So, I normally do my posts on Monday evening after my weigh-in, but I was sick this week. Yuck. I spent all of Monday on the couch queasy and with a headache...not a good combination. However, I felt good enough to go weigh in, and frankly I didn't know if it was going to get better or worse so I figured I should go weigh in while I knew that I could! So I weighed in, but didn't stay for the meeting. I was disappointed to miss it because it looked like a really good topic for me...healthy snacking! But, I didn't want to run the risk of sitting there and either getting sick or getting everyone else sick.
This was a difficult week! Not so much that I was unmotivated or was tempted by bad foods (let's face it, that happens every day!), but this week I was faced with having a food days of little-to no control over what I ate. Most of the week was pretty normal - after my meeting I only splurged on a sub and still did a small workout afterwards, so no cheeseburgers or burritos for me this week! But, on Thursday some friends were in town and wanted to go out to eat...and they picked Chili's. Now, I love me some Chili's, but it's not exactly very "diet friendly". I at least knew several days in advance where they wanted to go, so I was able to plan my day accordingly, but everything on the menu is so tempting! I wasn't going to be that girl who pulled out the Weight Watchers app to check everything on the menu before ordering, but I also didn't want to go too wild. I went for the 2 for $20 menu with one of my dinner companions because I thought it might be a smaller portion since it costs less. And, in doing so, I changed from my usual steak fajita to a chicken fajita which was probably a little (and I stress the word "little") healthier anyway. I let myself eat a few chips and salsa, but didn't eat as much as I normally would have. The sad thing is, I checked the points when I got home and it still used almost all of my daily points on that one meal! Good thing I planned for that!
Then came the weekend. I had to go out of town to take some students to a conference in Delaware, which of course meant more eating out/being fed specific meals. Friday I did pretty well because I had a bit more control. I took baby carrots to eat in the van and resisted from buying anything when we made a pit stop. We went to a cute local Italian restaurant for an early dinner and I only ate half of what they gave me. I was pretty proud of myself that day! Saturday was a bit more of a challenge. That was the full conference day and we were provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner...with nearly zero time to get something other than what they were feeding you. Breakfast wasn't too bad, I had a banana, a light yogurt, and a bagel. Yes, I could've done without the bagel, but we were eating around 8 and wouldn't get lunch until 1 so I needed something that was going to get me through five hours of meetings. Lunch was in the student center and we basically had the choice of burgers, Chick-Fil-A, or small gross looking salads. I went for the happy medium of Chick-Fil-A and avoided the ice cream desserts that everyone else got. Dinner wasn't too unhealthy, but it was more a matter of portion control, and I think I rocked it. I skipped the salad. "Why?" you ask? Because they only had Caesar salad! The only thing healthy about a caesar salad is the lettuce...which you then drench in dressing. I had a good helping of the steamed broccoli, just a little pasta, and a piece of chicken parm with very little parm. Then I let myself eat a small piece of the delicious tiramisu. ;-) Caesar salad or tiramisu?? Dessert will win pretty much every time. All in all it wasn't a horrible food weekend away, and I had saved all of my "extra" points for the week...plus we walked like a million miles while we were there. Once we parked at the hotel, I didn't move the vehicle until we left Sunday morning. We walked EVERYWHERE...which is also why I left myself eat the dessert. LOL.
Sunday I had some grapes for breakfast, but didn't snack in the car. I had a few fruits and veggies throughout the day, but kept it limited since I had dinner club that evening. At work a few years ago, some of my coworkers and I started a dinner club. We eat on campus so much, and it's hard cooking for just one person, that we took turns once a semester making dinner for the other people in the club. It's a great time to try new foods, to make an old favorite, and just to socialize with each other. Anyway, I like it and it's a great way to make my introverted self spend time with others. Well, our first dinner was at my bosses place on Sunday. The good news is that we send out our menus a few days ahead of time so that people know what to expect when they arrive. The bad news is that he was making meatloaf...and I love meatloaf. So, I asked him for his recipe ahead of time and used the handy dandy recipe maker online to figure out how many points the meatloaf would be. It was higher than I would have liked, but figured out why when I saw the meatloaf...it was giant sized! I normally would have made that bad boy in two separate pans, but he made it in one giant loaf on a cookie sheet. The recipe gave the points for 1/8th of the meatloaf...there's no way I could eat 1/8th of that thing. But, I took a small piece (it was pretty tasty), and filled the rest of the plate with yummy veggies. All in all, a tasty meal and I was able to manage my plate well.
