BLACK TEAM-New Year and opening to new Members

Phew!

I cannot let myself go that long without visiting the thread! lol. So glad to see so many new faces. And it's great to hear how all the old timers are kicking butt and taking names! I just want to review a few things for the new folks to make sure we are all on the same page.

#1: Team Challenges will officially begin this tuesday evening. For the first few weeks I will most likely throw the challenge out myself. then I might look to the team for ideas.

#2: Weekly weight ins should be reported to me on tuesday evenings of wednesdays days so I can post the team results on wednesday evening. You can just send me a PM (Private message) with your weight. I'll track weight lost and % lost each week as well as total weight lost and percentage lost.

I have learned one thing this weekend. I'm done with the snow. lol. Well tommorow is offiicially day one of the 16 week cycle of Triathlon training. Gotta hit the pool tommorow and work on some drills. Food is generally a challenge at the momment. The battery in the heart rate monitor is DEAD and I desperatly need a new one. The problem I am having is that the only thing I have gotten good at is the basic math of this whole thing. Eat what MFP says, burn what MFP says and I am golden.
That worked well when I was just trying to lose the weight. But the training I am doing now is a different animal. I have to eat enough to fuel the work and keep this evolution going.Toward the end of my training I need to be upwards of 4k calories daily to meet the needs of the training. Oy boy this is going to be interesting. This is going to be a tough thing to figure out and I am so glad I have all of you to share this journey with. Two sprint distance and one olympic distance on the plate for this year. I have alot of work to do. Last year I was 319 pounds and on my way to an early grave. Today I start my journey to the Iron Man and nothing is going to keep me from crossing that finish line. No matter how long it takes me.

For the new folks. Their is one bit of advice I want to give you all as you start your journey here. Their will be times when things will be difficult. Times when you will feel like its beyond your reach and it is just taking "Too long". Try to remember this.

"Whether you do something to improve yourself or not the time will pass either way. So even if you only lost 5 pounds in a year the that year will pass either way. You can be 5 pounds healthier or be no better then you are today."

This is a journey of small steps. It's not something that will happen overnight and for that reason it's so much more worth while. Their is an old chinese proverb that says "It is better to take many small steps foward then to attempt a giant leap and stumble backwards". The same is true about this change. Their is NO finish line here. This is a change that you must make for the rest of your life. Educate yourself and grown as part of the process. You will not only become thinner and more healthy, you will become a more confident person. A better father/mother, a better husband/wife, a better sister, brother and friend. You my friends, both new and old are capable of far more than you realize and in this journey you will learn that very little if anything is beyond your reach if you can find the strenght, dedication and will to make it happen. I have seen things on this team that have brought tears to my eyes and have changed me forever. I have had momments in my journey that will stay with me forever. I have seen so many people conquere so many mountains here that I know....I KNOW.....I KNOW, each and every one of you can reach your goals and set greater goals for tommorow. This is a journey of self discovery, a finding of your self worth and a chance for you to truley love the most important person on this earth.....Yourself. I am pleased and honored to have been a part of your journey's this past year and I am blessed to be here at the beginning of so many more. The day is ours to take black team and their is nothing that can stand in the way of a heart and mind joined for a purpose. Here's to 2010 :drinker: . God speed black team. God speed.