Weigh in #5

This past weekend was the Fourth of July holiday. We spent it at the cottage with our older son, his wife and four year old. We had plenty of food with us, including choices for me that could have kept me in line with what I've been eating at home, but that isn't what I did.

My menu for the past four days was a hybrid of how I used to eat, especially at the cottage, and what I've been doing lately. I had hotdogs but no buns. I ate pasta salad from a deli without a clue what the point value may have been but servings were one cup or less instead of a 1/3 of my plate. I didn't make our "traditional" ice cream trip to a small store that serves quality stuff. I thought my son's family might enjoy a break from us. Surprisingly, I wasn't hungry nor did I feel deprived. I really, really, really like ice cream, so this was big. Make that HUGE!

I also had an alcoholic drink and peanut butter cookies but these were thoughtful choices. My weight loss journey and (hopefully) life of maintenance is going to be full of days and weekends like this. In the past I have felt that my choices were to stick to the plan exactly and suffer (yes, that was my mind set) or to say the heck with it because it was only 1 day. Or four. Or a week. Or just until the end of the month, etc.

So how did I do? I'm down another 1.9 pounds for a total of 14!

I'm not ready to put into writing here what I weighed at the beginning, what I weigh now or any percentages of weight loss. That will come eventually I think. I am a large lady and the 14 pounds isn't visible to friends yet. I don't plan to say anything to anyone outside of my hubby, sons and daughter-in-law until I reach a 25 pound loss. That nobody else has noticed yet doesn't bother me at all. This is another change from the past. The mind set was I have suffered and struggled, why isn't anyone saying anything?!  And now, this is my triumph and while I expect someone will eventually notice and say something complimentary, that will be icing on the cake (<-- poor analogy?) nice, but not an affirmation that I need.

Onward and downward!

Weigh in #4

Friday was the wedding with the undetermined meal. I had two scrambled eggs before we left the house. My reasoning was that the protein would tide me over if we weren't served dinner and I could find something to eat out of appetizers if that was to be the fare.

We were served a full course, sit down meal.

It began with a cup of Italian wedding soup. I didn't know the point value then and I haven't looked it up since. The salad was not a problem. I skipped the pasta entree and was away from the table when the main course was served. My husband put a piece of chicken and green beans on my plate for me. I skipped the potatoes and rolls. Dessert was ice cream with a full array of toppings. I had plain vanilla which may or may not have been a choice before WW anyway. Somewhere along the road to reaching this age I stopped liking sprinkles or other crushed candy toppings. I didn't get far enough down the topping bar to see if they had hot fudge or caramel. Somethings are better left unknown.

All in all, I don't think I did badly with point values of foods but I did have two scotch and waters, which could have totaled 6-10 points depending on the proof and how generous the bartender was with her pouring.

My attitude was good this morning. If Friday's indulgence slowed this morning's progress, there would be nothing I could do now to erase it and Friday was a lovely evening for reasons besides food. Today's result was that I am down another 1.7 pounds for a total of 12.1.

I'm not doing everything that I should be doing. Not yet. I am not exercising yet. I am not giving up 2% milk for skim and that may not change. I don't plan to ever work for Weight Watchers, so as much as I am liking the plan, I can't pretend to be a model member. But you know what? That is ok. This is the first time I've been a month into program and felt so relaxed. I'm not feeling deprived because I didn't eat pasta or a roll the other night. I'm not feeling guilty about having a second drink when I had only planned to have one. And maybe most telling of all, I'm not thinking "when I reach goal I am going to have {fill in the blank}". 

Heading into a weekend

Years ago I chose Monday weigh ins as a push to watch myself over the weekend. My social life might not be quite as busy as it once was, but weekends still tend to be the time for parties that could be a challenge.

What is different now? I don't care how good something tastes, if I don't need it or want it, I'm not eating it. I can't say if this feeling is going to last but I'm going with it for now. I really like the taste of beer, especially really cold beer in a long neck bottle. I learned long ago that if I am feeling at all headachey, usually due to weather related sinus issues, beer or wine will definitely bring on a headache. I get too many headaches without provocation so I certainly wasn't going to continue to drink something just because it tastes good. 

This is sort of what is happening with food now, but it isn't a big concession. Is it my age? Is it that I really am feeling better and that makes it easier? If I figure it out, I will definitely write about in case it helps me later on, or maybe helps someone else even though we all have to figure it out for ourselves. What works at 21 won't be the same at 41 and not at 61. Metabolism, mental and emotional states and your daily environment all play a part.