Monday brought not much eating due to the queasy stomach, but I made myself eat a few oranges throughout the day to get some fruits in, as well as the vitamin c to help fight off whatever was ailing me. Like I said earlier, I did weigh in, and was pleasantly surprised at my progress. Despite my difficult food choice week, I still lost!! And more than I expected! (I am getting better about not weighing myself at home so much, per last weeks post, but I did check it myself on Sunday afternoon.)
And before I reveal my new weight loss total, there's one more important tip I learned this week. BRAND MATTERS! Monday night I ate a bag of Baked Lays with my sandwich, which costs 3 points. Tuesday afternoon I got a bag of Baked Herr's chips at lunchtime and it costs 5 points!! I don't know if they use different ingredients or if the size of the package is different (insert "size matters" or "that's what she said" jokes here), but a 2 point difference is a big deal. Now I know to check each brand before purchasing. Also, FYI, Laughing Cow makes those tasty cheese wedges, well they have a light french onion wednge now which is quite good on your baked chips and it only costs 1 point per wedge! Definitely a tasty alternative to the regular stuff!
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 3: -2.6lbs
Total weight loss: -9.2lbs (one pound short of my first ten...hence the title)
Current weight: 248.0
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Thinking Twice on Fast Food
I just saw this posting on Facebook and had to share with everyone. A friend of mine posted someone else's picture from their doctors office. It shows food from McDonald's that has been sitting on the counter since April 2010 and August 2011...
IT LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME!!! THAT IS SO GROSS!!!!
The caption under the posted picture says this:
"What does this picture tell you? My doctor has had this "processed food" on her counter ever since 2010 and 2011 respectively. I asked her why she had it out, she stated "to show people what they are putting into their bodies". This is man-made "processed food", not real food. Over time real food will decay, grow mold and produce a decomposing odor. This "processed food" has not done any of that, matter of fact it has kept it's original size, shape and texture. Your body has to work harder to breakdown and digest this stuff over real food. Since I've seen this, I have not had any fast food. #tyingtolivebetterin2012-T
I'm not a huge McDonald's fan anyway, but this is seriously disturbing. This will definitely make me think twice the next time I think about going fast food.
IT LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME!!! THAT IS SO GROSS!!!!
The caption under the posted picture says this:
"What does this picture tell you? My doctor has had this "processed food" on her counter ever since 2010 and 2011 respectively. I asked her why she had it out, she stated "to show people what they are putting into their bodies". This is man-made "processed food", not real food. Over time real food will decay, grow mold and produce a decomposing odor. This "processed food" has not done any of that, matter of fact it has kept it's original size, shape and texture. Your body has to work harder to breakdown and digest this stuff over real food. Since I've seen this, I have not had any fast food. #tyingtolivebetterin2012-T
I'm not a huge McDonald's fan anyway, but this is seriously disturbing. This will definitely make me think twice the next time I think about going fast food.
Monday, January 23, 2012
The luckiest girl in the world
I am completely overwhelmed....by the love and support you all have shown me. Yes, I already knew that I have an awesome bunch of family and friends, but you all far exceeded my expectations from my first post. To be perfectly honest, hitting the "publish post" button on the blog wasn't nearly as hard as hitting the "post" button on Facebook. I clicked and and thought, "oh crap, what did I just do?!" But your fantastic reaction to my new adventure gave me a push that I didn't realize I needed.
I was already a little worried about the way my week was going, despite finally finding time to get in some exercise. Frankly, I need to quit weighing myself at home every other day because it freaks me out. My head knows that weight fluctuates from day to day and even from hour to hour, but I still have a tendency to need to know how I'm doing right that minute. Then if it isn't where I think it should be, I panic. What am I doing wrong? Yes, I struggle with tracking, but I'm pretty good with keeping my daily points in my head and I haven't gone over my daily allowance, so what's happening? Then, of course, I start analyzing my whole week trying to figure out why I haven't lost anything - or at times put a little on. Needless to say, I'm making myself crazy.
Well, that happened this week especially. I was checking my scale and seeing that I wasn't losing anything, so I started beating myself up for eating a burrito (even though I had the points to eat it at the time) because I thought it screwed up my week. I was starting to get bogged down by it when I started this on Friday, so a part of me had hoped that I'd get a few messages of support that would help me get through it. Boy, did you all come through for me. My link on Facebook at 44 likes, 32 comments, and there were an additional 6 comments on the blog itself...all in a day and a half. I am blown away. Your comments made me laugh, made me cry, and inspired me to finish the week without panicking. They encouraged me to get my butt off of the couch Saturday and exercise despite having a difficult evening on duty the night before. I literally cannot thank you all enough...and you'll see why soon enough.
