one for the books

I wasn't sure if I was going to blog/post about this. After thinking it over, I have decided that it IS part of my story, part of my journey. Each day(except Sundays)I spend some time on my treadmill. I either walk or run intervals. To help with the "boringness" of treadmill time, I like to watch TV shows that I have recorded during the week. One of those shows that I like to watch is the Dr. Oz Show. I have learned many things while watching his show. Back in September 2011, Dr. Oz announced a new contest that he was going to launch with Sharecare. The name of the contest was/is The Million Dollar You Contest. The person who transformed their life/health in the biggest way would be awarded 1 million dollars and a trip to the the Dr. Oz show in New York. I figured, what the heck? I was in the middle of losing my 100 lbs. and needed that extra motivation, that extra push if you will. You had to get your initial weigh in recorded at your local Weight Watchers. I figured it would be easy because I was already weighing in, once a week at my local WW. Along with that initial weigh in, you had to complete 6 other steps to even qualify for the Million Dollars. I had to tell fiends about the contest, make an appt. with my Primary Care Physician, find out my family health history, find out what my BMI was and a few other things. I am happy to report that during the contest, I completed all of the 7 required steps, the last one being my FINAL weigh in on April 9th. The 9th was the last possible day to get your weight verified by Weight Watchers. After weighing in, I came home on that Monday and logged my current weight on my Sharecare page and sent my #'s off to the show for the contest. I was feeling pretty proud of myself, my total wight loss was 113 lbs.. Half of that weight was lost during the Million Dollar You Contest. So I went about my day, wondering if I even had a chance at this. The next morning, I went to the gym, like I do each day. I came home from the gym and logged onto my computer, wondering if there would be any news from the contest. This is what showed up in my inbox.

I was in shock and so very excited. Out of the 1.3 million people who had registered for this contest, I had made it to the Final 200. WOW! I quickly forwarded the email off to my little support group of family and friends who have cheered me on and then I tried to calm my nerves.

The next phase was to wait for one of the Dr. Oz Producers to contact me. On Tuesday(April 10), I received my 1st phone call from Annie, at the Dr. Oz show. She was super nice and wanted to hear all about my journey and how the contest/Dr. Oz had inspired me to transform myself. That phone call lasted about 45 minutes. I was so excited and was talking a mile a minute. She had to ask me to slow down because she had to type all of my responses :-). Again, she was super sweet. We said goodbye and I hung up the phone and wondered what my chances were?

Annie called me back on Thursday and we chatted a little bit more about my health and how it had changed with my weight loss. I told her that I had considered myself a healthy(happy) fat person. Even with the extra weight, I did not have high blood pressure. I did not have high cholesterol. I did not suffer from heart disease. I was simply a young Mom to 4 boys who wanted to live/lead a healthier life. I want to be around to watch my boys grow up and do amazing things. In order to do that, I knew I had to make some changes in my world and I did. I want to inspire others to find a healthier version of themselves. I want others to be happy. After a 25 minute phone conversation, I hung up the phone. Again, wondering what my chances were.

I am not gonna lie. It was longest weekend and the longest 5 days of my life. I hadn't heard anything and it was driving me crazy. It was Tuesday(April 17th) afternoon and we were on our way out the door to a baseball game. I hit the refresh button my laptop one last time to see if there was a new emails. It was there! In my inbox! There it was! Another email from Dr Oz/Sharecare. This email notified me that I did not make it to the next round/the TOP 50. My heart sunk. I'm not gonna lie, I was so disappointed. I began to replay the conversations that I had had with Annie, wondering if I had said something wrong. I am only human. As I sit here today and share my story via my blog, I am nothing but proud of what I have accomplished. I have worked hard. I have replaced bad habits with good ones. I have found an exercise routine/gym that I LOVE. I am happy and healthy and I feel great! I know I lost all of my weight in a very healthy way! I didn't take any short cuts. I worked hard for every single pound I lost.

At this point in the Million Dollar You Contest, they should have it narrowed down to the top 10 finalists. I am so anxious and excited to see who actually wins the Million Dollars and the trip to New York(what I was most excited about). I will be cheering that winner on simply for the fact that I know, first hand, how hard it is to make big changes.

Within a weeks time, I learned that I was the 3rd place winner in the Green Tangerines Biggest Loser contest and that I had placed in the Top 200 for the Million Dollar You Contest. Those two contests kept me moving towards some BIG goals. I am thankful for the push and challenge both of the contests gave me.
Many people have asked what I will be working towards next. My new goal is to have Michelle Obama arms :-). I saw her on the Biggest Loser working out with those contestants and was in awe of her very defined arms. I have decided that will be my new goal/challenge :-). With some hard work, I am convinced that I can check that goal off of my list in the near future!