As I climbed into the big truck to head out of town April 1st, I knew it was going to be a great weekend with the whirlwind of events we had planned. The Texas Beef Council team was headed to good ole San Antonio Texas. I was pretty excited about this event as I have been to San Antonio before but I have not experienced the Riverwalk or downtown San Antonio. We were headed to the Alamodome to set up for the H-E-B Slim Down Showdown Finale.
I am pretty sure you are probably thinking, “H-E-B Slim Down Showdown? Now what is that?” Well, it is an awesome opportunity that H-E-B puts on for their employees as well as people from the surrounding community. Slim Down Showdown (SDSD) is a 12 week competition where the contestants are competing for $10,000. While some may consider this a competition when they first begin the program, this is more of a life changing event. After a while it no longer becomes a competition but a better way to live a healthy life. The kick off of this event started 12 weeks ago on January 10th with a 7 day Fit Camp which included fitness and nutritional training along with cooking and meal training. What an awesome way to kick start a program; with a group of people who are there to help you and support you on this new journey.
At the end of the 12 weeks the contestants came back for a final weigh in. This took place at the Alamodome. As we arrived at the Alamodome, we were able to drive in to set up our booth. It was a pretty awesome feeling driving in and setting up knowing that in just a few hours we would get to witness and hear some of the greatest stories about the changes that these contestants had made.
Morning came and we arrived at our booth. Texas Beef Council is a sponsor for this great event, and we were also there to inform consumers about the benefits of beef in the diet. Did you know that it is recommended to consume 25 to 30 grams of protein at every meal including breakfast, lunch, and dinner? This also helps cut those afternoon sugar cravings. If you are interested, there is a really neat challenge called the 30-day protein challenge. If you would like more information on this program please check out
http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/proteinchallenge.aspx
The hours flew past at the booth while we were meeting people and sharing information. I looked up and the time had finally arrived. We were going to be able to see the contestants and they were going to announce the winners. Before the contestants came out, they each shared part of their story. Learning about the reasons they were doing this program was heart-warming. From wanting to be around for their children, to building more confidence, each story touched my heart in some special way. As the contestants walked out, the physical changes were very obvious. For me, it was the changes on the inside that brought me to tears. You can only imagine all the blood sweat and tears that they endured during the 12 week program and each and every one was so proud, happy, and thankful.
I am so incredibly humbled and overjoyed for all the contestants at this year’s SDSD. While not every contestant won the money, I believe they were all winners in the end. Watching this contest helped me open my eyes and put a new perspective on life. You only have one body and it is very important. Make sure you take care of it, so it will take care of you. If you would like some more information on the H-E-B Slim Down Showdown please visit
You can even read some of the contestant’s blogs on the website. I suggest taking some time to read a few of them to learn about all the hard work they put in.
“But it’s the little things, the little things not expectation, That make life worth living, worth living “ – JJ Grey & MoFro – The Sun is Shining Down
I felt that these lyrics from this song fit perfectly well with the SDSD challenge. It is the little things that the people changed about them that is the best part of all of this.
Until next time….
Casey.Lynn 