Lab Rat of the Year- The Morning After

by Suzy Oge on January 21, 2012

Pinch me, am I dreaming or did I really wake up with a rat?… and a Lab tat?

What a phenomenal night! As I climbed into bed after celebrating with Lab Rats and friends all evening, I glanced in the mirror. Maybe it was the glow of my tiara, but I looked surprisingly fresh at 4am and less surprisingly, still joyful.

Exhausted but not wanting it to end; I asked myself if there could ever possibly be a night quite like this again? The leather dress, trophy, tat, tiara combination is not likely to come around again soon. Honestly I don’t think I’ve ever felt or looked better in my life and to so publicly celebrate a triumph over what has been a personal struggle;  was a unique and wonderful experience!

My biggest fear leading up to this night was not waking up empty handed. My fear was waking up with the award I had become obsessed about winning in my arms, mission accomplished; and an empty feeling inside where my wild goal had been. Would I lose my motivation?

Until now, losing weight EVERY single week for 5 months has been a total rush and obviously very motivating, but that’s coming to an end too. Now what?

Despite the huge expectations I had put on the night and those extra words on my trophy* (1st Runner up); I went to sleep feeling like a winner and woke up feeling like one too. There wasn’t a trace of the empty feeling I feared or the “let down” that could be expected after a much-anticipated occasion. My mind was on all the great people I’d met that night and during these 3 weeks at the Lab. Big thanks to all of you who approached me about this site and introduced yourselves! It means so much to me.

My new personal goal did not magically materialize overnight in my dreams or by rubbing the rat head and making a wish, but the morning brought a renewed sense of purpose. Now I’m connected to many others in this very special community of people working toward their own personal goals and most importantly committed to feeling great. I am no longer the woman off on her own alone with an “I’ll show them what I’m made of” attitude and the steely determination to be the best of the best.  I’ve proven to myself that I could do this thing that seemed impossible and hopefully shown others that this really works and they can do it too!

The feeling that we are all in this together and somehow, some of you are looking to me for inspiration and counting on me to keep it up, is all the motivation I need right now. Thank you!

3 kisses from Holland XXX,

Suzy

 

{ 2 comments }

Sonya Stevenson January 22, 2012 at 3:40 pm

The thing is , Suzy, you have shown that distance, work schedules and any other distractions from the commitment to ‘get strong’ are just excuses……..you were committed and followed through. So Thelab team can use your example for the folks who come in and say, ‘oh, but I will be out of town,’ or ‘I will start working out again after vacation.’ There are NO excuses-just commitment, and YOU have it!

Suzy Oge January 22, 2012 at 4:55 pm

Thank you for commenting Sonya! I happen to have your spontaneous reaction on video when you realized Justin was talking about me as he announced the awards- that was very sweet:-) Congratulations to you & Miriam too! It is so important for people to see your smiling faces when they come in every day. The atmosphere at the Lab is so special. Yes, EVERYONE has their excuses, but I think the friendly factor is a big incentive to show up and do it!

It has never been easy for me to lose weight in the past. I never thought I’d EVER say or write, “Poor me, I’ve achieved every weight loss goal I could ever imagine and I’m super strong…now what?” To me the Lab is like magic…it just works and it is fun, so when I talk to people and they see my fast results and still want to hold on to their excuses, it does make me a little crazy.

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