Today was the final day of an 8 week weight loss competition which I both organized and participated in at work. This event was a fundraiser for my Relay For Life team, JPL United. At the start of the competition, each participant gathered sponsorship pledges per pound. A $50 prize will be awarded to the person who brings in the most sponsorship money and a $50 prize will also be awarded to the person who loses the highest percentage of body weight.
What I accomplished:
I had 16 sponsors and pledges totaling $33.50 per pound. After losing 9 pounds, that means I raised just over $300! Also, I went from being in the "overweight" BMI category to being at a "healthy" weight.
How I did it:
The thrill of a competition and the accountability of having sponsors are what helped motivate me to stay focused for the past two months. I lost the weight by eating less, though I did continue my regular exercise plan of about 30 minutes of cardio 2 or 3 times a week. For the first month of the competition, I tried something different every week so that I wouldn't get bored or frustrated. Week 1: counted calories. Week 2: stopped eating when full. Week 3: went to the gym every morning. Week 4: Ate only fresh food that I prepared. After that, I tried combining 2 or 3 techniques at a time. Overall, I tried to avoid sugary foods as much as I could.
I learned that...
- I can go to the gym in the morning and not be late for work.
- I really like eating fresh food.
- I love steamed vegetables.
- it's not that hard to make a delicious steak if I don't buy the cheap meat.
- cutting out sugary foods like candy, cakes and cookies makes a significant difference.
- I should buy fresh produce without worrying about it spoiling before I'll use it because now I know I'll eat it.
My Sponsors (I came up with the categories 
)
- Gold Sponsors (Over $25)
- Mom
- Aunt Linda
- Aunt Barbie
- Silver Sponsors (Over $10)
- Brad L.
- Bill B.
- Bronze Sponsors
- Michael H.
- Bob W.
- Dan L.
- Stacey G.
- Colby Z.
- Sovanna M.
- Misty S.
- Diana L.
- Steve C.
- Tim W.
- Josh B.