Hi, Loser!

When I was a kid, being called a loser was a bad thing. The loser was uncool, unpopular, uninvited. For a while there in upper elementary and middle school, I was the loser. 

and it couldn't!

Starting two weeks ago, loser has a new meaning – hopefully the one Amelia will forever associate with the word. I’ve joined a weight loss challenge at our gym, sort of a low-rent version of the television show The Biggest Loser. I’ve actually never watched the show (I guess I should), but I’m part of a team of losers, trying to lose more cumulative weight than the other teams.  I’ve run into a few teammates outside of the gym, and already we’re greeting one another with “Hi, Loser!” Maybe it’s encouragement, maybe we’re just still learning each other’s names, but either way, it’s definitely not the schoolyard anymore.

I plan to be a very big loser. I turned 45 last week, and to celebrate this milestone I will lose 45 pounds in my 45^th year. It’s a long term goal, but the more I say it out loud the more real it becomes.  So I’m saying it – and trying to remember that the words are important.  My childhood friend Dara Chadwick wrote a book called “You’d be soPretty If…” and reading it has made me extra conscious of how what I say about myself influences Amelia’s attitude about her own body.  

So I’m not going to be ashamed or apologetic about gaining the weight. But for myself and for Amelia, I will be eager and excited about becoming healthier and stronger and making better choices. And if that includes 6am workouts with a bunch of other losers, I’m in.  Proudly. You heard it here, out loud.

Now somebody please set an alarm clock!

Craving more crafty fun? Check out additional posts of A Crafty Mess over at Charlotte Parent. Or stop by my Etsy store, Made by Mommy.  Or better yet, leave a comment here...I'd love to hear from you!