Listen to Your Writer

Week three of the Summer Team Challenge was another successful week! Our teams lost a total of 192.4 pounds for the week! We will surely break the record of the greatest % lost for any Team Challenge with success like this!

As we continue to look at re-writing our stories, at living a better story, I challenged our teams this week to listen to the writer. The writer being the author outside of ourselves who is moving us towards a better story. The one that knows right from wrong and nudges us to live our best life. It's the voice that says “hold your tongue," "don’t talk about other people that way," "forgive the friends you haven’t talked to.” ”I want you to look at the sunset.” ”Think about how short life is and how your troubles aren’t worth worrying about.” It’s the voice that says, “Take care of yourself.” “ Say no thank you”, ”go for a walk with a friend,” ”don’t allow food to win.” “ Don’t make food your idol.”

What if we were the character and we did what the writer wanted us to do...moment by moment, day by day. As uncomfortable as that might feel as we begin, we would start living a better story. When you are a better character, your story gets better too.

We are witnessing people living great stories every week at the Team Challenge! Between our segment, "Meet The Teams" and our great weight loss each week, we can't help but be inspired Tuesday after Tuesday!

At Noon this week 'The Sunsationals' won the honors with a 2.20% of weight loss. Heather and Robyn had a great week and were excited to receive Nancy's popular cooking class as their prize for the week! Congratulations to you two, your arranged partnership seems to be working out pretty well! :-)

At Six, the 'Downsizing Divas' were surprised when their name was announced as the winners for the week. Kimberly and Diana had a 1.82 % of weight loss for the week to take the win! They too, will enjoy the cooking class that Nancy so generously donated! Congratulations Kimberly and Diana, have fun with those dry erase boards too!

Thank you to Nancy for sponsoring our Challenge this week. We also received great prizes for our drawings from our teams mates! The generosity of the community of people in this challenge, make such a difference!

We are continuing our work on the inside as the weight loss happens on the outside, this week we will all be listening to and reflecting on week # 2 of the CD series, "Change Your Thinking~ Change Your life." A powerful lesson about our thought life.

YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:
Listen to week #2 (on CD one) Change Your Thinking~ Change Your Life, and do the homework provided in Personal Control Guide # 2.

I'm hoping to hear from you this week on Face Book and by email about 'listening to your writer.' It can be a powerful motivation as we strive to live a better story.
Until next week...

Always encouraging you,
Letha

Team Challenge Standings as of 07/26/11

7.6 Beauty & The Beast

6.1 Wild Zumba Lumpas

5.2 Trim The Fat

5.2 The Branches

5.2 Broadway Babes

5.1 Pier Pressure

5.1 Made For More

4.9 Flaca

4.8 The Sunsationals

4.7 No D’oh

4.7 “She Aint Heavy, She’s My Sister!”

4.5 Teacher Teacher!

4.5 Butt-er-fly B Free

4.3 Sister Chicks

4.1 Downsizing Divas

4.0 Moms On A Mission

4.0 Dynamic Duo

3.9 Weapons of mASS Destruction

3.8 Slimming Siblings

3.8 Reduce The Caboose

3.5 Incredible Shrinking Divas

3.4 Dan/Christina

3.3 Perky, Peppy, Prima Donna’s

3.2 Unbroken

3.2 Hats On Pounds Off

3.1 Hips Hips Aweigh

3.0 Git R Done

2.8 Booty-B-Gone

2.7 Weigh To Go

2.7 Weapons of Mass Reduction

2.6 Driver’s License Redemption

2.5 Forever Better

2.4 Extraordinary Thighs

2.3 Blast Off

2.1 Weight No More

2.1 Trash Divas

2.1 Bums Away

1.9 Weight Strippers

1.9 The Tall and The Short of It

1.9 Hot Squad

1.8 Not So Ordinary

1.8 Mootu Chotu

1.8 A Team

1.6 Thinner Winner’s

1.6 Double Trouble

1.5 Warriors A Go Go

1.5 Guns & Roses

1.2 Starlite

1.0 Les Chiennes Minces

.8 The Incredible Bulks

.6 Sharing The Adventure

.5 Walk Away From The Cupcake

.4 Ready To Launch

Are You Living a Good Story?

If Tuesday's Team Challenge gathering was written as a story, it would have been worth reading...over and over again! What a day! As we embark on our 10 week EXTRAORDINARY LIFE Team Challenge, we truly lived up to the theme this week! 524 pounds were lost by our 52 teams and that's living a good story!

At Noon team 'Wild Zumba Lumpas' took the prize the very first week with a 4.46% of weight loss. The "immunity idol" for this Team Challenge was revealed and taken home by Katlyn and Betty! Dry erase boards are going to be used as our teams re-write their lives this next 10 weeks. Erasing the old life and using permanent marker for the new life...that's the plan! Congratulations to our Mother/Daughter team! Betty and Katlyn, you danced your way into a win this week!

At Six, team 'Beauty and the Beast' celebrated big time with a 6.05 % of weight loss for the week! The beast, Jenn, surely did her part this week, however, her team mate, beauty, Ryan, re-wrote the story completely with a 20 pound loss for the week! Congratulations you two, you inspired us all this week! Can't wait to see your dry erase boards come to life!

