and I wouldn't be able to do anything for 6 months again. I didn't ponder long on Tracy's question and said I would do it. I then had a little sit down with Jeffrey.
All I asked for was 12 weeks. I don't ask for much and I felt that he could give me, and owed me, 12 weeks to do this. Filling out the paperwork for the challenge brought something to light for me. I always knew it but it was different seeing it on paper. My biggest obstacle is...My husband. His cooking, his schedule, his freedom to do whatever he wanted and me pushed aside, my having to do lots of things on my own. I knew it but didn't want to admit it. At any rate, he agreed and we were off!!!
On Jan 7, my team...The Fat Bottom Girls...met at our gym and got weighed, measured, humiliating pictures taken, and body fat calculated. Every Sunday for the next 12 weeks, we met at 8:00 and got weighed and measured. Body fat was only done twice.. The very beginning and the very end...March 31. Yes, weight and inches meant that you were ultimately going in the right direction but this was a body fat challenge. Who knew how that was going to end up.
I worked my ass off for 12 solid weeks. My children were sick, Jeff was sick twice, I was hurt for a week, life was crazy. Twelve weeks is a long time for life to happen but we learned to encourage each other and get back on the horse. In Feb, I participated in my first 5 mile run since high school. Seems silly but my goal was to finish the 5 mile before my girlfriend (an avid runner and not on my team) finished the 10 mile. I did that by 35 minutes and finished the race in just under and hour. Couldn't believe it. It wasn't pretty but I did it!!!
For six weeks of the challenge, we had a team member down because of surgery on her feet. I first thought that we were for sure going to lose the team challenge so it was all about the individual for the rest of us. I would call Tom..my step dad...every morning on my way to the gym because he is 3 hours ahead of me and the only one awake at such an ungodly hour. He was a HUGE part of my team although I don't think he knew it. He encouraged me all the way but was always the first one to call me crazy. My response was always...If I'm not going to win it, I'm going to come pretty f***ing close.
I would call my dad on Sundays and he wanted to know if I dropped below the yellow line. My mom couldn't believe every week that pounds and inches were coming off. One week I had a seven inch loss!!! Every week my team would plug away. I never knew I could sweat like that and I learned about and felt muscles I forgot existed. Before we knew it, March 30th was upon us. We started as a team and we ended as one.
Tracy lost 10% body fat. HOLY CRAP!!! I thought...just give me half of that!!! Julie lost 10% body fat. Michelle (with the foot surgery) lost 5.2% body fat. I lost 11.68% body fat!!! I jumped, I screamed, my team freaked out!!! I lost 21 pounds and 21 inches. I cried all the way home. I couldn't even speak when I called my Mom and Tom. Everyone that knew this was happening for me called that day and I cried every time. I never dreamt that I could lose such a big percentage in 12 weeks. I tear up thinking about it. I did it!!! I thought the competitor in me was gone. I tried before and was never successful. I DID IT!!!
A week later were the awards. There were 7 teams total. Twenty eight people started the competition, 24 people finished. There were 3 or 4 men and the rest women. All week was a stress because it came down to a .05% difference between first and second place. No one from the gym was saying anything but everyone outside who participated was trying to figure it out. AAAGGGG!!! I needed first or third. Not second. I didn't want to lose by such a small number. My team wanted this and we wanted it badly. We lost sleep and hours trying to figure this out. It was our entire focus for the week. We knew how we did individually but not compared to the other teams. We couldn't wait to get there and find out!!!
After showing the numbers of all the teams combined, pounds lost, pounds of fat lost, body fat percentage lost, the individual awards were given out. OH MY GOD!!!! Never in a million billion years could I have imagined that in a group of 24 people, all of whom now look incredible and I watched how hard they all worked, never could I imagine that I could have won the entire thing. I was so focused on my team's place that the thought never entered my mind. The posterboard was flipped when they announced that there was a three-way tie for first individually and my name was on it!!! OMG!!! Are you freaking kidding me??? I just won the entire thing!!! Three of us tied for first and I was one of them!!! The flood gates opened. I sat in front of a group of 23 other people who worked so hard for this and cried. I came away the BIGGEST LOSER!!! I couldn't breathe and I couldn't believe it.
After I regained my composure, the board was flipped again to reveal that my team tied for first in the group competition as well. YEAH FAT BOTTOM GIRLS!!! We did it!!! We worked hard, we set our minds to it and we did it!!!
We were showered with lots of prizes ranging from healthy food and drinks, tanning, massages, clothing, you name it! You know, you grow up and you strive to fit in and not be called a loser. I have never worked so hard in my adult life and I wear the BIGGEST LOSER title with the utmost pride. I apologize to everyone I talked to that day because I was crying so hard I couldn't speak anything recognizable.
The twist in the end??? We are going another 12 weeks. Here's to part II.
Just when you think it's over, you realize you are only halfway there. Bring it on!!!!
PS...As soon as I get my before picture from the gym, I'll post photos!!!
