Losing to Gain....Who won?

Well honestly I've kinda put off writing this post. But inquiring minds keep asking so I will oblige as promised.

Some of y'all have been with us from the beginning of this journey.

Remember this?

It seems like a lifetime ago to me.  For so many reasons.

What started out as challenge that I wanted to win for selfish reasons has turned into something that means so much more to me than winning a beach trip.  So much more to me than looking nice in my mother of the bride dress.  So much more than being "skinny". 

When we embarked on this this journey we wanted a name to reflect what we were striving for...

losing to gain.  Losing weight in order to gain other virtues...feeling better about ourselves, getting healthy, self control, etc. etc. etc....

It sounded good and yes I knew those things were good but in the beginning what I really wanted most was to look better....to fit in my old clothes. To not look like I was 5 months pregnant.   To not have a double chin and chipmunk cheeks in every picture I  saw of myself.. All those things most ladies desire if we're honest. 

But somewhere along the way, my desires shifted. My aim changed. And my resolve grew stronger.

I don't know if it was the sobering fact of all the emails, texts and calls from y'all telling me y'all were inspired to join in and do the same  or if I was God working in my vain and prideful heart.  Probably both.  But I realized what a responsibility I had to make the right choices.  To take this serious.  That y'all were watching and ~gulp~ some of you were doing as we were. yikes.   Such a huge slap in my face that this is our everyday as believers...we should we living in such a way that others watch us and if they do what we do, it will lead them closer to Christ.   To be a "pattern" for others as Paul states in Philippians 3:17 and to able to boldly say "imitate me as I imitate Christ." Corinthians 11:1

With so many responses from y'all this became a huge wake up call of what I was doing with my sphere of influence I've been given.  And we all have one...you have one too.  It may be your pre-schoolers, or your co-workers or your spouse but someone is always watching us.  And they are  learning to do what we do in making choices and handling life.

So this went from a temporal competition with my girls, talking smack and all that stuff to a huge spiritual journey with eternal lessons for me.  

And for that,  I'm so grateful.

Losing to gain.

What I've lost:

28 pounds 

3 pant sizes

countless inches

 (I forgot to measure in the beginning.  bummer)

What I've gained:

self control!!

I became a RUNNER! 

I broke free from food bondage

(food is no longer what I turn to when I'm bored, depressed or happy.  

That is a whole other post in itself)

Discipline

Confidence

learned how to cook food that is delicious yet healthy

gosh....I could go on and on

It stopped being about winning the contest about 8 weeks in. I didn't really care about winning because as cliche as it sounds, I had already won. I've had personal food victories that wouldn't even make sense to y'all if I tried to explain it...But for me it was huge.  

Like discovering that I can say no to food and it not drive me crazy still desiring it.  But that I can also say yes to food and it not drive me crazy beating myself up that I ate it!  Discovering, as a dear friend put it so perfectly when she said to me,"learning that everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial." 

But enough of all my talk talk talk....I know y'all want to get down to the neety greety..

WHO won?!!

 Me!!

The 42 year old grandma beat the bride, the newlywed and the baby lady.

 The before pic  was taken the day we started on April 15th.

The after pic was taken about 3 weeks ago in a t-shirt that was designed and given to me by a sweet girl  about a year or so ago... but I could never fit in it to take a pic and thank her.  (victory!)

But Nick likes identical before and after pics.  So here's me in the same shirt almost 30 lbs lighter.

All three of my girls worked really hard during the challenge and we all had obstacles along the way. I 'm proud of all us.

 Lauren was nipping at my heels the entire time and she lost about 18 pounds.  I wish I could share pics of her face beaming the day we went to have her wedding gown fitted.  You will just have to wait to see her hard work on her wedding day.  Which is less than 3 weeks away!! Say What?!?!

As far as the beach trip.  I forfeited it for a new pair of expensive running shoes.

(71 was the number of miles I ran last month)

But don't feel sad for me because of no beach trip...

I have something even better coming up that I will tell you about soon.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who have cheered me and my girls on during this adventure.  I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. 

For me, the adventure isn't over...

It's only just begun.