Happy Holidays Ahead!

I am predicting a happy holiday season for me, especially if I can maintain this weight loss. I have been amazed at what the last two weeks have brought me, considering that two weeks ago we had Thanksgiving and last week we had the first of many Holiday Parties, and by some Miracle I have still been able to lose weight. The fact my weight loss over the past two weeks has dramatically exceeded my expectations is adding to my Christmas Spirit in an amazing way. I feel like George Bailey, I want to run down the middle of the street screaming "Merry Christmas Everybody! I lost 3 pounds this week, Merry Christmas TO ME!"

Last week I put in an application to participate in a local weight loss/fitness challenge. I am not sure how long they have been doing it, but last year "Utah Valley Magazine" picked 5 local people and gave them each a trainer for a year. We happened to get a copy of the magazine this last month and in it I read about the final results for each of the contestants. At the end of that article there was a request for entries/contestants for the 2010 challenge. I mulled it over for a few days and then I picked the magazine up again and realized that it wasn't even my magazine- it was my neighbors and it had been delivered to our house by mistake and I thought "Kate, the stars aligned to get you this information, this chance, you have to at least try". And so I did. Last week I put in my entry. I explained my case- that no I am not Obese, but I am Overweight and I need help. Now I guess I sit and wait to see if they ever let me know if I am in or not. I have had some good laughs this week as I have realized that I am losing a good amount of weight on my own. I told them in my entry that this year I realized that my body seems to "Like" to weigh 202 pounds but I don't like that, and so I have been trying on my own the entire year, yet all I have seemed to do is consistently lose, then gain, then lose again, the same 15 pounds. I explained that as of the time I submitted my entry I weighed 187.2 pounds. The reason I have been laughing is that I seem to have over come that 15 pound limit. This week I lost 3.2 pounds bringing me to 18 pounds lost, and I feel really good about the next few weeks and months, if I can continue to lose, even just 1 to 1.5 pounds per week over the next few weeks I could be below 180 before I even hear if I was selected or not- it is really a catch-22, I could pig out, gain some weight back and be a better candidate for selection, or I could keep going on my own, possibly get picked and have only 25 pounds left to go, would they reconsider picking me if I lost too much weight on my own? I decided that what happens is what is supposed to happen, if I get picked and I quickly meet my goal weight in a few months, maybe I can talk the trainer into helping me get really toned! If I don't get picked, I still know that I can do it on my own, it may take a little longer, but I have a new confidence in my self and my abilities.

I have also been baffled the past two weeks, because I have been losing good amounts of weight by doing less strenuous exercises, walking instead of running and focusing a lot on getting some good stretching in before and after each workout. I have a theory, that my body gets used to the same workout and so when I realize that I am not losing consistently I should just switch it up a bit and jump start my body again.

I am excited. I am happy, super happy. I am proud that I didn't give up when it hurt and when things just didn't seem to be going my way. The grass is greener, on the other side of the hill, and if I just keep going, keep trudging along, I will eventually get there.