Julie Hadden - Biggest Loser Inspiration =)

Well - the scale was not nice to me again today.. still headed in the wrong direction =(  But we all know whose fault that is.. Is it the scales fault?? YES!!  haha  noooo... it is MINE..all MINE...  but alas.. I digress..once again.  I am however, trying really hard to get back in the groove for good and quit jumping on and off again like a crazy train!  I really really wanted to look MUCH different in my bathing suit this year - but I am not going to have that rockin hot bod I wanted to have by this time..  *sigh*  Anyway.. today I want to share an excerpt from a book I am reading called "Fat Chance" by Julie Hadden. Julie was on Season 4 of the Biggest Loser TV show in 2006 and later wrote this book to share her experiences there and how it has impacted her life since.  I am really not very far into the book yet - but it has had some really good chapters thus far.  I am going to take a few pages word for word and put them here (yes people..I know that is plageourism or however u spell that..haha  but I AM giving her credit before I copy it..) because I have really been struggling with staying on track lately and these few pages hit me DEAD ON today...  so here goes:

Daring to Lose the Weight...
If part of life experience is acknowledging the weight we were never intended to carry, then the other part is learning it is possible to lay it down.

Hebrews 12:1 says,"Therefore,since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." I had read that verse a dozen times before, but I'd never noticed how relevant it is to the process of losing weight.

What finally enabled me to start visualizing the "me I would be" was the practice of thinking about contestants from The Biggest Loser seasons previous to mine. I'd think about  the players who had gone before me and who had endeared themselves to me by their hard work and their determination to honor their goals. And I'd think about the dramatic transformation they'd known as a result of refusing to quit. It was yet one more example of my being accidentally biblical in my approach to life. Without intending to, I'd crafted my own "cloud of witnesses" that could inspire me and push me and see me through to the end.

For once, I could see the Julie that God intended me to be, the less burdened woman who had been hiding within. For once, I felt my body changing and those extra weights melting away. For once, I was doing it - I was actually finishing what I had started.

For once.

My newfound appreciation for that verse in Hebrews has caused me now to believe that everyone can throw off the extraneous things weighing her down. The writer of that verse didn't approach the idea timidly. It's not like he said,"You know, give it a little thought, and if it seems like a good idea to you, then maybe get rid of your weight."

Far from it.It's more like,"Get the weight gone, girl. Get it gone!" Remember the great cloud of witnesses. And throw off what hinders and entangles you. Think about who's gone before you, and choose now to lay down your weight.

I originally wanted to be on The Biggest Loser because I thought it was going to be fun. I wanted to be the cute, peppy, happy-go-lucky girl who made everything cheery and everyone laugh. But I got there and realized that the joke was on me. You see yourself differently when you are forced to acknowledge your weight, and ultimately to lay it all down. I felt crippled in every way while I was on campus: At various points along the journey, it seemed I'd been stripped of every form of support - emotional, physical, spiritual and more. But it would take being broken in every possible way before I'd agree to get my weight gone.

And so it is with that verse in Hebrews 12. The instructions found there only work when you stumble upon a crossroads and dare to take the riskier path. For me, that crossroads was the intersection of streets named Big Change and Big Forever. Would I embark on "big change" or would I settle for being "big forever"? Which path would I choose?

My self talk went something like this: "Decide today that you want this change badly enough to pursue the person you deserve to be, or say to yourself right now that you're going to be content with being fat every day for the rest of your life."

I was thirty-five years old and facing a do-or-die situation. Which path should I choose?



Those words from Julie could not have come on a better day for me...  big change or big forever?? I don't want to be big forever... if I did - I never would have begun this journey.  I already have a few "clouds of witnesses" that inspire me every day..whether they realize it or not.  I have Tyler - whose blog at http://www.344pounds.com/ inspired me to start the blog you are now reading.. and whose weight loss and own story are absolutely phenomonal! I have Nancy - my "gym buddy" who I met at the gym and has turned into one of my really good friends and is always encouraging and says the greatest things..exactly when I need her to!  My parents - who have always encouraged me.. no matter what.. even when I don't feel like getting out of bed.. much less hitting the gym  LOL  My beautiful boy.. tho he has NO clue that he keeps me going!!  My friend Cynthia (who I also met at the gym) this chic looks soo friggin amazing!! She has lost over 100 lbs in the past year and she always has an encouraging word for me!  My trainer..Jim - who I will always know as Jerry (insider) keeps me on my toes and works hard to keep me on track! My friend Belinda - who goes to work out with me at lunch - there have been lots of days I would not have gone if she had not been there with me! My friend Melissa is always very encouraging.. and I absolutely could never have made it thru without my Jam partner Jason!!  or my awesome instructors/friends... Felicia, Ashita and Michelle..Stephanie and Sue... those girls ROCK!!!   And Miss Dayna - who I can always count on to leave me a comment or two =) I am also hugely encouraged by all the other awesome bloggers I follow here... there are some incredible folks online.. you should check them out!  Thanks to ALLLLL of you!!

Live..Laugh..Love..and YESSSSSSSS  BODYJAM!!  =)
Cassi