Welcome to Season # 2 of the Weight Loss Challenge!!

Groups that will be traveling this virtual tour are:
7keyring7
CharlotteWLC
Downsizing Jersey Girls
Getting Real Together(north of Pittsburgh)
Healthy Groovin-Body Movin Mainers
Shrinking Violets
The Chosen Ones
The Get Real Girls

The tour started September 12, 2004 at the Christmas Tree Inn in Vermont. We will be in each of the 6 New England states for two weeks, finishing in Connecticut.

Challenger Series Continues

Month # 2

	A	B
LOST	399.00	397.50
challenge start losses	84.20	88.00
TO GO	952.00	1112.50
Average weight	258.60	278.06
Average lost	39.90	44.17

Jill's Journey

Many of the words in Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution have become parts of my favorite quotes. For this article, I have decided on the powerful message from page 20, that says, "So I can assure you, at this precise time next year, your weight will be higher or lower than it is right now."

I remember reading that way back in January of 2004, as I began my journey of "getting real". The truth of that statement was that if I continued in the way that I was going then, I was bound to be another 15 pounds or so heavier come my birthday in January of '05. To look ahead like that was a real eye opener. I decided that I was NOT going to weigh more on my next year's birthday.

SO, here I am, not quite 8 months into my weight loss journey, and I am now 49 pounds lighter than when I began! Woohoo!! There are days that I do not believe that I have lost this weight, and there are days that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have sweat my butt off, literally, to get the weight to go. Even now, as I reread that quote, I KNOW that I will not weigh this much next year at this same time. God willing, I will be at my goal weight and what an exciting time that will be! Keep on keeping on!!
Jill Worster
"The Chosen Ones"

Diet Mentality

Lanaya Baker
A-Team, The Chosen Ones - Finding a favorite quote from a book that has given me tools to make a huge difference in my life is really difficult since there is so much on every page. Nevertheless, the following has resonated with me every time I have read it. It really isn't a quote, but an idea that he uses several paragraphs to develop identification in the reader and then several to pose a solution for the reader.

"You must rid yourself of that gnawing and overpowering sense of urgency and panic that always seems to appear on the scene, like ants spoiling the fun at a picnic, every time you decide to lose weight or otherwise get in shape. You know these feelings; they nag at you with words like you have to be skinny by summer...you have to be buffed by your birthday...you have to be thin for that job interview...you have to do this or that, and so it goes relentlessly tormenting you to the point of making you want to give up before you start. Go on alert here that this is the language of losers, and if you rely on it, always telling yourself that you have to do something about your plight, you will subvert your own best interests. And the prospect of losing weight and getting healthier will be less agreeable and less manageable with each passing day."

"So listen to me: you do not have to do anything. You always have a choice. You can choose to obsess about your weight, or not. You can choose to worry about it, or not. You can choose to panic about your situation, or not. When you choose your behavior and your thoughts, you choose the consequences that flow from those choices. So you must start choosing differently, right here and right now, by being open to this book and everything in it. Stop telling yourself that you just absolutely "have to" lose weight because that's a lie. You don't "have to" lose weight...................I want you to choose to feel very calm and very relaxed. Get up each morning, look at yourself in the mirror, and see yourself not as someone who is overweight or out of shape, but as someone you will become, a person with a greater level of dignity and worth who, for probably the first time ever, is finally going to succeed---for a lifetime."
Source: McGraw, Philip C. The Ultimate Weight Solution - The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom, The Free Press, New York, NY, 2003 p.7-8

I have experienced this same kind of thinking throughout my journey. Whenever I start to feel as though "I have to do anything", it is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Try NOT to think of a big red stop sign. Hey, I said don't think about it. What happens to us? We all think of the red stop sign. This kind of thinking style does not work!

I find that my "have to" thinking has gotten subtler as time has passed. I no longer say, "I have to lose weight". However, I do say "I have to cut calories", or "I have to eat only such and such", or "I have to exercise everyday." Whenever I hear those words in my mind I know that I am lapsing into stinking thinking, the kind that I call "diet mentality". It is full of restrictions and shame and does not work.

