No I don't belong to the Biggest Loser Club. It is actually in reference to the show, and my lazy ass couldn't find an image for just the Biggest Loser, so I figured this would work. I bring it up because I watched the finale this morning, almost a month late while I was working out. Why on earth would a reality TV addict like me wait almost a month to see those amazing results? Well it has to do with guilt, shame and all sorts of fun negative attitudes I give myself. Guilt over a TV show? Uh, yes, that would be me, pity, party of one. I stopped watching the show because seeing all those people trying so hard to do what I had (temporarily) given up on made me feel guilty and ashamed, it made me feel bad. Heck, every time a Weight Watchers commercial (my diet plan of choice) came on the air I took everything I had not to immediately change the channel. I recently posted something on a group I belong to (nor-cal WW shout out) and I will also put it here:
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Ok ladies, in the spirit of trying to get everyone over the negative
self talk I wanted to share something with you to make all of us
(including me) realize that this whole weight loss journey is hard.
No if's, and's, or but's about it, no matter who you are, what you
have, or where you go it will be a journey and life adjustment
forever. That said, I'm not sure how many of you have said, "if I
had "x" I know I could lose more weight..."

Redbook magazine had it's very first "Real-Life Healthy Life"
challenge in 2006, they choose 3 readers and helped them try to
refocus and change their lives. They got many things that ladies
like us would love to get! Specialized workouts planned for them, a
nutritionist visited them at home, they had a large accountability as
they were shown monthly in the magazine. So at the end of this
journey for these 3 women, were they all thin? Nope, they sure were
not, the largest weight loss was 52 lbs ; the other ladies lost 12.5
and zero pounds.

So why, you may ask, am I sharing this with you? To gloat? To say
neeneer neeneer for all that free help? to be nasty? Nope, I'm
sharing this with you to show you how hard this journey is. This was
a huge epiphany for me as I read these articles every month and saw
the year getting closer to the end and very little weight loss (for
the most part) happening. Darn it, in my fantasies if I had all that
help I would be skinny by July! But that wasn't the case for these
women... Why?

Because even if you are chosen to be in a magazine, or on a TV show,
or just if you make the choice for yourself, weight loss is hard.
There will be huge strides, small steps, there will be set backs,
sometimes life will get in the way and sometimes you will feel like
giving up, why? Because it's hard! So please everyone, no matter
where you are in your journey, whether you post frequently or are
reading this anonymously from behind your screen remember this is
hard work, remember that, embrace it and try not to get discouraged!
Anything worth having is worth fighting for, so let's fight a brave
fight for our health, our self confidence, our selves and remember if
you're beating yourself up in midst of the battle, it will be much
harder to succeed.

Remember it's not easy.
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Negative self talk, guilt shame, embarrassment, heck it's all the same. I stopped going to meetings, posting on my board for all of these reasons, but what never occurred to me was that ALL of us have these feelings. We have all hit a brick wall in things that we try/attempt/work at, but the measure of success isn't necessarily the numbers on a scale or on a pair of pants, it's picking yourself back up again and trying again. So in the honor of the rubber tree plant ant, i'm picking myself up and giving it another shot!

What just makes that little ole ant,
Think he'll move that rubber tree plant.
Anyone knows, an ant, can't,
Move a rubber tree plant.
Cause he's got high hopes,
He's got high hopes.
He's got high apple pie,
in the sky....hopes.
So, anytime you're feeling low,
instead of letting go.
Just remember that ant,
Whoops, there goes another rubber tree,
whoops, there goes another rubber tree,
whoops, there goes another rubber tree plant.