Our Very Own "Biggest Loser"

Our very own Colton P. gave his testimony today at The Healthy Weigh. He told us a bit about his relationship with food past and present and then shared his experience having gotten REAL CLOSE to being chosen to be on the TV show, "The Biggest Loser!" We were motivated by not only his story but his 95 pound weight loss as well.

It was great to get some "behind the scenes" scoop! Their loss, our gain! So glad Colton is part of The Healthy Weigh family. 

We are in the action stage of CHANGE and we're taking action. So you’d think OK…now it’s the easy part!  We’ve  finally admitted we’ve got a problem, we’ve decided to do something about it, we’ve prepped…OK…now we just need to take action!

So why is the action stage so hard? Why can’t we just do it! What keeps us from keeping on, reaching our goal weight and keeping it off for life!?

I’ve read a lot of books to inspire me to keep on going over the years but one has been at the top of my list for years… The Travelers Gift. By Andy Andrews.

He tells a story of a man down on his luck,  David Ponder, who goes on a journey through time and meets historical figures who inspire the best of him and taught him 7 decision that changed his life!.  We've spent weeks on the story in the past, but this week I focused on just the 7th and final decision that David Ponder received.

David ponder is getting weary. He’s been traveling a while and learning huge lessons. 

He sat down in his weariness and fell asleep…when he woke he had landed in a building…a room…. a warehouse….he wasn’t quite sure where he was, but what he noticed first were stacks of photos every where he looked. He stood to look around and saw massive racks of clothing, thousands of coats, wheelchairs…beds, bicycles. automobile titles, shoes, millions of shoes…where was he?

He was sure he had never seen anything like this before. Blue jeans, and marriage licenses, and food. He even saw stacks of money.

Finally after walking around, looking at the stacks of things that seem to never end…he saw a man walking towards him. He had blonde hair, he had a pleasant smile on his face and all of the sudden David noticed…he had wings.

He said “Hello David, I’m Gabriel.”  David was talking to an angel.

David walked and talked with Gabriel for a while…still walking by bricks and bags of rice and rocking chairs and computers and vast amounts of items that at this point David could see no connection between.

David didn’t understand.

They kept walking…David kept asking, "Where Am I?"  "What is all of this?" "Have I seen it all?"

Gabriel said “Oh no, you have only seen a fraction of what is here…and sadly, it keeps growing every day.”

 With great frustration David asked one more time looking around at everything…the photos of children, the important discoveries, the room upon room of things…what is this place???

Gabriel said “This my friend, is the place that never was.”

“This is the place where we keep all the things that were about to be delivered just as a person stopped working and praying for them. The contents of this warehouse are filled with dreams and goals of the less courageous.”

Gabriel went on to say, as David fell to the ground overwhelmed by what he had just heard.

“You must know, that in the game of life, nothing is less important that the score at halftime.”

“The tragedy of life is not that man loses, but that he almost wins.”

Are you all like me…Do you wonder why we do that?  Why do we detour?

Why do we ease off when we’ve wanted something so bad?

For one thing, we don’t understand that constant detours do not bring us into the presence of greatness. Detours don’t build muscle. Easing off does not make the going easier or guide us to our desired destination. We think we need a break to refresh…but that doesn’t make us stronger.

Do you know how many stories I could tell you about the clients at The Healthy Weigh who have chosen to ease off a bit. Take a break,  try it on their own?  The saddest part is that they were clients who were down 20, 30 ,40 , 50 , 60 , 70 100 pounds!!!

Easing up did not make them stronger…didn’t get them to their goals… easing up derailed them.

Most of them eased up when the road got treacherous. Those are the EXACT times when you must feel the weight of your future upon your shoulders…the unstoppable strength of destiny coursing through your veins.

I’ve been thinking this week…just what is in that “place that never was” just from The Healthy Weigh alone? I shutter to think about that.

The goal weights that were never achieved, which led to the relationships that were never right, that lead to children not living healthy lives because of the choices of the parents.

The place that never was has “after” photos that never happened.

The place that never was is filled with dreams and goals of former Healthy Weigh clients who didn’t hang on, who never finished, who didn’t push through the fire.

The place that never was has swimsuits that were never worn. Zip lines that were never zipped on!

Medals from races that were never run,  smaller jeans that were never bought,

David got a rare opportunity to look at all the things that never happened because people quit.

Gabriale handed David Ponder the final decision of 7. "I WILL PERSIST WITHOUT EXCEPTION"

It’s funny about the statement I will persist without exception, we all say. Yea, yea, I’ve heard talks about being persistent before, I know we need to persist, but the part we need to pay attention to today is …without exception.

Without exception is where dreams are met, and miracles occur…where rewards are great!

Without exception means you’ll find a way where there seems to be no way.

Without exception means you don’t stop until you reach your goal…and then, not then either!

It’s that time on the journey with David ponder and on the journey at THW that you make a DECISION…and decision that will determine your future. A decision that will assure no more items, photos, dreams are added to that place that is filled with the things that never were.

The one thing that I see repeated is that clients come and start out strong…with vision and excitement and commitment…and some where along the way, get weaker, lose focus and somehow think  that they don’t have the willpower to keep going. To keep making the right decisions, the willpower to follow through, the willpower to say yes when they need to say yes, and no when they need to say no.

We talked just a bit last week about willpower. As we sit in the action stage, I want to remind you again about our ability to grow our willpower, our ability to stay motivated and go the distance! We’ve got what it takes…its just doesn’t feel like it sometimes!

Most people when you mention willpower say…yea, that’s what I need more of, and of course not just for weight loss, but for finances, relationships, work habits, emotions…

We all know that we are supposed to be in control of these areas, but we have willpower failures.  According the American Psychological Association, Americans name lack of willpower as the number one reason they struggle to meet their goals.

ALL OF US struggle is some way with temptation, addiction, distraction, procrastination. These are not individual weaknesses…they are universal!

Today is about staying in the action stage and choosing to persist without exception. Today is about making sure that you don’t add to that place that never was, but that you choose to keep moving forward making a DECISION that will not only change your life forever, but change the lives of generations to come!

For some of you…it’s half time. You CAN win this game…but you must persist without exception!!

OUR WINNERS OF THE WEEK!

Noon: Team "Perfect Ten" Jo and Jill with a 2.28% of weight loss!
6 PM: Team "Losin It" Beuhla and Kyla with a 1.74% of weight loss! 
Our HEART winner of the week was Reuben D. with a 3.49% of weight loss for the week! 

We had a great week of weight loss and TONS of people in the 2 pound weight loss drawing!  Congratulations to our four $50 winners!

Your challenges for the week:

• Read the 7th decision "I will Persist With our Exception" every day this week!
• Do a willpower booster (maybe one you haven't done yet)
• Download week # 3 What’s in Your Back Pack~ Controlling What You Can! And do the homework provided!

We are in the action stage and we are changing...press on my friends! Great things are going to happen in the next 4 weeks!!

Always encouraging you,

Letha