As I said, I had a difficult night working. For those of you who don't really know what I do, here's my job in a very small nutshell. I work for a major university (just in case this goes anywhere beyond family and friends, I'd rather not include which one...) overseeing some of the student Residence Halls. I supervise the RAs, I oversee some specialized living environments (people of the same interest/major who all live together in one building), I see students for minor to moderate discipline issues, I do some programming, and maintain the overall safety and well-being of the students in my building(s). Part of that last piece means I am on a duty rotation for "after-hours" emergency response for a certain area of campus. I happen to currently be on duty. Friday evening I got a number of calls to respond to - not that there were any MAJOR emergencies, but almost all of my calls came between 1:30am-4am. And I was out walking across campus in the super snowy weather at 2 and 3am. Needless to say, I was a bit tired after all was said and done.
So, I wasn't in any state to do my DWTS dvd, but I ended up making up my own light workout routine. I have a yoga ball that I love, so I put together some exercises with it. Mine has a small amount of sand in it to help keep it from slipping out from underneath you, but that also makes it a great easy weight. I use it to do some upside down sit-ups. You start by laying on the ball on your stomach with the ball around your hip area and your hands on the floor. Then you use the ball to help roll yourself so that your knees are up on the top of the ball. Well, ultimately the goal would be to get as far as your toes on top, but I'm not quite that flexible yet. LOL. After doing about 25 of those, then I moved to laying on the floor and holding the ball in between my feet. I'd then use lift the ball and set it back down, without actually touching the floor, then do it again for 10 reps. After I did 10, then I would stretch out my legs and do it again. I did this about four times. Finally, to work my upper body, I'd sit on the floor and lift the ball up and over my head, then behind my head, then back over my head to the floor. Again, 10 times then stretch and repeat. It was actually a pretty good workout! Sunday I got up and my inner legs were clearly sore from the leg lifts. So, I did it again on Sunday! It's low intensity and doesn't take very long to do, so it doesn't really earn you many activity points, but it's movement and really pretty enjoyable. P.S. if you have a yoga ball, even just spending time sitting on one is a great ab/back workout. I also spent a portion of Sunday sitting on the ball while I crocheted...relaxing and a small workout at the same time! I may even buy one to use in my office instead of my chair!
Monday the nerves started again because I knew it was weigh-in day. I had a light breakfast of two hard-boiled eggs and a cup of light yogurt. It was actually quite filling, but frankly they didn't mix well together! Note to self - no more eggs and yogurt at the same time! It wasn't the taste, because I ate the yogurt then waited about 15 minutes before eating the eggs, but they do not sit well in your stomach. Yuck! I had a small chicken salad with raspberry vinaigrette for lunch, and drank a TON of water. After work, I went to my meeting and was astonished at how well I had done. I LOST ANOTHER FOUR POUNDS!! On top of that, we were talking about changes that we made this week. I told the group about my blog and they were all so excited and proud of me. It really made me feel good! I've been to WW groups before where I felt like an outcast because the people were not overly friendly, but this group has really been welcoming. I even had someone hang out and chat with me after the meeting about my blog!
Between the outpouring of love and support, and my success at weigh-in today, I am feeling pretty on top of the world right now. And it feels good.
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 2: -4.0lbs
Total weight loss: -6.6lbs
Current weight: 250.6
I was already a little worried about the way my week was going, despite finally finding time to get in some exercise. Frankly, I need to quit weighing myself at home every other day because it freaks me out. My head knows that weight fluctuates from day to day and even from hour to hour, but I still have a tendency to need to know how I'm doing right that minute. Then if it isn't where I think it should be, I panic. What am I doing wrong? Yes, I struggle with tracking, but I'm pretty good with keeping my daily points in my head and I haven't gone over my daily allowance, so what's happening? Then, of course, I start analyzing my whole week trying to figure out why I haven't lost anything - or at times put a little on. Needless to say, I'm making myself crazy.
Well, that happened this week especially. I was checking my scale and seeing that I wasn't losing anything, so I started beating myself up for eating a burrito (even though I had the points to eat it at the time) because I thought it screwed up my week. I was starting to get bogged down by it when I started this on Friday, so a part of me had hoped that I'd get a few messages of support that would help me get through it. Boy, did you all come through for me. My link on Facebook at 44 likes, 32 comments, and there were an additional 6 comments on the blog itself...all in a day and a half. I am blown away. Your comments made me laugh, made me cry, and inspired me to finish the week without panicking. They encouraged me to get my butt off of the couch Saturday and exercise despite having a difficult evening on duty the night before. I literally cannot thank you all enough...and you'll see why soon enough.
