A Day of Rest and Reflection....

Sundays at Fitness Ridge are very quiet.  Many people are leaving and new guests will arrive this afternoon.
Breakfast is served until 9am and lunch is a "sack" (bag) lunch....Dinner tonite will be with the new guests and the new week will begin tomorrow.

It's been a week of confusion, fear and stress...but also one full of emotion and triumph.

The thing about this place is the people. I am so fortunate to have connected with some very, very special people that I would otherwise not have had the opportunity to meet. It is amazing what this place does for you. Really what it's all about is learning from each other. 
The Ranch takes care of your food, accomodation and work outs but so much of the rest comes from the other guests. 
This week for me has been a huge learning experience. 
I've always felt that I knew all there was to know about losing weight and all that goes with it...but here you see and learn the truth about yourself....Like one of the instructors (Anne Marie) says...you need to discover your why....
Why did you come here?
That seems like such a simple question...I came to kick it up and lose some weight...maybe get a jumpstart for my new program. But really it's so much more than that....That's why I thought I came here...to give myself a jumpstart on weight loss and exercise but really I came here to rediscover who I am.
After ten years of marriage to a fantasticly generous man, mothering our son fulltime for nine years....I got lost somewhere. Well guess where I was...yup...at Fitness Ridge.
The thing about this place is that it is completely safe. There is no judgement. There is no preconceived notions or expectations--It's just all about me! 
My personality is that of a perfectionist and "all or nothing"...and what happened somewhere along the way is that the all or nothing took over everything in regards to my wellness.   I can't remember whether I put this is my blog yet or not but it was something this week that really resonated with me personally:
Here is the metaphor for the all or nothing:  The all or nothing person will always begin a diet on a Monday and often blow it by Wednesday...often with the mindset of oh well...I'll start again next Monday.  At this point theres no holes barred becuz you gotta eat it all before the following Monday begins and then the cycle repeats.  Sooo....the nutritionist here says:  take the decision to go "off" the diet/binge/cheat (whatever you want to call it) and compare it to breaking a piece of fine china.  There you go...you cheat = a broken china plate on the floor....Now, if you broke that piece of china would you then go to the cabinet and throw the rest of it on the floor to make sure it's broken too? 
Bingo Boppo!!! Bells Ringing!!! Lightbulb Moment!!!
My floor is full of broken china...everywhere. 
This realization for me is huge. Seems so simple but something in me clicked and it all of a sudden made sense.  This was very emotional for me and actually made me have a bit of a melt down.  Once I opened those floodgates I couldn't stop.  The tears just kept coming...especially when you hear other peoples' stories and they're all bawling!! yikes!!
The support and the kinship that you find here is truly amazing. I feel like I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world.
I am missing home tho too.
I have one more week and originally was to return in March.  I have since changed that reservation to return in October 2011 and make it a reunion of sorts with my new friends from Chicago, New York and Baltimore.  We all booked last nite and are returning the week of Oct 16th. 
Here are some pictures from the last couple of days.

The veggie soup....had brussel sprouts!!! I ate around them.  The soups here are fantastic and are all around 50 calories/cup.  Fantastic to make and freeze!  That's my plan.

I didn't want the salmon burger so had the garden burger instead.  It was really tastey and satisfying.

Amanda from the Biggest Loser show and Long Island Richie.

Last nites dinner...chicken served over brown rice with steamed veggies and a light teriaki sauce. Yummy.

Now these two....this is Denise (l) and Debbie(r).  They are my friends for life.  Debbie of course was my hiking partner for the week...Denise is her twin sister tho they are actually are part of triplets...the third sister wasn't here. These two crack me up.  We had so much fun and we really connected on a level past mere acquaintance...in fact I better warn my hubby to get the guest room ready cuz I think Chicago will be coming soon!

Now this is Richard (aka Long Island Richie) and his sister JoAnne.  These are two of the most lovely people I think I've ever met in my life.  The love between these two and the strong family value that they share is amazing.  JoAnne told me that Richie paid to bring her to Fitness Ridge...so I say to Richie...You are one great brother to do that and his reaction is that he has the greatest sister in the world.  Last nite they made me cry (tho really I am to be in charge of my own emotions and it is me who couldn't hold back the tears) when they shared about their caring for two elderly parents until their death.  JoAnne renovated her house to move her parents in and Richie basically moved in as well to care for them.  Even now it chokes me up because they are such big hearts.  They've come to Fitness Ridge to regain their health.  It was their parents wish that they begin to care for themselves. 

Richie has been running--yes running--on the treadmill and is such a source of inspiration. I feel so fortunate to know them.

Lounging by the pool on a Sunday.

Alrighty then...This is us outside the front of Fitness Ridge. We will be returning on Oct 16th and take this same picture for the sake of comparison. So left to right:

me (blue shirt); the Melissa from New York (another true source of inspiration as she continues to put one foot in front of the other and not give up.); Chicago Debbie; Denise -Chicago; Long Island Richie and sister JoAnne...then Charlene from Alberta, Canada;and sitting ...that is Lori from Baltimore.

What a great group of people!