Goals for the Week

Although I'm still happy I am losing, albeit this past week it was only a pound, I'm starting to wonder if I'm reaching my first plateau.

When I started Weight Watchers, my goal was to lose 30 pounds, and I'm currently lost 17 of those 30 pounds, meaning I only have 13 to go!  It feels great being more than halfway to my goal, yet that goal weight of 140 seems SO far away!

My currently activities are walking at least 5 days a week, for at least 30 minutes each walk.  I walk pushing my babes who are both 1 in a double stroller, so I'm pushing quite a bit of weight.  My food is, I stay at or under my 29 points every week, except two days, usually Friday and Saturday, where I dip in to the extra 49 points I get. 

I'm thinking my weight loss is officially starting to slow down a bit, meaning I need to change things up a bit.  Here are my goals for the week.

1.  Do 150 sit ups a day. (holy crap does having a baby wreck those ab muscles)
2.  Walk 30-45 minutes at least 5 days a week.  (Hopefully more if schedule allows)
3.  Only dip into the 49 extra bonus points once a week.

I'm hoping these changes will keep me going strong towards my goal.

7th Weigh In

At this weigh in, I learned that I need to manage my expectations better.  I've been so lucky that every single week, I've lost some weight.  However, I've also developed unrealistic expectations as every week, I shed almost too much weight. . . some weeks losing 3-4 pounds in one week, which is a bit fast. 

So, today, I'm trying to be grateful that I lost at all.  I'm trying to remember what I used to weigh, and being thankful that my hard work has paid off.  I'm also remembering, take 5 pounds at a time.  Yes, I may still be approximately 16 pounds off my goal weight, but through a lot of hard work, and a lot of discipline, I WILL GET THERE.

Here are this week's results:

Weight Lost This Week: 1 pound
Current Weight: 156.2
Current BMI: 23.1
Total Weight Lost: 17.2 pounds

I always set a goal as I walk into each meeting.  Today, I really would have LOVED to have seen the number 155.  So, I was a bit disappointed.  I'll be honest. 

I'm just hoping I can work extra hard this week, and enjoy a labor day without over endulging on bad stuff.

It's been A WEEK

Here I am.  Approximately 24 hours away from weigh in.  I'm very curious what the scale will tell me tomorrow.  It's been a rough week for me eating wise.

It all started on Friday.  My state is having their annual State Fair.  I'm not a big fair person at all, but I had to attend for work for a team building activity.  I'm sorry. . . but I can't go to a fair setting and not indulge a little, right?  My indulgences weren't terrible.  As in, they could have been much much worse.

I consumed:

A couple pieces of homemade fudge.
Cheese Curds (Did you know these are 18 points?  18 people!)
A Beer
A glass of wine
3 (or 4) Sweet Martha's Cookies

It could have been worse, but this felt plenty bad.  The way I have been successful so far in this weight loss journey is that I don't ever go into my extra points allowed on a weekly basis.  I get 29 points a day, and that's all I use.  I never use the additional 48 points I get, and although I track my activity, I never use those points either.  This has worked for me, and I've continued to see the scale move downward each week.  This week, I unfortunately had to use some of those extra 48 points, so I'm curious to know if that will make a difference on the scale. 

I did exercise a lot this weekend.  Saturday I went on a brisk-paced walk for 45 minutes while pushing my kids in the stroller.  I figure with my two kids and the weight of the stroller I'm probably pushing about 60 pounds.  I got back on track on Saturday, and Sunday, I even stayed below my 29 points for the day. I know coming in under isn't recommended, but seriously people. . . Cheese Curds are 18 points!

And this weekend, for the first time since beginning my weight loss journey, my family members commented on how "trim" I looked.  I know I should care about the attention, but at the same time, I couldn't believe no one had noticed I was any thinner.  I mean, 16+ pounds is a big deal.

Looking forward to my weigh in tomorrow.  And my the scale be favorable.

My Motivation

I've been having a good week in terms of body image.  I'm so happy to finally be in the 150's.  I'm so happy to pretty much be half way to my goal, and I'm happy that things are feeling a bit loser on me these days. 

Here are some things that are keeping me motivated.  Motivated to continue to stick to my 29 points daily, motivated to get out and walk every single day, and motivated to continue to drop a few pounds.