As I said, I had a difficult night working. For those of you who don't really know what I do, here's my job in a very small nutshell. I work for a major university (just in case this goes anywhere beyond family and friends, I'd rather not include which one...) overseeing some of the student Residence Halls. I supervise the RAs, I oversee some specialized living environments (people of the same interest/major who all live together in one building), I see students for minor to moderate discipline issues, I do some programming, and maintain the overall safety and well-being of the students in my building(s). Part of that last piece means I am on a duty rotation for "after-hours" emergency response for a certain area of campus. I happen to currently be on duty. Friday evening I got a number of calls to respond to - not that there were any MAJOR emergencies, but almost all of my calls came between 1:30am-4am. And I was out walking across campus in the super snowy weather at 2 and 3am. Needless to say, I was a bit tired after all was said and done.
So, I wasn't in any state to do my DWTS dvd, but I ended up making up my own light workout routine. I have a yoga ball that I love, so I put together some exercises with it. Mine has a small amount of sand in it to help keep it from slipping out from underneath you, but that also makes it a great easy weight. I use it to do some upside down sit-ups. You start by laying on the ball on your stomach with the ball around your hip area and your hands on the floor. Then you use the ball to help roll yourself so that your knees are up on the top of the ball. Well, ultimately the goal would be to get as far as your toes on top, but I'm not quite that flexible yet. LOL. After doing about 25 of those, then I moved to laying on the floor and holding the ball in between my feet. I'd then use lift the ball and set it back down, without actually touching the floor, then do it again for 10 reps. After I did 10, then I would stretch out my legs and do it again. I did this about four times. Finally, to work my upper body, I'd sit on the floor and lift the ball up and over my head, then behind my head, then back over my head to the floor. Again, 10 times then stretch and repeat. It was actually a pretty good workout! Sunday I got up and my inner legs were clearly sore from the leg lifts. So, I did it again on Sunday! It's low intensity and doesn't take very long to do, so it doesn't really earn you many activity points, but it's movement and really pretty enjoyable. P.S. if you have a yoga ball, even just spending time sitting on one is a great ab/back workout. I also spent a portion of Sunday sitting on the ball while I crocheted...relaxing and a small workout at the same time! I may even buy one to use in my office instead of my chair!
Monday the nerves started again because I knew it was weigh-in day. I had a light breakfast of two hard-boiled eggs and a cup of light yogurt. It was actually quite filling, but frankly they didn't mix well together! Note to self - no more eggs and yogurt at the same time! It wasn't the taste, because I ate the yogurt then waited about 15 minutes before eating the eggs, but they do not sit well in your stomach. Yuck! I had a small chicken salad with raspberry vinaigrette for lunch, and drank a TON of water. After work, I went to my meeting and was astonished at how well I had done. I LOST ANOTHER FOUR POUNDS!! On top of that, we were talking about changes that we made this week. I told the group about my blog and they were all so excited and proud of me. It really made me feel good! I've been to WW groups before where I felt like an outcast because the people were not overly friendly, but this group has really been welcoming. I even had someone hang out and chat with me after the meeting about my blog!
Between the outpouring of love and support, and my success at weigh-in today, I am feeling pretty on top of the world right now. And it feels good.
Initial weight: 257.2
Week 2: -4.0lbs
Total weight loss: -6.6lbs
Current weight: 250.6
Friday, January 20, 2012
The beginning
For anyone reading this, know that it's not easy. I considered making it private just for my own use, but then I wondered what was the point? I'm going to try to be brutally honest with myself, and everyone else, during this. So, I may share things that are hard for me to admit to anyone, let alone tell everyone. I only ask that you respect that.
Things I know:
1. Public humiliation is a motivator and one that I need from time to time.
2. I need to lose a significant amount of weight.
Thus, it would be assumed that a motivator I need to help me lose weight is to make sure that lots of people know I'm trying to do it. Not so much for the positive encouragement, which is nice, but for the fear of the humiliation. I have done Weight Watchers around half a dozen times and I know that it works (I just have a tendency to lose my focus after a few months). And, for me, part of that success is because when I go to check in each week, I know that at least one other person is going to know how I did.
