Biggest Loser

So, last Monday was the start of my workplace's Biggest Loser competition. Weigh-in was depressing to say the least, but we all start somewhere.

Weigh-in weight: 212
Weigh-in body fat percentage: 44%

This morning after one week of participation, my weight on the scale? 206. I don't have one of the fancy scales that measures body fat, but hopefully that will drop along with the pounds.

The funny thing is that I thought this might be torture, but I haven't really felt all that deprived. I've eaten better, less sugar, less soda, more fruits and veggies, more water. I've been having fun with the kids, turning the exercising into a game. My boy's favorite is one we call "Gingerbread Boy" where they run and I try to catch them. I can't even get close to either of them, but told them that I'll catch them both by Christmas. They just laugh at me.

So, one week down, ten weeks and the rest of my life to go.

FLYing

I'm going to recommend the book Sink Reflections to you. It is a system of housekeeping. I purchased the book several years ago at the urging of a do-gooder friend, stuck it on my (dusty) bookshelf and never read it.

A couple of days ago, looking for something to read, to avoid the Mount Everest of laundry in the bedroom truth be told, I picked up the book. It made perfect sense to me. I stayed home yesterday (sick kid) and started putting some of the book's suggestions into place. This morning I got up, my sink is clean, my dishes are washed, Mount Everest is a speed bump. My son's scout uniform for tonight is clean, not wrinkled, and hanging neatly in his closet. Last week I had to go mining on the Mount to find it, smelly and wadded, and was embarrassed to unload him at Scouts. We actually got to play family game night last night because the kitchen table was cleaned off for the first time in recent memory.

Sink Reflections is written by a woman who calls herself the Fly Lady. She says she teaches you how to fly (finally love yourself). She makes a lot of sense to me, and has daily, weekly, and monthly tasks to complete that I am capable of completing. I could invite someone into the house without humiliation!

I am also starting to think that I am seeing part of the big picture. I'm not too exhausted to clean, I'm exhausted because my house is messy. I don't care about my house, I don't care about my clothes, why should I care about my weight and personal appearance? Why should my kids or husband care about the house? I set a terrible example. For that matter, why would they care about me? I haven't been caring about myself. It's all interconnected. Change is scary, but here I go . . .