The bigger loser

The journey continues on Jeri’s Six Month Fitness Challenge

Recently, I watched the reality show The Biggest Loser for the first time, hoping I might learn something helpful for my own weight loss journey. In just a few short minutes, I was fascinated.

When riding my Trikke, I feel as if I’m giving my all, kicking off with my legs, punching the front wheel around, pushing myself to the max. Or so I thought.

Watching the contestants on Biggest Loser made me feel like I’m napping on my Trikke. Each and every challenge looked like it would burst the hearts of those who participated. One of the contestants even said, “I thought my heart would burst one minute into my challenge.”

How do they survive?

Some of the contestants were in their mid-fifties, like me. All of them were over 300 pounds. Fifteen episodes into the season, many of them have lost around 100 pounds.

I celebrate their successes, which challenges me to work harder. It’s one week before my second weigh-in and I don’t think my numbers are anywhere near the “Biggest Losers.”

So who is the loser now?

As I think about my previous fitness accomplishments, I remember I could never jog much more than a mile. At that point, I would have to stop because I was breathing too hard, or my muscles were on the verge of cramping. I always wondered why I couldn’t get past that one-mile marker, why I seemed to hit a wall at that point.

The thing is, I never pushed my muscles beyond discomfort. I never broke through the “wall” that people push through while exercising. I need to feel the burn.

I’m learning a lot about myself while on this weight loss journey. I’m learning about how much I can take before giving up. I’m learning I am not as strong as I thought. And I’m learning I have no will power.

Luckily I can work with these things.

If I take anything away from The Biggest Loser, it’s that I really have a ways to go on my fitness journey. If I worked as hard as the contestants on the show, my quest to lose 55 pounds by age 55 will be a realistic goal, not an arbitrary number.

Next time you see me trikking, my face may be contorted, a little red and dripping with sweat. But don’t worry. I’m smiling inside. I am becoming a real loser.