Tonight we are going to a wedding. In my area, traditional weddings with hall receptions typically mean dancing, open bars, and dinner which is often a buffet. Buffet food is usually a dressed salad, sliced beef in gravy, chicken, some form of pasta in tomato sauce, mashed or roasted potatoes, mixed vegetables or green beans, rolls and dessert(s). The invitation is rather vague about what to expect tonight but based on the time of the ceremony, if dinner is served, it will be much later than we usually eat. 

We are going to eat a light dinner at home before we leave for the ceremony. We would have done this two months ago before WW, just because we don't like to eat a heavy meal late in the evening. By late, I'm thinking 9:00 will be the earliest this meal might happen. 

If dinner is available and there is something interesting that I want to taste, I will have a taste. If finger foods are the fare and I feel like munching, chances are there will be fruit and veggies available. I love good desserts, and by good I mean yummy. I will have points to use if there is something calling me but if it doesn't look delicious, I will wait until we're home to have something. If I take something and my taste buds say "ho-hum", I won't feel compelled to finish it. I may or may not have a drink. I can even "afford" two since they would be simple drinks, not a Kahula Mudslide which I recently learned can be 29 points! 

My focus is enjoying the evening, wishing the bridal couple well, enjoying conversations with the other guests and people watching. 

Weigh in # 3

I've been following the program for 3 weeks now and am happy to say I lost 3 pounds this week after none the previous, for a total of 10.4 pounds gone!

A visiting leader last week left a lasting impression on all of us. He has lost 50 pounds and kept it off for ten years. Once you've lost weight, whether 10, 50 or more pounds, it is easy to forget what that extra weight felt like. Many people know that 4 sticks of butter are a pound so visualizing 10 packages of butter when I'm in the dairy aisle as a representation of what I've lost is one thing, but let me tell you what Tom did.

Once upon a time newspaper carriers used a canvas contraption that went over their shoulders with a hold for their head. There was a wide pocket on the front and back that held newspapers while they walked or rode bikes on their route. Tom put one on, looking like an older version of this boy.

In each pocket he placed (with assistance) two gallon jugs filled with water. A full milk jug weighs 8.3 pounds for a total of 33.3 pounds now on his body. If he could have balanced two more on his shoulders it would have equaled the amount he has lost. Nobody would be comfortable carrying that around for long, yet all of us do be accustomed to the extra weight because it doesn't appear suddenly. 

If I go to the store for milk and two other items and skip taking a cart, milk is the last item I grab because I don't want to lug it around for long, but I just lost more than a gallon's worth of weight, and I've carried that (and more) for years. 

We all have different Aha! moments (as Oprah calls them) and this milk jug demo is one of mine.

Yikes! 14 points!

In my last post I mentioned a challenge concerning lunch while at classes in another city. I hadn't thought about looking up Jimmy John's through e-tools at the WW site or checking Jimmy John's site for information and calculating the points myself. I used a site that was helpful to me in the past and based on their info, the sandwich I usually order (#2, the Big John) was going to be 10.5 points.

After returning home and ready to track lunch before starting dinner, I did go to JJ's site and calculated the sandwich to be 14 points. Funny how HUGE an additional 3.5 points can seem when you aren't expecting them.

I finished the day using all of my points without dipping into the weekly allotment. Last month at this class, before WW, I had the same lunch after a heavier but undoubtedly less healthy breakfast. Dinner was another sub from a place near where the classes are held, a franchise that we don't have near home. I had told my husband about them, and all the rave reviews I heard from the locals. The subs (called grinders at this location) were delicious, but based on their size and contents, I bet one sub was easily double JJ's point value. I don't know what else I may have eaten on that day a month ago, but I am pleased to say that I wasn't hungry at all yesterday after consuming my allotted points, and if I had been, I had fruit on hand but just didn't feel like eating anything else.

Is there a vegetable shortage?

If there is a vegetable shortage in SE Michigan, it is all my fault. I think I've eaten more veggies in two and a half weeks than the previous two and half months or longer.

I realize now how lazy I had become about vegetables. Dinner was often meat and a potato or pasta side, frequently from a box. I don't dislike vegetables or fruit, so why did this happen? Bad habits. I look around and see other families are doing the same thing.

