The Fruit Basket (We're all in this together)!

So, I just finished watching "The Biggest Loser" and I have to say it's just like watching Rocky Balboa...when the show is finished you feel pumped and ready to take on the world! This is a show that I used to tune into occasionally, but not one that I've followed from start to finish (which I plan to do this season). In the past, it's been more for entertainment and curiosity. I think I have even devoured ice cream while watching it once, haha!

Fast forward to now, and it was extremely painful for me to watch. One reason being that I was only 50 pounds away from one of the women on there (granted she was the lightest). I may not weigh what these contestants weigh, but bear in mind that I'm vertically challenged and I don't HAVE to weigh over 200 pounds to be obese. I was shaped like some of these contestants, just a smaller scale. But all of the rolls and stretch marks and flab were in all of the appropriate locations if you follow my drift. I actually got choked up when some of the girls weighed in, in front of their family and peers. It was heart-wrenching to watch one girl, Sunshine, weigh in, cover her face and dissolve into sobs. That was me not too long ago when I was on the scale. And that was in the privacy of my own bathroom, instead of on national television in a sports bra and spandex capris for all the world to see. Perhaps that is why I felt some connection to this particular girl. I may not be a household name, but all of the people who matter to ME are seeing me fight this battle and are realizing a whole new side of me. Sometimes it's more difficult to bare your soul to the people you know, rather than to someone you know you'll never see again. I remember a shallower Julie who used to poke fun at these people and I cringed as I realized, "What if people have muttered that about me?" Not just strangers, but perhaps friends or family. It wouldn't surprise me if there has been hush-hush conversation with sentences sounding like "Dang, what is the deal with Julie piling on the weight!"

Anyway, back to the point, my thoughts and feelings were resonating with many of those contestants, as well as their reasons for wanting to lose the weight. It was very inspiring to watch the show, because I feel like I'm going through the same journey as they are. It would be ideal take a sabbatical from your career, have ultra-healthy food was prepared for you, utilize some of the nation's top personal trainers, work your butt out for several hours day, and basically live in total isolation from the outside world. No wonder these contestants are dropping at least 10 pounds a show. However, is that the real world? No. In writing this blog, I've realized weight loss isn't just about "cutting back more and exercising." It's about facing your demons, and confronting them face to face each and every day and making that CHOICE.

Today my demon was an office party. Fortunately, there was relatively healthy food there. However, there were potato chips and chocolate cake. And if you've ever had cake prepared by one of my co-workers, she makes a mean dessert. I was proud of myself...I had maybe five chips with just a tiny little dollop of dip and a small piece of cake, which I ate slowly and savored every delectable bite. I probably had more black olives than I needed, but those have the healthy fats in them, right? At least that's what I'm going with. For dinner, I made a chicken pot pie and I ate a smaller portion of it without going back for seconds.

I worked out yesterday with two friends who are both going to school to be therapists. It's actually quite therapeutic (haha, pardon the pun) to work out with them. Like most counselors, they are very goal-oriented and that definitely keeps the positive energy flowing. We decided to set a "goal" to do the Cooper River Bridge Run/Walk in Charleston late this March. While my experience may end up being more "walk" than "run" I am determined to do it. As Sheila said, make a plan that you cannot break so that failure is not an option. Well, it was something along those lines...thanks girl! We also got into quite an interesting discussion about body shape... I'm apple shaped, another friend is pear shaped and another is "banana" shaped (meaning that all the weight is spread out evenly). Together we make a "fruit basket"!

The "fruit basket" started out as a silly joke that probably stemmed from an overload of exercise-induced endorphins, but I contemplated this on the way home. Everyone is fighting some kind of battle and we are all in this together. Starting this blog has certainly helped me realize this. When I first began writing, just a mere week ago, I was a bit narcissistic in my approach because I was mainly doing this for myself, hoping that the attention would create pressure and that I would labor under that pressure. I did not expect the overwhelming feedback (both private and public). For people to say that I'm "inspiring" or "ballsy" is difficult to swallow. I've never thought of myself as a heroine. I'm dreadfully ordinary and I live a prosaic life. So let me conclude this blog by saying that YOU inspire me! Every day that I'm on this journey I'm thinking of ya'll and every time I write this it's for you! We are going to reach our destination because we are all in this together!!