On weight Loss Smackdown.

63lbs in 9 months. It’s the reason I have been getting stopped in the street by people to ask, how?  ”Did you have a procedure?” Nope.  “What program did you use?” I didn’t.  “You look healthier, what are you doing?” S&S baby (sweat and sacrifice). No miracle plans, procedures or programs – I just get by with a little help from my friends.

In February my sister-in-law Christine and I pondered the idea of a weight loss contest similar to that of The Biggest Loser from TV.  Each person gives a $10 buy-in (which became the prize money) and the person who loses the most (as a percentage of their total weight) in 2 months, wins! We recruited from our family, friends and co-workers and opened a Facebook group to communicate. That was 3 contests ago, number 4 currently in progress.  Last round we lost 181lbs and current contest to date, we have lost 156lbs as a group. My co-captain Christine alone has lost 83lbs since starting.

I think a key to our success has been our Facebook page. It has become the forum on which we support each other. We ‘weigh in’ once a week and then put up the standings to help stay focused and competitive. We have a photo album to post pictures of what is motivating us to make this change; old photos of ourselves, a wedding dress or clothes we have shrunk out of during the contests. A few of us have declaration documents to share why we need this change or a personal mission statement.   

When we need to share our successes or our frustrations, we post it on our page. We have people in different stages of their journey so if one of us feels stuck; there are others who have been there to provide advice or support.  We post recipes, news articles, motivational statements and health/exercise tips. We even post our strategies to win. Yes it’s a contest but we feel it is more important to support and help each other make permanent lifestyle changes.  

Christine and I July 2010

Christine and I Halloween 2011

My way was through portion control, calorie counting (for the first 3 months with an app on my i-touch) and exercise exercise exercise! Calorie counting was an eye opener because I didn’t realise what was in some of the foods I considered healthy!  I had small success previous but it seems I needed the “Weight Loss Smackdown” group to give me the pat on the back or the kick in the pants to keep me on track. 

So thank you fellow Smackdowers! For input and support through this journey-couldn't have done it without a little help from my friends.