Introduction

Greetings!  My name is Kelsey Godfrey and recently I applied for Covenant Health's weight loss challenge, Biggest Winner.  After evaluating applicants, they chose 9 of us to compete.  I was initially shocked because I never actually thought I would be chosen.  One thing that I will really be dealing with is accountability, and that is basically the purpose of keeping this blog.  Let me tell you a little about my previous fitness history.

I was born weighing in at over ten pounds, so I was definitely a butterball from the get go.  The weight only increased from there.  By high school, I weighed over 250 pounds.  My senior year, I decided to shed a few pounds for a semi formal dance that my school was hosting.  I ended up dropping down to 215 and that was the lowest I got.  I managed that weight up until college, then the endless buffet at Pearson's dining hall failed me miserably.  I got back up to around 230 and stayed there.  I completed the Knoxville Half Marathon this past March and it took a huge toll on my body.  Then, from September 25-November 13, I completed 4 more half marathons.  I have also completed dozens of 5k, 8k, and 10k races in 2010.  The keyword is completed.  I was not in it to win it, nor even in it to compete.  My confidence level was sparked solely on the fact that I crossed the finish line.  That's all about to change, because I want to be able to compete with other young ladies my age and actually finish with a good time.

I'm sure you have all seen Biggest Loser on TV, and although the goal is the same, the path to get to that goal will not be so dramatic.  Missy Kane will not be standing on our backs while we do pushups (at least I hope not).  It's going to be a lot of fun and both myself and my teammates are so blessed with this opportunity.  We will be provided with a gym membership, personal trainer, dietician, and an exercise physiologyist.  After 4 months of training, we will all be competing in the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon.  Some of us will do the 5k, some the half, and some the full.  The goal is the finish line and we all look forward to finishing at the fifty!