However, as soon as I remind myself that I have a choice and that with a choice I am in control of my life, not reacting to it, I begin to feel better. The pressure is off and the anxiety is gone. I know I am not engaging in the "language of losers" but sticking with the winners. I fully intend to complete my journey of weight loss using the 7 Keys to success. This attitude is only one tool in an ever-growing toolbox filled with coping tools other than food!

As an update to my progress, I recently found out that I have 174 pounds of lean mass, so my goal weight of 156 is no longer applicable! I have a medium frame so I really should be adding on 21% for body fat, which puts my new goal weight at 211. I am riding a stationary bike 45 minutes 6 days a week and am working with a personal trainer twice a week at the club to gain functional strength. I exercise at home also.

If you are struggling, try using the 7 Keys! They will make an immediate difference in your life!
Love,
Lanaya 365/341/211

Laurie's Living This Quote

Paula's Favorite Phrase

One of my favorite quotes from Dr. Phil and the UWS book is,“There is power in forgiveness.”

I have learned that without forgiveness I would be destined to carry around my emotional feelings of hurt, anger, hatered, and distrust. That I would carry this unhealthy weight around forever. I have suffered enough mental anguish and physical results by keeping all my hurt feelings deep within myself. I have been able to forgive those who have done wrong by me and move on with my life and if in doing this I am able to lose weight and feel good about myself, which I have never been able to do before, then I am all the better for it.
After reading the second key “Healing Feelings” I decided that Dr Phil was right when he wrote that forgiving was a choice. That I held the key to unlocking the door to being free from all the anguish within me. That if I continued to travel through my life with this held deep within me I was only hurting myself and I was so ready to get rid of the bad stuff and get on with my life. I was ready to be free of all the self indulged hate and anger.
Why would I want to remain in this lifestyle and stay obese for the rest of my life?? How silly and self destructive is that? I found that I did have the ability to give myself happiness and in doing that I have become a better wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and a much better human being.
I have let myself be the person I was meant to be, the person God intended for me to be. I have found that I can now look at food with out feeling I have to have it to be happy or to feel loved.
I have also learned that in mastering this key I am now free to be someone that I really like, some one who is ready to get healthy by losing all this weight that I have carried around forever. Holding on to being over weight was my safety net. As long as I was BIG no one could ever get close enough to me to hurt me again.
I am proud to be in the WLC-Maine group and this challenge and to have found myself along the way. I have only got better things to look forward to in this journey. I am glad to have each one of you as a friend and be able to share my story and give my love and respect to anyone who wants to listen, learn, and reach out to me. If my struggle in my life and with key 2 can help just one person to become a stronger and happier human being than I am glad I was able to accomplish this.
Thank God and Dr Phil for helping me to have the courage to face my emotions. I AM FREE TO BE ME! and I HAVE LEARNED THAT I AM WORTH ALL THE TIME AND LOVE FROM THOSE AROUND ME!! Everyone can succeed! Just give yourself permission to love yourself! I have and I am a work in progress!!!
God Bless!
Paula

Kay's Quote

I have learned some valuable lessons in this book and continue to learn and relearn as I re read the book.

I have lost, not only, the urgent need for a quick fix but also the sense of hopelessness, since now I know, this will happen for me because I will make it happen. There is no looking to the past anymore, only to the future. The only possible reason for failure would be because my spirit was unwilling and my mind closed.

It is not an easy thing to lose weight and I never thought i would ever say, "I have to lose a total of 80lbs+" but, I do and I have accepted that. I am so inspired and motivated by my team mates and friends of the Weight loss challenge whether your losing 10lbs or 400lbs+. I am inspired because you share your life on such a personal issue. Each pound lost is a huge success. Sharing your journey with others also is a success for many. Keep Sharing, keep motivating and keep getting the support you need.