I am starting this blog so that everyone I know can help hold me accountable. If I'm out to dinner with someone and they don't know that I'm trying to lose weight, it's easier for me to make an unhealthier choice because I know that person won't question it. However, if I tell the world, I will be a lot more self-conscious about my choices, and hopefully that will help with my success. So, people of the world reading this, I NEED YOUR HELP. When you talk to me, ask me how it's going. When you read these updates, leave a comment and let me know that I'm not just rambling to myself. Let me know that someone is out there watching over me so that I can have the willpower to keep this going.
So here's my beginning. I weighed myself in my apartment before leaving to go visit the family over winter break. It wasn't pretty, but I was used to it. Then a few things happened while I was at home. First, aside from what food was for/leftover from Christmas Eve, Mom and Dad didn't keep a whole lot of ready-made food in the house, their meal schedule is a little different from mine, and I got to sleep in. What do these things add up to? I just flat out didn't eat as much. Living and working on campus, ready-made food is only a quick swipe of the ID card away. Chips, candy, pop, pizza, burgers, etc. are all just as close and easy to get as the fruits and veggies I should have been eating. But, the not-so-good-for-you foods seem a lot less appetizing when you have to prepare them yourself! So, while I wasn't necessarily trying to lose weight over the holidays, I defied the odds and actually lost about 4 pounds when most people gain weight.
The other big things that happened over break: family photos and a couple of wake-up calls. I don't so much enjoy having my picture taken in the first place, but it's hard to avoid the camera at Christmas. You know you need to change something when the first thing you think when you see that a picture of you is tagged on Facebook is, "oh dear, I hope I don't look too big". Then, at the risk of making a few people feel bad (and that is not my intention, just putting it all out there), two people who I love dearly made some unintentionally hurtful comments to me while I was at home. I won't say who they are or what they said, because I don't want to embarrass them. And, I know that when the words came out of their mouths, they didn't mean it the way that I took it. Regardless, it stung. And it made me take a little harder look at my lifestyle. So, after a lot of contemplation and a few tears, I decided that enough was enough and I needed to get my life back together.
I decided that I was going to start upon my return after the new year, but I made it quite clear to myself that this was NOT a New Years Resolution...this was a LIFETIME Resolution. When I got back to my apartment, I cleaned out my refrigerator and my cabinets. I threw out all the half-open bags of chips and various other bad-for-you snacks. I went to the store and bought a few healthier snacks and lots of fruits and veggies. I made a giant pot of vegetable soup and froze most of it for those late nights when I need something quick and already cooked for dinner because I've been at the office all day. Then I looked up my local Weight Watchers center and decided which meeting I would be attending.
I started last Monday (Jan. 9). That afternoon I went onto the Weight Watchers website and signed up there, completed the registration materials and paid for my monthly pass so that I could bypass all that paperwork when I got to the meeting center. Approximately 15 minutes after I'd finished, one of my lovely students came bringing me in a box of homemade cookies. I graciously accepted them and thanked her for her thoughtfulness, but I didn't eat them. Thankfully, I resisted the temptation to scarf them down and just put them where I couldn't see them anymore. (Yay me! Instead, I've slowly been pawning them off on other people.) After work, I packed up my stuff and headed out to my first session.
Weighing in for the first time is scary...what if my scale at home is wrong and I weigh more than I thought? What if the woman checking me in is judging me for my weight? Then you stop and remember, they shouldn't because they've been there before. One of the things I like most about Weight Watchers is that everyone who works there has been successful on the program, even the receptionists. They know what it's like to be in your shoes. So, I stepped on the scale and breathed a small sigh of relief...almost the same as my scale at home. I made my first goal of losing 5% of my body weight, then I gathered my new materials and headed in for the meeting. The woman who runs this session is a different one than I've had before at this center. I kinda like her. She makes it a point to call people by their name when you raise your hand to answer a question or share a story. (It's not like AA where you have to stand up and say, "Hi, I'm Elizabeth and I'm addicted to food," but sometimes people share tips or things that they like to do to get more activity in, make the best of their meal points, etc.) She never tells you that you're wrong or that you can't eat something, it's all about checks and balances. I can eat that piece of cheesecake...if I've gotten in all my suggested fruits and vegetables and I have enough points for it. Once when I did Weight Watchers a few years ago there was a woman who ate two DQ Blizzards one week and still lost weight. It's possible. You just have to manage the rest of what you eat. Is that small Blizzard worth giving up having steak for dinner? Is it worth cutting each of your meals that day in half? If so, go for it. Back to my original story, though, I like this lady. She doesn't act like she knows more than you do and she gets genuinely excited if you share something new that she hasn't tried before. So, after the meeting I decided it was a good one to stick with and I bought some tasty Weight Watcher snacks and called it a day. Then I went to 5 Guys to eat my last Cheeseburger for a while. Seriously.
