Well, here we are. The ten weeks are almost up and it’s time to start evaluating whether the ‘results’ that we’re getting match up with our expectations.
Some have worked their butts off and lost a huge amount of weight. To those people, I say: “Fantastic! … you son of a … ummmmm ….. gun.”

Did you lose all the poundage that you wanted? Some did and some didn’t. But make no mistake, the scale is not the only measure of success. If you take a really close look at everything, you will see that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU GOT POSITIVE RESULTS.

Speaking for myself, there won’t be any first place Biggest Loser prizes in my future but that was never the point for me. The weight, the sodium, the lack of exercise and the stress caused my blood pressure to sky rocket. On day one, the first time Mark Sansbury checked my blood pressure, it was about 180/110. He said: “Are you feeling ok?” I said: “Is this pulsing cranial artery normal?” Fast forward about 9 weeks, and as of tonight my pressure is about 125/75. That’s what we call a RESULT! And, it’s a lot more valuable than prize money. I can tell you from personal experience that there is no medication that can lower your pressure in that dramatic a fashion. It’s only the food intake (lower sodium and higher potassium), weight loss and dramatic exercise changes that can make that big of a change. There are almost certainly others out there with the same story.

I’m willing to bet that every person in our group has positive results way beyond whatever the scale says.

>Several people have told me that they believe that they can either go to a lower dose of the medication they are on or may be able to get off of them altogether in the near future. That’s wonderful.

>I know that some of you haven’t seen a ton of difference on the scale but I bet your clothes fit a little better. It has to make you smile when you can button those jeans without crushing your spleen.

>Do you sleep better now? Especially the night after a workout? Of COURSE you do.

>You snorers may be snoring a little less if you’ve lost some tissue around your throat. Don’t ask me how I know about snoring…

>How about that kayaking? Most of us had never done it before but on top of that, some tried it without even knowing how to swim. Hello? That was incredibly brave. Think they would have done it before we started this program? Think they would have attempted it without all the support they got? No way.

>What about self esteem? Doesn’t it feel good to know you attempted something difficult and followed through with it? Of course it does.

>Everything physical in your life is just a little bit easier now. You can work harder AND play harder now. The list goes on and on.

Here’s a little quote:

“Every man who has to gotten to where he is, started from where he was”

Wherever you fall on the spectrum of weight loss numbers, the measure of success isn’t found just on the scale. As a matter of fact, that’s probably the least important way to measure the change. Take a good hard look at yourself, mind and body. Appreciate the positives to be found everywhere, apply what you’ve learned about yourself and then use it as a base for your NEXT goal, once this is over. With each goal reached, you get closer to where you want to be.

*This post picture is the beautiful sky taken on the day of Biggest Loser 2015’s 2nd challenge, Kayak Attack.  The photo was shot by 6-year-old James Connor McGee.  Consider the inspiration the Biggest Losers held for him that day – cheering each other on, laughing, having fun, trying new things.  It proves your journey is not over.  You’ll keep going and the impact of your participation will be felt in Florence for a long time.  THANK YOU LOSERS for all you’ve given!*