I guess in the past I never really tried to lose weight. For around the past 10 years, my weight fluxuated between a 10lb margin. Just like the fat Gwyneth Paltrow in Shallow Hal (sorry if this seems random, but I just watched it yesterday) I figured, it didn't really matter what I ate, because I never really seemed to gain any weight. So, about 16 months ago, a weight loss challenge was started at my job. Being about (nix that, I am) 100lbs overweight, it was a no brainer for me to join in. The cost was $20 to join, weekly weigh-ins for 8 weeks. If you gained weight during a week you had to pay a dollar into the pot and the winner took home the entire pot.
Is it sad how much the money motivated me?!? At about the 4 week mark, I was down about 15lbs. I didn't really know how anyone else was doing, because frankly, I don't think I wanted to know. If I was doing poorly, I didn't want to get discouraged and give up. If I was doing great, I didn't want to slack off. I kept hearing random people telling me I was doing great, and not until around week 6 did I hear I was in the lead. I have to admit, it felt really great to have people compliment me and tell me they could tell I had lost some weight. By the start of the final week I had lost around 21lb. I really wanted to push myself that last week to get my overall weightloss to 25lb. I did it! It felt great! I started out at a size 20 snug fitting jeans. I had some old, but brand new never worn, jeans in a drawer because they were size 18 and I couldn't even get them above my butt. Those jeans fit perfectly at the end of the weightloss challenge.
After the challenge ended, I did what anyone trying to lose weight should NEVER do, I rewarded myself with food. I was going to be leaving for vacation a week after the challenge ended, and decided to go on a break for a couple weeks until I returned from vacation. I told myself I would start the diet back up as soon as I returned. I didn't! At first, it was ok. I maintained my 25lb weightloss (for the most part), up until this past Spring, when the weight slowly started creeping back up. About a month ago, I was only 10lbs away from my original starting weight and decided I have to start back up now, or I never will! I did! I slowly started losing again, losing 8lbs in 3 1/2 weeks. I then went on vacation, but I didn't tell myself I was going on a break from the diet. I didn't restrict myself, but I didn't over indulge either. I gained about 2lbs while on vacation, which ended 4 days ago. I already had a plan set to start back up on my diet, when I found this site.
I am so excited, just as much as I was when I started the weightloss challenge at work. Clearly money is a big motivator for me. I joined a DB10 only minutes after looking through the site. I can't wait to meet all of the goals! I know there is a possiblity of coming out with more money than I put it, but I am just hoping to get back what I put in. That way, at the end of this, I can go out with that money and buy myself some new clothes, because I fully expect to have loose fitting clothing by the end of the 6 months!
I am looking forward to meeting people and hoping to find some additional motivation here, other than the money!