"You're kidding right?"

Hello readers,

It's been a while and I am sad to report that this week's weigh in was less than gratifying. It's been a crazy week with the slew of holiday parties and increasing work loads and I gained nearly three pounds this week, 2.8 lbs. to be exact. I am not pleased. When I saw the number my response was , "You're kidding right?"

I was considering asking the girl behind the counter if she was playing a trick on me and tipping the scale. But, she assured me the number was correct. I decided to forgo the meeting because I was that upset and felt the need to move and not sit and listen to others celebrate their weight loss.I kept going over what I could've done wrong but couldn't think of anything ... at first.

On the surface I ate very well and stayed in my allotted points range. But I did drink more Coke Zero than water this week and added an additional cup of coffee practically everyday. I guess without water the bloat follows. Top it off with the fact that I replaced quality foods with low cal sweets. Yes, the points range was safe but I was still eating junk and it really showed on the scale.

I'm going to take some sound advice and up my veggie and fruit intake. I will replace diet soft drinks with water and head to bed earlier to avoid the need for an extra cup of coffee. I may not lose all the gained weight for this week but at least I will be back on the horse.

5 pounds down!

So last week I found out I lost a little over five pounds. I was thrilled but a little worried. After all this is the week of Christmas and that means tons of food. I've been playing with my points this week decreasing the amount I eat and then increasing the next day in the hopes of keeping my metabolism working. Today was my biggest challenge. We had a holiday party at work and the smorgasbord of food was overwhelming.

Even so, I planned to eat as healthy as possible. I piled on the raw veggies and fruit and planned on eating the turkey another  person brought in. Unfortunately, another co-worker brought in burgers from the In-N-Out Burger across from our building. I didn't feel I could turn it away since it was one of the few items that couldn't be packed up and reheated. Also, it was presented to me as a gift and not a food option.

I ate it and it was pretty good. But for 13 points it was hardly worth it. The rest of the day I ate smarter and piled on the power veggies and fruits. I realize that life is always going to throw me challenges and that I'm going to have to deal with it. Today I think I did pretty well and I hope I continue to do so in the future.

Back on Track

This week of WW was a bit of a game changer. The top people at WW decided to tweak the point system a bit, again. Let's see it used to be the lowest you could go was 18 points, then it was 29 and now it's 26. The good thing is that I and anyone else doesn't have to stick to 26 points. Instead you can hover between 26 and 29 and use the remaining three points and be on track.  I wasn't sure how my body would take it. But on Monday I thought well, why not?

This whole week I focused on eating mindfully and eating 26 points. It turned out that three measly points were simply that, measly. If I got hungry I added more fruit or water. I asked myself "Am I hungry or am I tired, bored, sad, or stressed?" Those three points didn't matter. When I wanted a piece of chocolate I allowed it and I felt fine.

I went through the whole week this way and upped my activity. On my weigh in I found I had lost the weight I gained the previous week. It was so simple and I never felt deprived. Losing weight is still slow going but I think I can live with it now. And knowing that I think I will stick with it.

One step forward

Although, I've been on the Weight Watchers points plus program for four weeks now it is still technically week three for me. I was supposed to head to my third weigh-in after the Thanksgiving holiday and move onto week four. But my husband and I decided to visit his family in Midland the Friday after Thanksgiving. I tried to avoid all temptation. During the holiday at my grandparents' house I ate light and only had a slice of low cal pumpkin pie. Satisfied, I thought I can handle this.

But once we hit the road to Midland I grew uneasy. I did well, I thought but something about making that  five hour road trip always causes me to have problems in the digestive arena. We gave a heads up to my mother-in-law that I was back to counting points. She bought pizza for dinner the night we arrived. I tried to make light of it and had a slice of pizza. I loaded my plate with fruit and other vegetables. The rest of our time in Midland consisted of good home cooked food I love but was now fearful of.

When we got back I was determined to exercise or exorcise the holiday out of me. I started jogging. I drank more water and less coffee. And I watched my points. Nonetheless I was still disappointed to find I had gained 0.8 pounds at my next weigh in. I sighed and shook my head, got angry, and despaired.

