The Mother Load

So, I've lost 15 pounds since I started all of this, and I am the first person to admit that I couldn't have done it without the support of some pretty cool friends. I am a firm believer that no one should ever attempt to lose weight without at least three friends who want to lose weight at the same time.  Having weight loss buddies is important for three reasons:

1) You have to be accountable to them, so you're not as likely to mess up.
2) You can encourage each other when workouts get boring and diets get tough.
3) You will have someone to talk to when all your other friends decide you're completely obnoxious.

We can't help but be obnoxious, you know.  It's part of the deal.  It comes from all the reading we're doing and all the triumphs we're having and all the extra energy that we have from not gorging on carbs and fat all day.  You start eating right, exercising, and shedding pounds, and you go into "Save the World" mode.  You're like a newly initiated member of a fabulous club (cult) and you can't think of anything better to do than to attempt to convert (brainwash) all your friends.  People get sick of that really quickly.

15 pounds into my weight loss journey, and I've officially become obnoxious.  Some friends and family would tell you I've been obnoxious my whole life.  These people have MS degrees in Stuffy from the University of Killjoy, so I'm not entirely sure you should take their words for it.  What you should believe is that I, Sarah Clark, am now, currently, at this time, very much obnoxious...right now.

Basically, if you're not currently trying to lose weight or if you're not completely enthralled by my exploits in the weight loss realm, I probably don't have anything interesting to say to you.  These days, I talk a lot about high fructose corn syrup, good carbs vs bad carbs, how many miles I've walked in the past three days, and what I'm going to do when I make it to the other side of 200 for the first time in 9 years.  (I'm going to buy an outfit completely inappropriate to my weight because, in my excitement over my weight loss, I will have forgotten that 199 is not 119.)

Having friends who are in the obnoxious phase with me ensures that I will always have an eager ear to listen to me rant about the dangers inherent in packaged food.  Being obnoxious myself means I am more than willing to listen to their many and various odes to circuit training and ankle weights.  It's a beautiful thing.

In order to make sure I had a good number of friends willing to whittle down their weights along with me, I suggested a 3 month round of "Biggest Loser" on the MOFia message board that is my daily haven from actually getting any work done.  Quite a few ladies jumped at the chance to join, so we all hang out on the "Healthy Moms" board, dishing about our triumphs and our defeats and giving each other encouragement along the way.

By encouragement, I mean that we trash talk each other about the money we're going to win and offer to send each other brownies in the mail when one or more of us loses more weight than everyone else.  One particular friend dropped nine pounds in the first week of the competition, blowing everyone out of contention for the first month's $100 prize.  There's a plainly wrapped package of chocolate chip croissants on the way to her house as I write this. 

I personally vowed at the beginning of month two that I would win the month's prize and that I had even put the money in my budget.  I was doing great until Cate's birthday party Saturday.  I'd lost five pounds in the first two weeks.  This morning at weigh in, I'd gained back two of those.  I'll either have to exercise two hours a day or cut my calories in half to win the money by the final weigh in.  Since I'm not willing to do either of those things, I'll probably just sneak in and change the spreadsheet in the middle of the night while Richard's sleeping.  I'm consoling myself with the fact that one of the participants had to drop out due to an unexpected pregnancy, so the prize isn't going to be as high, anyway.  (I also console myself with the fact that she was one of the frontrunners.  Yay for babies!)

To my fellow MOFia losers, thanks for putting up with my obnoxiousness and for sharing yours with me.  Tonight's rant will involve fast food marketing, and I'll probably tell you all how I'm going to wipe the floor with you by next Tuesday.  If I manage more than 3 miles on the treadmill, you WILL be hearing about it.

To my readers, obnoxious or not, I think you should be doing this with me.  Let's be friends.  Tell me your weight loss goals and keep me apprised of your successes.

(Then give me your address so I know where to send the chocolate chip croissants.)