I started counting points the next day (like you're supposed to). The program has changed a little since the last time I did it, but not by much. The most exciting part is that almost all fruits and veggies are 0 points! I can eat them until my stomach is content...literally. As long as I'm not getting stuffed on them and paying attention to when I'm actually still hungry, I can eat them. You do have to be careful of the tricky ones that sneak up on you, though, with their points. But, anyway, in this week I've found two great things. One, the Weight Watchers app for my phone is AWESOME. No more carrying around paper points trackers - with the click of a button I can find out how many points I've just consumed, or earned by exercise, and enter them right away. Plus, it connects to my online WW account, so at any time I can pull up my progress and milestones to see. Second, Food Services posts all of the menus and their nutrition facts on their website. Well, I technically already knew this, but this is the first time I've actually really used it. I go onto their site before going to get food and see what they have today. Then I can use my handy dandy WW app to figure out the points and decide what I'm going to eat before I even leave my office. Makes it so much easier to make decisions on what to eat when you're only looking at the numbers and don't have the tasty looking food right in front of you.
My first week went pretty well. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of points I had to eat in a day, honestly. I know that a larger body takes more to keep it functioning, but really I felt like I was eating all the time. Granted I was eating lots and lots of veggies, but I still felt like I was eating every hour. In any case, it wasn't too hard and I wasn't super tempted to eat unhealthy foods. However, work was a little crazy (as the beginning of the semester always is) and I didn't get to exercise at all. I was a little anxious to see how my first week went on the scale. This past Monday (Jan. 15) I went back for my first mid-diet weigh in. The good news is, I lost 2.6 pounds! The meeting was, again, enjoyable, but, someone mentioned Chipotle...a weakness of mine, I must admit. I hadn't had dinner, I had plenty of points left for the week, so I decided to go after the meeting. I was pleasantly surprised to find I felt full faster than I used to. A definite good change to notice!
That night I decided to start exercising, so I popped in my Dancing with the Stars workout DVD. Note to self, don't ever again work out after eating Mexican. Period. I waited like two hours after I ate and it was still a major mistake! Anyway, the dvd was a really good workout. I slightly hated the dancers by the time it was done, but that just means it was good, right?? (btw, the Jive is BRUTAL) I slept super well that night, too. Tuesday night I did the dvd again and it was slightly, though not much, easier. I woke up Wednesday feeling really good. The previous two nights I'd slept better than I had in quite a while and I honestly felt rested and didn't have to hit the snooze button several times before waking up. But, Wednesday and Thursday both brought late meetings so I didn't get a chance to workout then. This week hasn't been quite as easy as last week was, I've felt tempted a few times, but I think I've made some good choices. Remembering to track what I eat is not my strong point, but I'm good at remembering it and keeping track in my head. I really need to work on actually writing it down, though. The more weight I lose, my points will go down and getting in the habit of tracking now will make things easier then when I don't have as much freedom with my points.
Well, that brings us to today. I was reading some tips from a woman who lost 115 pounds. One of the things she said that she did was told everyone that she was dieting. Similar to me, she needed the help of others keeping her accountable, so she made sure to tell everyone she could. I decided that was a good idea and that I was going to do it too. I'd already told my mom and sister and a few people that I work with, but I needed to expand that. At the risk of current public humiliation, I am going to commit the unthinkable in the eyes of womanhood. After my meetings every Monday, I am going to tell you all how much I weigh. Yes, it will be embarrassing to admit it to the world. But, it will also feel good to show everyone how I'm doing. And if I slip up, then people will know and it will be even more embarrassing. So, as I bring my very first (and very long) confessional to a close, I give you my initial weights. *Deep breath*
Starting Weight: 257.2
Week 1: -2.6lbs = 254.6
My sister also suggested that I do before and after pictures. Well, I won't be posting a picture of myself every week...I told you I'm not a fan of pictures of myself. But, maybe I will after each goal...or every 10 pounds, or something like that. In any case, my starting picture:
Ugh - well, the only way to improve this picture is to improve myself. Let's do this.
Things I know:
1. Public humiliation is a motivator and one that I need from time to time.
2. I need to lose a significant amount of weight.
Thus, it would be assumed that a motivator I need to help me lose weight is to make sure that lots of people know I'm trying to do it. Not so much for the positive encouragement, which is nice, but for the fear of the humiliation. I have done Weight Watchers around half a dozen times and I know that it works (I just have a tendency to lose my focus after a few months). And, for me, part of that success is because when I go to check in each week, I know that at least one other person is going to know how I did.
