Forty-second weigh in ....Yay!!

Being down another 1.1 pounds is good news, but not the reason for the Yay!!

Anyone who has struggled with weight probably has numbers that are significant to them that aren't necessarily noteworthy to someone else. The 1.1 pound loss put me below a significant number, one that I haven't seen in I don't know how long, but at least 20 years.

I still feel great about what I am doing and how I am doing it. When I get closer to my goal, I may even return here to edit this post and add the mystery number.

Onward and downward, with a big grin.

41 weeks

So close.....

Today's weigh in had me down .6 pounds. Another .6 or better yet, .7 pounds, would have put me under a number that I haven't seen in a very long time. Still, .6 down is better than up, so all is good.

To be honest, I could have done better this past week. An occasional cookie or piece of chocolate candy has gone from hand to mouth. My goal for this current week is to track more consistently and to really consider if that cookie or candy is worth it.

We are done with family birthdays for at least a few weeks, and the only challenge I am aware of this week will be Saturday when I have art classes an hour away from home. We usually have sandwiches from Jimmy John's for lunch. They are good, but higher in points that what I would make at home. Since we have a party to attend that evening, I may pack a lunch so I can "spend" more points later in the day.

March 2015

I've always wanted minions to handle all the work around here, but this isn't what I meant! Not the best selfie shot, but it is a record of my weight loss. 

Onward and downward, and in bright yellow!

40th weigh in, Fabulous!

Yesterday was my 40th weigh in. This past weekend was full of birthday celebrations. My grandson turned 5 on Friday, his daddy (my oldest son) turned 37 on Saturday. On Sunday, hubby and I went out to eat simply because the day got away from us.

If I planned to work for WW, I would either have to clean up my act or lie about things when I write here. But I don't plan to work for them (nothing against WW, I just don't time have time to be employed!) so I am going to be honest and admit that I haven't tracked points since Thursday. I've been aware of them mentally but we all know that can be a slippery slope.

The thing is, both birthdays were important to me and I knew I was going to celebrate them. I was not going to weigh and calculate the cupcake on Friday or the lemon bar on Saturday. Friday's dinner was from a local restaurant and Saturday's was deep dish pizza. Under normal circumstances, normal since WW anyway, I wouldn't have chosen those meals on consecutive days.

So why did I do ok this past weekend? I consciously chose lower point meals before dinner both days. On Friday I had ice cream but no cupcake. I can't say much about Saturday's choices, especially since I finished hubby's three bites of lemon bar after eating my own.

On Sunday I had an omelet with veggies and no cheese. It came with hash browns, and I had a few forkfuls but they weren't worth the points (whatever the points may have been) so I enjoyed the dry toast with a smear of mixed fruit jelly instead. Mixed fruit is my favorite although I'm not much of a jelly or jam fan.

So what is my point? My point is that I'm automatically moderating myself now. I don't have to spend much time thinking should I choose A or B, and don't panic when I don't know the point value in something. Was I perfect in my WW choices? No, but life isn't perfect. By the way, WW doesn't beat anyone up for not being perfect, it really is about educating yourself and making the best choices.

I'm of an age where I try not to beat myself up about anything. I spent decades not measuring up to who and what I thought I should be. I could compile a long list of what I am not, of what I have not done, BUT....I could come up with a longer list of good things that I am and have done. That isn't ego, that is a simple truth.

I will continue to celebrate birthdays without guilt, but they will be smaller portions and you know what? No one else notices that. I still get the taste. I still get the joy of being part of the happy times. As long as I don't laugh with food in my mouth, no one sees or judges what I am eating.

I was down another .8 pounds yesterday, a total of 57 pounds gone. Once upon a time, I would have thought "yes, but I could have been better if I ate X instead of Y and if I was exercising". Once upon a time is for storybooks. My life is real. I did eat Y and I haven't started exercising yet (although tag with a 5 year old surely counts for something!) and in 9 months, I've lost 57 pounds. Looking back on previous years of thinking I had to be perfect or follow WW exactly and without a slip, where did it get me? Nowhere.

Onward, downward and fabulous!

Nine months later....

No, I didn't have a baby and what I've delivered is heavier than an infant. Today's 39th weigh in was down another .9 pounds for a total of 56.2 since June 2nd of last year.

