Team "Full Nelson" Takes the win AGAIN!

For the first time in Team Challenge history, our first place team won back to back Team Challenges!  Team "Full Nelson," sisters Carrie and Erica, won again and were so excited! Congratulations you two! Pretty great stuff! Together they lost over 76 pounds!

Ten weeks ago I said, "We are 'Going All In' and that can only mean one thing. Lives are going to be changed forever, children are going to have healthier parents, husbands are going to have more vibrant wives, wives are going to have more confident husbands, the prescription drug companies are going to make less money, the Goodwill is going to get a lot of donations, TJ Maxx and Ross Dress For Less are going to have more customers, running shoes are going to get more wear, friends are going to be made, and did I say…lives are going to be changed forever??? This is going to be EPIC!!"

And it was and we did!  All of those things and more, came true at The Healthy Weigh this winter.  Tonight we not only celebrated what the eye could see, but what it couldn't see as well. Lots of life changes happened in the last ten weeks!  We had a lot to celebrate! 

I took the time on this last week of the Winter Team Challenge to review some of the most important messages from the weeks we've shared together.  As we ahead into a few weeks of going it on our own, it's never been more important to put into practice the lessons we learned. My desire is that when my Healthy Weigh friends return in a few weeks to begin the Spring Team Challenge, they are weighing less and even closer to their goal!

We had some individual winners as well as team winners to celebrate! 

Audrey A. was awarded the Alumni Scholarship for the Spring Team Challenge!

Karen M. and Greta N. were winners of the drawing for the Spring Team Challenge for losing two pounds this week! Congratulations to you all!

I gave out some fun awards to my favorite team name "#shakeitoff 

and a special award to the most consistent team without a win, to team "2000 fit-team." 

The Top Male and Female with not only the greatest weight loss but also the greatest weight loss % were Tom F. and Carrie N.  

Tom with 44.4 pounds and 18.34 % of weight loss!

Carrie with 43.6 pounds and 18.60% of weight loss! (which made her the top weight loser of all!)

Tom and Carrie...you led the way! Congratulations!

Our last HEART award also went to Carrie this week! She had the highest weight loss % for the week to earn the very last heart! 

Our Top Three Teams:

3rd place Team "Lose to Gain" Kelly and Stewart with a 16.13% of weight loss! (winners of $300)

2nd place Team "Freedom Fighters" Dana and Tom with a 17.18% of weight loss! (winners of $500)

1st place Team "Full Nelson" Carrie and Erica with a 18.05% of weight loss! (winners of $1000)

As always, I'm so happy for the top teams, but I get just as excited to see the great number of participants reach the 20, 30 and 40 pound weight loss club! We lost 2720 pounds as a group this challenge! Wow!!

As always, I'm a little sad at the end of a Team Challenge.  I enjoy the friends new and old and always love to see the camaraderie that forms each ten weeks.  This group of people had a lot of fun and supported each other well.  I'm going to miss them! 

Spring time will be a powerful time at The Healthy Weigh as we unpack the stages of change!  If we see as much growth and change in the upcoming challenge as we did in this one, we are going to be walking on sunshine when summer rolls around!

Congratulations to all who completed the Winter Team Challenge...is WAS epic! Until we meet again...

