Money or Competition?

I started a friendly little competition this weekend with about a dozen others who needed some motivation to drop a few.

Pounds, that is.

We each paid in $40, with prize money going to 1st and 2nd place, and 1st place in points (earned through tracking meals, workouts, water, etc.). So far I've been very diligent--even fierce!--about keeping to my goals for daily calorie intake and calories burned through exercise. (Yes, the gym welcomed me back with open arms...or flying buttresses, whatever the case may be.) I've decided that getting up to study and workout before the kids have a chance to swarm me feels oh so much better than sleeping in. Yep. You read that right. Me. The one who adores her pillow nearly as much as she adores her husband, actually thinks getting up EARLY is the winner. Now, if I can just remember that when the alarm goes off at 4:45...

It felt so good to get on the treadmill, and despite the threat of earthquake or recoil, RUN AGAIN. Mike will read this and snicker because according to him, what I do is not classified as "running." He also thinks that me calling it "jogging" is letting it slide. So sorry Mr. Cross-Country and your I-ate-so-much-chocolate-this-weekend-and-I-still-can't-break-200 metabolism. You know what you can do with your definitions.

A really great resource I've found is Spark People. I track all my measurements, meals along with calories & nutrients, and workouts including calories burned. I LOVE the site and I'm pretty sure I'm not organized enough to track everything without it. I'm feeling really good about my progress so far. I may even win.


The question is, is it the money that is motivating me, or is it the competition????