Part of today's discussion was the importance of weighing in after reaching lifetime status, and that leaders and staff often still struggle when emotional eating tempts them. If it were easy to get it off and never look back, there would be very few people who are overweight, right?

My husband and I recently heard that Weight Watchers has lost money and may be scaling back on personnel, locations, etc. Fitbit and diet plans promoted at gyms are likely to be part of the reason for this. I get that. People don't want to spend money in multiple places with the same goal. I would never tell anyone that WW is the only way to lose weight. Weight Watchers does encourage exercise and many members have gym memberships, use Fitbit or other monitors. I just hope people don't give up on WW because it has been around a long time and doesn't sound trendy.

If anyone is reading this who doesn't know me personally, I can only tell you what holds true for me:

Quick fixes in the form of drastic diets (eliminating entire food groups, extremely low calorie counts, and weight loss supplements) don't work in the long run. They may get you to goal, but if you don't change the habits that got you overweight in the first place, you aren't going to maintain the loss.

I am not a fan of prepared meals that some programs require or strongly suggest you eat. The funny thing about this is that I've become very lazy about cooking and this idea, in theory, should appeal to me. There are a few things I can't eat that seldom bother others, cucumbers and garlic are two that make me miserable. There are a few things I really don't care for, such as peppers and zucchini. Then there are prepared meals that don't contain any of these things but I don't like how they taste when prepared by the XYZ company and delivered to my door or frozen food department of the nearby grocery store.

Even if I did like these foods, is it realistic for most of us to think we will eat these foods for the next 15 years? Probably not, especially if you live and dine with other people. Prepared foods are a convenience and there is nothing wrong with that, but if you don't learn how to choose and cook for yourself, what will happen when the freezer is empty?

Most people know at least one person who underwent bariatric surgery but didn't maintain the loss because they didn't change their habits. I am a lifetime WW member and didn't maintain my loss. Old habits crept back into my daily life. I was too embarrassed to weigh in at 8 pounds over goal so I stubbornly stayed away and gained much, much more.

Don't we all know people who have joined gyms but rarely use them a few years later? I'm not knocking them at all, but the reality of people around me is that few people maintain the level of commitment that gym advisers recommend. Life gets in the way at times and just like not weighing in as a lifetime WW member, it becomes easier to sit in the chair than get to the gym or embarrassment of work out gear that has gotten too tight keeps us home while we fool ourselves into thinking next Monday will be easier to get back on track.

My point is that WW can work for anyone who wants it to work, mainly because there is flexibility in your choices. I don't plan to work for the company. I have nothing to gain by encouraging anyone. I am just sharing what I know to be true for me.

Fifty-six less pounds means I move better and am no longer on blood pressure medication. It also means I look better. I have always liked myself so I wasn't negative about my appearance in the dress on the left. My son's wedding was a glorious day and happiness trumped my dress size. Shopping is a lot more fun now, as is playing tag with my 5-year old grandson....even if he cheats. 

Onward and downward!

Weigh in 38

What does a 5000 BTU window air conditioning unit have in common with my weight loss?

Both are 55 pounds!

Last week's and today's meeting discussions were mainly about family and friends who support us. Do we tell them what we need? Do we ask them to stop if they are sabotaging us? Who is (are) our support in our weight loss journey?

I am lucky that my husband and family are supportive but no one "gets" the program the way that another WW member does. After all these months, my husband will still ask "can you eat there?" if we discuss going out to eat and are trying to pick a restaurant. Some WW members are annoyed when their families ask that. I don't think anyone who loves us means this in a bad way. They don't know the program and simply are trying to be helpful. 

My family and close friends are definitely cheerleaders but when it comes down to who has my back (a term used last week and today), I have my back. That doesn't mean I haven't asked for help or won't ask again when needed, but I am the one doing this. I don't expect someone outside of WW to understand points or why I might eat ice cream one day and strip a sandwich of bread or bun the next. 

My husband golfs. I know there are clubs and irons in his golf bag but do I know why he picks one over the other when he is about to hit the ball? No. Isn't this the same thing? Unless someone knows a person is following Weight Watchers and intentionally tries to sabotage them by pushing food, I figure their comments or actions should be forgotten. 