Always encouraging you,

Letha

Going All In - FINAL Team Standings

Team Name	%
Full Nelson	18.05%
Freedom Fighters	17.18%
Lose To Gain	16.13%
Butt Weight	15.33%
2000 Fit-team	13.98%
Material Girls	13.65%
Tiny Hineys	12.75%
Re-Chewing Our Vows	12.71%
#ShakeItOff	12.47%
Maui Wowies	11.86%
Asian Fusion	11.51%
Waistin A-Weigh	11.24%
Thinner Winners	11.13%
Special K	11.00%
Lighten Up	10.97%
Family Melt Down	10.59%
Thin Mints	10.46%
Thinning Thunder Thighs	10.40%
Why Not	10.35%
Whittling A-Weigh	10.20%
Team Sassyfras	10.18%
Ladies on a Roll	10.04%
We're Not Short, We're Fun Size	9.94%
Fat Boys	9.92%
W8 2NV	9.81%
Waist Watchers	9.81%
Salt N Peppa	9.79%
Electric Chickens	9.45%
Orange is the New Snack	9.31%
Waist Management	9.30%
Thinspired	9.13%
10 Weeks to Tighter Cheeks	9.01%
Colossal Cousins	8.17%
Slim and Sassy	8.12%
Back & On the Attack	7.93%
Booty Busters	7.83%
The Reducers	7.75%
Deflating the Spare	7.74%
Royal Flush	7.71%
Ya Gotta Wanna	7.62%
Move It and Lose It	7.53%
Flab-U-Less	7.38%
Bold Resolve	7.34%
Spicy Seniors	7.33%
Guts B Gone 2	7.09%
Stress Less, Weigh Less	6.97%
Dwindling Divas	6.95%
Weir Winners	6.92%
Just Do It	6.45%
Friends Through Thick and Thin	6.17%
Go Fat, Go!	6.15%
Making It Look Easy	5.82%
Does This Cucumber Make Me Look Fat	5.81%
All In	5.78%
Couch Queens	5.58%
Finally Full	5.58%
The Determinators	5.58%
Lost And Found	5.53%
Frank & David	5.48%
Less Than Yesterday	5.44%
XR Thighs	5.20%
Dude Where's My Butt?	5.20%
Seniors Driving to Lose	4.87%
Team Awesome Sauce	4.78%
Re-booting for Better Booties	4.73%
Peacefully Changed	4.67%
Snowmen in the Sunshine	4.58%
Fully Immersed	4.58%
Prepear for Orange	4.57%
Spanxless By Spring	4.55%
All Aboard	4.44%
The Believers	4.31%
Munchin Lions	4.07%
Persistant Pals	3.99%
Panther No Panth, We're Coming In	3.23%
Alumni Going All In	3.15%
Kool-Aid Drinkers	3.11%
League of Lettuce Lovers	3.09%
Focus-Pocus, Its Not Magic	3.04%
Mission Slimpossible	2.95%
Lean Queens	2.92%
Breaking Bad…Habits	2.84%
Fearless Finishers	2.78%
Sisters In A Weigh	2.68%
Belly Busters	2.01%
Going Down!	1.60%
Here We Go Again	1.56%
Old Crazy Guys	1.43%
Focused to the Finish	1.21%
Lucky Losers	1.18%
Re-Booty	1.16%
Determined Duo	0.96%
Wishful Shrinking	0.55%
Take Back Our Temple	0.30%
Team Committed	0.03%
Just Sayin	-0.08%

Are You Doing the Soul Work?

We had "church" today at The Healthy Weigh. Sometimes you just have to get down to the serious stuff...we did that this week! Body, soul, spirit...the spiritual perspective. I'm convinced that obesity is not just a physical problem; it’s a spiritual problem that has physical effects.

We are not just physical bodies walking around on this earth. We're much more.
We were created in three parts...body, soul and spirit.

Our body, this thing that walks around on the earth that relates with the physical world.

Our soul made up of our mind, will and emotions,  our personality you might say, that relates with people and relationships.

And our spirit, the very deepest part of who we are, which relates with God.

Now with this amazing creation, the key to having a healthy, abundant, life… is surrender.

Surrendering our body to our soul, our soul to our spirit and our spirit to God.

Surrender plays a HUGE role in the life of a healthy eater and truthfully an unhealthy eater as well…here’s why?

First…we surrender our bodies to our soul. Whether you know that’s happening or not…our physical bodies naturally come under the influence of our souls. (our mind, will and emotions)

What does that look like?  Well, here are two scenarios.

Let’s say your soul is unhealthy. (Mind will emotions.)

Your mind is thinking negative thoughts…about you and about your life, about your worthiness, in other words you've got stinkin' thinkin'!

Your will isn’t surrendered to anything greater than you, in fact you think your will is your own and you say “I’ll do what I want.”