Our Sponsors for the week, Glenda Bigalky, counselor and Barry Brandenburg, attorney at law, donated $100 to each of the winning teams. Glenda and Barry are GREAT supporters of the Team Challenge and of people choosing to change their place in life! Thank you for your great support of our teams! Your generosity makes a difference!

Bob S. of team 'Forever Better' won a special prize last night. A $100 gift certificate to "If the Shoes Fits" for being our winner of the Road Trip Post Script competition! Congratulations to Bob. He's going to get him self a pair of EXTRAORDINARY hiking shoes to take his new body on beautiful trails!

We added a new segment to our weekly gathering..."Meet The Teams." Each week we will "meet" a few teams by a slide show presentation! It was fun to get to know our fellow sojourners a little bit better. We are surrounded by very cool people!

Our focus for the week was an important one. The question I put out to all of our team mates was "What kind of story did you live this week?" As I thought about great stories, great movies, the ones you want to watch over and over again, they all have one thing in common. They have a character who wants something REALLY bad and over comes conflict and obstacles to get it. If the point of as extraordinary life, is the same as the point of an extraordinary story, then the point of an extraordinary life is character transformation...the greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph!

When you read a great book, or go to a great movie if the character in the story doesn't change, the story hasn't happened yet. I reminded the groups, in every story a character is what he does. Not what he thinks about, or talks about...but what he does!

As we begin this important journey of re-writing our lives and living EXTRAORDINARY LIVES, I introduced and passed out my CD series this week to begin the 6 week review of what I believe helps us discover the issues behind our choices. I believe the work that will be done in the lives of these Team Challenge participants in the next 6 weeks will be LIFE CHANGING! Which brings us to our challenge of the week.

YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:
Listen to Lesson # 1 on the first CD and do the homework in the personal control guide # 1.

If living a great story means character transformation, then we are about to collectivity live an outstanding 10 weeks! I couldn't be more excited!!!

Until next week, keep living a good story!

Always encouaraging you,
Letha

Team Challenge Standings as of 07/19/11

6.1 Beauty & The Beast

4.5 Wild Zumba Lumpas

4.5 The Branches

4.0 “She Aint Heavy, She’s My Sister!”

3.9 Broadway Babes

3.8 Trim The Fat

3.6 Sister Chicks

3.6 Made For More

3.4 Pier Pressure

3.4 No D’ohs

3.3 Moms On A Mission

3.3 Flaca

3.1 Hips Hips Aweigh

3.0 Butt-er-fly B Free

2.9 Teacher Teacher!

2.8 Slimming Siblings

2.8 Perky, Peppy, Prima Donna’s

2.7 The Sunsationals

2.7 Reduce The Caboose

2.7 Incredible Shrinking Divas

2.5 Weapons of Mass Reduction

2.5 Thinner Winner’s

2.5 Dan/Christina

2.4 Hats On Pounds Off

2.4 Downsizing Divas

2.3 Weapons of mASS Destruction

2.3 Unbroken

2.1 Dynamic Duo

2.1 Booty-B-Gone

2.0 Weigh To Go

2.0 Forever Better

1.9 Blast Off

1.9 A Team

1.8 Weight No More

1.7 Git R Done

1.6 Trash Divas

1.6 Double Trouble

1.5 Les Chiennes Minces

1.5 Hot Squad

1.5 Guns & Roses

1.4 Weight Strippers

1.4 Not So Ordinary

1.4 Bums Away

1.3 Mootu Chotu

1.2 Darla/Judy

1.0 Walk Away From The Cupcake

1.0 Extraordinary Thighs

0.0 Warriors A Go Go

0.0 Starlite

.8 Sharing The Adventure

.8 Driver’s License Redemption

-.1 Leeper

EXTRAORDINARY LIFE...the life you were meant to live

July 12, 2011 was the day that many people made a decision to re-write the story of the ending of their lives! It's not how you start, but how you finish that makes the difference! This Summer Team Challenge is all about living an EXTRAORDINARY LIFE and finishing well!

At Noon and Six we began the 10 week challenge with music, before pictures and team names! Once again I was amused and inspired with the wit and creativity of our teams. With over 50 teams participating in this summer Team Challenge, we're set and ready to go for what I believe will be our most powerful challenge yet!

After introducing our teams and weighing them in I showed a powerful slide show of some of our former and current team mates who have gone from just surviving or living ordinary lives, to living EXTRAORDINARY lives! As we looked at before and after pictures of our friends, we were all inspired to re-write our stories just like they have!

I challenged our new participants to fully engage from the start! This next 10 weeks can be some of the most life changing weeks they've lived! I believe that! I challenged our returning participants to get even more out of the next 10 weeks than they did the first! I encouraged them to lead the way and support the "newbies" in every way possible!

We will have challenges every week to keep us focused and to renew our thinking.

YOUR CHALLENGE FOR THE WEEK:
Write down one thing that you would be doing if you were living at your goal weight...that would be EXTRAORDINARY!
Bring that in to The Healthy Weigh next week to be entered into a drawing!

Search me out on FACE BOOK if you are not a part of our Summer Team Challenge closed group yet. You'll find that the inspiration, education and motivation of the group will make a extraordinary difference in your 10 week challenge!

As we begin our first week of this EXTRAORDINARY LIFE Team Challenge, I am filled with great anticipation for all that is to come. I hope you are too!

Always encouraging you,
Letha