Funny how no one pushes a cookie on you if you say you're allergic to nuts but some will insist one cookie won't hurt if you mention you are on WW or any other plan. If someone continues that behavior, they aren't being a true friend. In that case it is ok to drop a hint. Or a brick on their foot. Or maybe a 55 pound air conditioner!

Onward and downward!

P.S.  Susan Wheatley, if you see this, I would love to respond to you personally but I don't know how to reach you.  I added my profile to the bottom of the sidebar. If you email me, I can respond. 

37th Week. a Light Bulb Moment

Goodness gracious it is cold outside! The car's thermometer read -4* and turnout at the meeting was light, but I was glad I went.

Saturday was a family birthday party. Coney dogs after a variety to chip and dip appetizers was dinner, followed by cake and ice cream. I began by planning ahead, but over ate anyway. The difference between pre-WW days and now is my level of consciousness. I was fully aware and mindfully made the choice to eat spinach dip, but I ate it on veggies instead of chips and crackers. In order to enjoy the cake and some ice cream and also a lite beer, I skipped the chili and bun when I had a hotdog along with a good sized portion of salad.

My point is that I had a good time at the party, didn't feel deprived and while I didn't track everything (how much spinach dip was on those carrots? how many points in that dip anyway??), I didn't get out of hand by my definition.

Ever hear a sermon or lecture and feel that the point of the speech was aimed directly at you? One or two sentences at today's meeting hit me over the head. Suzanne said that she has read that 95% of people with weight issues are emotional eaters and she personally thinks the other 5% are in denial. We all laughed but I still didn't see myself as an emotional eater. She went on to comment that those who don't feel they eat when they are happy or sad but eat because they like the taste or feel of certain foods are emotionally tied to that taste or feeling.

 

What I've been learning since June is that one bite of something tastes just as good as 27 bites. I WAS an emotional eater! We all hear phrases like "too much of a good thing is wonderful" and many sayings about chocolate and all that it can humorously cure. Weaknesses in my personality have never been drinking alcohol to excess or shopping to the point of creating a worrisome debt. I'm talking habits, not occasional indiscretions.  

So why was eating different? I don't know at the moment, and maybe I never will unravel that mystery. Since I began eating as if WW points were dollars on a budget, or thinking of food as fuel rather than a pleasure (taste and texture) that I should stockpile, I haven't had a problem.

I was down 1.6 pounds at the scale today, for a total of 53.9 pounds. Onward and downward, with the light bulb shining brightly!

Weigh in #35 on the 36th week

I was out of town last week and my regular meeting was canceled because of a snow storm. Good time for me to be in Florida!

My family and I stayed at Nickelodeon Suites in Orlando. We visited the Magic Kingdom and Universal Studio theme parks and enjoyed many of the activities right at Nickelodeon. I can't say eating there was one of them. In the building they called the "mall" they had a bar that served a limited menu, a buffet where we ate breakfast with characters, a Subway and a pizza vendor whose name I've already forgotten.

The quality of the food at the bar and buffet were nothing to rave about, nor was the pizza, but this was all convenient. Three nights in a row we were going to go out for dinner but after a busy day, we were happy to stay put, especially with an almost 5 year old in our group.

Over the course of the week I had three alcoholic drinks while I normally go months without any. I had real ice cream one night. It wasn't worth the points or the price, but the company (my family) was good. I aimed for the best choices out of sometimes a poor selection. By the end of the week I was craving vegetables and fruit. We went to a Walmart at the beginning of the week and I did have bananas and yogurt most morning.

We had a very good time on this vacation and while I wasn't sure how the scale would read this morning, I didn't regret last week at all. Imagine my happy surprise to be down 2.2 pounds for a total of 52.3 pounds gone! All of the walking at the theme parks and around the hotel paid off!

I guess this is proof that if I walked or did some form of exercise during a normal week at home, I would be doing even better on weight loss. Maybe once the laundry is caught up I will do just that, but it won't be walking outside. Our high temps are only going to be in the teens for most of the week. 

Until shivering from the cold and doing laundry counts as a cardiovascular workout, I will remain a wimp.

Onward and downward.