Final weigh-in was this past weekend and the final article and results will be in this Sunday's newspaper.  No spilling the beans about the biggest loser of the contest -- there were many who can say they had winning success in losing pounds and inches over the past six months.  My original goal in being in the contest was to finish what I started last year but of course life has other plans.  I'm happy with my results -- since twelve of the 25 weeks were spent physically limping because of knee injury, then surgery, then recovery, and I let all of that make me limp mentally, there were times I thought that I would be happy with any loss at all!!   Once I started the Slim & Fit exercise classes in May, that really helped me to focus and get back on track -- the inches that I lost I can definitely attribute to that class because it is a workout and a half!  

Two people at church yesterday said that they could tell I had lost more weight and that it looked like I was melting away (and I wasn't even sweating at either time!).  When someone mentions "melting away" though, having grown up in Kansas, my thoughts immediately turn to the demise of the Wicked Witch. (and things were never the same after that house fell on my sister!)   But they meant it as a compliment and there are times during exercising when the sweat is dripping steadily off my nose, that it does seem like melting might be involved.

Our blogs do stay open for awhile and, if we want to, we can continue blogging.  The discipline of blogging week after week after week is an important part of the contest -- kind of like the discipline of exercising and eating healthy week after week after week  -- hmmm, do you think there's a connection to be made?

People always think that the most difficult part of this contest is the publishing of the weights but, to me, blogging regularly gets to be the chore.  (just like sticking to a diet and exercise program -- hmmmm, do you think there's a connection to be made??!)   We'll see--

THANK YOU to Laura Kessel and the News Herald and to Jaime Brenkus and Slim & Fit for sponsoring another Lighten Up Contest.  There were many who did experience some lightening up and the life changing experiences that it involves.  Continued best wishes to the 2011 contestants and to everyone who is working towards losing more weight and becoming healthier -- it can be done and we can do it!!

Barb