Time to Stop Being a Follower and Become a Leader

I mentioned in a previous blog entry about how my weight loss has made me more confident. I'm walking with my head held high, I smile a lot more, etc. I've mentioned several times that I aspire to be a Zumba instructor once I've lost 20% of my starting weight. Well, I think it's time I raise the bar a bit. 


Several people have told me that I've inspired or motivated them in some way to start eating better, or exercising. A couple of my friends actually joined Weight Watchers. I find myself trying to coach my oldest daughter a little bit, and my other half, too, instead of nagging him about his eating, lol. In training for my new job today I was telling the girl sitting next to me about Weight Watchers. This has all got me thinking lately: Why not become a leader myself? Well, one reason is I'm not at goal yet. It's understandable that the company won't hire me yet until I can be a living example of how the program works. The other reason is my fear of public speaking. I LOVE speaking to people and meeting new people. However, I hate speaking in front of groups. I turn red. It passes, but I'd like to start off not looking like a lobster. I have plenty of time to work on that fear. I have 70 pounds to go before I reach my goal weight. If I average 2 pounds a week, I can reach that goal in almost 9 months. I think that's enough time to get prepared. I suppose I can read some books on the subject of public speaking, or perhaps take a class. No matter what, I need to work on it.


I love my leader, Debbie. She's enthusiastic, driven, encouraging, and she's loud! She's like me. I want to be in her shoes. I want to get people excited about achieving their goals. I want to make a difference. 


Besides being a mother, I can't think of anything more rewarding than helping to change the lives of others for the better. 

Missing Puzzle Piece

This weight loss journey of mine has brought on so many changes. Obviously there is the physical change, but there has been a change from the inside as well. I find that I'm more optimistic. Even when things don't go my way, I have an upbeat attitude. Like always, I have a smile on my face, but these days, I actually FEEL the smile-I'm not faking it. 

There is something else I've noticed. I have more confidence. I walk with my head up, and if I'm getting a second look from someone, I don't look down at my shoes. I look that person in the eyes and smile. I've found my confidence again. One recent example of this was my 2nd job interview with my new employer.

Before I went to the interview, I was nervous, but on the drive there I keep saying positive things out loud. "You've got this!" "You can do it". I don't know what happened to the nerves. Maybe it was my new boss and her assistant who seemed laid back, but I answered every question without hesitation. I even made them laugh. I maintained eye contact. I even told them about my weight loss and how I want to become a Zumba instructor when I reach one of my weight loss goals. My new boss asked the final question, "Why should we hire you?" I didn't give the standard cliche' answers. I simply said this, "Because I'm your missing puzzle piece." I said it with confidence, not arrogance, and I smiled. She and her assistant loved that response. I was offered the job on the spot. 

I credit my weight loss to this resurrected confidence. I'm doing my best to handle all situations just like I do with this weight loss-with determination, and a CAN DO attitude. I love what losing weight has done for me. I hope that you'll continue to stay with me and celebrate my success. Thanks for reading. 

A New and Improved Tamara

This morning I couldn't make it to my Weight Watchers meeting because my child is ill, so I decided to go this evening. I was going to chicken out and skip the scale and just go to meeting, but decided to face the music and put my big girl panties on and deal with it.(FYI, them "big girl panties" aren't so big anymore!) I gained 2.4 pounds last week. Now my leader said that a person's weight can fluctuate somewhere between 2 and 3 pounds before morning and evening, but I know I gained something. I was not tracking everything last week. There were a couple days when I really was a chowhound. Take yesterday for example. Yesterday was the last day of tax season, which meant it was my last day until next year at H&R Block. Our office had a potluck. There was pizza, tater tot casserole, chips, dips, hummus, and Baklava. Every chance I could get I was running back to the break room to munch on something. Today the scale reflected that. 


The old Tamara would have been pissing and moaning about it. The new Tamara, however, knows where I went wrong. I knew what was coming. I didn't even have the nerve to be disappointed because I KNEW I had gained those 2.4 pounds with no one else's help but my own. That was my moment today. I didn't get upset, didn't call myself a failure, I didn't get down on myself. I just said, "Oh well". I'm proud of myself for accepting this little setback and not making a huge deal of it. I know I will do better next week. And in a couple of weeks I'll have lost 30 pounds. Stay tuned!

Another Little Milestone Reached!

Today I got my award for losing 25 pounds. Well, it's actually 26.4 pounds now! I was so excited to get my key chain last week, and it was awesome to be able to add my first charm to it this week. That thing is going with me every where. When I feel myself about ready to cave and eat a big fat juicy burger, or some french fries with cheese, I'm going to reach into my pocket, and touch my key chain. It's going to be there to remind me that I've come so far, and there is no looking back. I'm tired of being the fat girl. I'm tired of shopping in the plus size section. Shoot, I'm tired of being tired! 


I admit, it feels great to get recognized for achieving my goals, but lately I've gotten comments from friends that meant more to me than these weight loss awards I've received. I've been told that seeing my posts (on Facebook) motivates one friend to want to do better, and another said that she's sure I'll "push her over the edge soon" to start dieting. Of course I mentioned to her that what I'm doing is not a diet, but a lifestyle change. Another friend of mine joined Weight Watchers just last week. She's full of questions, and I'm there to answer when I can. I feel kind of like a mentor. THAT is rewarding to me-to be able to inspire and motivate others to make positive changes in their lives. One reason I talk so much about my journey and successes along the way is not to just get some recognition and encouragement, but to motivate others who might be struggling with weight loss or who need that little push. 


Just a little update on where I am towards reaching my goals. I have to lose 7 pounds to have a 15% weight loss and 17 pounds to reach 20%. Once I reach 15% I'm either getting a tattoo or nose piercing. When I reach 20% I'll take a Zumba certification course. As usual I'll keep you posted. Thanks for reading!