19 Ounces...

I started this past week (my weeks run from Tuesday to Monday now, because of Monday night being judgment time on the scales every week) needing 9.8 pounds to reach the 100-pound mark in my weight loss journey. I knew that it would take me two weeks to knock out 9.8 pounds, and, while I did my best this week with every aspect of my program, I had expected to get 5, maybe 5.5 of it this week, leaving myself a 4.5 pound "putt" for next week.

 

I was wrong. I had 8.6 pounds this week, putting me at 98.8 pounds. That's 1.2 pounds away. 1.2 pounds. 1.2 pounds is roughly 19 ounces. Once I announced how close I was, everyone started chiming in with "you should've"'s... "you should've gone to the bathroom again"... "you should've taken your shoes off" (I always weigh in my shoes, because they had me weigh in my shoes at the TV studio on November 2nd)...  I think someone suggested that I chop off an arm...

 

So I've left myself a very short putt to get to 100 pounds lost - a tap-in, if you will. And for some reason, I'm nervous about it. I've not had a weigh-in that low yet; I'm not stuck on a plateau right now; there's no reason to think that I will be kicking myself instead of celebrating next Monday night. But you never know - nothing is a given when you are dealing with weight loss.

 

One of the privileges I have had during this competition is the opportunity to pick the brains of two people who not only have been down this Augusta's Biggest Loser road, but who were the very first to finish this journey as winners - Skip Braswell and Kristy Youngblood, the season one male and female winners. Skip wrote me today, and I include it here because I want his message to be a permanent part of my recollection of this week:

 

"Next weigh in will be a day you remember for the rest of your life...There is something special about hitting that 100 pound mark. Keep it up brother you are doing great...I am so proud of you."

 

And this, from Kristy, was one I received a couple of weeks ago:

 

"You are doing AMAZING THINGS...focus on HIM and not on things of this world and He will drive you through...remember 'I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me!!!!' Love ya BIG...Keep it up...almost there!"

 

If they can come, Skip and Kristy are on my invite-to-the-finale list, because encouragement and effort work hand-in-hand to produce excellence.