Wes on WLC

Hello WLCers! What a great month this has been, with the WLC rally in Ontario, an issued challenge to hear the results from, and a new, better life than we used to have! I was able to attend the WLC rally this month, but wasn't able to stay for the entire thing. Still, I really enjoyed being there and hearing all kinds of encouraging stories and ideas from other challengers, and I also enjoyed sharing my story with others. I got to meet some of the other people participating in this challenge, along with Judith, Barbara, and Charles from the Dr. Phil show. If you missed it, you really missed it! But fear not, right now the Healthy Groovin' Body Movin' Mainers are planning a rally for next summer, way up here in Maine. We will be planning over the next few months, and will be sure to let you know when it will be and how to register long before it happens, so you can plan accordingly.

At the rally this month, I spoke on Friday night, and read aloud my favorite portion of the Ultimate Weight Solution. Along with having the book, I also have the book on tape, and I really enjoy listening to Dr. Phil read this, and repeating it after him. It is too long to list in this article, but it is the paragraph starting at the bottom of pg. 152 in your UWS book. Go ahead, look it up right now and read it out loud. I'll wait...

You're done? Great. This part of the book talks about choosing healthier behaviors, instead of continuing in your old ways. This is not just confined to key 4, but about every key in the book. When you start getting rid of your old behaviors and replacing them with new ones, you can say this! Be excited about what you are doing with your life, and how you are making it better than it was yesterday, or perhaps even better than it ever was before! To quote this paragraph, "I live more fully now that my body is functioning better, and I am free to forget about food and get on with living!" Use this, or make up your own statement about your new life, and say it out loud, at least once a week. It can be so easy to get caught up in what you have to do to stay on track, and forget about how much better life is for yourself, so don't let yourself forget...remember that your life is so much better now, because of what you have done! Remember what you will feel like when you reach your goal. You will get there, just like I will, if we keep our eyes fixed on where we are going. And when you get there, your new life will just be beginning. There is no finish line!
Wes 355/298/230

Click to join talk2challengers

Challenging the Challengers

Last month on the yahoo group talk2challengers, I challenged both teams to keep track of their daily exercise at the website www.presidentschallenge.org, and part of the challenge was to report each teams progress for one month here in this newsletter. All the challengers did an excellent job with this, and I hope it inspires some of you to record your exercise, and be encouraged by how much you can do as you lose weight and get healthier. OK, I won't make you wait any longer...here are the results!

	Chosen Ones ( Captain - WES)	Get Real Girls ( Captain - JAN)
Total points earned	43743	61062
Avg. points earned	4827	8723
Challenger with the most points	Wes	Kathy

Now my challenge is to all of YOU! Go onto the presidentschallenge.org site and register yourself. Now keep track of your own exercise for one month, and see if you can beat our average! If you beat us, that's great! If not, that's great too, because you are intentionally challenging yourself to get more exercise! Keep doing it month after month, trying to improve your score. There is no finish line!
Wes 355/298/230

Challengers Give to CDA

Alice's Choice

My favorite quote in the book changes depending where I am at the moment in my process.

Right now my favorite quote is "And the choice is yours to make. What matters now is that you continue to build this life for yourself, a life that with each passing day will bring you health, energy, confidence, peace of mind that cannot be disturbed, and a spirit that soars. If you can do this – and you can – then you will have what you want because you made the choices, you accomplished what was required, and you reached for the best that was within you." Pg 282

I really understand now that the choice is mine to make and always has been. I get up everyday and I have a choice to continue in the process or to halt it. I can't let things like a personal failure, a not so well meaning friend or family member who makes a comment, temptations that I might give in to, an injury that stops me from exercising, negative thoughts, my past, society, or any number of issues I might face each day stop me.

I still have many challenges ahead of me. I am a work in progress and will continue to be. I don't know who wrote this, but I think it is awesome:

"THE CHOICE IS MINE

I choose to live by choice, not by chance.
I choose to make changes, not excuses.
I choose to be motivated, not manipulated.
I choose to be useful, not used.
I choose self-esteem, not self-pity.
I choose to excel, not complain.
I choose to listen to my inner voice, not the random opinions of the crowds."

Now what matters to me is that I continue to build a life full of health, energy, confidence, peace of mind, and a spirit that soars.

