WOW. I made it! 16 months, trials and errors, successes and failures. I lost 41.2 pounds with WeighWatchers. Many of you know that I have been following Weight Watchers, but I don't know if you know why. I joined Weight Watchers because I knew it was the right way to lose weight, because it's not taking a pill, cutting certain things out of your diet, or even being on a diet. It's truly a lifestyle change, and unless you take time to learn about yourself, and learn to make those changes that will change your life, you will not succeed. You can't make those changes with blinders. You have to have an open mind to realize what you always thought may not be right.
So how have I changed? I'm glad you asked. To start, one of the first things I did off the bat was journal. I started on paper, then switched to Weight Watchers etools on their site. Journaling truly made me accountable for what I was putting in my mouth. As my leader, Kim, says "If you bite it, you write it." Words of wisdom. That first change made me realize I was eating WAY more than I though, and definitely more than needed. Just by journaling, I lost 20 pounds.
At that point I started to plateau. It was a long plateau, but slowly, I made my way. The second change I made was exercise. I have always been a fast walker, and I didn't feel that I was really making a difference just by toodling along on the treadmill at two miles per hour. I started by walking, walking fast. By fast I mean probably about 3.2-3.3 miles per hour. Power walking, as some call it. I did that for quite a bit, probably about six months. But I was reading through blogs and twitter that others were running at nearly four miles an hour. So I figured if I could walk nearly that fast, it wouldn't be that hard to run. And you know what? I was right. I was really worn at first, but in no time, I was running, and I knew I could do it. I was running at about 3.6 miles an hour. Recently, I went from 3.6 up to 4.5 and it was SO much easier than I ever thought! I was amazed. When I started running, I had gotten a book that had different exercises, from yoga to walking to running to toning with those exercise bands. There was a running regiment, and I followed that for a 45 minute workout. I still follow it when I run. It's easy for me to keep track of where I'm at because I know what minute to start running, and slow down for a break.
I have tried other workouts, from yoga to push ups, to crunches. I always felt I was working hardest when I was on the treadmill, or the elliptical. Low and behold lifting weights actually makes your metabolism get into full swing, and cardio makes your heart stronger. That is something I learned in the last month, and have started lifting weights along with a shorter elliptical/treadmill session. I think that's how I lost my last three pounds in two weeks. I love working out now, where as before, I hated it. I thought about working out, and didn't even want to get up to change clothes. Now I make sure to pack a workout bag the night before to take to work in the morning. Once I have that bag packed with my clothes and shoes, I have it set in my head that I am working out, and if I don't, it's just pure laziness.
One of the other major changes I have made has been what I am eating. I eat fruit and veggies ALL the time now. I used to eat my veggies, yes, but I wouldn't eat nearly as many as I should have. I used to have a breakfast sandwich for breakfast, and sometimes I would eat something in the next couple hours because I was hungry again. Then in a couple hours I would eat lunch, and it would be something like chicken fingers (fried, of course) and french fries (needless to say, fried.) I would hardly ever eat fruit. And the silly thing is I have always loved fruit! Why didn't I eat it? I really don't have an answer to that, even now. That was just breakfast and lunch. For dinner, I was always making some type of high calorie/fat pasta, had bread, biscuits, or rolls with every dinner. I would have 2 rolls and more pasta than veggies and meat combined. For dessert, I would have a huge bowl of ice cream every night. If it wasn't ice cream, it was a bunch of cookies and milk. I'm not talking one or two cookies. I'm talking eight to ten cookies. Let's say one cookie is three points, that was 30 points I was eating ALONE in cookies!! I never even was allotted 30 points in one day!!
