What is Your Pleasure?

It was another great Tuesday! We learned about a very important key to change, we celebrated more amazing weight loss and we had fun too. Have I told you lately that I love Tuesdays? This Tuesday was no exception!

At noon we not only celebrated one of our top teams for the day, but we got our first look at Glenda's "black rhinestone team" and my "good guy, all white team." We've got a friendly western competition going on as we speak! More about that later!

Team 'Cinching it Up' cinched it up this week and won with a 1.74% of weight loss. Congratulations to Helen and Sheryl, you girls are looking great!

At Five, team 'Faster Fillies' were just a little faster this week than the rest. They won the team prize with a 1.67% of weight loss for the week. Jeanne and Melody, winning looks good on you! Congratulations on your second weekly win of this Team Challenge!

The greatest weight loss % of the week was represented at 6:30! Team 'Slightly Waisted' took the win for a second time also, with a 2.15% for the week! Wow! Great work Rosie and Veleta! Can't wait to see how you decorate those horses!

All 3 teams were winners of a prize this week thanks to team 'Guns and Roses.' Six really great insulated lunch bags were given out to all the team winners this week! Thanks Ken and Lynelle for your support!

Thanks also to Helen E. and Steve L. for their donations that make such a difference in our Team Challenge. Glenda donated 3 of her Conflict Resolution classes as well. Those classes are priceless! (mark your calendars for March 5th)

Before we introduced our friendly western competition, we focused on a very important practice for permanent change...REWARDS! Last week was spent linking pain to old/destructive behavior. This week we focused on linking pleasure to new/constructive behavior. Everything we do, we do out of our need to avoid pain and seek pleasure. It is completely necessary for you to transfer what you believe pleasure is (overeating, indulging, etc.) to a new belief system (eating healthy, setting personal limits) for you to keep your weight off permanently. Rewarding yourself for new, positive behavior is a must! You will naturally choose healthy, low calorie options when your subconscious begins to connect to the fact that when you eat this way...you get rewarded!

YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:
Make a list of rewards associated with accomplishments on the program, small victories as well as big ones...then reward your self this week! Bring that list into the clinic next Tuesday!

Now about those teams! We thought it was time for a little friendly group competition! We've divided the group up into two teams...The White hats...and the Black hats! I'll post below the rules of this contest...and the list of things you can accomplish this week to win! The winning group will be in a drawing for $100 visa gift card! One of you will win next week. How many tickets will you have in the drawing?

I'll also post the cute little song that my husband wrote especially for the White Team! Remember you'll want to sing it to the tun of The Beverly Hill Billies theme song!

Have a great week, even if you are on the black team! :-) What if...EVERYONE had a 2 pound loss this week and got a ticket for that? What a day that would be!
Below you'll find the teams and the contest rules...Have fun, lose weight this week, set limits and then reward yourself for them.

Always encouraging you.
Letha

Here’s How Your Team Wins!

Put a ticket in the white or black hat when you lose 2 pounds this week

Put a ticket in the white or black hat when you post a comment on face book or the Team Challenge blog this week

Put a ticket in the white or black hat when you dress in your team color next week

Put a ticket in the white or black hat when you do something supportive for your partner this week

Put a ticket in the white or black hat when you sign up for the beliefs class

Put a ticket in the white or black hat when you reward yourself this week

The Team with the most tickets will win and we will draw for $100 Visa Gift card!!

Here's the song for you...

This is a story of a team that’s thin
We’re all wearing white cause we all know how to win
We eat the right food and we lose all our fat…that’s why we’re wearing, the white hat!

We’re handsome…we're pretty

Next thing ya know, the white team screams
We lost more weight than the black team ever dreamed
We’re going to hit our goals and book spa stays
We’ve saddle up our horses and we’re headin’ out to blaze

Trails that is

Stabilization...Maintenance

(GO WHITE!!)

