Big Steps - No More...

 

As of today, I am no longer a Weight Watchers client. After some long deliberation with myself, I've decided to cancel my membership. You can view it as giving up, that's fine, but that's not what I'm doing. I simply wasn't using it. And, if I'm not going to use it, I'm not going to spend nearly $20 a month on a membership.

 

It did provide tools that we can all use during our every day lives. Instead of reaching for the iced tea or sugar-free soft drink, opt for a glass of water instead. Eat all the fresh fruits and veggies you can during the day! Fresh is best, but steamed works too. Make sure you don't load them up with butters. I do add seasoned salt and pepper, but avoiding salt is the healthy way! Stick to sugar and fat free when possible. Leave out the carbs. And, everything in moderation. I know, I know! We've heard it for years, but it's true.

 

What I need to do is make more of an effort to make healthy meals for my family. My husband and I can so easily rely on ordering a pizza when we're running late and we don't feel like cooking. Running through a drive-thru is another bad habit. Honestly, before McKinley, we cooked every night. Now, when we get home, we are flat out exhausted and cooking is the last thing we want to do. I've been trying to make two day meals, but the easiest are pastas and casseroles. Those are carb central! Or can be. I need to find alternative ingredients that make them lighter, healthier and with a little less fat.

 

We have been trying to eat more salads. Salads loaded with grilled chicken and shrimp and plenty of veggies! I need to start packing healthier lunches for myself as well. I tend to eat the frozen diet lunches but they get so old. And going out gets pricey! Making a lunch at night helps, but there's that tired part again.... And that's the excuses part of dieting that I referenced on day one!

 

The point is, I need to make some changes. I need to be mindful of what I'm providing to my family. I need to either get back in the gym, do something at home or in the neighborhood. Exercise is key! It releases those happy endorphins, puts you in a better mood, makes you feel better, sleep better and well, look better! So I'm not giving up. I'm just going to move in a different direction. One that doesn't have me spending money on something I'm not using, but putting my money where my mouth is! 

 

As always, stay tuned..... 



Big Steps - Current Update

 

So it's been a while since I've provided you with an update on the whole Weight Watchers thing. I signed up on May 13th and as of June 24th, I've lost....drum roll please.....three pounds! HA! I will be honest, I started out super motivated. I packed a sensible lunch every day, took healthy snacks and really paid attention to my points. Then the Memorial Day weekend hit and I lost all sight of the diet. I was happy that I only gained one pound, and I lost it within the week back, but I've been up and down every since.

 

I'm hovering around the same number but the clothes in my closet, that haven't fit since before McKinley, finally do and that makes me super happy. I do need to get refocused though as I have an event coming up at the end of July and I want my dress, that fits now, to fit like a dream in a month! Plus, as I look at my 40 Before the Big 4-0 list, I have numbers 13 and 14 as get back in the gym and lose my remaining baby weight respectively. Based on the whopping three pounds I've lost, I have eight more to go, but in reality I could stand to lose another 10! I would like to lose 15 pounds, but 10 would be nice!

 

I'm not quite sure how to get remotivated! If I needed to be in a bikini for a photo shoot next month, that would really get my butt off the couch! In reality, I simply have "the dress". I've been talking up a trip to LA for my 40th birthday, which is a mere five months away. If that were to really take shape, I'm pretty sure I could find my way back to those regulated points and watch that scale move down the mountain. I will keep you posted on that!

 

I can say that my mom thinks I've lost weight based on the fact that my face looks thinner. And let me tell you, if my mom says I look thinner, then that's no lie! She is my worst critic. I'm not sure I can tell if I look thinner, but like I stated previously, clothes don't lie in the weight department! If they are fitting like they should, and looser than a month ago, I say I'm doing something right!

 

Check back next month for a progress report!

Big Steps - Week One Update

It has been one week since I started Weight Watchers and so far things are going pretty well. The hardest part has been figuring out points! Oh, and dieting! They arm you with some terrific tools. However, I have created some helpful cheat sheets, like a spread sheet of foods by catagory and their associated points, so I have something to reference when my computer isn't handy. I'm allowed 26 points a day and I haven't really found it all that hard to stay within them. I've actually been leaving some points on the table. Sometimes two, sometimes more. And, I've been hungrier on some days versus others, but I'm trying to really stick with this and not cheat.

 

Another great tool I've discovered, with the help of my friend Wendy, is their recipe builder. Since you can't literally calculate every single point, the recipe builder breaks down your meal on the points scale, and you can save the recipe if you were to make it again. For instance, Wendy provided me with a 1 Point Weight Watcher muffin years ago and I had lost the recipe for the umptenth time! Based on the new WW points system, we wondered if the muffins were still one point. With the recipe builder, we plugged in all the ingredients, changed our serving size to 24, and it calcutated that our previous one point muffin was now two! Super helpful and I use it all the time now.

 

I love that most, if not almost all, veggies and fruits are zero points! I can fill up on healthy snacks and not feel guilty for eating. Other snacks food are low in points as well. For instance, sugar free Jell-O is zero points! Add a teaspoon of Cool Whip and you have a one point dessert or snack! Add 2 tablespoons of Humus to your carrots or celery and you have a two point snack! A cup of air popped, plain popcorn is one point! All great snack foods that fill you up! That's the key. Fill up! They say you shouldn't be hungry on WW, and for most days, that's true.

 

I've been a lot more active this past week as well. I've taken a couple more walks and started the work on building/planting our garden. I've been lifting 40 pound bags of top soil, 16 pound bags of organic soil, digging, raking and planting for the better part of the weekend.  And I get to log all of those activity points and "cash" them in whenever I want. I'm thinking I might use them for the upcoming weekend! Vacations aren't always the best times to diet. Those extra points are going to come in handy!

 

And, as it turns out, the weight loss it taking place. The goal set by Weight Watchers, that I thought was eight pounds in a week, is actually eight pounds total. I'm down 2.5 pounds after week one! Taht might not sound like a lot, but according to my friend Wendy, the average weight loss in a week is two pounds. I'm off to a great start! Let's hope the momentum continues during the week and I continue to shed even through the holiday weekend!