1.  The way my clothes fit! Oh my! Who would have thought I would be so motivated by that!  Last night after the kiddos went to sleep, I tried on a couple pair of shorts because I have an occassion where I will need to wear them this weekend.  Last summer the two pairs of shorts didn't fit me but hey, I was pregnant.  The summer before, they were so snug that I had the muffin top tummy hanging out.  Last night???  They were both baggy!  Not so baggy that I can't still wear them, but they fit, and there was room to grow! My size 10's are all baggy to the point where there are a couple that look ridiculous when I wear them.  Pretty soon, I will for surely be wearing all 8's!  In fact, one of the pair of shorts I mentioned earlier are 8's!

2.  My goal weight is a huge motivation for me.  My goal weight is 140, but let's be honest, I would be very satisfied to be within 5 pounds of that.  I can't remember the last time I weighed that little!  Probably when I was a senior in high school.  Okay, I know what people are thinking. . . we aren't meant to be the size we were in high school, but that was truly a good weight for me.  Then I went to college, and quickly gained the Freshman 15. . . then the Sophomore 15, etc.  At 140, I think I'd feel pretty good. 

3.  As crazy as this probably sounds, other people are starting to notice that I've lost weight as well, and people comment on how good I look.  That always keeps me going and keeps me on track! I hate to admit that I care so much about what other people say, but positive reinforcement is always nice. 

And lastly, everytime I want to grab that cookie, or regular Mt. Dew, or bag of Doritos, or you name it, I think of this quote:

Nothing Tastes As Good As Skinny Feels

And yes, I realize that there are many people who despise that quote. . . such as some Anorexia foundations. But I'm not trying to starve myself.  I'm trying to be a healthy size 6 in a normal BMI range.  That's all.

6th Weigh In

My weight continues to go down, and I am FINALLY in the 150's, which I've been longing to be in.  I can't remember the last time I weighed in the 150's.  Well, I think I can remember.  I believe it was 2003.  And I believe it was due in part to the fact that I was about to get married.  And then I got married.  And ate, and ate, and ate.  Isn't that what happily married people do? 

Here are this week's results:

Weight Lost This Week: 2.8 pounds
Current Weight: 157.2
Current BMI: 23.2
Total Weight Lost: 16.2 pounds

I am very happy with my weight loss so far.  I've been working really hard at this, and I feel more determined than ever to be happy with my body.  But at the same time, I realize that happiness with my body runs deeper than a number on a scale.  Here I am. . . I've lost more than 16 pounds, and to be honest, I still feel fat.  My tummy has no muscle tone, which can most likely be attributed to my pregnancy of a year ago.  My face looks heavy, my arms feel big, my legs feel big.  Oh my! Do I have some self image issues? 

Not only that, but I'm waiting to fit into smaller clothing.  I'm still wearing 10's, although they are looser than they used to be.  I don't know.  I think I've just felt badly about my weight for so long, that all I can still see is a large girl.

Here is to having better self image and to seeing the beauty in myself again.

5th Weigh In

It is Tuesday, therefore, another weigh in day.  I had a bit of a rapid weight loss last week, so this week, my expectations were fairly low.  I was just happy to lose some.

Weight Lost This Week: 1.8 pounds
Current Weight: 160
Current BMI: 23.6
Total Weight Lost: 13.4 pounds

For some reason, I was a bit disappointed after this week's weigh in.  I shouldn't be.  I lost weight.  And I lost 1.8 pounds. That is nothing to be ashamed of.  I was just SO hoping to see myself in the 150's this week.  It's been so long since I've been there.  I guess that will be my goal for next week.

Here is a chart of my weight loss.

I am very grateful that my weight continues to go down.  I find as my weight goes down, my confidence goes up.

A Need for Control

I am a control freak.  I like to be in control of most situations.

The past two years have been very humbling for me, and it's opened my eyes to the fact that there are many things in my I simply can't control.  For one, my husband and I really wanted to start a family.  We tried and tried and TRIED to get pregnant, to no avail.  We sought treatment and still didn't get pregnant.  There was nothing I did to affect my fertility, and there was nothing I could do to get pregnant.  It wasn't up to me, and I became painfully aware of that.  During that dark time in my life, I realized that I needed to try to focus my energy on the things I could control.  If I worried about absolutely everything that I had absolutely no control over, I'd go crazy. 