Team Challenge Standings as of 02/22/11

12.1 Losers Are The New Winners

10.1 Tie Diet-ers

10.1 Slightly Waisted

10.0 Team One-Eighty

9.9 Vantucky Stikes Back

9.6 Slimsational

9.0 The Porkelson’s No More!

8.9 Portland Pounders

8.4 Stranger Danger

8.2 This Is Date Night

8.0 Vanishing Buns

7.9 Barely Breathing

7.8 Team Gazelle 2.0

7.8 Saddle Bags

7.7 Waist Management

7.7 Grin & Lose It

7.5 Skinny Genes

7.3 Royal Losers

7.2 Double D’s

7.0 Girls Just Want To Be Fit

6.7 Dreamers

6.5 Faster Fillies

6.3 The Double Takes

6.3 Family Ties

6.2 Flab-u-less

6.1 Downsizing Divas

6.0 2 Fat 2 Fit

5.7 Kickin It With Kankles

5.7 Cinchin’ The Buckle

5.6 Slim Gems

5.5 Prioritize Your Size

5.5 Braveheart

5.4 Team Big Hair

5.4 Lose The Caboose

5.2 Wee Can

5.2 Mission Slimpossible

5.0 Pound Away

5.0 Cinching It Up

4.9 What Would Florence Do?

4.9 Celebration Queens

4.6 Sugar Shakers

4.4 Weight Loss for Good!

4.4 Team Balboa

4.4 Mini By March

4.4 Gut B Gone II

4.3 D.A.R.E.

4.1 Tiny Hinnies

4.1 Shreddin’ It

4.1 Painiacs

4.1 In It To Win It

4.0 Thick and Tired of It

4.0 Pounds Away

4.0 New Attitude

3.8 Ma Da Do It!

3.4 W.O.W.

3.4 Fit Happens

3.4 Fit For Spring

3.2 Happy New Rear

3.1 No Quit In Us!

3.1 Guns & Roses

2.9 Spring Beauties

2.8 Best In Show

2.2 Meltaways II

2.2 All Is Not Lost

1.3 Frick & Frack

1.0 Walk Away From The Cupcake

0.9 Awesome Twosome

0.7 Live It To Win It!

-0.9 Best Friends

My Gift to You...Massive Amounts of Pain!

It was a serious, powerful and fun Team Challenge Tuesday! We focused on some pretty serious stuff, the pain of our present and our futures if no changes are made. Everything we do we do out of our need to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Linking pain to overeating is a MUST to permanently change our thoughts about food. Learning to use pain as your friend is a powerful tool that can and should be used to make any kind of change in your life. As a group, we came together this week and did a little of that hard work.

You lost over 200 pounds this week! The Noon time group started the day out right with great weight loss and fun participation! We thought it was a Girls Gone Wild Noon time group until Barry showed up! He lives with 4 girls though...so he felt right at home! 'Team One-Eighty' went on to take the win with a 2.05 % of weight loss for the week. Barry and Krystal, I'm so impressed with your consistency. You two are re-defining your futures!

Our Five PM group held the big winners of the week. Team 'Vantucky Strikes Back' won the prize of the day with a 2.07% loss for the week! Scott and Leslie, you two are spending time in the saddle! Our prize for the week, donated by Wendy from team 'Slimsational', is a two hour horsey event! You two get to go to Silver Buckle and spend time with Wendy and two of her horses. You'll spend some time in the saddle...or just shining one up, whatever you want. I have a feeling this couple will be riding! Thanks Wendy for this perfect team prize! Scott and Leslie, I'm so excited for you!

Our 6:30 group finished out a great day being lead by team 'Porklesons No More!' Dave and Jennifer won those cute little stick horses with a 1.48% of weight loss for the week. I was impressed with all three winning teams this week. Everyone of them were husband and wife teams! That's cool, especially coming off Valentine's week! Congratulations to all of you!

I offered up a challenge this week to the 100th person to join our Face book group. I heard from two of our men who were dragging their feet about this whole face book thing...one of them requested to be a friend at 8:19 PM, the other at 8:45 PM! We'll be presenting prizes for that effort next week! :-) Welcome Boys!

As we learned about linking pain to make changes, I challenged our groups to do something very important this week.

YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:
Link pain to your future if you don't make permanent changes. If you keep over eating, if you don't follow through and lose your weight. What will your life look like in 5 years, in 10 years, in 20 years? Spend time this week writing these things down, and bring them back next Tuesday for a ticket in the drawing!

Speaking of tickets and prizes...wow, we've had some great donations by our team mates. Thank you Mollie, Tammy, Jean,and Wendy for your support this week! Your gifts make a difference in the lives of your team mates.

My final word yesterday was that great old quote...'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.' My friends...drink up this week! Drink up the lessons you learned on Tuesday, drink up the possibilities of what the next 5 weeks will bring! Remember...it's not how your start, but how you finish that matters! Let's finish strong!


