When the going gets tough, the tough keep PLAYING!

My July game is in the beginning of week two.  As usual, we have 50 or so friends, reaching out to each other, helping each other, keeping each other motivated...but for many of those 50, the two weeks before the game started were, let's say, educational.

As the "administrator" or "Game On Mom" as I was dubbed affectionately (I think) last week, I usually stick to the recommended four week game.  Because of where MY vacation fell (selfish perhaps, but I guess it is one of the perks of being the "MOM"), the last game was a long five weeks, and then we took off two weeks for my vacation and the week of the 4th of July.  Our intentions were to start again, for those who wanted to, on July 6th.

How much "fun" can one have in two weeks?   I will admit, being Game Off, is a bit free-ing...  Reminds me of the days when, as a kid, you could jump on your banana seat bike (with no helmet since we didn't know what those were then!) with the tassles on the handles and ride like the wind...in the street, hair blowing behind you with no one worrying or caring when you came home (as long as you were home for dinner).  For those of us who were truly away for vacation (as I was), it meant, saying yes to the nightly ice cream shop ritual (I did eat low fat or low sugar yogurt), drinking a glass or two of wine, and enjoying fried, well, fried anything, without too much guilt.

Before I left for vacation, I received several emails from gamers wondering if they would play in July...they were heading out for vacation mid-game, and they didn't want to worry about disappointing others, etc.  But by the end of the two week Game Off, most were ready to jump back in.  Even knowing they were vacationing mid-game....

Why?  Why do these folks WANT to go back to rules, boundaries, scoring, limitations??  There are a couple of reasons that are so clear to me.
     1. Like children, many of us crave order in our lives.  As much as we would love to jump on that banana seat everyday, all day, some days have to have chores and "have to's."  This game has given us an order in regards to food that works for almost all of us.  We can eat within plan, plan within the game, and stay within boundaries, even when we take a penalty for lack of sleep, an Orange Crush, a sweet 16 birthday party of a daughter or a day it is just too hot to exercise....  And we still lose weight and feel better internally and externally.
    2. We seem to be magnets for others to join us.  With each game, we may lose 10 or so folks, but the majority of "game friends" keep on plugging along.  And keep telling others about our success.  So when a "newbie" jumps on board, we all want to be our best for them because they deserve the best support from us that we got from others when we first started.

So, the summertime may be hot.  It may be full of fun excuses to go "off game."  But even if you do this game at 75%, you feel better, look better and are more in control than when you are completely "off."  And for that, I thank you gamers....for keeping me going and sticking together.  For jumping back on board, even when the going gets tough.  For playing, again and again.  We are making our little part of the world, a little healthier, one game at a time.

And They're OFF!

Baltimore is a bit of a horse town...well, once a year at Preakness..Big fun pretty hats, huge concert, some horses run around.   Part of the Triple Crown..another one in Kentucky (Derby) and then, the Belmont Stakes (I had to look those up)  I don't really follow horse-racing (more of a college football girl) , but I like the starting up analogy, because we are prancing around excited!!

Because here we go again.  More "newbies" playing the game.  Newbies make it fun.  They keep it exciting.  They ask fun questions ("I can eat a hard boiled egg??" LOVE IT!)  And they remind us all why we keep playing again, and again.  It works, it is fun, it is supportive, it works, it is motivational, it is accountability, and, did I say, it works?  It does.  Again, and again and again.  We have 50 plus folks playing the February game--36 of us have played before!  And it is a bit of a race.  Four weeks at a time.  My calendar seems to be divided into games now, not necessarily months.

A nutritionist listened to me rattle off what I basically ate on a daily basis.  She nodded, nodded and nodded again.  She seemed to approve of what I said although the game points made her laugh...communicate with each other? Okay, makes sense.  Good habit, bad habit?  Alright, maybe.  Sleep, hmm...Water, sure. Food, sounds right.  Day off, meal off, yeah...  Long term? Do we know long term? 

No, we don't know.  At least the "WE" that is playing in my game and has been playing in my games in the past don't know...WE are not there yet.  But part of WE is getting there.  We have Maintainers who are going to play a bit with the game.  They will still be a part of WE, but THEY will have a little more wiggle room than WE do...and that is okay...Because WE all hope to be apart of THEY soon!!  WE hope THEY can show us how to maintain rather than lose.  Although for the majority of WE, we can't believe that WE will get to that point...but believe, because if you stick with it, it WILL happen.  I BELIEVE :)

These horses are ready.  They are jumping around inside waiting to get out.  It is exciting because, for many, their lives change TOMORROW.  And we helped them. And they helped us.  And no matter who wins the 4 week race, we ALL WIN.   WEIGH IN tomorrow morning...HERE WE GO!!  GAME ON!  AND THEY'RE OFF!

Motivation

Wow...here again.  Almost time to start another game...we have done it again...adding another 10 or so new players and around 25 of the old players, playing again.  Some folks are taking this month off....Need the break, re-working plans, re-prioritizing...Their bodies and minds may be glad they did.

Good news came today in that one of our former players (I think last game was before Thanksgiving?) who lives in JAPAN, is re-joining us.  Misses the accountability...not in it to win the money...in it to win for herself...good for her...glad to have her back. 

Motivation does work in different ways for different people.  I LOVE the group atmosphere even though we rarely all see each other...going online has made it easy to connect with people who are on our team and on opposing teams...Motivating each other through trash talk, but more often through encouragement.  This is hard-this losing weight thing.  But we are all doing it.

Motivation also comes from success.  Wearing clothes you haven't worn in years...or having to buy new clothes that fit in 2-3 sizes smaller.  Motivation comes from compliments.  Motivation comes from how you feel--you feel BETTER living this way.

For me, at least for now, motivation does get you started...But the habits we are building-all of us playing this game-are what keeps us going.  It becomes second nature, almost.  You still have to work at it...we know that because in between games, it is tough.  Tough to force those habits because there is no one saying you should still watch what you eat.  But those habits are there-we bring them back, and it is easier, with the start of every new game.

Game starts again in 3 days...Here comes Friday and here come the gamers!!  Less of us in mass, more of us in numbers :)