I am such a loser!!!

So, thanks for all the voting the last post. I realized, after I asked and then haven't blogged for two days since, that it probably looked like I was just prostituting for comments. But I wasn't, really, and I appreciate the feedback. I have some blogs a-comin', so hang tight. I got some business to discuss, first.

Tonight was the finale of my version of The Biggest Loser. Of the 37 participants 12 were brave enough to actually show up, and 11 of those weighed in.

Here's the skinny Mindy (/ie)s:

And my biggest competition, Annie:

Don't let Annie's darling looks and young face (seriously! doesn't she look about 15 in this picture? and how cute is her baby? it's like a mini Annie!!) fool you. She is hard core. I need to give Annie a huge shout out because she did her work 100% au natural (if you think spitting in a cup and wearing garbage bags to sweat it out is natural . . . she's married to a wrestler!) and if anyone motivated me it was Annie. Ever since Annie moved into my ward I have been impressed with her, but I had no idea how committed and competitive she could be until she gave me a good dose of trash-talking and jokes in the hallways at the church. I knew there was a serious undertone in what she was saying because she was looking good each week when we'd size each other up in the hallways. To really push me to do a smidge better than Annie was realizing a few weeks ago that we started within a pound of each other and at that point we had lost the exact same amount of weight. It was game on!

Here's Lindsey and Samantha (both who were teenagers when I met them and are now beautiful, wonderful women friends of mine . . . which is like calling them old and totally ruining their cool factor.) My mom is doing SOO well with her weight loss too and is reaching milestone after milestone! I'm really proud of her.

Dustin and Leah, my cousin and his wife, came the furthest and I'm so glad they did. Aren't they a gorgeous couple? And so fun! Leah has always been a teensy little thing (seriously, I would crush her if I ever accidentally sat on her!), but she was up for the competition and she shaved more than a tenth of her already tiny self right off. They're awesome!

This was my ghetto weight loss board. Everyone went with me into the bathroom and *some* opted for a strip down to their skivvies so they could get their official weight. I calculated the %s of everyone and then posted it next to their autograph. Mindie helped me pull off the tags to "reveal" the amount lost by each person. And you know what, any loss was good. The whole point was to get people motivated. I know a lot of people didn't want to weigh-in because they knew they wouldn't win, BUT as long as they didn't gain anything the past 4 months, then they're a success. Right? I wanted to do this competition because I was ready to commit to a change and make some permanent adjustments to my lifestyle. It worked for me.

Because I lost weight! In fact, I lost 30.7 pounds.

And when I figured the percentages on my bathroom floor, I realized that the HALF pound I lost more than what Annie had lost made a mere 2/10 of a difference in our weight losses. It was pretty much a bittersweet moment for me. You see, Annie and I had chatted on facebook on Monday night. And she told me where she was with her weight loss. And it was more than me. And I felt pretty defeated that night. But come yesterday morning I figured I had to give it my best effort and so I'd work as much as I can to see if I could at least bridge our gap. I'll give credit to last night's Zumba class, the 3 sessions in the steam room the past 24 hours, the fasting all day today, BUT most of all it was Annie's work that propelled me to really try to BEAT her! But when I did, I felt a little guilty! Like I had survivor's guilt or something.

Everyone was super great about the winning and the not winning. I'm grateful for that, and I fully plan on properly thanking Annie for her hard-fought battle. I doubt it makes her feel any better knowing that she helped me so much, but I've got to give credit where it's due.

Thanks again for all those who played. I really did have a good time, and I can't believe how quickly 4 and a half months go by. (Without this sounding like some awards' show speech or anything) I do want to give thanks to Tyler who's been super supportive while I've focused more on myself. My kids, who've been cooperative in going to the gym with me or eating "boring" foods. All my other family who has been quick to compliment me or take notice of my shrinking self (mostly they comment on my boobs shrinking/sagging, but hey! it's the price) and my friends who've been super patient and helpful at get togethers that involve food (like having healthy snacks OR patiently taking my lunch order with "adjustments" to keep it more healthy.)

I haven't really figured what I am going to do with my winnings. I'm trying to be practical without actually paying bills with it. Any ideas? Other than a new pair of jeans when I lose the last five pounds I want to lose, I haven't committed to anything. Thanks again, everyone!