Today I am writing because it is the beginning of a new leg of my journey. Again, as many of you know, I was looking for votes. I cannot afford the program but medically speaking I couldn't afford NOT to do it so I HAD to win my spot into the program. I used every possible outlet I could imagine, contacted every single person I have ever met, all of my networks and support groups I use and encouraged everyone to contact everyone that they knew. I was trailing behind in votes a couple of days ago so I hardly slept over the past few nights. Last night the voting closed and I was informed that I had won with an astounding 1883 votes! The amount of support that everyone has shown me has been humbling, overwhelming and exhilerating. I can finally sleep knowing that my life is about to change in a much bigger way than it already has.
I never imagined that my life would be interesting enough or inspiring enough for peope to want to hear about it. This journey has been an amazing way to express myself and inspire others in ways I never thought I could. I now feel like the struggles I have been facing with my rheumatoid arthritis has all been worth it. If I can inspire others to take control and make a difference, as well as bring awareness to a disease that few know anything about, then my suffering has been worth it.
Tonight was the first day of Biggest Loser Ottawa 3!!! We had a shorter than usual workout but it was amazing. It felt so good to get back into the gym even though I felt like it was going to kill me! At one point I was sure I was going to be sick but it felt so good to know that I am already so much further ahead than I was when I started three months ago. I actually managed to do a few (as in 3 or 4) regular jumping jacks tonight for the very first time since starting this journey. We had to do 3 laps of the building and I managed to jog about half way around each lap for the very first time too. We did an extremely intense ab wokout that made my body burn, sweat and cramp but I can't wait to do it again to get rid of the stomach that has been in my way for all too long. I cannot wait to see how I will look in 3 months. I lost 38.2 lbs the last time so I am determined to hit my goal and lose at least 40 more pounds this time!
Tonight we had a lot of discussion, received information and got to know each other. We had a group before photo taken (see below) and it turned out great. We had to do our starting measurements, individual before photos and initial weigh-ins. I don't remember what my inches were at my final weigh-in, but I can tell you that my weigh-in tonight made me very pleased. My starting weight tonight is only 1.4 lbs heavier than my final weigh-in three weeks ago. I currently weigh 269.8 lbs, three and a half months ago I weighed 306.6 lbs. I have been half on my meal plan for three weeks and due to my infusions and pain, I haven't been working out (except for one workout on Saturday that I will explain in a minute). Not only did my weight almost stay the same, but my final weigh-in was a 8:00am and tonight my wigh-in was 8:00pm. There is a very big difference between what you weigh in the morning and at night!
I can tell that we have an amazing group again this time. There are 20 all together and about half of us are from Biggest Loser Ottawa 2. The newbies got a very loud welcome today when they discovered how crazy and goofy we can be! I look forward to making so many new friends and spending more time with the ones I made 3 months ago. The bond we create in this group is the kind that lasts. This group feels more like a family than strangers and friends.
In other related news, I will explain my workout from this past Saturday. I decided to try an Afro-Caribbean dance class because I've been wanting to dance again and have been wanting to try a class like hat for years. The instructor started the class by explainig my journey with Biggest Loser, my weight loss and letting everyone know that she would be emailing them with a link to vote for me. It was such a nice welcome!
I really wasn't sure if my body was ready to cooperate or if I would be in too much pain. Within minutes into the class I was feeling overwhelmed. The feelings and thoughts running through my head as I struggled to catch my breath were identical to my very first day of training during Biggest Loser Ottawa 2. I had trouble keeping up and felt like I was letting myself and everyone else down. To top it off I was having some very serious dizzy spells that I did not anticipate and I forgot my inhaler. It was not going very well and I was embrassed.
I kept taking breaks to settle my desire to pass out and to breathe calmly. I tried to do it discretely as not to disrupt the class and to avoid drawing more attention to my inadequate performance. Once I felt like I was settled enough, I would go back in and pick up from where I left off. Everyone was very supportive, much like my Biggest Loser goup (one woman at the end told me she could tell I used to dance and encouraged me to continue coming to the class), but I thought I was going to collapse from exhaustion and the desire to disappear!
It has been many years since I have done a dance class (about 9) and by the time we were half way through the class I was dying for it to end so I could quit without drawing attention to myself. I would simply walk away and not come back. I had it all planned. When the end of the class came, I made a very solid decision that would be another major change in my life. Because I wanted to quit so badly, I decided that was the exact reason as to why I couldn't. I could NOT let my RA, weight or health issues control this part of my life. Dancing makes me happy and I will not give my happiness away anymore! I walked right out of that class into the hallway where I immediately signed myself up to take the class for the next three and a half months.
Today is a new day and this is my new life. I cannot wait to see where it leads me! I already know that I will have a few bumps in the road ahead but I will take them one day at a time until I can conquer them all. The first bump will be tackling the dizziness with an MRI in a couple of weeks. Once I get through that I can begin to find answers to remedy the situation and hopefully bring fabulous results.
Goodnight and God bless!
Biggest Loser Ottawa 3 - Day 1!
