Thanks to YOU Gamers....

I have run Game On games for the past 10 months. Gamers have thanked me for helping them, and I really do appreciate the thanks...but credit is due to them...because they are the ones who did it.

How is it that a community of people, I refer to as Gamers, (mostly women) can find such drive from each other?  I know some competitive women (some might put ME in that category....college degree came from major football university which is now NUMBER ONE again, but who is counting?), but I don't think it is the competition....

I know some groups are formed, even at the national level and are major businesses, where people come together, talk, compare notes, clap for successes and some people lose weight...some lots of weight.  I don't think it is that kind of group, although we do, our community of Gamers, do those things.

The plan, The Game On Diet Plan! works.  So, I do think that I can give credit due there.

But these Gamers, have all gotten to a point in their lives where they themselves said, "Sure, I will try...it has worked for you, what is wrong with me giving it a try?"  And the women and men, who really tried, for the most part, these Gamers, made it work. 

Has it worked for everyone?  Nope.  I rarely have folks tell me it is not a plan they can follow.  I have heard it all though: I can't drink 100 ounces of water, I can't give up my wine, I can't possibly exercise everyday, I can't add or takeaway any habits--giving up Diet Coke is bad enough!  AND I have had people who avoid making eye contact with me after trying to play the game.  I have had friends who say they are embarrassed because it doesn't seem to work for them.

I told one friend (a Gamer), last week, who has attempted to play this month, that she just isn't ready yet.  I would never say that to anyone about to play (unless they hadn't read the book, which makes me CRAZY!), but I said this to my friend because she has 2 good days, then falls apart.  And eats whatever, whenever.  And ducks around the corner so she won't see me at the office.  But she is not ready to throw it all out there for the good of the game and the good of her.  She may get there this way, and she may find another way.  She knows where my office is if she decides she is ready again. 

Some people are not ready yet.  Some people cannot believe this can possibly work for them.  But for those women and men, who gave it what it was worth, these Gamers need to look in the mirror and thank themselves.  I may have given that first encouraging pat, but every Gamer who has succeeded has succeeded because they made it happen.  So thank you to me, but thank you to you, Gamers....You deserve how good you feel right now--you were ready to make the jump, try something new and decide there was nothing to lose, but weight.  And you did.  CONGRATS my Gamer friends!

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.

"Watch out for the TURKEYS!"

When I started this blog, the last thing I thought I would be posting in June would be a title of a wild turkey.  But our group, our wonderful community of "friends" continues to inspire me, as well as make me laugh.

This is a BIG time of the year for everyone to go to the beach, and many of our friends are fortunate enough to have a place on the Eastern Shore.  For many of our Game Friends, the Eastern Shore also means all those things that normal dieters find "forbidden" :  Thrasher's Fries, Fisher's Popcorn, Frozen Custard and the like...not to forget the delicious "adult beverages" that are usually thrown in coolers, huggies and fun plastic cups...

So what does a group like ours do in a situation like this?? Throw up our hands and say oh well??  For many of us, we are changing our lives, one day at a time...which includes the days we are at the beach.  So, for the first year, possibly ever, we add to those fun things above, a swim in the ocean...a good swim or a long hard walk on the boardwalk, or, according to two or three different friends, a run or walk down the InterCoastal Highway.

Which then brings me back to the warning above...which for some reason, is still giving me the giggles.  One of our seasoned gamers, who happens to be younger than most of us, although only a few of us know that, heeded a warning to a  newer gamer who voiced plans to walk on the InterCoastal Highway....  L.D. stated to "watch for the turkeys" because on her run earlier that week, she had seen a wild turkey on her run!!  Oh my!!  I am picturing my sweet L.D. running with her blond, long ponytail  behind suddenly running faster and then seeing my other friend (who really wasn't there at the same time, but it makes the story better) like this:

and then B.M., picking up her walk to a run to get away from the fast moving WILD TURKEY!!

The moral of the story is, B.M. did lose weight on her first week at the beach as L.D. is proving she can do too, by adding in a factor that was not always there before...watching what they eat and throwing in some good old fashion, turkey escaping exercise!!  Here's to the second week of June and STILL PLAYING THE GAME OF A LIFETIME!!  GO FRIENDS!!

