Only 3 weeks left in our weight loss journey!  Although, for me, this journey will continue way past the end of the competition, it has been a great kick start which is what I needed. I have to admit, I almost didn’t join the Biggest Loser Florence competition. I thought, why should I join when I am already a member of the gym? I can lose the weight on my own! HA! I tried and failed in less than two weeks! I decided I needed to do something to motivate myself, so I joined the competition. I cannot begin to tell you how glad I am that I did. So far, it has been an amazing experience!

I am not in the top ten, or even in the top twenty of the biggest losers. But, I have lost 10 lbs. so far and I plan to lose more before this is over. I have met the most amazing people along the way. I could not have asked for better teammates. We meet at the gym several days a week and cheer each other on.  I never thought I could laugh so much while working out!  I think we will always be friends even when this experience is over.  They are my motivation!  Just last Saturday, I was sleeping in when I heard the buzz of my phone from an incoming text. It was one of my teammates texting me to meet at the gym in an hour. If I hadn’t had someone to give me that nudge, I would have still been sleeping and would have probably skipped the gym that day.

Our trainer, Kim, is awesome! She always has a different workout for us to try which keeps it interesting and fun. We were outside flipping tires and pulling a sled last week! Not an easy workout but it was nice to get out of the gym and try something different.  I am learning about different machines and workouts that I can do in the gym and at home. Without her, I would probably have stayed in my comfort zone walking on the treadmill and using the Fitlinx machines and getting bored. I had been doing that for several months already with no results.

So, even though I am sure I will not even come close to winning, I am glad that I joined. It has been an experience that is life changing. A change that leads to better health and hopefully a lifetime of fitness!

**Ann has also shared with us a Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe she recommends which can be found here.**

Ann’s advice: “I actually skip the water and use 48 oz of low fat, low salt chicken broth and also 3 cans of the healthy request cream of chicken soup. Also add a can of black beans. Filling and delicious!”