Wendy's Wonderings

I'm a Loser...

At least, I hope to be.

I am sorry I have been M.I.A. for awhile. Things have been busy here. Our school will be wrapping up in a few weeks. My target date is July 15th. This allows "Little Mark" time for camp, Boys with Courage, and both of us time for VBS. ;-) I love the flexibility of homeschooling. ;-)

I did something on Wednesday I didn't think I would ever do. I became a "Loser." I hope to be anyway. For those of you who remember I was dieting, and losing weight, awhile back. I actually lost 45 lbs. in about 6 months.

Well, it has taken me 1 1/2 years to gain back that 45 lbs. No more, but exactly the same 45 lbs. (for me that is a miracle. I usually gain back the lost weight and more.)

How did I come to this decision, you ask? I was TRICKED, tricked I tell you!!

OK, maybe not "tricked", but it was definitely not my initial idea. :-) Here is how it happened: A couple of weeks ago "Little Mark" and I were doing Health, and he was learning how to figure up the daily calorie intake, and how many of the calories should be fat, etc; he mentioned how he really needed/wanted to eat healthier and get back on his diet. We discussed it for awhile and then he made the comment, "I wish they would have Biggest Loser for kids, I would join that."

The very next day we attended the closing day of "Walk Across Texas." Our 4-H club won first place in the state. :-) Then, the Extension Agent said, "Beginning June 1st we will have a 'Biggest Loser Contest' for the entire county."

You should have seen the look on "Little Mark's" face. ;-) He said, "Can we do it?"

Did you catch that "we" part? Yeah, me too. So, I said, "Let me look into it."

I checked into it and you have to be 18 to participate. He was disappointed. HOWEVER, the Extension Agent likes "Little Mark" and said "if you do it then we can weigh him 'unofficially', and he can still participate. He won't have to pay the $20 entrance fee, and he can't win any money, but he can participate unofficially."

Did I mention there was a monetary prize? Yes, the top 3 losers split the money. :-)

SO, I paid my $20 and did my weigh-in. I am right back where I started 2 years ago. So, I am considering this a "clean slate." I really had a hard time weighing in front of someone else, but I "sucked it up" and did it. "Little Mark" weighed in, and was promised that after the final weigh-in, in September, if he ties, or beats, any of the top three slots we will buy him a really nice prize, or give him cash. We'll see which.

SO, "Little Mark" and I are aiming to be "Losers."

Weigh-in days are on Friday. Since we did our initial weigh-in on Wednesday, we went ahead and weighed on Friday. As of that time I have lost 2 lbs, and "Little Mark" has lost 1 lb.

It's a start. :-)

"Little Mark" and I sat down and discussed how we wanted to approach this new endeavor. We have decided NOT to do the Fat Smash Diet again. Instead, we have decided to be realistic, and just admit "We like to eat!" We want real food, and to not be denied.

So, game plan is the following: We have cut our portions. We eat on small, salad plates, and keep it at one serving. We have increased our water intake, and cut out sodas. No eating after 8:00 pm. We also checked out the "Hungry Girl" cookbooks, and we are choosing recipes and making a menu. I believe "Hungry Girl" may become my new best friend. :-) Have you seen her recipes? They sound YUMMY. ;-)

The rest of the family has said they will also be participating "unofficially", so it will help. "Little Mark" and I have agreed to be each others "accountability" partners, and he is TOUGH. I have decided to post my results here each Friday, as I did before. That really helped. I will also post or link to any recipes we use that we really like, just in case you might like to try it. :-)

We are still going to the gym, which I think is one reason I haven't gained back more than the initial 45 lbs. We enjoy that. :-) So, between our game plan and exercise, I think we will be okay.

Please, pray for us. :-) We're going to need it. ;-)

Love,
Wendy Darling