Reflections On The Daily Grind...

It's been a few days since I've written anything at all, much less anything substantial or profound.

We are getting ever closer to the end of Augusta's Biggest Loser - as of this writing on April 7, there are only 38 days until the finale, which means there are only about 36 days left in which to lose weight for the competition. Thanks to an increase of .8 pounds this week, I still have 24 pounds to go to get to my goal of having lost 140, and 26.1 to get to my ancillary goal of getting under 200 lbs. I've not had too many diet changes, but I met with Donna and Savannah, and we together decided that I would probably benefit now from a major change in the way I've been eating. I haven't been doing anything "wrong", but my body is used to what I have been eating, and it's time to shake things up.

I've been injured again - I was running outside Saturday morning, and I messed up my back. Whether it was the jarring motion or just plain old pinched nerve, it's been bad. Really couldn't get much work done in the gym from Saturday until this morning (Wednesday). Worked up a good sweat this morning, though. Now if I can only get caught up on my sleep... and that will be difficult. It's Masters' week, and I am shuttling my kids to and from an overnight shift making those world-famous pimento cheese (yuck!) sandwiches for the tournament.

I think everyone is aware that we are tired, we are sore, we are stressed, and we are about ready for this process to be over with. Everyone seems to have started getting cranky and sore within the last 2 or 3 weeks. This has been a pretty intense ordeal, but it really has gone by fairly quickly just as Kristy told me it would.

I read something last night that made me appreciate even more the work that we are doing. I saw an interview with Kai Hibbard, a THE Biggest Loser runner-up from season 3, I think. Supposedly the show has cleaned up its act, but Kai told a reporter that while pushing the virtues of diet, exercise, and moderation to the public, behind the scenes at the show was another story. She tells tales of severe dehydration, working out while wearing plastic bags underneath workout clothes, and other unhealthy means of reaching those gaudy, double-digit weight losses. We have been on some odd food plans at times - not for quick weight loss, but to jump-start our metabolism and get things moving again. Some of our contestants have spent a little time in the sauna or steam room, but for short periods of time, and usually with very little to show for it. Our exercise has been intense, but not severe, and usually no more than a couple hours per day (anything past an hour is voluntary). A normal person following a sensible diet and doing a little exercise is going to lose one or two pounds a week, on average; on the TV show, men and women alike are pining for "double digits". Three of us now have lost over 100 pounds in less than 6 months, the same amount of time that a dieter could expect to lose from 25-50 pounds. Well done, everyone!

I will continue on the path of learning to make healthy choices with my life, but I have to admit... I am SO ready for the competition part to be over with!