Pushing through to make your goals

The funny thing about making and achieving goals, is that they can start to change, day by day, as you get stronger, believe in yourself and believe in what you can do.  Losing weight and all the ways to get there constantly changes.  I, for one, don't think I can do it alone.  At this point in my life, I need the support of my friends, the gamer friends, to keep me motivated and accountable.

This week was a bit monumental for me with my goals.  I have never really loved to run...and this story will not end with me falling in love with running.  I LOVE to dance Zumba-style...even if I look ridiculous.  I want to learn to Salsa with my husband, and hopefully, by the end of the summer, using a Groupon we purchased, we will do just that.  I played basketball as a kid.  But I never enjoyed the act of running.

Running has always been something my husband has done.  He enjoyed it; he ran long distances; he felt good afterwards.  He loved to run.  I tried to do it with him a couple of times in the 24 years we have been together...and, I didn't like it.  I walked and I would do other things, but running...no thank you.

With this game, you do things you never thought you would do.  Some friends, NEVER drank water...ever.  Now, to have less than 100 ounces a day is unreal!  Some, never exercised.  Some, never lost weight.  Or didn't keep it off.  Or felt so deprived, they couldn't continue.  Like I said, many of us are doing things right now that we have never done before.  And, here, is where running came in for me.

I have "interval" trained.  Run a little, walk some more, run a little, walk some more, run a little, take a swig of water, oh good, times up.  One of my closest friends, who has weight loss journeyed with me through several yo-yo cycles (she too, has participated in the "let's try this one, this week!" plan) has been a "runner."  She doesn't head out for a 6 miler every day, but she is in good shape, and has lost a lot of weight in the past 10 months and has been with me all of the way.  She walked me through what she thought I was missing to run more than an interval. 

I will admit, my brain was pretty sure that I could not do it.  I could run 1/4 of a mile in the neighborhood or on the treadmill, but then would walk.  My friend's advice was a bit like this:
1.  Hold your arms looser...takes more energy to hold them to your sides stiffly...kind of let them go.
2.  After your warm-up walk, start your run slower than your interval runs (which were not super fast, but too fast to maintain for me right now), but so that you are still breathing properly and could talk if someone was running with you.
3.  As you are running your slow pace, with your arms a bit floppy, push through the first time you feel the need to stop.  It is not painful, you are breathing okay, and you will be done faster, if you JUST, KEEP, RUNNING.

And I did.  The following day.  That very thing.  And I ran 1.1 miles without stopping.  And the morning after that, I ran 1.0 miles on the treadmill.  And then, today, two days after the second day, I ran almost a 1 1/2 miles (downhill, but that still counts, right...and it was a faster pace because I was with long legged friends and proving to myself I could keep up).

These runs have put me in a really good place.  I feel great about what is in front of me...  I can't do this by myself right now.  I need the support and accountability of my friends.  And, thank goodness, I have it!

GOALS and getting to them.

I am SO excited for this next game...this next game, and probably the game after, which could very well take me to my goal.  I did that.  Me.  No pills, no surgery.  The basics...everyday.  Except days off.  And meals off.  And when we were Game Off.  But still, it was ME.

And it was probably YOU for those of you who are reading right now.  I think most people who are following my blog, and people who have jumped on this train and have NO INTENTIONS of jumping off are in the same boat.  We are excited, psyched, pumped, and ready to go.   We KNOW this works.  We KNOW that supporting each other, patting each other on the back, teasing each other and helping each other WORKS.  We are a community within a community that stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic (yes, literally).

So, here we are.  9 hours away from the WEIGH IN right before summer vacation starts.  We have NEWBIES in our midst again and we LOVE NEWBIES!!  Because the new folks remind us WHY we continue.  One friend told me tonight that she was jumping on this train because "you look great and I can tell you feel great and I want to too."  Yes, that made me feel good, but what makes me feel better is that this "virus" of feeling great, is trickling down to other people.  They are trying to believe that if I can do it, so can they--and they CAN!!