The reason I bring this up is, my entire work department is doing Weight Watchers together.  This is my bosses 3rd time through the program, and she has only lost a total of 5 pounds in a year, and is wondering why she isn't having better success.  She and I had a meeting the other day, and she asked me how I had the discipline to follow the program?

I've been thinking about that question long and hard ever since I was asked.  And the truth is, is I am enjoying being in control of my own weight.  I fully realize that I will never be a size 0.  I will most likely never weigh less than 140 pounds.  But I can control that I'll never be overweight again.  I can make sure I never again weight in the 170's, or let alone in the 160s. (Which is where I'm at now) I can make sure I never go over a size 10. I can make sure I never show up as overweight on the BMI charts.  These are things I can control. . . assuming I don't have any health issues that is.

I LIKE being in control.  Love it in fact!  I can't control much in my life, but I can control the bulge.  As long as I eat as well as I have for the past 4 weeks, I CAN have the body size I deserve.  That right there is too good for me to fall apart now.  I WILL stick to this.

A Picture Doesn't Lie

Most women (because we are so hard on ourselves in general) look in the mirror and we see our imperfections.  We see rolls that may or may not exist, we see double chins, wide hips, etc.  For the most part, I have a healthy view of myself.  I was thin most of my life and sometimes, I still see that thin person.  I may look in the mirrror and make a mental note that I could stand to lose a little weight or to do a few situps, but mostly, I feel okay with how I look. 

But then there are pictures.

One of the things that finally got me started on this weight loss journey was a picture of myself.  Oh my.  My face looked huge.  I had 2 chins.  My arms were very broad.  I looked like a fatter version of myself.  And I didn't like it.  At all. 

Pictures of me in the past few months have left no room for interpretation.  I had weight to lose.  And more than just a few pounds. I don't know why I needed pictures to help me realize this.  I had my pants that were getting too tight.  I was on the verge of having to buy all new sizes as my 10's were getting very snug. 

But even with all of this information, it was still the pictures that showed me.  It was time.  I had weight to lose, and the sooner the better. 

So, here I am. . . Looking forward to seeing a picture of myself that brings satisfaction.  Soon perhaps.

4th Weigh In

Today was the 4th weigh in.  I've now been on Weight Watchers for 1 month, and I really like the progress I'm making.  Here are today's results.

Weight: 161.8
BMI: 23.9
Total Weight Loss: 11.6 Pounds

I am very happy with these results.  I'm a bit surprised I lost so much this week.  I'm happy about it, but it makes me scared that my weight loss "plateau" will be happening soon, and I'm not quite ready for that yet.  I haven't seen the scale in the 150's in probably over 5 years.  I really want to see that!  And let's not get ahead of ourselves and talk about seeing the scale in the 140's.  That has surely been over 10 years. 

I look at the week on a from Tuesday to Tuesday basis.  (Naturally, because Tuesdays are weigh in days)  In that 7 day week, I try to stay completely on track 5 of those days.  Two of those days, I allow myself to be a little "bad."  I'll get takeout from my favorite Indian Restaurant, which includes the most delish naan you've ever had.  I'll drink beer and wine.  But then the next day, I'll get my butt outside and go for a 30 minute walk.  And most of that walk will involve me feeling guilty about how poorly I ate the day before.  But here's the thing.  I don't have to be perfect, and I'm realizing that.  I can enjoy my foods here and there as long as I'm mostly good. 

Here is a picture of me from my first day of the program, and here is a picture of me one month later.  I plan on taking my pic every month. 

Here is hoping the next month is as successful as the first month!

3rd Weigh In

I am happy to report that I lost weight again!  I was nervous this week because well. . . I'm a girl. . . and it's that time of the month.  But, I lost a total of 1.6 pounds! :0

Current Weight: 165.6
Current BMI: 24.5
Current Weight Loss: 7.8

I am really happy that the scale is going down.  Sometimes I look in the mirror, and all I see is a fat girl.  Sometimes all I see is so much more weight to lose.  I'm really trying to enjoy the weight I've lost so far and appreciate how hard I've worked these first three weeks.  I realize I have quite a bit more to go.  I was hoping to lose a total of 30 pounds and I'm almost a third there!