On Wednesday, October 30 of 2019, my friend and I went to the Price is Right LIVE at the Bismarck Event Center. It was pretty entertaining, but nothing happened to us until the very end.
Prior to the show, my friend and I made matching t-shirts and talked about prices of items and possible games we might play. We had to go early and get registered so our names could be drawn. My step-dad, one of the luckiest people I know, used to always tell me to scrunch up the paper when you put it in a drawing because it will stick out and have a better chance of getting picked. So that’s what I did, even though the sign said not to bend them before you put them in the big barrel.
During the 2 hour (approx.) event, we watched as person after person was called to come up and “PLAY THE PRICE IS RIGHT!” We would hold our breath and then sigh when we didn’t hear our names. After the final names for the showcase were called, we assumed it was all over. We cheered and tried to help the contestants but both of them overbid and the show just about ended with no winners.
Then the host of the show announced that they would draw one final name and that person would win the Grand Prize, which was a 3-night, 4-day trip for 2, including air fare, to New Orleans. We looked around at the 3,000 (or so) people and knew our chances were slim but we hooked arm-in-arm and hoped for the best. I may have even closed my eyes and that’s when the show called my name – RHEA BETO! I jumped out of my seat, threw my arms around my friend and screamed! Then I proceeded to hug a few more friends, along with a couple of strangers, all of whom were so happy for me. I will never forget how excited I was and completely shocked that it actually happened to me!
But those feelings did not hold a candle to the way I felt on the morning of Feb. 10, 2021 when I weighed in at 199 pounds, officially entering One-derland!
All the preparations leading up to the Price is Right Live show only took a matter of days. The excitement from winning lasted a few days because I relived the memories every time I told someone new about what happened. But it wasn’t long before it all faded away.
Getting to this point in my journey to lose weight and get healthier has taken much longer and has been much harder, of course. I am currently on day 238 of tracking calories, exercising more often and keeping a written journal. I am practically killing myself to keep up this pace! (What a whiner – ha!) If only I could just put my name in a big bucket and WISH to lose weight!
But I know how much more work I have put in, so I am that much more EXCITED to announce that I have officially been in One-derland for at least 3 days!
SIDE BAR – This is real life. I am not going to be perfect. There will be holidays, family get-togethers, and just plain hard days when I am going to eat more calories than my body needs. It’s OK. I WILL turn things around again.
So yes, Valentine’s Day happened, along with some stress eating from those darn, “do I really have to behave for the rest of my life” feelings. They are passing, though. Next week will be better. I weighed in at 202.2 on Friday, Feb. 19th. Yesterday was rough again but so far, so good today. I will weigh-in again on Friday, Feb. 26th.
The first morning I saw 199, I got the biggest shit-eating grin on my face and NOTHING was going to bring me down for the rest of the day! I think people around me knew it too, because they seemed to leave me alone. I didn’t announce my achievement but the amazing feeling of accomplishment for all of my hard work and sacrifice was so much more fulfilling than a room filled with 3,000 people, smiling, clapping and watching my reaction.
It has been over a year since I won the trip. My good friend and I made a deal before the show that we would share our winnings, which I am more than happy to do. What better reason to go on a girls’ trip?! I don’t remember the numbers exactly, but after I won, the show offered me a cash settlement of $700 (I think), which is under the limit so I would not have to pay any taxes, or I would get about $1400 in an account that I could use toward a trip of my choice. I chose the latter for the afore-mentioned reasons. (I think we will go to Nashville instead and invite more friends to join us!)
The rewards that go along with losing over 43 pounds and finally weighing less than 200 are far more enduring. There was absolutely no luck involved. I was much more excited and thrilled to have achieved those goals! And ironically, they were always there, just waiting for me to go and get them! As the old saying goes, we just need to “get out of our own way” so we can accomplish the things we want most out of life.
I knew that my first taste of One-derland would be short-lived, thanks to the ever-fluctuating numbers on the scale, which we all experience if we actually eat like normal people. But I know that I am much closer to seeing numbers that are consistently in the 100s! What can I say? I am kicking butt and taking names! (Most days.)
So on to my next big goal. It’s kind of silly but I have always wanted to weigh less than my 5’11” husband. He was a twig when we met in January of 1996, weighing all of a buck fifty when I was around 160. His weight changed over the years, especially when I was pregnant. He gained weight, right along with me, and almost registered over 200 pounds at one point but now he is sitting at about 175.
He knows that I am coming after him and he will probably lose a few pounds before I surpass him, but if I have to skip a few snacks and walk a few extra miles each week, I will do it! Heck, I just announced it to the whole world! It will take me a lot longer than it took to lose the first 40 pounds, but I am not on anyone’s schedule. This is all mine. It’s all FOR me. I am not doing this for anyone but ME, MYSELF and I!
As I look back at the last eight months of success and even the last few days of set-backs, I feel completely at peace. I am DOING IT! Each goal that I have set has been achieved! I may not have 3,000 people cheering me along as I track calories and exercise, but all I really need is one loud, loving and powerful voice – MINE!
I just have to keep repeating my battle cry:
I am STRONG; I am RESILIENT; I am ENOUGH.