A £1 for a lb

Hello everyone

So this is the New Year, entering its third week, by now the majority of us will have broken our New Years resolutions.

This year I have elected to try something different though.

Previous years have been setting targets for weight loss, electing to cut out various foods and so on. Why? It’s just a way of creating pressure for yourself that makes the task that bit harder, because the minute you feel yourself slip, you generally decide to give up completely.  So I did make a New Years resolution to be happy, think positive and laugh a lot more. The only pressure I now have is not to put myself down, to be the old happy, fun loving me without the targets that I’ve dreamed of and pained over never reaching for the last 10 years.  That was how the year started in my mind, but then a challenge came my way which I just couldn’t refuse.

First day back to work was 6th January, three relatively thin women, all desperate to lose an amount of weight that makes me wonder how they call themselves fat, I have more just on my chins.  It was agreed that I could join their challenge, though to be fair I would have to lose a larger amount as I was almost double their sizes.

The system was that we would all pay a £1 fine for each pound gained per weekly weigh up; the first to hit their target scooped the pot.  We based the weights on the smallest woman who wished to lose 7lbs, with me being double her weight exactly and chasing for 14lbs.  I was confident, 2 weeks away from the gym, indulging in rich food and drink, I was carrying 4lbs more than normal and eager. The first weigh in was a tense moment, shoes and boots came off as the smallest of us stepped on the scales, 2lb down.  Then the next 1lb down.  The third woman stood upon the scale questioning her jewellery, after the scales showed her 2lb heavier she stripped off her cardigan and various jingly jangly bits and managed to break even.  Then the cuddly one of us stepped up to the scales, up popped the numbers, 9lb lost in my first week.  You could see the faces as they all commented about that would be all they wanted to lose and that would be enough.  It was just the positive start that I needed, and I made myself laugh at their comments and it made me feel happy that I was going the right way.  Everything that I had included as part of my New Years resolution.

The last weekend arrived and I spent it with friends tucking into a Chinese meal followed by Lemon Cheesecake, with no guilt.  It wasn’t a regular thing, I wasn’t going to ban myself from enjoying the occasional delicious meal and most of all I knew I was working hard in the gym, enjoying meeting the other members and feeling that life was good, I excitedly anticipate the next weigh in, the three women are already making excuses for why they may not have lost.  For me there is no pressure, for I’m not going to let it worry me.  With positive thought, self belief and a bit of hard work it may happen, but if not I’ve still my whole life in front of me and in truth there’s a lot more important things to worry yourself silly about in this world.  Don’t you agree?

If you’ve made a New Years resolution to do with health, dieting, self confidence or anything else tell us all how you are getting on, its great to receive moral support from others and more importantly get that confidence boost that you deserve. If only for making an effort.