Your emotions…well, they are beat up. You have past pain and current pain that you haven’t deal with or processed, unforgiveness, anxiety, stress…your emotions are raw.

So what happens if a body comes under the influence of, gives into, relents, submits… to that soul?

Now lets’ say…you’ve been in the team challenge and you’ve been doing the work the "soul work." Your body is now coming under the influence of a healthy soul. (Mind will and emotions.)

Your mind although struggling to think rightly, is. You are taking thoughts captive and turning them around.  You're not believing lies any more,  you’re listening to the truth…your mind is doing better.

Your will although still strong, is being laid down daily.  You are laying aside your pride and wearing humility. You’re saying things like…not my will, but thy will.

Your emotions are healing.  You are brave enough to look into the past and heal the old wounds, you are forgiving people daily, journaling about the junk in your day, the every day stressors. You are processing the chunks in your cup…man you’re feeling lighter than normal. Oh…that’s because you are, because your body is coming under the influence of THAT healthy soul.

Now your soul comes under the influence, surrenders to, gives into your spirit.  That deep place in you that relates with God….as you understand him. Your soul longs to be refreshed and strengthened and driven by your spirit…the deepest place of who you are.

And then of course, your spirit, the deepest place of who you are, is surrendered to God as you understand him!

I think so often we think God should rescue us from this food thing.  People say to me, I cry out "God help me!"  "Help me today!" "Help me not eat!!!"  "Rescue me."

Surrender looks different.

I choose to surrender my will, my life, my food!   Recusing is asking God to do something. Surrendering is you choosing to do something. Surrendering is choosing to lay down, give over, let go of all those things you can’t control. Surrender is saying I am powerless, I need help, I choose to let go of control. I surrender to something bigger than me.

For most of us, the word surrender has a negative connotation. We think surrendering means waving the white flag and giving up. We’re taught from childhood that quitters never win and winners never quit. Surrender is the last thing we want to do.



Our dictionaries give the word the same negative spin. Webster defines surrender as “To give (oneself) up to the power of another especially as a prisoner.” 

A further definition begins more positively, even passionately: “Abandon or devote (as oneself) entirely to something without restraint, reservation or further resistance.”

Spiritual surrender is so different. Spiritual surrender is not about defeat; it is about acceptance, joy, and faith. Surrender is about ending the struggle in our lives and beginning our journey on a path more wonderful than we could imagine.


Spiritual surrender is admitting that we’re not in control. It’s getting ourselves out of the way and trusting a Higher Power to guide us.

Spiritual surrender frees us from fear and anger, gives us answers to difficult dilemmas, points us in the right direction, and grants us peace.

Spiritual surrender can lead us to a life that is more joyful and abundant than we ever dreamed.

And you thought weight loss was all about chicken breast and broccoli!  I’ve said for years when someone wants to have a real conversations about the Healthy Weigh, about my life’s work…  when they want to know what I do for a living, what my  weight loss program is all about…I  tell them, It’s Renewing the mind, submitting the will and healing the emotions…the work of the soul.

The work of the soul, you do that…you allow your healthy soul to come under the influence of a spirit that is surrendered to a power much greater than you and you are going to find yourself living a healthy, powerful, amazing, life!

Our winners for the week:
Noon Team "League of Lettuce Lovers" Frank and Marianne with a 1.37% of weight loss
6PM Team "Thinner Winner" Michelle and Heidi with a weight loss % of 1.52%!
Congratulations week 9 of this Winter Team Challenge!
Our heart winner for the week, Becky Swedblom was excited to win a heart for the greatest individual loss of the week! Great job Becky!

We've got a week to go and celebrating to do!  Who's going to take the win...it's coming down to the wire! I can't wait to see!

Your Challenge for the week:

• Enroll in the Spring Team Challenge!
• lose 2.0 pounds to be entered into a drawing for a FREE Spring challenge!

Here’s to embracing the spiritual side of yourselves as well as believing that your body is a temple and deserves the finest care you can possibly give it.

For one more week this winter...always encouraging you,
Letha