I am starting this blog so that everyone I know can help hold me accountable. If I'm out to dinner with someone and they don't know that I'm trying to lose weight, it's easier for me to make an unhealthier choice because I know that person won't question it. However, if I tell the world, I will be a lot more self-conscious about my choices, and hopefully that will help with my success. So, people of the world reading this, I NEED YOUR HELP. When you talk to me, ask me how it's going. When you read these updates, leave a comment and let me know that I'm not just rambling to myself. Let me know that someone is out there watching over me so that I can have the willpower to keep this going.
So here's my beginning. I weighed myself in my apartment before leaving to go visit the family over winter break. It wasn't pretty, but I was used to it. Then a few things happened while I was at home. First, aside from what food was for/leftover from Christmas Eve, Mom and Dad didn't keep a whole lot of ready-made food in the house, their meal schedule is a little different from mine, and I got to sleep in. What do these things add up to? I just flat out didn't eat as much. Living and working on campus, ready-made food is only a quick swipe of the ID card away. Chips, candy, pop, pizza, burgers, etc. are all just as close and easy to get as the fruits and veggies I should have been eating. But, the not-so-good-for-you foods seem a lot less appetizing when you have to prepare them yourself! So, while I wasn't necessarily trying to lose weight over the holidays, I defied the odds and actually lost about 4 pounds when most people gain weight.
The other big things that happened over break: family photos and a couple of wake-up calls. I don't so much enjoy having my picture taken in the first place, but it's hard to avoid the camera at Christmas. You know you need to change something when the first thing you think when you see that a picture of you is tagged on Facebook is, "oh dear, I hope I don't look too big". Then, at the risk of making a few people feel bad (and that is not my intention, just putting it all out there), two people who I love dearly made some unintentionally hurtful comments to me while I was at home. I won't say who they are or what they said, because I don't want to embarrass them. And, I know that when the words came out of their mouths, they didn't mean it the way that I took it. Regardless, it stung. And it made me take a little harder look at my lifestyle. So, after a lot of contemplation and a few tears, I decided that enough was enough and I needed to get my life back together.
I decided that I was going to start upon my return after the new year, but I made it quite clear to myself that this was NOT a New Years Resolution...this was a LIFETIME Resolution. When I got back to my apartment, I cleaned out my refrigerator and my cabinets. I threw out all the half-open bags of chips and various other bad-for-you snacks. I went to the store and bought a few healthier snacks and lots of fruits and veggies. I made a giant pot of vegetable soup and froze most of it for those late nights when I need something quick and already cooked for dinner because I've been at the office all day. Then I looked up my local Weight Watchers center and decided which meeting I would be attending.
I started last Monday (Jan. 9). That afternoon I went onto the Weight Watchers website and signed up there, completed the registration materials and paid for my monthly pass so that I could bypass all that paperwork when I got to the meeting center. Approximately 15 minutes after I'd finished, one of my lovely students came bringing me in a box of homemade cookies. I graciously accepted them and thanked her for her thoughtfulness, but I didn't eat them. Thankfully, I resisted the temptation to scarf them down and just put them where I couldn't see them anymore. (Yay me! Instead, I've slowly been pawning them off on other people.) After work, I packed up my stuff and headed out to my first session.
Weighing in for the first time is scary...what if my scale at home is wrong and I weigh more than I thought? What if the woman checking me in is judging me for my weight? Then you stop and remember, they shouldn't because they've been there before. One of the things I like most about Weight Watchers is that everyone who works there has been successful on the program, even the receptionists. They know what it's like to be in your shoes. So, I stepped on the scale and breathed a small sigh of relief...almost the same as my scale at home. I made my first goal of losing 5% of my body weight, then I gathered my new materials and headed in for the meeting. The woman who runs this session is a different one than I've had before at this center. I kinda like her. She makes it a point to call people by their name when you raise your hand to answer a question or share a story. (It's not like AA where you have to stand up and say, "Hi, I'm Elizabeth and I'm addicted to food," but sometimes people share tips or things that they like to do to get more activity in, make the best of their meal points, etc.) She never tells you that you're wrong or that you can't eat something, it's all about checks and balances. I can eat that piece of cheesecake...if I've gotten in all my suggested fruits and vegetables and I have enough points for it. Once when I did Weight Watchers a few years ago there was a woman who ate two DQ Blizzards one week and still lost weight. It's possible. You just have to manage the rest of what you eat. Is that small Blizzard worth giving up having steak for dinner? Is it worth cutting each of your meals that day in half? If so, go for it. Back to my original story, though, I like this lady. She doesn't act like she knows more than you do and she gets genuinely excited if you share something new that she hasn't tried before. So, after the meeting I decided it was a good one to stick with and I bought some tasty Weight Watcher snacks and called it a day. Then I went to 5 Guys to eat my last Cheeseburger for a while. Seriously.
