Becoming a Biggest Loser

You know, I guess I really thought January 1 would roll around and everything would change. The switch would be flipped, and everything would be different. I would no longer crave unhealthy foods. I would stop stuffing myself past fullness. I would exercise every waking minute of the day, and the pounds would just fall off.

You can probably guess that that didn't happen.

I heard someone say that for Christmas he got an extra five pounds. Unfortunately, he already had two of those, so now he has to get rid of them. Well, for Christmas I got a house full of sick kids. And now I think I've got it too. So the routine is still not back to normal. Exercising is still a no-go. Instead, I'm working weird hours so that I can help stay home with the kids. Eating is pretty much whatever I can find that sounds good, whenever I feel like eating. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Things will get better, and life will get back to normal.

I'd stayed up late last night and watched the premiere of "The Biggest Loser" on the DVR. I am a fan of that show, but I totally skipped out on it last season for some reason. When I saw it was coming back on, I thought I'd go for it again. It's usually pretty inspiring to see these people push through the pain and the emotional difficulties to succeed. And this season there are a couple who have actually lost more than 100 pounds on their own before coming on the show. That was really surprising to me. That gave me a little hope that maybe I can do it, too.

But deep down, I really want Bob and Jillian to come and yell at me for a while. Actually, maybe I don't. I'm not sure how I'd react to someone up in my face like that. I really identified with one of the contestants, Justin. He said he'd sit at home watching the show and he'd seem some guy take off his shirt and get on the scale. He'd judge the guy and be disgusted at his size and physique. And then he'd see his weight and realize that the contestant weighed the same or less than he did.

Yeah, been there.

But I was thinking to myself last night that if I had access to trainers like those, to facilities like that, to no other conflicts of time -- there's no way I could lose!

Here are the facts that came back slapping me in the face: I have access to trainers at the gym and at work who are more than willing to help me. I have a gym that has every bit of equipment that they use on the show. I've got exercise DVDs and Wii fitness games. I've got people from That's Fit and Weight Watchers Online for Men trying to help me in any way they can. And I've got the time -- I'm just not using it wisely.

What am I missing? Not sure, but I think I've got to get my family on board, too. They usually roll their eyes at me this time of year when I start to bring this up. They've been here before; they know how it ends. But I have to get past that and keep trying.

An e-mail came out at work today about all the new ways the wellness department is trying to help. I'm going to try to latch on to those as best I can. First is the Biggest Loser at Work contest. My friend at work asked me to be his teammate, so we're going to give that a shot again. I really want to let my competitive manly self take charge on this one and really try to win instead of just trying to get by like I have in the past. Winning just one of the weekly prizes would be huge for us. They introduced some new classes at the gym and are giving away prizes if you make 40 classes by the end of March. I don't know what the prize is, but it's a concrete goal and I want to shoot for it.

I'm really excited about the last thing they're doing. It's called "Shape Up at Work." They take 40 people with BMIs over 35 and work with them all year long. It includes hands-on instruction and guidance from trainers, nutritionists and the rest of the wellness staff. All year long! Just what I was wanting after watching "The Biggest Loser" show! Hopefully I'll get selected. They did this last year, but they only took 12 people and I didn't get my application in on time. As soon as they send the application form out on Monday, I'm going to fill it out and send it right back. I really want to do this.

Resolutions are good, but it's all just pie in the sky without some reward involved. I've never really rewarded myself for past achievements, so I'm really going to try to use these programs at work to provide me some motivation and reward.

Wish me luck!

After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.

Weight Watchers provided Lee with a free trial membership for a limited time. All thoughts are his own.