inspiration is a two way street...

Well, I'm feeling a little better about the scope of what I've gotten myself into. I have to say that I was very humbled by your comments to my last blog. You know, I'd found motivation before when I heard people at work tell me that they were amazed at my transformation or how great I was looking but I found even more motivation from the people who would tell me that I had inspired them. Little ole me. Not much of much. Inspiring anyone??? That was hard for me to believe, but they kept saying it time after time. It might have been that I inspired them to become more active or to stop eating sweets or to lose that extra 10 pounds they'd been saddle with for years or to make it back to the gym on a regular basis or whatever. It was nice to hear that my hard work was paying off in other people's lives too.

Then when I read your comments from my last post, and you said how I had inspired you guys. I was amazed. For me, 80 pounds is a huge accomplishment and also a small one. Sitting here 80 pounds thinner I can see where it's taken me a very long time and a very difficult journey to get here. But in the same token, I sit here 80 pounds thinner saying to myself that it wasn't all that hard and doesn't seem like that big of a deal.

But wait!

It's a huge deal!!!

I think my main thing is that I'd become complaisant with my weight loss. I'd forgotten the struggles and pain that I'd gone through over the last year. I'd gotten bored with this whole weight loss thing and had somehow forgotten all of the sacrifice and heart aches along the way.

It all is for something, you know. And not just for my benefit either. I've always said that I couldn't have lost one pound without being accountable to someone else. That's why when I first started I told EVERYONE about it. I figured the more people knew, the harder it would be for me to quit. But what happened along the way was that I brought all of these people along with me on the journey. It made it easier for me. And I couldn't have done it without any of them. I couldn't have done it without any of you either.

So for you to say I've inspired you. I say. Back at you! You guys have inspired me, too. By accountability. By suggestions. By encouragement. By just being there to listen to me whine. You've inspired me to stick with it.

A woman I work with reminded me of how inspired I was watching the biggest loser and suggested that maybe there's another show out there like that one that's on now that could help inspire me. I think she's right. I was so psyched watching the biggest loser and seeing those nuts lose 5-25 pounds a week pouring their heart and soul into the exercise and diet and overcoming their life-long obesity. I was totally inspired. As a matter of fact, I still have Ali Vincent's (winner of last season) picture on the outside of my cube at work. I rarely even look at her picture any more when she was such an inspiration to me.

But I don't think I need a show anymore when I have you guys. You guys are my new biggest loser show!

So I think I'm back in this, now.

I'm inspired!

I think what I'm trying to say in all of this is that I was looking for some sort of inspiration to keep going to make this whole thing a little easier and all I have to do is look around me and see all of the people who have inspired me along the way.

So here's to you...

Here's to my inspiration...

David
Nicole
Mommy
Dolores
Sarah
Cathy
Cara
Fatina
Jennette
Donna
Carolyn
Wendy
Awilda
Marie
Sean
Amber
Lauri
Jen
Jim
Noreen
Bonnie
Audrey
Ken
Jodi
Karen
Nicole
Betsy
Roni
Shelly
Yoni
Brenda
Felicia
Valerie
Adrienne
Maureen
Leigh
Argina
Annette
Linda
Carmen
Nita
...and I'm sure there are a ton more people who have said that I inspired them over the last year who have in turn inspired me (I just have the world's worst memory so their names aren't coming to me right now).

Thanks everyone!