I started counting points the next day (like you're supposed to). The program has changed a little since the last time I did it, but not by much. The most exciting part is that almost all fruits and veggies are 0 points! I can eat them until my stomach is content...literally. As long as I'm not getting stuffed on them and paying attention to when I'm actually still hungry, I can eat them. You do have to be careful of the tricky ones that sneak up on you, though, with their points. But, anyway, in this week I've found two great things. One, the Weight Watchers app for my phone is AWESOME. No more carrying around paper points trackers - with the click of a button I can find out how many points I've just consumed, or earned by exercise, and enter them right away. Plus, it connects to my online WW account, so at any time I can pull up my progress and milestones to see. Second, Food Services posts all of the menus and their nutrition facts on their website. Well, I technically already knew this, but this is the first time I've actually really used it. I go onto their site before going to get food and see what they have today. Then I can use my handy dandy WW app to figure out the points and decide what I'm going to eat before I even leave my office. Makes it so much easier to make decisions on what to eat when you're only looking at the numbers and don't have the tasty looking food right in front of you.
My first week went pretty well. I was feeling a little overwhelmed by the number of points I had to eat in a day, honestly. I know that a larger body takes more to keep it functioning, but really I felt like I was eating all the time. Granted I was eating lots and lots of veggies, but I still felt like I was eating every hour. In any case, it wasn't too hard and I wasn't super tempted to eat unhealthy foods. However, work was a little crazy (as the beginning of the semester always is) and I didn't get to exercise at all. I was a little anxious to see how my first week went on the scale. This past Monday (Jan. 15) I went back for my first mid-diet weigh in. The good news is, I lost 2.6 pounds! The meeting was, again, enjoyable, but, someone mentioned Chipotle...a weakness of mine, I must admit. I hadn't had dinner, I had plenty of points left for the week, so I decided to go after the meeting. I was pleasantly surprised to find I felt full faster than I used to. A definite good change to notice!
That night I decided to start exercising, so I popped in my Dancing with the Stars workout DVD. Note to self, don't ever again work out after eating Mexican. Period. I waited like two hours after I ate and it was still a major mistake! Anyway, the dvd was a really good workout. I slightly hated the dancers by the time it was done, but that just means it was good, right?? (btw, the Jive is BRUTAL) I slept super well that night, too. Tuesday night I did the dvd again and it was slightly, though not much, easier. I woke up Wednesday feeling really good. The previous two nights I'd slept better than I had in quite a while and I honestly felt rested and didn't have to hit the snooze button several times before waking up. But, Wednesday and Thursday both brought late meetings so I didn't get a chance to workout then. This week hasn't been quite as easy as last week was, I've felt tempted a few times, but I think I've made some good choices. Remembering to track what I eat is not my strong point, but I'm good at remembering it and keeping track in my head. I really need to work on actually writing it down, though. The more weight I lose, my points will go down and getting in the habit of tracking now will make things easier then when I don't have as much freedom with my points.
Well, that brings us to today. I was reading some tips from a woman who lost 115 pounds. One of the things she said that she did was told everyone that she was dieting. Similar to me, she needed the help of others keeping her accountable, so she made sure to tell everyone she could. I decided that was a good idea and that I was going to do it too. I'd already told my mom and sister and a few people that I work with, but I needed to expand that. At the risk of current public humiliation, I am going to commit the unthinkable in the eyes of womanhood. After my meetings every Monday, I am going to tell you all how much I weigh. Yes, it will be embarrassing to admit it to the world. But, it will also feel good to show everyone how I'm doing. And if I slip up, then people will know and it will be even more embarrassing. So, as I bring my very first (and very long) confessional to a close, I give you my initial weights. *Deep breath*
Starting Weight: 257.2
Week 1: -2.6lbs = 254.6
My sister also suggested that I do before and after pictures. Well, I won't be posting a picture of myself every week...I told you I'm not a fan of pictures of myself. But, maybe I will after each goal...or every 10 pounds, or something like that. In any case, my starting picture:
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