I realize it's a small amount 0.8 lbs. But for me every week that I don't lose is a huge failure for me. I try to be realistic. I know losing weight doesn't happen all at once. Still it's hard to see your numbers go up when in your head you can't wait for them to go down to that magical number so you can finally be that perfect size 8 or 6 or anything that's not a double digit.

I blamed my husband for the weight gain. The stress of the trip and the food made me constipated and irritable and now I had gained instead of lost weight. This is the part my husband fears the most: my disappointment. When I am discouraged or disappointed I want to quit and I fight with everyone to make it OK to do so.

But this time I let it go. After feeling sorry for myself for a while I let the anger and frustration go. There is bound to be more obstacles ahead, a piece of cake, or a meal that my husband brought home that I won't have accounted for. These and many more will all happen at some point or the other. And when they do I will try to make the best decision I can and try to be happy with whatever the outcome.

Week 2

So hello again,

It is my second week on Weight Watchers and I am mildly surprised. I lost another pound.  But I can't say I wasn't hoping for a little more. After all, I lost roughly three and a half pounds the first week. If I have to be honest I got a little ahead of myself and was hoping to lose that same amount this week.

But, before I got on the scale I decided that I needed to be happy with the result as long as I hadn't gained. The road to weight loss and my ultimate goal is going to be hard. And possibly long. If it's going to be a lifetime goal and change the results and the work can't be a quick fix. So when I found out I lost a pound I smiled and rewarded myself by sharing the news.

In the meeting I learned a few things that will help in the coming holiday and I plan to put them to use. I will eat off a smaller plate and choose wisely. I will move more instead of going into a turkey coma. I will work to lose weight and not let myself go overboard with holiday cheer.

I will meet my goal this time around!

Hello Weight Watchers My Old Friend

I decided to rejoin Weight Watchers and adjust my attitude. I had been counting calories at home on my own but cheated more often than not. With the program I don't have to feel guilty about eating ice cream.That doesn't mean that I can eat junk food all day in my points range. Well, I guess I could but I would just be shooting myself in the foot.

Anyway, during my first week I lost 3.6 lbs. I am quite surprised considering how my last try went. But I am happy. I'm going to continue working out and counting my points. I've decided to change the way I think about losing weight too. Instead of only focusing on the number on the scale I am going to focus on how my body feels.

It's only a beginning but I can say I pushed myself more this week than I have in quite a while. My body is sore and tired but I feel so good. I ate less but I didn't deprive myself. When I wanted a piece of candy I had a piece and tracked the points. I limited myself to a piece and didn't waste anytime feeling guilty. As a result of knowing I could have what I wanted I found I wanted less.  And that felt good.

I still have 31.4 lbs  to go and I am not going to quit working the program until I am at my goal. So maybe Weight Watchers is clicking for me after all.

If You Are What You Eat...

I guess I am a chocolate filled pastry and coffee. I know, I know junk food is bad for the waistline. But I really do try. I try until I get bored, and then I eat, and then I get discouraged. The cycle is recycled. These past few weeks haven't been stressful. Not because I am busy. Far from it. There just has been a lot of changes in my life.

I've closed the door on graduate school as my thesis did not seem to have an end. And I started a new job. It's not that demanding but it has its pressures. Food is how I deal. I need a better way to deal. I was thinking about that today as I walked my dog. My husband is notorious for running off the stress. I think the endorphin high is a perk. I enjoy walking the dog. But I am not sure that trying to get my dog to stop chasing squirrels as we walk is going to make me enjoy it enough to get an endorphin high.

I try lunges, crunches, and rows but that just feels like work. To get through it I sometimes swear at my husband. He thinks the idea of my prim and proper self cursing through crunches is the best way to get a little comic relief. I asked my husband why he works so hard at exercising. Aside from the physical results, it gives him time to just be himself without pressure, and it makes him feel good. So it seems I am on a search to find an exercise routine that I can love. A routine that helps the endorphins rise and gets me to want to keep doing it. I have always wanted to try rock climbing, just a thought.