The poster above is perfect.  Not the model, although those abs would look very nice on me :)...but YOU can be your biggest obstacle to making your goal.  YOU are the reason you are who you are.  YOU control what you become.  YOU decide if you are going to make this happen or not.  YOU have to believe in YOU.  I believe in you because, it is possible, for all of us, and for me, it is happening in June of 2012!!!

Let's PLAY!

Mind/body game

For the first time since I started playing this game of weight loss, 10 months ago, I finished an eight week game with no real break.  I did this WITH another 30 plus women and men...It was tough, but we were trying to simulate real life...because, in the real world, if we are without each other, there is no "ONE WEEK GAME OFF."  In real life, we are always Game ON.

So, officially, right now, we are Game OFF, right now.  We stepped on the scale after a quick run to the bathroom this morning, and for some of us, a happy dance occured.  My Gaming Friend, M.D., did a happy naked dance...she is almost 100 pounds down, and an inspiration to ALL OF US!!  She is just a few pounds from her goal weight, and an example of great attitude, great commitment and great perserverance.  She showed us before/after pics, and they are, mind-blowing.  I am so VERY proud to watch her succeed.

Which leaves me with everyone else.  We are on Game Off.  Some of us may be confused about how we feel right now.  The major bonus of this group of incredibly supportive people, is that we are, indeed, incredibly supportive.  We may feel a little down that this month wasn't month one with 10 pounds down, but even at 2.8 pounds, we are better, healthier and truly, probably, happier because of this whole game.

So, no downers, please.  Look at the photo above and remember exactly what it says.  Your body is listening to your mind...don't be down on you...even if you MAINTAINED, you didn't GAIN or even if you GAINED a little, it wasn't alot.  And, if you lost, and lost alot, don't blow this week...blowing a month of success in a week, is worse on your psyche than maintaining for a month...I know what I am talking about...I have done it... :)

Keep positive, keep going.  Enjoy your weekend, but don't throw it all to the wind.  Your body is listening to your mind...keep telling it the right things...food is to nourish, and enjoy...but one doesn't have to eat alot of it to enjoy it fully...enjoy your week off, but come back ready to be focused and lose...summer survival is around the corner my friends...and we are heading toward it POSITIVELY feeling better...because that picture above is MY FUTURE!!  (well, close anyway!!)


xxxx, Barb

Mother's Day and ending a game...

We are about to end another "game."  Fifty or so folks working together, supporting each other, helping, laughing, joking, answering questions for each other.  Some folks may be "done" after this game...I have a few observations from what is now, my 9th game.

1. Some people don't like how this works.  The food is not "it" for them.  The posting daily on Facebook, doesn't work for them.  They don't want to exercise, or drink the water, or change because, maybe they are not where we have been.
2. Some people LOVE how this works.  The comraderie of exchanging recipes, motivating through suggestions, leaning on each other for support, encouragement, and oftentimes, just sympathy or empathy...Misery loves company?? Well, sometimes, particularly, week 2.  But, what I have seen more often than not, is that happiness LOVES to be shared.  Favorite quotes of this week:   "I think I need to go shopping.  My last year shorts are getting really baggy!"  "It is amazing how differently you look at food after you play this game."  "I am so glad that I am so aware of what I eat and feel so good about it!!"  "No movement on the scale, better move my tale..."  "Went to my nephew's 1st Communion today.  Wore a dress I found in the back of my closet I forgot I even owned.  Was surprised to find out it fit."


In a group like ours, mostly moms, mostly juggling a million things at once, mostly crazy busy, we have found time to put ourselves in the front of our the family pack.  We may be getting up a bit earlier, leaving work a tad earlier or arriving a tad later, passing the buck for dinner to be cooked by a spouse, or getting ourselves a bit more organized so that we have the time to work out, fix our "good" meals, get our sleep...but all of us are getting healthier, better, and losing weight.

Ending a game to me is ALWAYS bittersweet.  The time off we take between games, even just a week, helps center many of us...jumping off the wagon a bit, is normal...but one week away is usually enough for most of us to want to jump back on again...And to those of us who really did the two 4 week games in a row, I say BRAVO...enjoy Mother's Day, enjoy the week off, don't go overboard because getting back on the wagon for everything is TOUGH...but we deserve it...Happy Mother's Day...you already have the best gift you can have....a better feeling you.