My husband is very supportive of what I am doing but doesn't necessarily want to eat the same things. I ask what he would like in the house before I go shopping. Many nights we have both been in the kitchen, making our separate meals side by side. I hope that my successes will rub off on him and that he will eat better too but I am not going to nag. We don't do that in this house. If we did, he would have had reasons to nag me for years.

Following my leader's advice, I am not weighing in at home. I hope that I will show a loss on Monday, but even if I don't for whatever reason, I know I am making good choices and it will show up sooner or later. I feel better already and it isn't just the smug feeling I've had during the honeymoon spell of being back on program before. My body feels better. I've realized that my headaches have been fewer. I am going to record when I do have one because I've attributed most of them in the past to the weather. We have high humidity this week and storms, both have triggered headaches in the past. While I've felt some pressure in my frontal sinuses, I haven't had to take any medication. If this isn't just a coincidence, this alone should keep me on program!

To be honest, I haven't become a purist about what I eat. I had a Smart Ones turkey and mashed potatoes for lunch and didn't care for the taste of the potatoes or gravy. One evening we had Betty Crocker's au gratin potatoes, something I've enjoyed in the past. I measured and tracked them without feeling guilty. It was definitely a smaller quantity than before, but I find myself eating with the emphasis of food as fuel, not something to keep eating just because it tastes good.

My next challenge comes tomorrow. I will be an hour from home in classes from mid morning until late afternoon. This happens once a month. We typically run over a bit in the morning class and sometimes have new people in the afternoon session so we can't just extend our lunch time without delaying others. The group places an order at Jimmy John's which delivers promptly and we eat in the classroom. None of the sub choices are as low as I could make at home but I don't want to worry about keeping my lunch chilled. I've planned what I will order and will enjoy lunch as well as the classes.

The First and Second Meetings

The first meeting (this time around) was on Monday, June 2, 2014.  There is a location closer to my house but they didn't have Monday meetings and I felt I had to get this started on Monday. The location I chose is one I've been to before and not really out of my way. Another plus is that they have open weigh-ins (drop-in hours) Tuesday through Friday. I'm not looking to skip meetings but some weeks, Monday morning might not work. This flexibility will help without giving me too much leeway.

The number on the scale is what I expected it to be. I may eventually reveal that number but there are no plans on doing so yet. A few things in the program have changed which actually seem easier than the last time I climbed onto this merry-go-round. 

I read over the suggested meal plans and shopped accordingly that afternoon. I am using the e-tools and began tracking right away, even though that isn't a requisite the first two weeks. I'm new to this version, but not new to WW.

I had no problem with food choices or hunger these first weeks. In the past I've avoided returning to WW or starting another plan until after an event. I never feel that our social life is so busy but once I start thinking that I'll wait until after....well, the after part never comes, there is always another date around the corner. The Saturday after joining WW my son and daughter-in-law hosted a luau party. They served pulled pork and shredded chicken. I had some of the pork, but no bun. I took fruit kabobs and also skewers of cheese, cherry tomatoes and a strip of lean ham or turkey woven onto the skewer between the cheese and tomatoes. I drank water or diet Coke most of the evening. No one noticed what I was eating or not eating. Other than my husband, no one else knows what I'm doing.

Drinking alcohol isn't an issue for me. I drink when I feel like it but don't drink often anymore. The kids had a luge (block of ice with channels in it, liquor poured down the channel to chill for the recipient on the end) and I probably wouldn't have partaken except my long time friend and neighbor who almost never drinks was up for this. Here we are in our Hawaiian splendor.

Monday's weigh in was remarkable! I was down 7.4 pounds!

The following week I was just as faithful tracking. There were two evenings that I ate out in restaurants, both times choosing a salad with grilled chicken added. The first time was a choice that I happily anticipated. The second time was at a coney island restaurant where in the past I've usually ordered two coney dogs and fries. It didn't feel like a sacrifice to order the salad (which was actually very good), it felt like a good choice.

The following Monday's weigh in wasn't remarkable. I stayed the same. I don't have a poker face and didn't realize I betrayed any emotion, but the leader was behind the counter and assured me right away that this isn't unusual. 

I thought about this during the meeting. The weight didn't come on overnight, it isn't going to disappear overnight. I'm 61, not 31 and my focus really is different this time. There's no denying that a loss at the scale makes you feel good, but I'm not obsessed by the number. The goal in my head isn't a dress size or number on the scale.

I've said that before but have rarely meant it for long. I really am doing this THIS time for better health and agility. I don't have any major problems but a few things like an ache in my heel would undoubtedly feel better without so much weight.