Our weight loss competition

Last fall, Q and I started talking about having a weight loss competition. We're both pretty competitive at times, so we wondered if doing something like this would help us both lose weight and be healthier overall.

Since high school, my weight has fluctuated quite a bit. I remember feeling awful when I weighed in close to 180 pounds at the end of college. At 5 foot 3, that's not good at all. When I began teaching in 1997, I dropped some of those pounds, but still didn't feel the best. 

A few years later, I had a conversation with one of my students' moms about a book she was reading about weight loss. I read The Weigh Down Workshop by Gwen Shamblin and it changed my life! Without exercising, I lost over 20 pounds. I went from a size 12/14 to a size 10. 

I maintained good health and weight until about five years ago. When you eat out a lot with your new found love, the weight starts creeping on. My cholesterol also went up. My doctor suggested the South Beach Diet, so I began on phase 2 and saw great results. I also started exercising regularly. When it got close to my wedding date, I was still maintaining the principals I learned with the diet and continued losing weight. I was so busy with planning a wedding and finishing up a school year that sometimes I didn't eat very much. Between fittings, I lost weight around my shoulders and the sleeves on my wedding dress had to be taken in. I paid $35 for that adjustment and all the while thinking, "Why did I have to pay that much just for losing weight?" ;)

I was feeling great and continued maintaining good weight for a while (which was between 125 to 135 pounds). I knew I probably could be about ten pounds less, but I wasn't trying to lose so much weight. What had led me to the previous diets was the fact that I needed to have a healthier lifestyle. And that's where I want to be, but with recent surgeries and lots of changes recently, I've put on some weight--and so has Q! 

So, we've started a competition to lose weight, but overall, we hope to re-learn how to eat better and feel great! I have noticed these past few months that some of my clothes have been getting a bit tighter, even though I've consistently exercise 4-5 days a week. I've realized that something has got to change.

Q and I officially started last Sunday, so we're almost a week and half into it. What I've learned about myself so far so is that I love sugar and that I'm a snacker. I've almost completely knocked out the snacking and I'm aiming for one sweet or less during a day (I was having two desserts daily with a couple snacks--yikes!). It may just mean that I have a piece of candy, and that's good for now. Eventually, having a nice dessert once a week would be great! I've also boosted up my work-out routine. In the days of working with kindergarteners, I burned off more calories and I wasn't snacking as much. Things have changed (along with being in my 30's now), but I'm determined that I will be at a healthier weight and feel better in the near future.

As for Q, what I will say about him is that he is a big eater and loves what I cook for him. He is a huge fan of butter and sweet treats, so he hopes to adapt a better way of eating, too. He has type 1 diabetes, so he's dependent on insulin to live. Sometimes, he has to snack in the middle of the night to help his blood sugar. Eating snacks isn't the problem for him--it's just the type of snacks that he's eating that's caused him to gain weight. Part of my job is to keep healthier snacks in the kitchen to help him. He also doesn't have a regular exercise regimen, so adapting that would be good for him, too.

I know that was long, but I had to give you a background of where we've been and to share where we're going with this. Today we took pictures of each other, so here they are with the weight stats:

Theo: height- 5 foot 3, weight-164, desires: a healthier way of life and more energy, weight loss goal: 30-40 pounds would be fantastic!

Quentin: height--5 foot 9, weight--217, desires--to lose weight, weight loss goal--30 pounds

The competition lasts until Labor Day. From now until then, we will be setting some money aside for the prize. Whoever loses the biggest percentage of weight gets two-thirds of the money. I hope I win so I can get some new clothes! At the same time, I want us both to lose weight and feel better. 

At the beginning of each month, we'll be weighing in and taking pictures of ourselves. I'll also share more things we're learning, and perhaps some healthier recipes. We'll keep you posted!

Do any of you have tips that have been helpful to you in this area of weight loss and living a healthier lifestyle? I would love to hear your thoughts.