There are many excellent sites on the internet for tracking calories and exercise and I have tried several of them. In the end, I settled on myfitnesspal.com for it's ease of use, layout, tools, and it's forum. The forum is a great place to read similar stories, get fitness tips, and find healthy recipes among other things. One of the sub-forums is titled Motivation and Support. This is a great forum for people needing a pick-me-up and words of encouragement. There are also different groups that have formed to help motivate.
One of those groups is the Fab Fours. This group consists of 50+ people, mostly women, who weigh in weekly every Tuesday and set goals over four-week periods. I joined five weeks ago just after the start of a new four-week period and received the usual warm welcome... even if some of the ladies haven't quite figured out that I am a male. This is a great group because of the positive energy. And, while I think I started it long after I needed the same level of encouragement and feedback that I might have wanted three months ago, I still enjoy reading the posts. I set my goals and then watched as each Tuesday passed and I found myself close to the top of the Biggest Loser list. That made me smile.
Last Tuesday, my first four weeks were up. I checked a couple of times Tuesday night to see if the four-week results had been posted out of curiosity. They weren't posted that day. The next day I checked a couple more times and the results still were not posted. And, despite knowing that the moderator of this group was going through some personal issues and understanding why she might not get to such a trivial thing as this list, I still found myself checking a few more times on Thursday. And then, Friday morning, they were up. And, there sitting on top of the list with 16.8 pounds and 6.07% lost was marinucciphoto... and, yes, that is yours truly. Even though I had checked every day, that never clued me in to how much this would mean to me. For me, this is the closest I will get to the real Biggest Loser and I almost had to laugh at how excited I was to be on top of this list! I knew I would be close on the pounds because I am still a very large man. But, I was even more thrilled to be on top of the list for percentage lost! I am sure that my friend Mindy rolled her eyes and shook her head while whispering "nerd" as I chatted her about my good news minutes later. But, I was way more tickled about this than any 45 year old man with a life full of great experiences ever should be. I looked out and saw Bob and Jillian smiling back at me while clapping and nodding their heads as if to say, "nice job".
So, if you ever get over to myfitnesspal.com, look up the Fab Fours and stop in to say hi. This is a shoutout to all of the members of that group. Thanks ladies, and those other two guys, for your inspiration and your welcome! Here's to never falling below the yellow line...
P.S. After swimming for 30 minutes... well, maybe being in the pool for 30 minutes would be more accurate... for the first time this morning, I fully expected to struggle on the treadmill tonight. But, my knee continues to be a trooper and it survived for 3.80 miles and the weights. And, of course, it was leg night on the weights tonight as well. And, finally, thanks Kelsea for getting up this morning and joining me in the pool. I enjoyed our time together, as always, even if we did a little more talking than we actually did swimming. See you tomorrow morning young lady.
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