These days I get up early in the morning to make my breakfast, usually an english muffin w/ low fat cream cheese, or a scrambled egg, and would pair that with some kind of fruit. My favorite fruits are strawberries, grapes, and bananas. I also make my lunch. It may be anything from leftovers from the night before to making myself a turkey sandwich. Pair the sandwich with some baby carrots, and I have myself a lunch that will last me till the end of my workday. I hardly ever have breads for dinner anymore, and I totally pay attention to portion size. I also eat my veggies and meat first, then I finish my dinner with whatever other side I may have. I also grill just about everything, from potatoes to meats, spring, summer, fall and winter too! I LOVE grilling!! I sometimes have dessert, but it may be one scoop of ice cream, not a huge bowl. When I make cookies, I will usually have two, and that is good enough to keep me satisfied.
Now these are all my great successes, but I have some opportunities still too. Eight glasses of water a day is a lot to take in; I feel like I am floating after about four. I usually don't drink a lot of fluids anyway. I got up to six glasses of water a day for a month or two. I don't know what happened there. I will continue to try to get my water in, but will always be a struggle for me.
Another opportunity is actually two things combined into one. I feel like I always get the same things at the grocery store, therefore, my dinners feel repetitive or boring sometimes. I want more variety, and I think I know how to make that happen, but I haven't taken the time to make it happen. The answer is menu planning. I want to start planning my dinners, that way I know what we are having; I don't have to search around thinking "What do I have, what can I make?" So my next goal is to start planning a week at a time, making a grocery list out of my menu, and making sure I have everything I will need. I just haven't done it yet. But menu planning has been on my mind for about a month now.
It's not just me that has helped me to lose weight, it has been support and motivation from my friends and Weight Watchers meetings. Without my weekly meetings, I know that I wouldn't have made it. When I had gone to WW to weigh in, but left before the meetings started, I either maintained that week or gained. I need the motivation from others who are in the same position as me, going thru the same trials and errors. Things they say help me and I'm sure that some things that I share may help them too. I have so many friends online thru twitter that are also doing Weight Watchers. That is primarily why I use twitter now, actually. It didn't start out that way, but I found so much motivation and support, that I really prefer to keep my twitter timeline circulating around weight loss topics. To me, twitter support is just as needed in my life as my Weight Watchers meetings. Most of my friends from work and personal life know that I have been trying to lose the weight, and they are always happy for me when I reach a new goal or come into work on Thursdays excited because I lost! Even though they may not be directly connected to my weight loss world, they know how important it is to me and are truly happy for me when I make an achievement. I love the support from my friends, in real life and virtually, and from my family as well. My parents have also been very supportive because they are Weight Watchers members as well and have been successful also. (Another reason I joined.) So THANK YOU to everyone that has been for me through it all!!
Persistence is key. If you are partway there, and decide that's good enough, you are only cheating yourself. Why lose 30 and give up in the last 10? Stick with it, and you will be celebrating just the same. And it feels GREAT to reach your goal! If you aren't getting the support you need, ask for it. Or find it like I did on twitter and in meetings. Every person is different and need their own motivators. If it is hanging your fat pants on your closet door so you see them everyday, then do it! If it's just feeling better by knowing what you are putting into your body, then journal. If you have to get those foods you can't resist out of your house, give it away, or throw it away. It may seem like a waste, but would you rather have it in the trash or on your hips? Do what YOU need to do to get yourself where you want to be, and you WILL make it!
How do I feel now? I feel FANTASTIC!! I have six weeks of maintenance to be lifetime, meaning I will be with Weight Watchers always and as long as I don't gain more than two pounds for more than two weeks in a row, I will get to go for free. I used to walk right by the mirror and glance long enough to check my hair or makeup, but wouldn't look at my body at all. I didn't realize how big I'd gotten because I quit looking. Now I look every chance I get. I know it sounds silly, but I love to see how my body has changed physically! Mentally I feel more alert as well. Now that I have my weight loss under control, it's one less (major) thing to worry about. Now I can focus on the things that matter the most to me, like my family, my doggies and cat, my job, my finances, the list goes on. I am LOVING life right now, and don't want to let this feeling go! I want everyone to feel this. It makes you want to smile at everything, even the rain! My final words? Live life, love yourself, be happy.
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