Until next week...Always encouraging you.
Letha

Team Challenge Standings as of 02/15/11

11.5 Losers Are The New Winners

9.4 Team One-Eighty

9.0 Tie Diet-ers

8.8 Vantucky Stikes Back

8.7 Stranger Danger

8.1 Slimsational

8.1 Slightly Waisted

7.9 Barely Breathing

7.6 The Porkelson’s No More!

7.3 Team Gazelle 2.0

7.1 Portland Pounders

7.0 Saddle Bags

6.9 Waist Management

6.7 Vanishing Buns

6.7 Royal Losers

6.7 Girls Just Want To Be Fit

6.6 This Is Date Night

6.5 Grin & Lose It

6.5 Double D’s

6.1 Downsizing Divas

5.9 The Double Takes

5.8 Team Big Hair

5.7 Kickin It With Kankles

5.5 Skinny Genes

5.5 Dreamers

5.5 2 Fat 2 Fit

5.3 Family Ties

5.2 Cinchin’ The Buckle

4.9 Faster Fillies

4.9 Celebration Queens

4.8 Slim Gems

4.7 What Would Florence Do?

4.7 Flab-u-less

4.6 Wee Can

4.6 Mini By March

4.5 Weight Loss for Good!

4.5 Pounds Away

4.5 Pound Away

4.5 Braveheart

4.3 Washindi

4.3 Prioritize Your Size

4.1 W.O.W.

4.1 Sugar Shakers

4.1 Painiacs

4.1 D.A.R.E.

4.0 Lose The Caboose

3.9 Tiny Hinnies

3.9 New Attitude

3.9 Gut B Gone II

3.8 Thick and Tired of It

3.8 Ma Da Do It!

3.6 Mission Slimpossible

3.5 Team Balboa

3.5 Fit For Spring

3.3 Shreddin’ It

3.3 Cinching It Up

3.2 In It To Win It

3.2 Happy New Rear

3.1 No Quit In Us!

3.1 Guns & Roses

2.6 Spring Beauties

2.6 Best In Show

2.5 Meltaways II

2.4 All Is Not Lost

2.2 Fit Happens

1.7 Walk Away From The Cupcake

1.6 Frick & Frack

0.7 Live It To Win It!

0.6 Awesome Twosome

-0.9 Best Friends

Team Challenge Standings as of 02/08/11

10.2 Losers Are The New Winners

8.1 Slightly Waisted

7.8 Portland Pounders

7.5 Tie Diet-ers

7.5 Team One-Eighty

7.0 Stranger Danger

6.9 Vantucky Stikes Back

6.6 Waist Management

6.6 Team Gazelle 2.0

6.3 Double D’s

6.3 Barely Breathing

6.2 The Porkelson’s No More!

6.1 Saddle Bags

6.0 Slimsational

5.9 The Double Takes

5.8 This Is Date Night

5.7 Grin & Lose It

5.6 Vanishing Buns

5.5 Skinny Genes

5.2 Royal Losers

5.1 Girls Just Want To Be Fit

5.1 2 Fat 2 Fit

4.9 Downsizing Divas

4.8 Faster Fillies

4.8 Cinchin’ The Buckle

4.7 Cinching It Up

4.5 Kickin It With Kankles

4.5 Flab-u-less

4.3 Washindi

4.3 Prioritize Your Size

4.3 Dreamers

4.2 Mission Slimpossible

4.2 Family Ties

4.0 Wee Can

3.9 What Would Florence Do?

3.8 Team Bling

3.8 D.A.R.E.

3.7 Sugar Shakers

3.7 Pounds Away

3.7 Fit For Spring

3.7 Celebration Queens

3.5 W.O.W.

3.5 Lose The Caboose

3.4 Team Big Hair

3.4 Braveheart

3.3 Weight Loss for Good!

3.3 Slim Gems

3.3 New Attitude

3.3 Gut B Gone II

3.2 Team Balboa

3.2 Happy New Rear

3.1 Thick and Tired of It

3.1 Shreddin’ It

3.1 Pound Away

3.0 Painiacs

3.0 No Quit In Us!

2.8 Mini By March

2.6 Classie Lassies

2.4 In It To Win It

2.3 Guns & Roses

2.2 Spring Beauties

2.0 Live It To Win It!

1.9 Tiny Hinnies

1.9 Ma Da Do It!

1.8 Meltaways II

1.6 Frick & Frack

1.2 Fit Happens

1.1 Step Away From the Cupcake

.8 Best In Show

.7 All Is Not Lost

.4 Best Friends

.3 Awesome Twosome

Where You Look...Is Where You'll Go!

It was good to be back in the saddle today as we celebrated week #4 of the Team Challenge! I loved hearing all the great reports of Dan Russell's visit! I'm sorry I missed such an inspirational gathering!

We had fun today celebrating past winners and new ones as well. I want to give a little shout out to last weeks winners! The Double Takes, Vanishing Buns and Slightly Waisted, all "held their horses" during the hours of this weeks challenge! They also received a coupon to attend our important class "Changing your beliefs with Glenda and Letha." Congratulations to all of you. Veleta and Rosie were the top team for last week so they received an extra gift. Jackie from team 'What Would Florence Do' donated alterations for the winning team. Thanks so much Jackie!

This week we lost a total of 174.2 pounds! That leaves 821 lbs. to go, to beat our all time record. If there was ever a group of people that I see beating the record, it's this group!