Alice
Team B

Jan's Favorite

We were told to pick a quote from the Dr. Phil book....”Change can come in either of two important ways: Start behaving positively or stop behaving negatively."~Dr. Phil
One year ago I started this program, I got the UWLC book and started reading. When I read where he said “All it requires is a willing spirit and an open mind.” I thought I have a willing spirit and an open mind, he tells me, you will succeed-- you will do this right, one time--because you are about to take your weight-control efforts to a deeper level, where you exercise your personal power to be totally and consciously in charge of everything you think, do, and feel. It’s not just about cutting calories, doing a few more push-ups, or taking diet pills. It’s not simply about just getting “skinny.” It’s about changing what you eat, why you eat, where you eat, when you eat, and how you eat, and doing it all in a way that is custom-designed so that it is natural for you. It’s about changing yourself from the inside out, so that being what is fit and healthy for you is as natural and as normal as breathing. By changing yourself from the inside out, you will be able to attain and permanently maintain what I call your get-real weight."

In the past year I have seen so many people come and go and many of the ones who have not succeeded have not even finished reading the book or if they did, they did not work all the keys. He tells us we have to open every door if we want to succeed. If you treat this as just another diet that is what you will get but if you think of it as a life changing program that is what you will get and diets have always failed us in the past. It does not mean everyday will be perfect or that we will never fall off what it does mean is we have the keys to get right back on and succeed. I do not lose quickly partly because I’m diabetic, have Fibromyalgia, weightloss resistant and for a long time could only do sitting exercise. I can now walk with a walker short distances and ride my stationary bike for 10 to 15 min. at a time. I started my weight loss journey in 1999 at 550, 425 when I started this program a year ago, but I know if I had not found this program and this book I would not be where I am today. This program has made me push myself beyond what I ever thought I could do. I set my goal for the Rally to be under 350 and I made it. The pic is of me leaving for the Rally at 347 lbs.

Dr.Phil says “When you kill time, remember you can’t resurrect it.” So I can assure you, at this precise time next year, your weight will be higher or lower than it is right now. It will not be the same; the choice to reduce it or let it pile higher and higher is entirely and unquestionably yours. Well it is now one year later and I am 75# lighter than I was, and next year at this time I will be a whole lot less then this. Where will you Be?

Read the book then read it again and again. Get involved, join a group, online or live or both. Join a challenge or virtual tour and exercise. Come to the talk2challengers site and cheer us on plus read a whole lot of helpful stuff we are doing a book study now that will help get you reading, Click here for talk2challengers and join us

One year from now don’t be saying I wish I had done something. The choice is your. So Start behaving positively or stop behaving negatively.

Captain of "The Get Real Girls"
Jan

Laura's Favorite

"BE---DO---HAVE. BE committed, DO what it takes and you will HAVE what you want." This is my favorite quote from the UWS. I go back to this quote daily, and several times daily. Whenever I am feeling frustrated, tired or "think" I am hungry, I remind myself, be, do, have... and I start my right thinking and do what it takes. I even printed it out and have it posted at my desk at work, as I come in contact with tons of junk food around there! I also take this quote into all areas of my life, not just for weight loss, but I tell myself be, do, have when I have to study for test for my classes, or to even just go to class sometimes! "BE committed, DO what it takes, and you will HAVE what you want."
Laura

Linda's Past 6 Weeks

The last 6 weeks have been so filled with trials. I went thru about 6 weeks or so of deep depression. I am not normally a person who gets depressed easily but after losing our home of 11 years it was like the bottom fell out of my world. I went to the dr. and he put me on Zoloft and it is really helping. I guess I would say that used to when I would have bouts of being depressed I would eat til there was no way I could eat anymore. This time I had the keys and knew that I could not do that.

