So the weight-loss thing is getting more comical and more intense at the same time. … (Comical will be explained in a later post this week.)

After I began gunning to lose at least the 10 pounds of holiday weight I’d gained (with some up-and-down success – I still haven’t gotten the full 10 pounds off yet), my company decided to launch into another “season” of its “Biggest Loser” competition.

Now, I work with a bunch of really competitive people: poker tournaments, golf games, golf pools, football pools, you name it – they’re in it to win it, no matter what it is.

So a couple of years ago, they started playing “The Biggest Loser,” and have had two big competitions (lasting 3 months each) over about three years. The pot gets pretty big, and payout goes to first through third place. The guys always win over the gals, but the winner is determined by percentage of body weight lost, so ultimately it should be fair. Since I handle social media for the company, I usually blog about the competition and tweet/FB it.

But this time …

This time I decided to play.

(Egads.)

The timing was good – holiday stress was over, but the holiday weight was stubbornly remaining. And I was ready to work on taking those pounds off anyway. So I hesitantly tip-toed in. …

More people than ever jumped into this “second season” for us (the first group played from Jan-March, this one goes from April-June). And ultimately, because so many people joined, our CEO said the company would match the winning pot. (That’s getting into the thousands of dollars now.)

But remember what I said about the poker tournaments?! This is a hard-core group. They’re working out twice a day, taking supplements, trying juicing techniques, running 10 miles on the weekends, etc. That money isn’t even going to be close to being mine. (In fact, I’ll be lucky if I don’t come in last place!)

But it’s cool. … The good news is that even when I don’t win, and even if I come in last place, I’m still losing weight! Yay! It’s only about a pound a week, but it’s coming off. We have our first weigh-in next week (second of four), so I’ll post how many pounds it is officially, but I think I’m averaging a pound a week. Not fireworks time, but the scale is at least in a downward trajectory. And if I count since Christmas, I’m at 9 of the 10 I wanted to lose, so I’m at least back into some of my clothes more comfortably.

Being in a competition, I have to admit, is helpful. I’m counting calories and getting in some exercise simply because I don’t want to completely embarrass myself. If nothing else, I’ve managed to scramble to find a “free” 30 minutes every day in which to exercise (with the help of Superman, who offered to take our daughter to school in the mornings so I could have that time to exercise). And that’s huge for me, really, because I’ve known for a long time that I need to exercise (for my heart, for general health, to stave off diabetes), but it’s so hard to find the time when you’re a full-time working mother in a five-member household. So carving out that simple half hour in the morning was really a gigantic step.

So onward. … I’m sure I’ll have amusing updates. Just wish me luck to not come in last place!