Email written to all staff during the last week of our Biggest Loser competition. Jim (referenced in the end of the email) came in first place. I came in second.
Hello everyone! In our last week of the Biggest Loser competition, I want to share with you a few things I’ve learned in this experience.
1. It’s never too late to start
This competition may be coming to a close, but my weight loss journey is still in its beginning stages. I’m quite a ways from my goal weight, and I’m still figuring out what works for me and what doesn’t. When I started working a desk job instead of walking to classes, it got really easy to gain weight. I knew I wanted to change something, but I kept putting it off. Now, since I started eating right (I quit the exercising a while ago…), I have felt so much more energized, more confident, and more like myself. If that’s a change you want to make, don’t wait until next month or next week or even tomorrow; just start!
2. Find what works for you
For a while I was going to Fitness US for bootcamp at 6 in the morning. I would get up around 4:45, drive down from Crestview, work out, grab breakfast at Tango 3 (Jim Wilder makes great scrambled eggs), and then shower at the church before work. While this schedule was technically possible, it’s not what worked for me. I love bootcamp, and I love being so productive in the mornings, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m just not a morning person. When my friends were done with Whole30, I decided to stick with it and go Paleo. I may not be able to make it to the gym at 6:00 in the morning, but I can handle watching what I eat. I still eat out pretty regularly because my lifestyle necessitates it, and I don’t have time for regular meal prep or grocery shopping, but I’ve found a system that works for me, and yields results I can be proud of.
Maybe a 6:00 am bootcamp is perfect for you, and maybe it isn’t. Whatever works for you, stick with it, and don’t be afraid to try something different.
3. Be willing to start over
Sometimes I slip up. I had a week where I gained weight instead of losing it, and I was so discouraged. What I realized the next week, though, is that there is no shame in starting over. Beating myself up over gaining back some weight was not going to help me lose it; I just needed to start again!
Find some encouragers, an accountability team, and a system that works for you, and don’t get discouraged when you need to start over. Progress is progress, no matter how small.
If you’ve made it this far in this very long email, thank you so much for reading! Congratulations to everyone on your progress; be proud of yourself!
Now I know this isn’t the point, but… let’s all pray I’ve had a good enough week to beat Jim!