I found other ways to deal with the tremendous emotions I was feeling. I would get online, read, work on the house we have moved into or call a friend. I did not eat over any of the problems. If we just take time to think about the behaviours and consequences we will come out winning. How I wish I could live that in every area of my life. I am so fortunate to have the love of my life in my life. My hubby of 30 years. He is so supportive even in bad times. He wants me to be healthy. We talk about our circle of support he is a one man team. He is always wanting the best for me. Someone told me recently that she could tell that he adores me and yes he does and I do him and I am so gald to have him in my corner cheering me on in this endeavor to become healthy. I guess I say all this to say that if you do not have a circle of support find one. A group of Dr. Phil people or friends, church family someone who can cheer you on for there will be days when you need that and just don't feel like you can do it alone. I remember a verse in the bible that says Ecclesiastes 4:9,10 "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. So get that support from someone, somewhere. I cannot say I had a huge lost last month but I started at my highest weight of 340 and am now at 279 so that is deffinately a improvement. I am down from 28 dresses to 22 and that is wonderful. I still have to remind myself when I go to buy clothes to go to the 22's instead. I am so grateful for Dr. Phil writing the book and to Kay for the hard work in putting this challenge together.
Linda in Alabama
"Either you will get real about fat or you will get real fat." Dr. Phil

ASTOUND YOURSELF!

I have thought about that quote, which is hanging on my wall, for years Then along came Dr Phil. He laid it all out there for us in the Ultimate Weight Loss Solution. No bull, no cons. The real deal. Now the ball was in OUR court. Were we going to step up and accept the challenge to live our best lives? Were we going to work hard, study, learn, grow, change, fall, get up, fall, get up again, and ultimately succeed at this??
Or, were we going to make excuses??

For me, the whole spirit of the Weight Loss Challenge can be summed up in one quote from Dr Phil's book, found on page 19: "WHAT I WANT YOU TO FOCUS ON IS REQUIRING MORE OF YOURSELF, STARTING RIGHT NOW."

He goes on to say, "Then and only then will those pounds come off."
*Are you having a hard time starting? Require more of yourself.
*Are you stuck on an endless plateau? Require more of yourself.
*Are you making excuses not to exercise? Require more of yourself.
*Are you avoiding making that change you KNOW you need to make, in order to succeed? Require more of yourself.
*Are you afraid to be honest with, and committed to a circle of support? Require more of yourself.
*Are you afraid to get out of your comfort zone? Require more of yourself.

"The Book" won't work for you unless you require more of yourself, unless YOU make that choice to apply it to your own life with passionate effort, and declare: "I will settle for NOTHING LESS than the best life God intended for me to live! From this day forth, I will require MORE of myself!"
I know you can do it!

My weight loss journey started about 3 years ago at 460 lbs. I fought and scratched to get down to 424. By the time Dr Phil came along with the WLC, I was heading back up the scales. So I got the book and jumped on board. Got down to about 394, then hit an emotional roadblock, and went back up to 401. Started reading Dr Phil's book Self Matters, joined this group of Challengers, and am on my way again. I am down to 385 as of 9/6/04, and my final goal is 175. So, it looks like this: 460 - 424/385/175

Loretta
The Get Real Girls

The Mind

In the past, when I would tell myself that I have over a hundred pounds to lose, I would feel defeated before I even began. Using Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution, I learned to break it down into smaller goals. First, I focused on 5 pounds even to the point when others would ask how much weight I had to lose, I would say, "Five pounds." And it's working.

I weighed this morning and reached my first ten pound goal!! I would not have been able to accomplish this had I kept feeding myself the same "I can't" line.

I want to encourage everyone to hang in there. The finish line is closer than we think!
Sonya

Teresa S

"Do I just react to what's in my face, or do I act? Remember that it is action-not reaction-that gets meaningful, constructive results." page 93 UWS.

I chose to write on this because it relates so much to what is going on in my life. When it comes to Key 2 and Healing Feelings, acting rather than reacting is very new to me. I didn't really know what it meant until crisis hit.I have been reading The Ultimate Weight Solution for Teens and I think Jay McGraw put it very well when he said "Take action: decide that you will now play offense and solve problems instead of defense when you are hammered by the consequences of mistakes and bad situations." For me, sometimes the action I need to take is to do nothing, until I get a hold of my emotions. I tend to react quickly to situations, sometimes making them worse. Reacting to negative situations by stuffing myself with food only makes things worse too. I'm learning through the help of Key 2 to act on resolving life's problems rather than just reacting to them and enduring them.