At Noon team 'Losers are the New Winners' took the win again with a 1.79 % of weight loss. Karen and Cindy, we are inspired by your consistency!
Team 'Faster Fillies' took the win at 5, with a 1.39 % of weight loss! Jeanne and Melody, congratulations!
Our top team for the day arrived at 6:30. Team 'Portland Pounders' knocked us all out of our saddles with a 4.19% of weight loss for the week! Mark and Luanne, you did it! Not only did they have the greatest loss for the week, but they won the prize for the week...Nancy's cooking class! This has been a favorite for all the Team Challenges. We thank Nancy for this amazing donation!
Debbie from team 'Sugar Shakers,' made and donated some beautiful bracelets and just in time for Valentines day! Thank you Debbie!

As we enter the 5th week of this Team Challenge, I was inspired to challenge the thinking of all our participants! What we think about for the next 6 weeks, where we look, will determine where we go!

As much as I know that we have to make healthy food choices, prepare and take the time to create healthy environments to live and work in...I still know that the answer to blazing a new trail is to know where you're going and not take your eyes off that target. It's all about our motivation, it's all about our thought life. It always gets down to knowing where you want to go, and finding ways to keep focused on that!

I read a great article the other day about how to "make" a horse go where you want it to go! An average horse weighs 1200 to 1500 pounds! Making a 1200 pound horse go where you want it to in some ways compares to the intensity of following your nutritional plan for 10 weeks straight! It can be hard if you're focusing on the wrong things!

Here's the trick... When you're riding a horse, where you look, is where they go!
Looking where you want to go actually moves your body and the horse reacts according. They are sensitive to the pressure we apply to them no matter how subtle or insignificant they might be to us. So if you're looking at your destination, you're likely to reach it!

We spent some good time talking about how important it is to look where you are going while you're on a horse...if you missed this one, better ask someone who was there to give you more details!
The questions for all of us Tuesday was, where are you looking? And how are you looking forward? If it's true(and it is) that where you look is where you'll go, then this week might have been the most important of all!

YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:
How are you looking forward?
What forms of motivation are you using to look where you want to go? What do you have going on in your life, in your environments to constantly be reminding you of your focus!?

screen savers?
facebook status?
clothing?
posters?
pictures?
words?
calendars?
affirmation cards?

What is it...How are you looking ahead? How are you focusing on where you're going?
Come in next week and let me know, and you'll get a ticket in the drawing!

Remember this week... what might seem subtle or insignificant, will move this beast! :-) Your thoughts are POWERFUL!!!

I hope you are all planning on joining us Saturday for our Diabetes Prevention class from 9 to Noon, come and bring a loved one!

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Team Challenge Standings as of 02/01/11

8.6 Losers Are The New Winners

6.5 Team One-Eighty

6.3 Slightly Waisted

6.1 Stranger Danger

6.0 Team Gazelle 2.0

5.8 Tie Diet-ers

5.6 Waist Management

5.6 Double D’s

5.5 Barely Breathing

5.3 Vantucky Stikes Back

5.2 Slimsational

5.0 The Double Takes

4.7 Vanishing Buns

4.7 This Is Date Night

4.7 The Porkelson’s No More!

4.6 Saddle Bags

4.6 Royal Losers

4.5 Kickin It With Kankles

4.5 Girls Just Want To Be Fit

4.4 Grin & Lose It

4.4 2 Fat 2 Fit

4.3 Flab-u-less

4.2 Family Ties

4.2 Downsizing Divas

4.0 Dreamers

3.9 Washindi

3.9 Prioritize Your Size

3.9 Mission Slimpossible

3.8 Team Bling

3.8 Portland Pounders

3.8 Cinchin’ The Buckle

3.7 Team Big Hair

3.7 Celebration Queens

3.6 Weight Loss for Good!

3.6 Skinny Genes

3.5 Faster Fillies

3.3 Thick and Tired of It

3.3 Gut B Gone II

3.3 Braveheart

3.2 Slim Gems

3.2 Happy New Rear

3.1 W.O.W.

3.1 Cinching It Up

3.0 Sugar Shakers

3.0 No Quit In Us!

3.0 Fit For Spring

2.9 What Would Florence Do?

2.8 In It To Win It

2.7 Pounds Away

2.7 Pound Away

2.7 Painiacs

2.6 Wee Can

2.6 Guns & Roses

2.6 D.A.R.E.

2.6 Classie Lassies

2.5 Shreddin’ It

2.4 Spring Beauties

2.3 Lose The Caboose

2.3 Frick & Frack

2.2 Tiny Hinnies

2.0 New Attitude

2.0 Live It To Win It!

1.9 Best In Show

1.8 Team Balboa

1.8 Step Away From the Cupcake

1.8 Mini By March

1.6 Meltaways II

1.6 All Is Not Lost

1.5 Fit Happens

1.4 Best Friends

1.0 Ma Da Do It!

.1 Awesome Twosome